Texas Tech comes out fine in this regard. And we can have a major impact on the quality of rural life in Texas and the nation. The challenges facing rural America in the 2ist century are huge. More than a fifth of the nation's population live in rural areas and rural places make up 97 percent of our nation's space. Whereas rural areas were once where America farmed, today they are also where we play and relax.
Rural populations face problems of diversity and of deep divides between haves and have-nots.
Water and agricultural production are huge issues. Texas Tech can make enormous contributions to rural America by focusing on these challenges. Another special situation we face is our ongoing challenge to emphasize the humanities and the arts. We must realize that any notion of achieving preeminence in teaching and research must be grounded in strong programs in the humanities and arts. Secondly, we do great disservice to our students if we do not give them an understanding of our history, literature, art, music, languages and ethical norms.