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Want to see The University of Texas at Austin firsthand? Come visit our beautiful campus in the heart of downtown Austin and dive right into Longhorn life. Whether you're here for an admissions tour, a visit with a friend, a game, or just a campus stroll, we're here to help you find what you need.

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Parents and families are an essential, deeply valued part of our community. Whether you’re the parent or family member of a prospective student, an incoming freshman, or an existing undergraduate student, resources have been developed to help you navigate the Forty Acres.

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Virtual campus tour.

We hope you will join us for one of our upcoming virtual sessions. Please select a highlighted date on the calendar to see a list of available sessions.   You will need a computer or mobile device and an internet connection to access the virtual sessions. Note that all times are Central Standard Time.  A full listing of virtual sessions can be found here .

We’ve Done More Tours Than the Rolling Stones.

We can introduce you to our beautiful campus in a number of ways, but the best (and most popular) is to take a tour in person. Bring a guest or two and some comfy shoes.

Visit In Person

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“ I loved the community when I visited and it felt like home and I just knew when I was touring that this is the place for me. ”

TCU on the Road

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Explore the UTD campus – from a virtual tour to our interactive campus map.

The University of Texas at Dallas has experienced around transformation in ours 50-plus years — from open prairie to a campus with modern buildings, green spaces, and numerous housing and dining choices. Come see why UT Dallas is the choice for more than 28,000 Comets strong.

UTD Tour Options

Guided campus tour.

In-person and virtual campus tours will be offered at the Visitor Center for undergraduate prospective students. Guests will experience a guided campus tour showcasing different aspects of campus and student life.  Spaces are limited, and guests must preregister.  Prospective graduate students should contact their department directly to arrange a visit.

INTERACTIVE CAMPUS MAP

Our campus map offers a 3D view of the campus and a wayfinder option to give directions to various locations. The map provides real-time updates on shutdowns and rerouted traffic patterns due to construction projects.

VIRTUAL TOUR

Explore UT Dallas at your own pace, whenever and wherever is comfortable for you. Use the audio guide or accompanying text to provide additional insight for tour stops, access more photos and 360-degree images, and watch accompanying videos to learn about what it’s like to be a Comet.

800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, Texas 75080-3021

972-883-2111

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Virtual Presentation and Tours

Thank you for joining us for a virtual presentation and video tours of our campuses! We hope you will also consider visiting in person in the future.

An Intro to Texas State

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Discover who we are at Texas A&M University and learn what it means to be an Aggie.

We strive to carry out our university’s mission and live by six core values.

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Learn how to become the newest, loudest and proudest member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggies.

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Pursue your education as part of the Aggie Family. We have options for all interests, life phases and learning styles.

Texas A&M is home to 16 colleges and schools.

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Make a difference at one of the nation’s leading research institutions.

Our research is making an impact around the globe.

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Discover what it’s like to live and learn in Aggieland. Our tight-knit community is rooted in tradition and service.

We have various options for parking and getting around campus.

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Texas A&M is rich in tradition that celebrates the Aggie Family, past and present.

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Texas A&M University is home of the 12th Man.

Plan your campus visit

The Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center is your hub for visiting Texas A&M University’s beautiful College Station campus. Our Howdy Crew provides on-campus guided tours to individuals and groups, and virtual, on-demand guided tours for individuals. These tours showcase Texas A&M’s unique, world-class resources.

In-Person Campus Tours

Learn about everything Texas A&M has to offer during a tour while visiting campus in person. Our Howdy Crew tour guides will share information about Aggie traditions, academic resources, living and dining options and campus landmarks. Stops on the in-person tour include the Memorial Student Center, Academic Plaza, Aggie Park and the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building. We also welcome family members to explore campus and join in on tours.

Register online at least two weeks before your visit. If any accommodations are needed for visitors with disabilities, please let us know at that time. If you need to cancel or modify your visit, please email [email protected] .

You may also sign up for an admissions information session, residence hall tour, academic college overview or a visit with the Corps of Cadets.

Sign up for an in-person visit

Visit Campus with a Group

Tour groups can explore Texas A&M's academics, student life, history and application process during a 90-minute in-person tour. For group tours, you must have a minimum of 11 people and no more than 66, including chaperones.

In addition to our campus walking tour, groups may select an admissions information presentation or a tour of our residence halls, during available time slots.

Tours begin at the Visitor Center but may be canceled or moved due to inclement weather.

Sign up for a group tour

Planning Your Group Tour

Please arrive 15-30 minutes before your tour starts. If you will be late, call us at 979-845-5851 and we’ll do our best to work things out. Scheduled activities may be shortened or canceled for groups arriving more than 15 minutes late.

Students must be organized into groups with one chaperone for every 10 students prior to arrival. Chaperones must stay with the group at all times and are responsible for their group's behavior throughout the tour. If you have scheduled other activities on campus, such as dining or self-guided tours, please provide us with your itinerary. We want to help make sure your day runs smoothly.

Groups interested in eating on campus may contact Texas A&M Dining Services to arrange lunch at one of our on-campus dining facilities.

Tips for Your Campus Visit

Below are some suggestions for making your visit go smoothly:

• Plan ahead on how you'll get to College Station. Our campus is conveniently located within a three-hour drive of Houston, Dallas and Austin.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a bottle of water. We are proud of our big, beautiful campus, so tours are extensive.
• During warmer weather, apply sunscreen and bring an umbrella for shade. It's hot in Texas!
• Check current conditions and plan accordingly. Aggieland weather can change quickly.
• Prepare questions for our Howdy Crew tour leaders, who are well-versed in hot spots around campus and Bryan-College Station.
• Arrive 15-30 minutes before your tour starts. If you will be late, please call us at 979-845-5851. We'll do our best to work things out, and some events may have to be canceled or rescheduled.

Contact the Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center

Questions about your visit? Get in touch!

Call: 979-845-5851

Email: [email protected]

Visit: Texas A&M University, Rudder Tower, 401 Joe Routt Blvd., College Station, TX 77840

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Visitor Center Closures

Please note: Hours of operation for the visitor center and tour times are subject to change.

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If you're interested in becoming an Aggie, we want to hear from you and help you explore your interests. Sign up to receive admissions details, important announcements and special event invitations, and to learn more about life as an Aggie.

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Plan Your Visit

We can't wait to show you the beauty of our campuses. Before you make the trip, however, we ask that you review the information below and contact us with any questions. After your visit, we encourage you to contact an Admissions Counselor with any questions you may still have.

Make the Most of Your Visit

In addition to taking a guided tour of campus, you should also plan time to stroll through downtown San Marcos, and enjoy the river and the beauty of the Texas Hill Country.

You can find helpful information below for visiting campus and Central Texas, driving directions, airport information, and overnight accommodations in San Marcos. The  San Marcos Convention and Visitor's Bureau  is also a great resource for more information about things to do in and around the area, including great local restaurants, authentically Texas entertainment ideas, and more.

When visiting our Round Rock Campus, take time to visit downtown Round Rock, too!

• Discover San Marcos
• Explore Round Rock

General Visitor Information

Make sure you get the most out of your time on campus by planning your visit. We suggest you consider the following:

Welcome Center

Stop by for information and a guided tour of campus.

Find a place to stay overnight.

Admissions Counselors

Schedule an appointment with an Admissions Counselor.

Grab a bite to eat.

Directions and Parking

Get driving directions and find places to park.

Find area attractions.

We are conveniently located between two major airports.

Campus Events Calendar

See what's happening at TXST.

Campus Maps

You can jump-start your experience from home by exploring our fully interactive campus maps. They includes detailed information about our San Marcos and Round Rock campuses, locations of interest, and stunning 360-degree aerial images!

• View Campus Maps
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Visit Texas Tech

It All Starts Here

Texas Tech is located in Lubbock, Texas, a rapidly growing city with a population of nearly 300,000 people. It boasts all the conveniences of a major city with the friendliness of a small town.

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Great Outdoors

• Near Lake Alan Henry
• Convenient to Palo Duro Canyon, 2nd largest in the nation
• Accessible to Big Bend National Park
• A short road trip from the Rocky Mountains

Modern Metro

• Connect to anywhere with the Preston Smith International Airport
• Centrally located in the Ports to Plains major highway corridor
• Readily available public transportation
• Extensive bike path network near the university

Arts and Entertainment

• Downtown Cultural District showcasing food, arts and community events
• Home to First Friday Art Trail
• Hundreds of annual sporting events
• Countless concerts and live music events
• A multitude of venues hosting recreation, movies and theatre

Shopping and Dining

• Home to many local favorites and national chains
• Numerous boutiques and major name brand stores
• Millions of square feet of shopping located at the South Plains Mall, West End, and Canyon West shopping centers
• Ever-changing list of shopping and dining venues

Parking On Campus

Entry Stations found throughout campus are staffed with friendly attendants that will help guide you to visitor parking. Parking booths are open Mon – Fri from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm and closed on weekends.

For weekend visits to campus, please follow all posted parking signage. Please be aware that specially-marked spaces, including handicap spaces, are enforced 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have any questions or need to request ADA accommodations, please contact the Visitors Center at 806.742.1299 or [email protected] .

Preston Smith INTL. Airport

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Getting To Campus

The Visitors Center is located in West Hall off the main entrance to campus at Broadway and University Avenues. West Hall is the second building on the right.

2520 Broadway Avenue, Lubbock, TX 79409

(806) 742-1299

It All Starts Here!

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Take the first step. Visit campus.

You wouldn't call a caramel latte your favorite coffee without trying it first. So why do that with college? Until you experience it for yourself, you won't know if a college is right for you. Sign up for a campus tour or one of our special events and get a taste of the “Smaller. Smarter.” experience — on campus or virtually. 

Daily Campus Visit Experience

Looking for a "Smaller. Smarter." campus visit experience? We'd love to show you our campus — in person or virtually. Either way, you'll get a great tour and meet with an admissions counselor to get the answers you need.

Rams On The Road

Want to learn more about Texas Wesleyan closer to home? Check out some of our off-campus events and schedule time to meet one-on-one with an enrollment counselor.

Freshman Events

Wanting to learn more about Texas Wesleyan as an incoming freshman? Check out some events and information sessions to help you make your decision.

Transfer Events

Wanting to continue your college career at Texas Wesleyan? We have events and information sessions just for you!

Graduate Events

Thinking about advancing your career with a master's degree or doctorate? Learn what a graduate degree can do for your future.

Texas MS 150 Bike Tour Returns To Aggieland

Texas A&M University will once again serve as the finish line for thousands of cyclists riding in the Texas MS 150 when the 40th annual charity bike tour concludes Sunday on Houston Street between Kyle Field and Aggie Park.

The two-day event benefiting people with multiple sclerosis — a condition that damages the body’s nervous system by eroding the protective coating of nerves — will run April 27-28, with a variety of routes beginning in Houston and Austin before converging in La Grange and again in College Station. Texas A&M Transportation Services is advising drivers to anticipate multiple road closures and potential delays beginning early Sunday as the riders make their way through campus.

A section of Lamar Street starting at the bell tower will be closed to drivers throughout the day, while Houston Street will remain closed from George Bush Drive to Joe Routt Boulevard. Riders will make their way down Olsen Boulevard and Old Main Drive before passing the Memorial Student Center and Kyle Field on their way to the finish line. A map of the route through campus, as well as accompanying road closure and parking information, can be found at transport.tamu.edu/ms150 .

Visitors planning to watch the participants finish are invited to park in one of the three nearby garages: Gene Stallings Boulevard Garage and University Center Garage will both charge a flat $10 entry fee, while West Campus Garage charges an hourly visitor rate. Additional parking information is available on Transportation Services’ event parking page .

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Bike MS, which encompasses the Texas MS 150 and a variety of other charity rides across the country, traces its roots to 1980, when the first MS 150 was held in Minnesota. Today, it is the largest fundraising cycling series in the world. Participants in this year’s Texas MS 150 have already raised nearly $7 million to fight multiple sclerosis, with an overall fundraising goal of $9.425 million. More information about the Texas MS 150 and Bike MS is available at events.nationalmssociety.org .

Media contact: Tad Fifer, Texas A&M Transportation Services, [email protected]

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Dozens arrested in California and Texas as campus administrators move to shut down protests – as it happened

More than 60 people, including a journalist, arrested at University of Southern California and University of Texas at Austin. This blog is now closed.

• Campus protests: full story
• 13h ago Summary: Dozens arrested across the US in student protests against war in Gaza
• 18h ago Journalist arrested in Texas amid tense protests at UT Austin
• 19h ago White House: Biden supports free speech on college campuses
• 19h ago At least 10 arrests at University of Texas in Austin
• 19h ago Johnson calls on Columbia University president to resign
• 19h ago Mike Johnson slams college protests in remarks at Columbia University
• 20h ago New York governor says Johnson 'adding to division' with Columbia University visit
• 21h ago Students forcibly arrested at University of Southern California in LA
• 21h ago Protesters arrested at University of Texas in Austin - reports
• 22h ago Two Ohio State students arrested at campus protest
• 22h ago UC Berkeley protest encampment grows on third day
• 22h ago Harvard University launches pro-Palestinian encampment
• 23h ago Biden does not plan to visit Columbia University protests - report
• 1d ago Biden signs foreign aid package including $26.3bn for Israel
• 1d ago Johnson to call on Columbia University president to resign
• 1d ago AOC says Columbia University calling police on protesters was a 'reckless, dangerous act'
• 1d ago Mike Johnson to visit Columbia University
• 1d ago Israel defense minister says 'antisemitic' campus protests 'inciting terrorism'
• 1d ago Biden faces risk of protests amid criticism of planned commencement speech
• 1d ago Which US universities are seeing campus protests?
• 1d ago Republicans demand Biden administration send in federal law enforcement to end protests
• 1d ago Columbia university extends deadline for talks to dismantle student protest camps

Mike Johnson to visit Columbia University

Mike Johnson , the Republican House speaker, will visit Columbia University today to speak to Jewish students and hold a press conference “regarding the troubling rise of virulent antisemitism on America’s college campuses”, his office has said.

New York House Republicans have called on Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, to resign immediately for failing to end the protests.

Israel defense minister says 'antisemitic' campus protests 'inciting terrorism'

Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant , has weighed in on the student campus protests, calling them “antisemitic” and claiming they “incite terrorism”.

Writing on X, Gallant added: “To our Jewish brothers and sisters – we stand with you. To university faculties and US authorities – listen to their calls for jihad. Act now to defend Jewish youth.”

The protests taking place on U.S. college campuses are not only antisemitic, but also inciting terrorism. To our Jewish brothers and sisters - we stand with you. To university faculties and U.S. authorities - listen to their calls for Jihad. Act now to defend Jewish youth. — יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) April 24, 2024

Team Biden, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to be overly concerned yet by any potential impact the campus protests could have on his electoral chances.

Politico reports this morning that campaign officials believe the student vote and the youth vote are not one and the same. One official is quoted as saying: “It’s not going to be for the vast majority of young voters the thing that’s going to determine whether they vote or how they vote.”

A recent Harvard Youth poll, quoted by Politico, says economic issues rather than the war in Gaza is at the forefront of young Americans’ minds. However, Harvard polling guru John Della Volpe was quotes as saying: “How this evolves, who knows? … Hopefully things improve. But I would not be willing to write [the protests] off right now.”

On Tuesday, the Georgia chapter of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine criticized Morehouse College’s decision to go ahead with Biden’s commencement speech.

In a statement, the group called on Morehouse leaders to rescind the invitation and said students and faculty members were not consulted, warning the decision “would do lasting harm to everyone associated with the college”.

Quoting former college president Benjamin E Mays, who said Morehouse graduates must work to correct wrongs and injustices in the world, the statement also added: “President Biden has not demonstrated sensitivity to wrongs sufferings and injustices. And as the one person on the planet who has the power to stop an active genocide, he has not accepted responsibility for correcting the ills.”

Biden faces risk of protests amid criticism of planned commencement speech

Joe Biden will be the commencement speaker at Morehouse College in Georgia, giving the Democrat a key spotlight on one of the nation’s preeminent historically Black campuses but potentially exposing him to uncomfortable protests as he seeks reelection against former Donald Trump.

The AP reports:

The White House confirmed Tuesday that Biden would speak May 19 at the alma mater of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., and then address the graduating class at the United States Military Academy at West Point on May 25.

The Morehouse announcement has drawn some backlash among the school’s faculty and supporters who are critical of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. That could put the White House and Biden’s reelection campaign in a difficult position as the president works to shore up the racially diverse coalition that propelled him to the Oval Office.

Which US universities are seeing campus protests?

Campus protests are growing across the US, with arrests this week at Yale and New York universities.

Mother Jones has put together a list of universities where students have set up encampments to protest and demand universities divest from companies that are closely linked to Israel’s military operations.

They include:

New York University , where NYPD arrested a number of people on Monday night. NYU professors wrote an open letter signed by the executive committee of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) at the university denying that any NYU-affiliated protesters had engaged in antisemitism or intimidation of others via the demonstration, and decrying heavy-handed tactics by the police. The letter said NYU leadership’s decision to call the New York police department was “capricious” and noted that many protesters were people of color and that the NYPD had a history of brutality against this demographic.

The New School in New York, where students reportedly set up camp on Sunday during an event for new students. The New School called the encampment “unauthorized” in a statement.

Yale University, where at least 47 protesters were arrested on Monday evening. Several hundred people had been protesting at Yale, including hunger strikers . Craig Birckhead-Morton, 21, who participated in the encampment protest at Yale’s Beinecke Plaza, told the Guardian of his arrest: “We were very surprised. We had built a very peaceful, safe community space where students could engage in discourse with each other, where New Haven and Connecticut community members could come onto the campus and engage with us.” He said the university is still in possession of his belongings from the encampment.

Emerson College, MIT, and Tufts University in Boston. “We were definitely inspired by what’s going on at Columbia,” Owen Buxton, an Emerson College student, told the Boston Globe. “They put out the call for universities across the country, and we answered.”

The University of Michigan , where about 40 students set up an encampment, according to the student-run newspaper The Michigan Daily.

University of California, Berkeley, where students set up a protest camp on Monday, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. About 40 tents were set up by midday on Tuesday. Palestinian flags hung on the tents at Upper Sproul Plaza, which has historically hosted protests on campus. A large sign hung on the building reads: “Gaza Solidarity Encampment Until UC Divests.” “We are demanding a direct acknowledgment and condemnation of this genocide,” Matt Kovac, a member of the UC Berkeley Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine, told the Guardian. “We take inspiration and we stand in solidarity with our colleagues, our fellow students and workers, at Columbia and Yale.”

Our picture editors have put together a gallery of the most striking photos from the protests at some of the US’s most prestigious universities:

Away from the campus turmoil, hundreds of Jewish anti-war demonstrators were arrested during a Passover seder that doubled as a protest in New York , as they shut down a major thoroughfare to pray for a ceasefire and urge the Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, to end US military aid to Israel.

The 300 or so arrests took place on Tuesday night at Grand Army Plaza, on the doorstep of Schumer’s Brooklyn residence, where thousands of mostly Jewish New Yorkers gathered for the seder, a ritual that marked the second night of the holiday celebrated as a festival of freedom by Jews worldwide.

The seder came just before the US Senate resoundingly passed a military package that includes $26bn for Israel.

The protesters called on Schumer – who is among a minority of Democrats to recently criticize the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – to stop arming Israel’s military, which relies heavily on US weapons, jet fuel and other military equipment.

Republicans demand Biden administration send in federal law enforcement to end protests

Senior Republican US senators on Tuesday waded into growing tensions at leading universities over the Israel-Gaza war , demanding the Biden administration send in federal law enforcement officers to curb pro-Palestinian protests that have led to hundreds of arrests.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, and John Thune, his deputy, wrote to Merrick Garland, the US attorney general, and Miguel Cardona, the education secretary, calling demonstrators “antisemitic, pro-terrorist mobs”.

Twenty-five Republican senators led by McConnell wrote: “The Department of Education and federal law enforcement must act immediately to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated [sic] violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students.”

The Missouri senator Josh Hawley and Arkansas senator Tom Cotton on Monday called for Joe Biden to send national guard troops on to campuses.

Columbia university extends deadline for talks to dismantle student protest camps

Columbia University has extended a deadline for talks on dismantling pro-Palestinian protest camps on campus by 48 hours as tension over the Unites States’ handling of the Israel-Gaza war grows.

The New York university has been in talks with student protest leaders to clear the encampment and had originally set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday. Columbia’s president Minouche Shafik warned on Tuesday that the university would “have to consider alternative options for clearing the West Lawn and restoring calm to campus” if discussions failed.

The deadline extension came after students agreed to dismantle a “significant number of tents”, according to the Washington Post. Student negotiators said in a statement that university leaders had threatened to call in the National Guard and NYPD if their demands were not met.

Shafik has faced criticism over her handling of the protests after more than 100 people were arrested at the university last week.

The arrests have since set off a chain of events, including the re-establishment of the encampment and solidarity protests on other US college campuses. Police arrested dozens of people at pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Yale University in Connecticut and New York University in Manhattan on Monday.

The police crackdowns came after Columbia University canceled in-person classes on Monday in response to protesters setting up tent encampments at its New York City campus last week.

Hundreds of faculty members then held a mass walkout to protest against the school president’s decision to have police arrest students at a pro-Palestinian encampment protest last week.

We’ll bring you the latest news and reactions from the protests.

• US universities
• Israel-Gaza war
• US politics
• Republicans

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Texas Tech Now

Newly hired rawls college leader founded the world poker tour.

April 19, 2024

Steve Lipscomb will use his expertise to expand the Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship as its executive director.

Steve Lipscomb wants his students at Texas Tech University 's Jerry S. Rawls College of Business to understand it's not often a business comes together according to plan. 

He knows success stories like that can seem unrealistic, but from his experience creating the World Poker Tour (WPT) in the early 2000s, it can happen – and fast. 

“The first three to five years played exactly as I had pitched to our investors,” Lipscomb recalled. “I told them we were going to make this into a televised sport and people were going to flock to it.”

Lipscomb remembers it was like riding a wave as he juggled the titles of CEO, promoter, writer, producer and director, determined to transform poker into a televised mainstream sport. As he gained his balance and began to enjoy the view, he became a huge believer in the art of doing – an endurance race he still enjoys today. 

Lipscomb will not only practice this work ethic, but also will strive to “create and iterate” as the newly hired executive director for the Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship . The center provides innovative networking opportunities, insightful educational forums and discussions, relevant academic programs and applied research to a wide range of entrepreneurs including emerging leaders, successors, senior generations, students and key nonfamily executives.

“The center is an important addition to the fertile ground we are seeding at Rawls and Texas Tech to encourage students, faculty and our community to help us build the futures we all desire,” said Rawls College Dean Margaret L. Williams . “We are excited to have Mr. Lipscomb join our exceptional faculty as an associate practice professor and look forward to benefiting from his years of experience building, advising and shaping successful public and private ventures.”

The Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship is strategically positioned at the intersection of corporate enterprise, entrepreneurial innovation and academic research. Lipscomb is “all in” to further elevate its collective creation, progress and understanding.

“I think nobody knows what you're capable of more than you do,” he said. “The center will be a place where people can discover what that means for them.”

Taking a Gamble

In Lipscomb's case, the more he was told the WPT would never work, the more he knew it would. 

There was a time when The New Yorker magazine even weighed in on the WPT phenomenon with a cartoon that jokingly questioned why poker was featured on the Travel Channel. Lipscomb shares in the same bewilderment about his own life path, having earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence from University of Chicago Law School with the intent to become a lawyer. 

While he enjoyed law school and thrived there, the Tennessee native found himself equally intrigued by the classes and performances he participated in at The Second City, a comedy club/theater and school of improvisation in Chicago. Post graduation, he moved to Los Angeles and quickly realized his law firm work was just a way to support his entertainment habit. 

“It was pretty clear in my mind that I was headed do some sort of crazy showbiz stuff,” he said. 

His first film venture was a documentary chronicling changes in the Southern Baptist Convention and its impact on women pastors. The film performed well at festivals, won numerous awards and garnered the attention of Hollywood producers and screenwriters like Al Burton and Norman Lear. 

That opened the door for Lipscomb to begin producing television with them and others. While on hiatus from producing a show for Comedy Central, Lipscomb had the opportunity to produce and direct a one-hour documentary about poker to air on the Discovery Channel. He accepted and quickly became intrigued about the poker world. 

“I witnessed this remarkable, but very small community of people playing poker for a living,” Lipscomb said. “When that one-hour documentary aired, it doubled its audience in an hour with no promotion. Very clearly, there was an audience who wanted to watch poker.”

Lipscomb pitched “poker as a sport” to every network he could find focused on sports or reality programming but was turned down flat. 

“They thought I was nuts,” he recalled, “which turned out to be the best “bad beat” of my life. When they said ‘no,' I quickly managed to raise money and launched the World Poker Tour as the first poker sports league on the planet.”

At first, it was a challenge for Lipscomb to figure out how to make a card game appear exciting and digestible to viewers who are not poker aficionados. He described this trial-and-error process as a post-production tangled mess that took eight months to unravel. 

The solution involved 16 cameras with angles that showed the cards not too little or too much, paired with custom-built graphics that popped out when players looked at their cards and disappeared when they folded. This enabled viewers to comprehend the game even while on mute or in a bar.  

“We did testing in Las Vegas that helped the network understand people were not just interested in fluffy pieces about casinos,” Lipscomb explained. “They wanted to watch the poker.”

Sure enough, once the WPT began airing in 2003, all doubts about Lipscomb's creation were crushed by numbers. Almost immediately on the Travel Channel, they had a household rating of 1.5-2% – comparable to National Basketball Association games at the time. 

Publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Inc. Magazine featured Lipscomb and his WPT success story on their front pages and covers as the show continued to skyrocket in popularity. 

Just one year later, Lipscomb and his executive team looked up in awe at the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square after ringing the bell to take WPT Enterprises, Inc. public. From that point forward, he progressively removed many of his early WPT hats, one by one, to focus on the company's growth as its president and CEO.

“The world changed and I sort of found what I would call ‘my jam,' which was the excitement of building something from nothing and scaling every vertical we could find,” he said, “from consumer products to electronic video games and other categories.”

No Bluff Business

Looking back, Lipscomb considers the WPT as his business school of sorts as he worked to transform a television show into a global sports/gaming brand.

“We had an incredible team that didn't say ‘no' a lot,” he credited. “We found ways to say ‘yes' to build things that worked, and when they didn't work, we got better and better at moving on quickly.”

He and his teammates created award-winning consumer products, marketing partnerships and brand-building verticals; while, at the same time, seeding and launching numerous businesses, including the world's first poker talent management company, the first televised card tour in China's history and a popular mobile phone game. 

By 2009, Lipscomb was approached by multiple companies interested in purchasing the WPT. After carefully analyzing the hand in front of them, he and the board decided it was time to cash in those chips. 

“The acquirer was an online gaming group in the market segment that was making most of the money at the time,” he said. “I was not interested in staying onboard, so I walked off into the sunset to find the next thing.”

After his WPT chapter closed, Lipscomb felt empowered by the business knowledge he absorbed from the experience. He remained CEO of the publicly traded shell company and merged it to expand an existing energy company, quadrupling the stock price. He then became CEO of the spinoff company to oversee a private placement memorandum and the monetization of leftover WPT assets, which produced more than $25 million for the new company to deploy in the domestic oil and gas industry.

“Once I handed off management of the two spinoff public companies, I blissfully worked myself out of a job,” he said. “I planned to spend the rest of my time trying to help people build stuff to make the world a better place.”

Lipscomb formed Practicrats, LLC to chase this passion by working with corporations, sports leagues and foundations to build businesses. He is founder/board chair of Gamers.Vote which partners with gamers, influencers and companies to encourage voter participation, as well as GamersAct.org, inspiring gamers to address climate change. He also spent a decade as managing director of FixItAmerica.org which supported bi-partisan resolutions in state legislatures. 

As part of those initiatives, he attended the EarthX conference in Dallas last year where a government official inspired him and other private enterprises to aim toward a more sustainable future. 

“I walked away from there thinking I needed to find a way to do more,” he admitted.

A few conversations later, he learned about the job posting for the Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship and felt what he describes as a “Star Wars” tractor beam drawing him to the position. 

He is convinced the work being done at Texas Tech can change the world, and this belief only strengthened after his visit to campus. 

“The sort of visionary people like Dean Williams and the leadership at Texas Tech pulled me in,” he said. “I think we have lofty goals, and I say ‘we' because I feel like nothing gets done by an individual. It's always done with people, so to join that community and find a way to try to help it grow and flourish is exciting to me.”

Lipscomb officially began his Rawls College role April 11. He plans to teach one class a semester beginning in the fall, but the Alderson & Griffin Center for Family Business & Entrepreneurship activities will begin immediately and include the ongoing McCoy Family Business Speaker Series .  

“There are great minds here and great things happening,” he said. “I think there's never been a better time, with all of the resources around us, for people to join together and do amazing things. That's what this opportunity means to me.”

Lipscomb laughs as he discloses he would have never imagined jumping up and down to participate in a business school program a year ago. But he says that is the beauty of his remarkably blessed and wonderful journey. 

“I find in life it's always better to pick a path and start walking,” he shared. “If you had told me when I made my first social issue documentary about religious faith that I was going to be the poker guy, I would have told you that was crazy. But that's the way life works, I think. 

“And I certainly encourage everyone around me to do the same. So, if you have something in you that just won't be quiet – something you feel like you need to build – please come and join us.”

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Mike Johnson Columbia University visit met with boos and heckling from protestors

House Speaker Mike Johnson arrived on the campus of Columbia University on Wednesday armed with a stern message for school administrators and protesters after days of anti-war demonstrations, arrests and campus closures at colleges across the country.

Johnson, R-La., described instances of antisemitism on college campuses, called for the resignation of the university president and warned that students perpetrating violence should be arrested.

His lecture was met with boos from nearby protesters and chants of “We can’t hear you!”

“Enjoy your free speech,” Johnson shot back.

In his remarks on campus, Johnson shamed students and faculty involved in the protests, as well as administrators for not doing enough to prevent them.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

“It's detestable. As Columbia has allowed these lawless agitators and radicals to take over, the virus of antisemitism has spread across other campus,” Johnson told the crowd. “Anti-Israel encampments are popping up in universities all across this country. The madness has to stop.”

Students at Columbia University have pledged to continue protesting in an encampment they set up last week until the university agrees to a complete divestment from Israel. Protesters have demanded divestment from a student-exchange program and the university's campus in Tel Aviv.

More: Ukraine, Israel aid package heads to Biden as Congress caps monthslong struggle

The contentious protests led to the arrest and suspension of more than 100 students from Columbia University and Barnard College last week − including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar's daughter, Isra Hirsi.

As Johnson finished, he turned things over to Republican Rep. Virgnia Foxx (R-NC), the Chair of the House Committee on Education, who said Columbia University is "in a free fall.”

“As Speaker of the House, I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run for their lives and stay home from their classes hiding in fear,” Johnson said. “We have passed a number of statutes to address this matter and we call upon the U.S. Senate to act upon our legislation.” 

Some Columbia University leaders said they were open to negotiating with protesters, but students from a group called Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said they are not currently interested.

In a statement Tuesday, the group alleged that university negotiators threatened to call the National Guard and NYPD if they "do not acquiesce to their demands."

In a campus update Tuesday, Shafik said the university is working to identify and discipline protesters who violated its policies against discrimination and harassment.

"The right to protest is essential and protected at Columbia, but harassment and discrimination is antithetical to our values and an affront to our commitment to be a community of mutual respect and kindness," Shafik said in the statement.

The protests have fueled an ongoing national debate about Jewish students' safety after a documented rise in antisemitism on college campuses following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel and Israel's military response .

More: Harvard, Stanford and MIT get an 'F' from ADL on antisemitism report card

"Amid anti-Israel protests, Jewish students at Columbia University don't feel safe," Johnson said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Let's be clear: these are not peaceful protests, these are antisemitic mobs."

According to a spokesperson from the Speaker’s office, Johnson wanted to speak to students at Columbia because he felt New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has not done enough to protect them.

“Hochul and other officials in New York have completely failed in their duty to protect Jewish students and combat the rise of antisemitism in their party,” Athina Lawson said in a statement. “We wish it weren’t necessary.”

House Republicans Anthony D'Esposito (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), and Nicole Mallotakis (R-NY) joined Johnson and Foxx at the campus Wednesday.

"Together, we're going to send a message that Shafik's failure to secure campus for her Jewish students is unacceptable. She MUST resign," D’Esposito said in a post ahead of their visit.

More: Columbia University president fends off questions that took down her Ivy League peers

Their visit comes two days after House Democrats Dan Goldman (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Kathy Manning (D-NC), and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) met with administrators and Jewish students on campus Monday.

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, as @rachelbarber_