History
The Texas Tech University School of Medicine was created by the 61st Texas Legislature in May, 1969 as a multi-campus institution with Lubbock as the administrative center, and with regional campuses at Amarillo, El Paso, and Odessa. In 1979, the charter was expanded to become the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), leading the way for establishment of the School of Nursing, School of Health Professions, and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. In 1993, the legislature authorized the establishment of a School of Pharmacy to be located in Amarillo. In addition, Health Professions programs were expanded to Amarillo and the Permian Basin. In 2003, the legislature authorized the establishment of a four-year medical school in El Paso, and in 2011, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing was established, also located in El Paso. TTUHSC’s schools are committed to regionalized, multi- campus educational experiences, and to the related biomedical research, graduate studies, patient care and community service required of a health sciences center. A primary effort is made to achieve a balanced group of students with qualified minority students, diverse age groups, and heterogeneous backgrounds in educational and life experiences.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso (TTUHSC at El Paso) was established in May 2013 by the 83rd Texas Legislature as the fourth and newest university in the Texas Tech University System (TTUS). On May 18, 2013, after 40 years of operating as a regional campus of TTUHSC’s School of Medicine, Governor Rick Perry signed Senate Bill 120, which established TTUHSC at El Paso as its own independent institution. TTUHSC at El Paso is home to the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine and the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing. On July 1, 2014, Dr. Richard Lange assumed his role as Founding President of TTUHSC at El Paso and the new Dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine.
TTUHSC has as its major objectives the provision of quality education and development of academic, research, patient care, and community service programs to meet the health care needs of West Texas, which in total is comprised of 108 counties and represents 50% of Texas’ land mass and 11% of its total population. This 131,000 square mile service area and population of 2.7 million has been, and remains highly underserved by health professionals and accessible health care facilities, despite the substantial and meaningful contribution made by our institution. Demographic shifts in West Texas populations, as well as socioeconomic and epidemiologic characteristics of its sub-groups, create major and specific demands for service. While education of students and residents remains the primary focus of the institution, there has been an important impact on the health status of West Texas. The lack of a single locus of population density has resulted in the regionalization of medical and health care education and patient care on multiple geographically separated campuses. In providing an excellent quality undergraduate, graduate, and continuing health professional education at each site, the health needs of the larger community have been better met and relevant indices of health status demonstrate significant improvement. To continue to provide excellent health care for the people of West Texas, a special effort is made to recruit applicants from West Texas and from rural and border communities. Students from these areas are more likely to service their home regions upon graduation, which ensures the long-term perpetuation of quality health care in West Texas and that the objectives of TTUHSC are continually met.
TTUHSC is a component of the Texas Tech University System. The President of TTUHSC reports to the Chancellor, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the System. The Chancellor and the President are responsible to the TTUS Board of Regents, which sets overall policy for TTUS, Texas Tech University, TTUHSC, TTUHSC El Paso, and Angelo State University.
TTUHSC began its journey to create a sustainable values-based culture in May, 2018. A very diverse group of 104 HSC team members collaborated to create a draft of the common core values we share that will drive our cultural transformation. Over 2,600 additional faculty and staff team members gave their input and we published the final version in our 2019 Values Based Culture Field Guide. Our goal is to encourage everyone to align their personal values with the HSC culture. We have formed five Values Integration Teams to help us integrate our values into our daily work and processes. Each of the teams is focused on helping us accomplish the goals outlined in the TTUHSC 2020 Strategic Plan. We are working hard to recognize those who are living our values, knowing that together we will change our culture and make a positive impact on our students, patients, the TTUHSC Community, and each other.
TTUHSC is continually striving to make the institution and its programs the most cost effective possible, which has been particularly important as the institution has been growing and developing its programs. In 1985, general revenue made up more than 50% of the total operating budget of TTUHSC. Now, in fiscal year 2019, general revenue is 21.5% of the total budget. Even though TTUHSC has been able to sustain the growth of its schools and programs, adequate levels of state appropriated funds are essential to accomplish the central mission of providing health care education of the highest quality.