The Texas Southern University of Texas was established in 1947 as the Texan State University for Negroes. It was given its present name in 1951. The University's mission was to establish a high quality academic institution for African American students within the racially-segregated society of the day. It was a pioneer — the first Historical Black College to establish a law school, awarding its first degree in 1950, and the first state-funded institution in Houston.
Over the last fifty years the educational facilities and degree programs have expanded. From one permanent building dating to the 1940s the campus now boasts 45 buildings for educational, student and cultural facilities on a site covering 150 acres. The University has seven schools and over its history has awarded nearly 40,000 degrees. It currently has a population of nearly 10,000 students. It has a particular focus on urban studies such as environmental health, public works, justice and city planning. The late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Congressman George 'Mickey' Leland are among its past graduates.
The Robert James Terry Library, named after the Interim President of 1986-7, houses a number of special collections. The Traditional African Art Gallery features 247 examples of art from West, Central land East Africa. The Heartman Collection contains in excess of 11,000 books journals, musical scores and other records charting the black experience in the US and beyond. The University has continued to collect works that interpret the African American experience. The library also houses collections of papers relating to Curtis Graves and Barbara Jordan — the first black man and and woman to serve in the State House in Texas.
