TTU System leaders, staff and members of the Three Rivers Arts and Sciences Foundation gather for the Three Rivers Ranch Community Luncheon. From left: Patrick Kramer, Ginger Kerrick Davis, Ted L. Mitchell, Clay Cash, Don Malone, Ken Furgeson, Bob England, Cady Alvarado, J.L. Alvarado, Jerry Gardner. (Photo provided)
CROWELL It’s official: 3 Rivers Ranch (3RR) is now part of the Texas Tech University System (TTU System).
On Thursday, Oct. 3, approximately 150 members of the surrounding community and TTU system family gathered for a community luncheon to celebrate the start of a new partnership and new opportunities at the Ford County Ranch. The 6,000-acre ranch was donated to the system by Dr. Fred Koch and the Three Rivers Arts and Sciences Foundation (3RF).
“Three Rivers Foundation could have given this property away or sold it and received the money, but the Texas Tech University System could have chosen other reasonable alternatives,” Don Malone, an attorney for 3RF, said in a statement. What sets us apart is our dedication to serving this community.”
During the event, TTU System leaders expressed their gratitude to Mr. Koch and 3RF for their generosity and service to Ford County residents and the surrounding area. The TTU System also reiterated its commitment to keeping 3RR open to the community, including the continuation of public star parties at the ranch.
“We have to take care of the people of rural Texas. They take care of the people of this region, all of the state, and to a large extent this country, and even across the border. ,” Ted L. Mitchell, MD, and TTU System Chancellor, said in a news release. “A property like this is certainly a great community asset for anyone, and we look forward to continuing this tradition and doing more for the communities we serve in this area. .”
Sponsored by the Texas Tech University (TTU) College of Arts and Sciences and the Angelo State University (ASU) College of Physical and Earth Sciences, Star Party offers telescope viewing opportunities led by staff who help the public understand astronomy. Provide. The Star Party will also feature public-level scientific discussions about modern astronomical research by astronomers from TTU and ASU.
TTU system leaders also expressed excitement about future projects led by researchers at each of the system’s five universities and how their work will ultimately advance fields such as agriculture, STEM, astronomy, medicine, and more. We shared how we can connect.
Among those excited and looking forward to the future is Ginger Kerrick Davis, vice chair of the TTU System Board of Directors. He is a TTU graduate and once ran the university’s observatory before becoming NASA’s first female Hispanic flight director.
“When the opportunity to partner with TTU Systems and 3 Rivers Ranch first arose, there were cries of excitement,” says Kerrick Davis. “I can’t wait to see what happens here.”
About 3 Rivers Ranch
Three Rivers Ranch is a 6,000-acre site located 16 miles west of Crowell, Texas, providing important research, education, and community in the “Big Empty,” an area that stretches from outside the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex to Amarillo. I’m doing it. Opportunity to join the TTU system and its five member universities.
This historic gift by Dr. Fred Koch (pronounced “KAH”) is the first of its kind and the largest real estate gift to the TTU System. A native of Quanah, Texas, Koch graduated from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1975.
Named after the region’s Pease, Red, and Wichita rivers, the Three Rivers property is home to vast biodiversity and healthy ecosystems typical of short-grass prairie. On-site facilities include state-of-the-art telescopes, an observatory, living classrooms and laboratories, a pavilion, and accommodation for students, faculty, and residents of the surrounding area. The site also includes large areas of undeveloped land, allowing for more research and learning opportunities across agricultural and environmental sciences, arts and humanities, and health and medicine.
From astronomy and agriculture to community outreach, 3RR provides tremendous collaboration opportunities for each of the TTU system’s five universities. And by discovering new ways to serve and collaborate within and beyond our communities through lifelong learning and innovation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), the arts, health sciences, and more, the TTU system has established itself in rural Texas. Further strengthen your footprint.
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