It was 52 years ago that the first African American got an athletic scholarship at Texas Tech. The headline in the school newspaper about Danny Hardaway’s scholarship read: “Negro inks grid pact with Tech.” That same year, 1967, Hardaway was a charter member along with other black students in forming the Student Organization for Unity and Leadership, or SOUL.

Through the years, the group’s name changed. Today it’s known the Black Student Association, and its president now, Baahir Jinadu, says there is a standout goal for this year.

The Magna Carta, an original printing of the Emancipation Proclamation and a first edition of the King James Bible. All these famous historical documents and hundreds more that touch on individual liberty and human dignity reside on Texas Tech’s campus.

The Remnant Trust resides in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library and in the Museum of Texas Tech.

Frank Zappa wasn’t shy in his criticism. He took on the middle class’ herd mentality and censorship of rock and roll. The music icon created and performed multiple genres from rock to jazz to classical music. And he produced 60 radical, groundbreaking and irreverent albums.

Texas Tech music professor Chris Smith is teaching a course on Zappa this semester.

The Texas Tech University School of Music presents a concert this Friday evening at Hemmle Recital Hall that features Ensemble Bravura, conducted by Philip Mann. The program features Texas Tech University faculty members and a composition by composer Noel Zahler, who is dean of the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University.

Listen to the full episode of The Front Row above for more information on this event.

The fungus that causes a deadly bat disease now has been found in 21 Texas counties. Last year, the fungus was found in just 10 counties across the state. Texas Tech assistant professor in biological sciences Liam McGuire says the disease has not yet been detected in Texas. The same is true for Mississippi, Wyoming, North Dakota and California.

On today's edition of The Front Row, we talk to Dr. John Hollins about the upcoming Lubbock Chorale season. Dr. Hollins is the associate director of chorale activities here at Texas Tech University. 

AJ McCleod is the Director of Camps for the YWCA of Lubbock and East Lubbock Community Alliance Facilitator. He is our guest today on Faith Matters. Listen to the full episode below!

On today's edition of the Front Row, we sit down with Dr. Andrew Stetson, associate professor of trumpet, and Dr. Eric Allen, associate director of bands, both at Texas Tech University. They share more information about a new free classical music concert series at Lakeridge United Methodist Church.

The show will be Friday, August 30th, doors open at 6:30PM at Lakeridge United Methodist Church.

Faculty members from Texas Tech’s music, psychology and engineering departments teamed up to investigate what happens in the brain when musicians and non-musicians learn a musical task. They used the university’s MRI machine to take images of participants’ brains.

Greg Brookes, an associate professor of voice, says joining with researchers in other fields was a little daunting at first. But he discovered it is invaluable and he learned a lot.

Part of Lawrence Schovanec’s duties as Texas Tech President is meeting and spending time with alumni. He travels inside Texas to visit some of the state’s 47 chapters and outside Texas to some of the other 32 chapters across the U.S.

Schovanec says the value of the alumni can’t be overstated. One alum’s academic input is leading to the addition of an executive banking program in the Rawls College of Business Administration. Scott Deuser, a former system regent and a prominent banker, was the genesis for the creation of a $10 million endowment for the program.