About Us

Our History

Researchers at SHSU have been collecting natural history specimens since the university’s beginning as the Sam Houston Normal Institute. Some of the earliest specimens, housed in our Entomology collection, date back to the beginning of the 1900s. Over the next century, with this passion for natural history, collections at the university grew rapidly, but independently. In 2015, all collections were consolidated under one umbrella and the SHSU Natural History Collections was created. Our system is unique in the state of Texas as most large institutions have collections housed in separate units. We believe that our model allows for more cohesion among faculty and researchers and provides additional opportunities for students at the university.

In 2019, the collections were moved into the current facility, the Natural Sciences and Art Research Center, after the university purchased the building from local artist David Adickes. The building has a unique history in itself as it was built in 1931 and many locals will remember it as the old high school building. Renovations were made at this time to accommodate both the Natural History Collections and Art in the same facility while still maintaining some of the original features of the building.

Today, the mission of the NHC is to build and preserve scientifically valuable collections to support not only research but also teaching endeavors in the College of Science and Engineering Technology. The NHC also supports the student-centered mission of SHSU by employing and training students in natural history curation. Finally, the NHC serves as an outreach vehicle for the university and aims to connect SHSU researchers and the community.