You Won’t Believe How Many Name Changes UTEP Has Been Through
The University of Texas at El Paso, also known as UTEP, wasn't always called that.
The University of Texas at El Paso has been through a number of name changes over the years with the current name having been held the longest.
Theoretically, it will remain the University of Texas at El Paso from here on out.
The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy was established in April of 1913 and the first semester, consisting of a whopping 27 students, began in September of 1914.
In 1921 it became the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy but changes were about 6 years down the road that would bring about another name.
In 1927, the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy teamed up with the El Paso Junior College whose students were academics, not engineers which created a huge rivalry.
The academics soon outnumbered the engineers and, after WW II, soldiers using their recently acquired GI Bills flooded the school, further tipping the scales.
To unify things, the name was changed to Texas Western College. Students however honored an imaginary boundary with TCM on one side and TWC on the other.
In 1966, the powers that be decided to unite ALL the different departments the school now encompassed and rechristened it the Texas Western College of the University of Texas at El Paso.
Even then they realized that was a mouthful and shortened it to the University of Texas at El Paso. It took a total of 5 changes but UTEP had finally arrived.
Go Miners.