The transformational grant will fuel academic excellence and elevate campus while
strengthening food safety, innovation, workforce development and technology.
CREATORS
Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources has received a $28.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National
Institute of Food and Agriculture to establish the Food Science, Safety, and Workforce
Development Complex in what will be the new Davis College Flagship Building. The grant was awarded through USDA’s Research Facilities Act Program, which helps
universities build and modernize agricultural research facilities.
“Agriculture has been central to Texas Tech’s mission since the university was founded,
and it remains essential to our future,” said Texas Tech President Lawrence Schovanec. “We are grateful to USDA for recognizing the significance of the work done by Davis
College and the role Texas Tech can play in advancing food security and agricultural
innovation.”
The complex will house food innovation and sensory evaluation laboratories, pilot-processing
facilities and spaces for industry collaboration. By bringing every stage of development
under one roof, it will place food safety research and product development alongside
pilot-scale processing, quality testing, consumer evaluation and workforce training
— giving new products a direct path from the lab to industry.
With a focus on science-based solutions to the food system’s newest challenges, the
complex will expand Davis College’s research capacity and competitiveness while preparing
the next generation of food scientists and industry leaders. That work will reach
well beyond Lubbock, strengthening U.S. food security and positioning Texas Tech to
contribute to food-system advances nationwide.
“Our continued growth as a founding college is a testament to the role we play in
our university’s mission and underscores the reality that we have outgrown our current
infrastructure,” said Clint Krehbiel, dean of Davis College. “By centralizing food safety research, product development
and workforce training under one roof, our students are gaining hands-on experience
with commercial-scale technology that will prepare them to be the agricultural leaders
of tomorrow. We are profoundly grateful to USDA and the visionary donors who have
already stepped forward to make this possible, turning this ambitious vision into
reality for our students, our faculty and national food security.”
Plans call for flexible research space that can adapt to new technologies and evolving
industry needs without major renovation, allowing researchers to respond quickly to
challenges in food safety, manufacturing and innovation for decades to come.
Students, industry professionals and entrepreneurs will gain hands-on experience with
commercial-scale technology through professional certificates, continuing education,
workforce microcredentials and applied training programs.
Darren Hudson, associate dean for strategic initiatives and assessment and the Larry Combest Endowed
Chair for Agricultural Competitiveness, led the grant proposal and will serve as project
director and the primary liaison with USDA. He has also been one of the core faculty
leaders in planning the new building.
“We are humbled and honored by USDA’s investment in Texas Tech and Davis College with
this award,” Hudson said. “The research and teaching spaces created by this project
will have national impacts on the science of food innovation, safety and production,
as well as create the next-generation workforce in the food industry. At the same
time, it allows us to directly impact our regional stakeholders through increased
product development and value that support our farm and ranch profitability.”
The new building, which will house the complex, is a centralized, three-story facility
the college will build on 15th Street. The grant, combined with philanthropic gifts
from ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University, is propelling the project forward.
As one of Texas Tech’s four founding colleges, Davis College has educated students
since the university opened in 1925. Enrollment has grown from about 2,800 students
in fall 2020 to nearly 3,500 in fall 2026, mirroring growth across Texas Tech, which
set a record this fall with 46,296 students. While its buildings have been renovated
over the years, the college has outgrown its current space.
The new building will replace the current Davis College Annex and the former Fisheries
& Wildlife Research Building. In addition to the food complex, it will include the
Student Success Center, state-of-the-art classrooms, research and teaching laboratories,
the Raider Red Meats Café, the Dean’s Suite, the Alumni & Development Center, central
faculty and staff offices and collaborative and multipurpose spaces.
Modern, collaborative spaces and equipment will help Davis College continue to recruit
top faculty and students and keep its research responsive to the changing needs of
agricultural systems. Groundbreaking is anticipated in the 2026-27 academic year.
Donors have already made several significant gifts to the new Davis College Flagship
Building.
Those interested in giving can visit go.ttu.edu/future-of-davis for more information.
About ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University
Publicly launched in October 2024, ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University is a campaign for impact, propelling the university to new heights of excellence
and global recognition while continuing to provide a world-class education for students
in Texas and beyond. To date, the campaign has raised more than $1 billion thanks
to the generosity of more than 94,000 donors, alumni and friends supporting the priorities
of Transform Lives, Fuel Academic Excellence, Elevate Campus & Community and Build
Champions.
For more information or to support ON&ON, visit ttu.edu/campaign.