In the Panhandle, a conservative vision for higher education takes root at West Texas A&M

The Texas Tribune

Kate McGee

January 29, 2024

CANYON — Alex Fairly made millions of dollars after he graduated from West Texas A&M University in 1985, running his own risk management consulting firm. But he donated only sporadically to his alma mater over the years.

When he looked at higher education in Texas, he didn’t like what he saw. Campuses put too much focus on politics, he thought. They seemed dominated by discussions on social issues.

But on a sunny day in October, he stood next to his wife, Cheryl, in the university football stadium’s event space — named after his company, The Fairly Group — to announce they were donating a whopping $20 million to the school. It was the largest contribution by an individual in the university’s history.

One person had convinced him: Walter Wendler.

Wendler, president of West Texas A&M, also thinks universities have become too ideologically focused. He saw an opportunity to correct that imbalance at the public university campus he leads, tucked away in the far west corner of the state.

“I want West Texas A&M University to champion ideas rather than ideology,” Wendler said at an event in Austin last year. “This fits very nicely into the culture of the Texas Panhandle. It’s a tough place, it’s a very tough place. And it’s a place that champions, I think I’ll say, conservative values.”

Fairly’s massive donation — big enough to cover one year of in-state tuition, fees and housing for almost the entire West Texas A&M freshman class — will be used to create a new center on campus, to be called The Hill Institute.

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