CANYON — On Thursday evening, April 16, staff and donors at West Texas A&M University celebrated the end of the intense, five-year One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which publicly launched in September 2021 with a goal of raising $125 million to expand the vision of being a Regional Research Center.
They achieved that goal in just 18 months.
So, they kept going and increased their goal to $175 million — which they also met, in September 2025. Based on People, Programs and Places, one of the most successful fund drives in a regional university in the nation garnered a cool $208,654,050, which was revealed at the End of Campaign Celebration on Thursday, held at the Piehl-Schaeffer Pavilion on the WT campus in Canyon.
WT said it was the most money raised in a fundraising campaign in Texas Panhandle history.
Todd Rasberry, vice president for philanthropy and external relations and executive director of the WTAMU Foundation, started the evening off by saying that not even WT President Walter Wendler knew the final amount until it was announced with glowing lights, music and fanfare, much like a game show.
Rasberry said the reason they didn’t share the total with Wendler was because “I was afrid he would raise the amount again,” to much laughter from the crowd.
WT said the groundwork was first laid in 2017, when Paul Engler and the Engler Foundation made an $80 million gift to WT, $24 million of which was counted in the campaign.
“The campaign clock began in September 2021, with the inspiration of Paul Engler’s historic gift of $80 million to WT (the 17th largest gift in higher education across the country), which named the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business and Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences,” Rasberry said.
“I’m not sure people thought that people would give that kind of money in the Panhandle, and they weren’t sure they’d give it to higher education,” he said. “But when Engler did that, he opened the gate for others.”
The campaign was led by Wendler and Rasberry in coordination with a leadership committee of Leah McLain, Jim J. Brewer, Cheryl and Alex Fairly, Dyke and Terry Rogers, and David and Sherry Schaeffer, along with support from a campaign steering committee of about 70 volunteers, as well as WT faculty and others.
Wendler said that in addition to the donated amount, as a result of the campaign, the university’s scholarships had doubled, and the number of endowed faculty physicians had quadrupled from 30 to 109.
“You know, all of us have done our part, but are literally hundreds of people that have given time and energy to make it all work — and they’ve done it with graciousness and a smile,” he said. The entire amount of contributors numbered 13,000, according to figures announced at the unveiling.
Wendler said, “I’ve met a lot of friendly people and become friends because they care so much about this place. It’s infected me — I’ve been here 10 years in August — and I’ve been infected with the Texas Panhandle way of thinking about things. I mean that in the most positive sense that it’s really affected the way I see things, and I’m thankful for it.”
Wendler claimed that regional universities are often overpowered by the bigger flagships, but that local universities that serve local people and contribute to local economies, these universities change the face of the state, and therefore the nation, one county at a time.
What’s next now that they’ve met their goal
“Todd and I are already talking. It’s not a campus-wide campaign, but now we’re going to start focusing on particular programs and actions that are important to WT,” he said. “Don’t ask me what they are — I’m not going to tell you yet, but I’ve got more (ideas) than the money is available out there.”
Wendler said that they were going to surprise people and be the “fundraisingest” university in the state of Texas.
Rasberry said, “I’d like to aggressively grow what we have in scholarships made for students in the foundation. One of the things I’d like to see happen soon for WT is that we really need a state-of-the-art new research facility. We’ve been working on that, but it hasn’t happened yet.”
“As Dr. Wendler shared with us a moment ago,” he said, “he has not stopped creating visions. He has a plan. I’d like to be part of it.”
The night continued with dining, music and much celebration, which included WTAMU agriculture department burros carrying baskets filled with beer and cold drinks. They also recognized members of the Old Main Society and Eternal Flame Society of 2025, who were inducted and recognized.
The campaign, which funds the long-range plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World, officially wrapped with the donor celebration. The university said the official count ended in December, and additional gifts will be celebrated in the next several weeks.
An on-campus celebration for students, faculty and staff will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 22 on the south lawn of the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building.
“It is unquestionable that your generous philanthropic support is vital to making WT a great university,” Rasberry told the audience of donors and special guests at Thursday’s event. “We are here to celebrate and to say thank you.”
Notable campaign achievements, facility updates
The One West campaign also launched new research institutes and initiatives that will have an impact regionally and globally, leading WT to be officially classified by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Research College and University in August. In addition, the WT campus saw much transformation from the campaign.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WTAMU’s One West campaign raises record $208.6 million for university
Reporting by Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
