Guide & Prospectus - Schreiner University
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Guide & Prospectus
“Texas will again lift its head
Table of Contents and stand among the nations. It
ought to do so, for no country
upon the globe can compare
The Texas Center at Schreiner University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 with it in natural advantages.”
Sam Houston
A Snapshot of Schreiner University. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Mobilizing The Texas Center Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Preparing Texans for the Future of Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
The Beginning, 2020. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Texas Studies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Texas Learning Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Texas Lives: A YouTube Series From The Texas Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Reviews Are In. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Funding The Texas Center. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Six Year Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Texas Center Pro-Forma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
The Need for an Honest Broker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Guiding Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
A View Over the Next Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Building Social Capital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Strategy: Take it to the People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Future. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Final Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3
The Texas Center at Schreiner University the town he helped build, occupied a unique place in the heart of Texas—in that
Texas is changing. By 2050, there will be nearly twice as many people living in the borderland between the rolling plains of West Texas, the great sweep of the Edwards
Lone Star State as there are now. Take a look around. For every person you see, Plateau, the deep soil of the Post Oak Prairie, and the stretches of the South Texas
imagine another person standing there as well within the next three decades. The scrub country, the coastal bend, and the great east Texas forests. Mexico, too, lay
question remains: what sort of Texas will they be living in? close by, with all of its promise and people. There were friends to be made, and deals
to be struck, from this little town on the banks of the Guadalupe.
We like Texas as it is now. Most folks find it a great place to live, work, raise kids and have
fun because of all the forces that have come together to make Texas, well . . . TEXAS! All it lacked was a college, a place to educate the next generation of Texans to
From our hats to our boots, from our lone star flags to our button-down shirts, we are a build on the achievements of the pioneering generation. Among the Texan
mix of remembering the Alamo, watching a rodeo, all thrown in with a touch of tuxedo. virtues he cherished was the intention to stand for something. So, from the heart
and mind of Captain Schreiner and the Presbytery of Western Texas sprang the
In short, it is tough to pin a Texan down. We are a people of contrasts but church-related, maverick institution that is Schreiner University.
united by a shared identity. No matter who we are, where we came from, and
in what part of the state we now call home, there are things we nearly all agree This sturdy little school in the heart of the Hill Country will continue to stand for
on: life in Texas takes grit, resourcefulness, and the ability to adapt to changing something, and promote its identity as a uniquely Texan institution, cultivating students
circumstances. who are smart and resilient and graduates who impact the state in enduring ways.
Besides, Texas has always been at the intersection of people, cultures, and That is where The Texas Center at Schreiner University plays in. The past informs
ideas, and populated by newcomers. As a result, it has become an exceptionally the present, no doubt about it, but the present prepares for the future. That is why
diverse state with a history of redeeming, restoring, and transforming ordinary this project is so vital. If we are going to double the number of Texans in three
individuals into people who achieve the extraordinary. It has always been a decades, then we need to help these newcomers understand what they are inheriting
borderland, inhabited by people who resist the urge to be homogenized and and what they are building upon as they put their own stamp on the story.
contained, while appreciating and promoting the ways in which our neighbors are
different and unique, but also pulling in the same direction. The Texas Center at Schreiner University will continue the tradition of being the
small college of Texas that believes in the classic Texan virtues of spirit, fortitude,
In this way, Schreiner reflects the state out of which it grew. and achievement. This will be our gift to the citizens of our state, to the nation,
and to the world.
It only makes sense that Schreiner University is taking the lead in this endeavor.
It has occupied the crossroads of the Texas experience since 1923. Its namesake,
Captain Charles A. Schreiner, was an immigrant, a Texas Ranger, and early
promoter of the Texas Hill Country. He recognized that the land he ranched, and
4 5
A Snapshot of Schreiner University
Why Schreiner? Because it is dedicated to remaining a uniquely Texan university.
The Schreiner University Community
• 1,342 students
• 309 first-time freshmen
• #24 fastest growing private university in the nation over the last 10 years
• ACT 19-24
US News and World Report Rankings:
• #12 Best Regional Colleges in the West
• #8 Best Colleges for Veterans
• #11 Best Value Schools
• #4 Top Performer in Social Mobility
Tuition:
• $30,470
• Average Annual Cost to Students: $18,204
Endowment
• $72M+ heading toward $100M by 2023
This scrappy little school is populated by the kind of Texans that need us the most.
They include a large number of first-generation college students from modest
backgrounds that represent the fastest growing section of the state’s demographics.
It turns out, these are the folks that Texas needs the most going forward!
6
“I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I
think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely
approximating a religion.
And this is true to the extent that people either
passionately love Texas or passionately hate
it and, as in other religions, few people dare Mobilizing The Texas Center Plan
to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in Leadership
mystery or paradox. When President Charlie McCormick and the trustees of Schreiner University
crafted the strategic plan that would carry the school to its centennial year, they
knew that this vision for the future needed to be Texas-focused. “We will recruit
But I think there will be little quarrel with my enthusiastic and diverse men and women and forge in them the intellectual,
feeling that Texas is one thing. For all its enormous emotional, and personal resilience that has made Schreiner Institute, College, and
range of space, climate, and physical appearance, University the uniquely Texan educational institution it has been, is, and will be.”
and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and To realize that hope, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Travis
strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps Frampton and President McCormick recruited Dr. Donald S. Frazier to create
The Texas Center. “I cannot think of anyone more qualified than Dr. Don Frazier
stronger than any other section of America. Rich, to direct The Texas Center at Schreiner University,” Frampton said. “He brings a
poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the wealth of experience and expertise with him, especially in the area of academics,
development, and in a love and appreciation for all things Texas. I am excited
obsession, the proper study, and the passionate that he will be joining our learning community and helping us carry out our
possession of all Texans.” mission as a ‘uniquely Texan’ University.” With more than a quarter of a century
of classroom experience, experience with the media, museum work, non-profit
management, fundraising, online education, and even a modest YouTube
John Steinbeck following of more than 4,000 subscribers to his Texas History channel, Frazier
brought useful skills to the enterprise.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Other historians across the state agreed with the choice: “Don is the Shelby Foote
of Texas,” wrote one top scholar. “He has the common touch and can talk with you
about pretty down-home subjects one minute, then shift gears and discuss pretty
intellectual topics in the same breath. It is amazing to watch.”
8 9
Preparing Texans for the Future
The Mission
The Mission of The Texas Center is to support,
promote, and preserve Texas history with an
eye toward cultural sustainability. The Lone
Star State has a colorful and exceptional history
that has created a place and people that are a
bold expression of the American experience.
For decades, Texas has been one of the fastest
growing regions of the United States, and for good
reason. Its pro-business attitude is friendly to
entrepreneurs and immigrants, and its suspicion
of government overreach has kept it free from
overregulation and high taxation. There is a grit
and persistence to Texans, and it is this quality that
we hope to pass on to future generations.
The future of Texas is bright. The history
of Texas has been one of self-reliance and
determination with neighbors helping
neighbors in good times and bad. This is the
hope, and the aim, of The Texas Center.
10
The Beginning, 2020
Within weeks, The Texas Center began delivering on that promise. It became:
A learning launch pad A home to visiting scholars
A setting to talk Texas
A place to tell Texas stories A publishing place
A collection of Texas art,
maps, and books A space that encompasses Texas
A place where Texas A place to share Texas
A Texan idea incubator adventures begin with the world
12 13
Texas Studies Minor Texas Learning Community
The Texas Center is home to the Texas Studies program, an 18-hour minor. The Texas Center is home to the Texas Learning Community, open to all majors.
14 15
Texas Lives: A YouTube Series The Reviews are In
from The Texas Center at Schreiner University Clearly, The Texas Center was working as hoped. Schreiner students had this to say:
Undergraduate research is key to the efforts at The Texas Center. Learning is a
journey; often allowing travelers to chart their own course fosters that voyage of “Unsweet tea is a sin and Jesus is king. And to be honest,
discovery. In this manner, we have embarked upon a video series entitled Texas I wouldn’t want to live my life any other way. People from
Lives. Undergraduates, either through classes in our Texas Studies Program, our Texas are some of the kindest and most selfless I’ve ever
Texas Learning Community, or outside and co-curricular endeavors such as the encountered and I’m proud to be bunched up with all the
Battle of the Flowers Oratorical Contest are recruited to research personalities hippies and the cowboys.”
from Texas’s past, craft a very short script about these people, and to produce
a short video that we can post to YouTube and other internet outlets. From
there, these videos become part of our Texas curriculum made available to “Texas Studies has helped me realize that Texas is a great
schoolteachers and homeschoolers across the state. place to work for the future and has helped me realize that
Texas will always be my home.”
So far, we have explored the lives of Fritz Tegener, Gail Borden, Frank Hamer,
Santos Benevides, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, Ann Richards, Henrietta King,
Audie Murphey, The Newton Gang, Earl Rudder, Martin De Leon, and Charles “If I decide to leave Texas I know that wherever I may
Goodnight, Joseph Martin Dawson, A. H. Belo, Amon Carter, among others, with end up in the nation or the world I know that deep down
many more to come. I will always be the cowboy boot wearing, southern accent
talking, and the Dallas Cowboys Texan I’ll always be and
if I have a family in the future I wish to bring them back to
Texas, and have them learn about this states’ history and
where I came from.”
“This course has affected my future in a key way: I want to
travel more! I’ve only ever lived in San Antonio and Kerrville
and have only ever visited Austin and Galveston. This class
reminded me that I live in such a beautiful state and I want
to visit East Texas, West Texas, and Dallas now.”
“I recommend this course for anyone interested in their
home state. But also, for non-Texans, who can learn about
this crazy place we call home.”
“I was unaware of just how much I learned, but after each
essay I felt that I was more of a Texan each time. I was
originally never even supposed to take this class, but I knew
it would better me as a Texan, and it would greatly benefit
me in the future as a teacher.”
16 17
Funding The Texas Center
The Six Year Plan “Texas is still a last frontier.
Year One: Staking a Claim (2019-2020) $300,000
It is part of the United States
• Bring in key personnel
where the traditional values are
• Establish the methods and procedures of The Texas Center still operating. In short, a piece
• Stand up faculty/office space on campus of living history.”
• Develop branding and marketing plan
• Generate supporting revenues John C. B. Richmond
• Prepare a $6M capital campaign
Year Two: Full Launch (2020-2021) $180,000
• Create content
• Execute on marketing plan
• Create affiliations with cultural institutions and enterprises
• Execute on capital campaign
• Generate additional supporting revenues
Year Three: Building Momentum (2021-2022) $50,000
• Create content
• Execute on marketing plan
• Create affiliations with cultural institutions and enterprises
• Execute on capital campaign
• Generate additional supporting revenues
Year Four: Centennial Push (2022-2023) $75,000/$1.5M Endowment Total
• Create content
• Execute on marketing plan
• Create affiliations with cultural institutions and enterprises
• Execute on capital campaign
• Generate additional supporting revenues
Year Five: Full Funding (2023-2024) $100,000/$3M Endowment Total
• Create content
• Execute on marketing plan
• Create affiliations with cultural institutions and enterprises
• Execute on capital campaign
• Generate additional supporting revenues
Year Six: Self Sufficiency (2024-2025) $100,000/$6M Endowment Total
18The Texas Center Pro-Forma
Year One: Staking a Claim (2019-2020)
Income (Fundraising). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $300,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $14,000.00
Net Revenues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $314,000.00
Year Two: Full Launch (2020-2021)
Funds Carried Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $247,000.00
Earned Revenue/Fundraising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $180,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $332,000.00
Expense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -$482,000.00
Net Revenues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $277,000.00
Year Three: Building Momentum (2021-2022)
Funds Carried Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $277,000.00
Earned Revenue/Fundraising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $335,000.00
Expense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -$485,000.00
Net Revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $177,000.00
Year Four: Centennial Push (2022-2023)
Funds Carried Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $177,000.00
Earned Revenue/Fundraising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $362,000.00
Expense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -$512,000.00
Net Revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $102,000.00
Cumulative Endowment Raised. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,500,000.00
Year Five: Full Funding (2023-2024)
Funds Carried Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $102,000.00
Income from Endowment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $73,500.00
Earned Revenue/Fundraising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $282,000.00
Expense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -$482,000.00
Net Revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $75,500.00
Cumulative Endowment Raised. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,000,000.00
Year Six: Self Sufficiency (2024-2025)
Funds Carried Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $72,500.00
Income from Endowment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $147,000.00
Earned Revenue/Fundraising. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100,000.00
Schreiner Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $282,000.00
Expense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -$532,000.00
Net Revenue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $69,500.00
Cumulative Endowment Raised. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,000,000.00
21The Need for an Honest Broker Guiding Statement
From the start, The Texas Center has demonstrated its impact on Schreiner
University students and an engaged public. But what else should it be doing? “History never repeats itself, but the Kaleidoscopic
combinations of the pictured-present often seem to be
Quickly, it became obvious that The Texas Center was needed now more than ever constructed out of the broken fragments of antique legends.”
as people expressed an eagerness for a facility and a program that would be an Mark Twain
advocate for Texas. An entity that would be authentic and fair-minded about the
history of the state, be willing to have the hard conversations about the past, but also
be genuine and optimistic in its approach to passing the story along. Put another way: history doesn’t repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes.
What Texas needed was what Hill Country Germans would refer to as an ehrlicher So, if Mark Twain is correct, then the knowledge and appreciation of history is vital
Makler—what today we could call an “Honest Broker.” to students’ understanding of the world around them. They need to understand
what those “broken fragments of antique legends” are all about. Texas students
should have at least a basic understanding of their state’s history so they can make
honest broker noun their own mind up about their place in it.
A person or party considered to be neutral and able to mediate
If not, they will be told what to believe.
between two parties.
Simply stated, it is important to get information from a trusted source. There
But what does that mean? How can you capture the genuine spirit of Texas? How is practical consideration as well: the honest study of Texas gives students an
can an educational program bottle the lightning that is the Lone Star State without advantage when examining other histories because the story of the Lone Star State
being sappy or starry-eyed? is so diverse and so connected to the rest of the world. If you know Texas better, you
will know your nation and world better.
First, you need to define Texas.
There is also much more to Texas than just Seventh Grade Texas History. Texas is
Erica Grieder, a columnist for the Houston Chronicle, wrote in her book, Big, not just a one semester, or even a one year, curiosity. It is as much an idea, a people,
Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of and a shared endeavor, as a place.
Texas: “The crucial component in the Texas boom has been its people, who tend
— forget stereotypes — to be tolerant, optimistic and results-oriented,” she writes. Besides, History does not have to be a student’s least favorite subject. Teachers can
“Texans are, ultimately, a pragmatic people.” create enthusiasm by how they choose to approach the education process. Imagine
if we taught kindergartners the alphabet, but never taught them that these letters
This practical spirit has made Texas a land of opportunity—and it has been that can form words, and words can form sentences, and sentences can convey thought.
way since its early days for people with guts and gumption. It is the fulfillment We might be educating them at some level, just not completely. Simply making
of the American promise, and the best version of what the framers of the United history a litany of names and dates—or worse yet, slogans—robs our students of the
States had in mind. Is Texas perfect? Under no circumstances! No human rich complexity of their own humanity.
endeavor could be. Even so, the tale to be told is worth the telling. The Texas
Center prepared to bring this story of grit and determination to a new audience History is about people—most of whom were pretty much like you and I—
with an honest and balanced approach. who faced many of the same challenges we face today. If educating children is
supposed to prepare them for lives well-lived, then the discipline of history is one
But how can we reach Texans in all 254 counties? To paraphrase the defenders of of the most powerful tools at hand.
the Alamo: We are going to need a lot more people.
This is about more than just Texas History. This is about cultural sustainability.
This is about Building Social Capital.
22 23A View Over the Next Hilltop
As The Texas Center gathered momentum, Dr. Richard
Bruce Winders, former historian and curator at The
Alamo joined the effort as a visiting scholar while Dr.
Lupita Barrera, retired from the Institute of Texan
Culture at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr.
Stephen L. Hardin, award winning author of Texian
Illiad, Dr. Dan Gelo, one of the world’s leading experts
on the Comanches, Josh Treviño of the Texas Public
Policy Foundation, and Justice Ken Wise, a veteran jurist
from Houston, weighed in as well. Somebody, some
organization, needed to tell the Texas story to the next
generation. Honestly.
What emerged was the idea for The 1836 Project: E Pluribus
Texas, a comprehensive curriculum guide for teaching
Texas from Kindergarten through College (K-16).
This program, inspired in part by conversations with
Hillsdale College’s Barney Charter School project,
is intended to keep the story of Texas as part of the
educational landscape and to prepare native and
newcomer alike for a life of productive service in the
Lone Star State. It is designed to grab the attention of
primary school students (especially fourth graders),
build upon it with a comprehensive and engaging
approach to Texas history in Seventh Grade, and prepare
high school students for college by offering credit bearing
classes. Once they matriculate into higher education,
the 1836 project will round out their education with the
Texas Studies Program at Schreiner University.
Our approach builds upon an educational ecosystem
already in place. Packed within the walls of the 2,500
sq. foot Texas Center is a video production studio,
a publishing company, a collection of scholars, and
a research library. Using these tools, the curriculum
guide becomes a center post for expanding the impact
of this great endeavor, and soon plans for even more
educational publishing, teacher workshops, videos,
and online resources and classes for the general public
began to take shape.
25Strategy: Take it to the People
While born on a university campus, The
1836 Project should not look to academia for
guidance or approval. “Its denizens have proven
their inability to provide their students with a
relevant and truthful interpretation of the past,”
observed Dr. Bruce Winders, Visiting Scholar at
the Texas Center.
Instead, perhaps a better tactic is to use public
history as a model. This approach views the
public at large as its audience. Although its
practitioners have the same academic training
and accomplishments as those working in
academia, public historians view the public at
large as their audience and the entire world as
their classroom. As a result, interaction lacks
the superior-inferior relationship between
instructor and pupil, which impede discussion
of concepts, content, and context. By using
Building Social Capital techniques developed in public history, the
public is encouraged to be active learners whose
Shared conversation about lives lived in
learning continues throughout their lives.
community ultimately builds trust. Not only
between individuals, but also trust in the broad
In order to get our content in the hands of
fabric of social institutions. When fully mature,
educators and their students, we will have to
this trust manifests itself as shared values, virtues,
work around the current ossified chokepoints
and expectations within the people as a whole.
that have dominated Texas for the last fifty years.
If this social capital—this trust—is
The Texas Center can become an educational
not crafted and nourished within each
ecosystem where all aspects of the authentic
educational cohort, within each wave of
Texas experience can be showcased, studied,
students, it decays. Eventually, this decay
celebrated, and discussed. From barbecue to
begins to manifest itself in strife, conflict,
books, from art to ancestry, and from high
pessimism, and catastrophic social problems.
finance to frontier forts, we will create a space—
and a place—where Texans come together to
The role of The Texas Center at Schreiner University
discuss and share what makes us great.
is critically important to nurture and build Texas’s
social capital for generations—and to seek the
common good in the process.
26 27The Future
Critical First Steps: $20,000,000
1. In order to have operational flexibility, The Texas Center needs to be fully 3. Publishing. As long as books remain a method for conveying thought, The Texas
endowed so that it has stability for the work ahead. $10,000,000 Center should play a role in developing engaging products for the marketplace.
2. The Texas Center needs new facilities to grow this vision, to house its staff, 4. The Texas Center at Schreiner University will offer content-based in-service
to host teacher workshops, and to project confidence while also having programs to teachers across the State of Texas to “teach the teachers.” This needs
an endowment to pay for maintenance, facility staffing, and operations. to be free to attend for select educators to remove obstacles to their participation.
$10,000,000 5. In this virtual age there is no reason that our programs cannot be made
Product Development and Marketing: $5,000,000 a year for five years available nationally (even globally) to teachers via the internet as on-demand
courses, webinars, and broadcasts.
Rationale: To become an important force in the state-wide conversation over how 6. Beyond teachers, we intend to reach out to members of the public who appreciate
to teach Texas history and culture, The Texas Center at Schreiner University will and crave accurate and engaging historical and cultural programming.
need to have a very brief adolescence. The way to accelerate its development and to
leverage the talents and experience of its leadership is to fund this project with full- 7. As the audience builds, there should be regular gatherings of the “alumni” of
throated enthusiasm until it becomes part of the state educational landscape and The Texas Center project which will include educators, interested members of
major influencer of the conversation about who we Texans are as a people. the public, and college students.
8. Field trips. Visiting places where history happened is an important part of
Eventually, revenues generated from the more commercial components of this plan learning—and teaching. The Texas Center should lead the way.
will fund the educational mission of The Texas Center at Schreiner University and 9. There will no doubt be emerging technologies that could be used to educational
its purpose. These products will take several years to develop, and interim support ends, including such media as computer games, massively multiplayer online
will be required to get these processes engaged and matured. role-playing games (MMORPG), interactive video content streaming, and
virtual reality. A robust R and D component and new business development
1. The 1836 Project Curriculum Guide is only the beginning. To maximize its strategy will keep Texas-related content relevant to future generations as the
utility, it needs to be supported by educational materials including video education, entertainment, and content landscape continue to evolve and blend.
content, phone apps, and printed materials. Ideally there would-be licensing agreements between commercial product
2. Lone Star Bold, a program that addresses the need for workforce preparation in developers and The Texas Center at Schreiner University.
the coming decades, will be a co-enrollment program for high school juniors
and seniors that provides a basic knowledge of Texas history, culture, and civics
education as it relates to American Federalism.
28 29Final Words
“I have covered stories in the South, the Midwest and other
parts of the country. People in those places identified with
their political party, their job, their cause, their sexual
orientation, their city, their race. Almost no one identified
with their state the way Texans do. You don’t just move into
Texas. It moves into you.”
There is an urgency to our task. By 2050, there will be Manny Fernandez, Los Angeles Bureau Chief, “What
nearly twice as many Texans as there are today. What will Makes Texas Texas,” New York Times, May 7, 2016
these natives and newcomers know about this state? How
will they feel about their inheritance? What is the story we Since 2020, people across the state and around the country are taking note of the
news out of Kerrville. One educator wrote: “As a fellow Texan, I cherish those who
will tell them? How will they find their place in this story? proudly, yet humbly, carry the love of our great state in their hearts and share it with
others.”
A woman in Austin agreed, describing The Texas Center at Schreiner University as
“innovative, visionary, bold, resourceful, inspiring—and with a plan to accomplish
the goal.” She is active in historic preservation issues and understands what is at
stake. “I just hope there hasn’t been so much ground lost that it’s too late. But we got
to try; and we have to help, no matter the outcome. Our heritage and our progeny’s
future depend on it.”
30 31Kerrville, Texas
The Texas Center Dr. Donald Frazier
@ Schreiner University
DSFrazier@schreiner.edu
2100 Memorial Blvd. CMB 6244 (830) 792-7464
Kerrville, TX 78028You can also read
