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Todd Rasberry, the vice president for philanthropy and external relations at the university, said the progress the university has undergone during these 30 years is obvious....

At the time, Rasberry did not think it was a good idea for West Texas to become a part of the system, saying "it would be the death of this little school."

"I thought they would suck the life out of it," he said. "That is not A&M's model. A&M's model is to work with a regional institution, to expand the footprint and help the citizens of Texas."

Rasberry sees now that with the university being a part of the system advances its brand as a whole, helping WTAMU become a first-choice school for many students, even though they are more than 560 miles away from College Station.

"We are here in West Texas. We are the heart and soul ... of the Texas Panhandle and we are proud members of the Texas A&M University System because it does extend our reach," Wendler said. "I think that's good for the university. I can't find a downside to it. I don't think we've lost our identity. I remember when some of these universities were brought into the system because I worked at Texas A&M back then. There was a lot of discussion and a lot of universities were afraid they would lose their identity. I can't speak for anybody else but I can tell you for West Texas, I don't think it has had a negative impact on the identity of WT as a Panhandle-serving institution at all. Not one downward tick. It's just all positive."

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