University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso began in 1914 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, created to train engineers for the region’s mining and railroad industries. In 1919 the school joined the University of Texas and became known as the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy. It was later called Texas Western College from 1949 to 1967, when it adopted its current name, the University of Texas at El Paso, and expanded its academic programs.

Many campus buildings follow a Bhutanese style inspired by Himalayan monasteries known as dzongs. The idea is credited to Kathleen Worrell, who was inspired by photographs in the April 1914 issue of National Geographic. Today the campus is widely recognized as the only university in the Western Hemisphere where this architectural style is used on such a large scale.

The campus sits on the slopes of the Franklin Mountains, overlooking the Chihuahuan Desert and the Rio Grande. Walkways link classrooms, research centres, libraries, and gathering areas. The campus also includes museums, galleries, and the Lhakhang Cultural Center, a Bhutanese temple gifted by the Kingdom of Bhutan in 2009, which hosts exhibitions, concerts, lectures, and other public events.