Prairie View A&M University, founded in 1876 in Texas, is the oldest public Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the state and the third largest in the U.S.

The university was established as Alta Vista Agriculture & Mechanical College of Texas for Colored Youth  by the Sixteenth Texas Legislature in 1879. The legislation made Prairie A&M the first state supported institution of higher learning for African Americans in Texas.

In 1973, the legislature changed the name of the institution to Prairie View Agricultural & Mechanical University (Prairie View A&M University).

In 1983, with the leadership of State Rep. Wilhelmina Delco (D-Austin), the Texas Legislature proposed a constitutional amendment to restructure the Permanent University Fund (PUF) to include funding for Prairie View A&M University.The 1983 amendment also provided more enhancements as to make it an “institution of the first class” under the governing board of the Texas A&M University System. The constitutional amendment was approved by the voters in 1984.

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