Construction began on West Texas A&M University’s Geneva Schaeffer Education Building on May 13. A couple of years ago, as part of the historic $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, the Schaeffer family agreed to donate $2.5 million to WT as part of a wide-ranging effort to revive the Education Building, thus giving it the name Geneva Shaeffer Education Building. In October 2021, WT announced they were allotted $45 million from Senate Bill 52, which allocated $3.35 billion for capital projects at Texas higher education institutions.
After extensive renovations are completed, the building will primarily be occupied by the WT Graduate School. It will also house an instructional design space to advance digital learning. Through the long-range plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, WT aims to educate as many off-campus students as those on campus. The construction of this building, commonly known as “Old Ed,” will help make this plan possible.
Before construction started, they gutted the building months earlier. Structural repairs and reinforcement have been happening, and foundation work for a new annex has also been done. Once finished, the approximately $32-million facility is expected to open in the fall of 2025.
This is not the only construction happening around campus. The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and Pioneer Amphitheater are getting a 21st-century modern makeover thanks to WT and state leaders. The initial design, which WT President Walter V. Wendler commissioned, will keep the museum’s historically significant Pioneer Hall intact. New construction will bring to life the story of the Texas Panhandle in innovative ways.
A feasibility study has already been conducted with the support of Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. This study addressed critical issues with the museum’s existing facilities. DLR Group and Gallagher & Associates conducted the study, which found improvements that could be made in fire and life safety, proper preservation and display of artifacts and visitor experience. This plan is the starting point and may not reflect the final design. To learn more about the plan, you can read it here. The complete project would require a budget of several hundred million dollars. With this budget, they could entirely transform the museum into a lasting testament to the Panhandle and the State of Texas.
DLR Group and G&A’s feasibility study also called for renovations to the Pioneer Amphitheater, which annually hosts the drama “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. They would enhance the amphitheater with new seating, stage wings, and improved lighting and sound systems. It would also include a new support building with dressing rooms, restrooms, costume and scenic storage and a green room. A new entrance plaza would include all-new structures for ticketing, a gift shop, concessions, public restrooms and an art gallery. The art gallery would host temporary exhibits and artifacts from the PPHS collection.
Construction also began Monday, Oct. 14, in Cornette Library and the Marmaduke Internet Innovation Center to replace an air handler. An email from [email protected] explained that construction would last approximately one month. While this project is happening, there will be fenced-in lay-down and work yards to the north and south of the main sidewalk running east and west of the library. The sidewalk will remain open during the project. However, it may occasionally be blocked for pedestrian safety. Buff News asks everyone to take caution, be alert when using this sidewalk, and comply with requests, as everyone’s safety is paramount.
