The Shorthorn Media

Years before the “UT” preceded the “A’ at the college now known as the University of Texas at Arlington, and years before there was a Longhorn in the family, there was The Shorthorn. No relation, thanks.

In 1919, students at what was then known as Grubbs Vocational College needed a name for their fledgling literary/humor magazine. With a $2.50 prize from the dean as incentive, an ensuing contest yielded such poetic possibilities as KornKob, Swat News, Horse Sense, Grubworm and Tool for the name of the new publication. In a three-ballot election runoff, the student body chose Shorthorn over other finalists GVC Shots and Thistle.

The first issue — 6 by 9 inches, 48 pages with a bull in a bull’s-eye for a cover — appeared in April 1919. The first newsroom masqueraded as a wide spot in the hallway leading to the adviser’s office on the third floor of Ransom Hall, the campus' oldest building.

The Shorthorn evolved into a newspaper in 1921 and has thrived in spite of a world war, the Depression, ice storms and too many technical conversions and computer crashes to count. On a campus noted for change, The Shorthorn has been a constant, growing into a daily publication in 1977 after stints as a biweekly and weekly. Theshorthorn.com, our online edition, was added in 1997, making Shorthorn content available to anyone, anywhere 24/7. The Shorthorn, which celebrated its centennial in 2019, remains one of UTA’s oldest traditions and most-respected sources of news, information and experience.