Jim Bailey isn’t just producing a documentary about Sam Houston State University, he’s chronicling the spirit of the university and illuminating a part of Texas history.

“It’s much more than the story of a university, it’s very much a part of Texas history, what with the early days of the Republic, Sam Houston, the concept of starting a college that would teach teachers,” said Bailey.

Bailey, whose past work with the non-profit organization Texas Foundation For The Arts includes documentaries on historic Texas courthouses and the 125th anniversary of Prairie View A&M University, said that he was initially drawn to the project from his first impressions of the university.

“I was really impressed with the students,” he said. “(Sam Houston) really seems to have the collegiate atmosphere that I don’t think you see on a lot of other big city campuses. There’s a sense of tradition on this campus, too, that you just feel everywhere you go.”

Set to air in October on PBS, the documentary will focus on not only the history of the school, but the “evolution of the college experience.”

“We are following how college life has changed over the years, what it was like in the 1800’s, the early ‘20s, the ‘60s and ‘70s,” said Bailey. “I think what we’re trying to show here is a transformation of college life and how colleges change with the times, and that’s kind of the theme.”

More than show progress, though, Bailey also hopes that he is presenting an enriching, worthwhile experience.

“We are hopefully leaving behind a story that a lot of Texans did not know,” he said. “These (interviews) will become oral histories for the university to archive.”

And while it isn’t being made as a direct promotion for SHSU, Bailey is hoping that the documentary will be beneficial to helping the university grow.

“I hope that it will be good PR for the university,” he said. “I hope that your applications start flowing in because people will think ‘that’s where I want to go’ or ‘that’s where I want my son or daughter to go’ and maybe it will stir up some of the emotions of the alumni and (they will) send in some checks. We’d like to create a good feeling for the university so somebody can look at it and say ‘that’s somewhere I’d like to go. That’s some place I’d like to be associated with.

“We are hopefully leaving behind a story that a lot of Texans did not know,” said Bailey.” “It’s been a great project, I think it’s going make a really good story. We are trying to focus on the history of the university, conversing with all sort of people who have attended the university in some capacity over the last years following how college life has changed over the years, what it was like in the 1800s, what it was like in the early '20s….I think what we’re trying to show here is a transformation of college life and how colleges change with the times, and that’s kind of the theme."

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SHSU Media Contact:Stewart Smith
July 19, 2004
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