If you’ve thought about Lubbock, Texas, lately – and you probably haven’t unless you live somewhere in West Texas – it is most likely because this is home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Or, perhaps you heard a song by rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly and it reminded you that he was born and buried in Lubbock. The city’s Buddy Holly Center recently celebrated what would have been his 80th birthday. Oh, boy!

Something you might not know is the Texas Tech campus is home to one of the country’s largest collections of public art. We’re talking major pieces of art that grab your attention. They certainly did ours during a recent visit to this city of nearly a quarter-million people.

As that great American Mortimer Snerd often said, “Who’d a thunk it?”

Texas Tech’s public art program boasts over 100 pieces representing an investment of approximately $13 million. Most are located on the Lubbock campus, with remaining pieces on the Amarillo and El Paso campuses, and the campus at Angelo State University. Six new pieces were dedicated during August and September.

The two of us spent most of a day walking through the attractive campus, and it was well worth our time.

There is something refreshing about a stroll through a campus bustling with more than 36,000 students. Even though we are considerably older than students walking to and from class, we had a little more spring in our steps just being among them.

The large and small pieces of art added to a wonderful day.

We were unable to visit all the art on campus, but we did have a few favorites among those that we saw:

“Park Place” by Glenna Goodacre incorporates individuals of all ages involved in a range of activities.

Joe Barrington and Tara Conley employ tubes spanning a walkway near the College of Business to represent bull and bear markets in “We Are in the Business of Changing the World.”

“Texas Rising” by Joe O’Connell and Blessing Hancock utilizes stars to represent the many stages through which students must pass before graduation.

The university’s public art program, started in 1998, draws funding from new capital projects on campus. One percent of the cost of each project is set aside for art, and an additional 1 percent for landscaping.

Public art manager Emily Wilkinson consults with a committee of 18 to 20 faculty, staff, students, alumni and community leaders, each of whom serves a three-year term. As Texas Tech plans new buildings, additions or major renovations, Wilkinson meets with colleagues to discuss ideas for art that will grace their building, whether the art will be inside or outside, if it should be modern or traditional, and if it is to represent a particular topic.

Using these guidelines, she issues a “request for qualifications” to artists. Committee members select three finalists who construct models that the artists present to the committee.

One of the most unusual pieces was by architect and sculptor Robert Bruno. In a future column we’ll tell you more about his untitled metal sculpture and another piece of art he created near Lubbock that can be lived in. It was 34 years in the making but is not yet complete and, perhaps, never will be.

As energizing as the Texas Tech campus is – and as much as its artwork surprises and inspires – we’ve learned that some aspects of college life never change no matter where you go.

At one point, we asked a young student walking alongside us how her life was going.

She asked, “You mean here at Tech?”

“Yes,” we said. “Is it great, so-so, or awful?”

She replied, “It’s awful. I’m in graduate school.”

David and Kay Scott are the authors of “Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges” (Globe Pequot). Visit them at www.valdosta.edu/~dlscott/Scott