The UT Tower
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Carl J. Eckhardt Jr. never won a Nobel Prize for his work with light, but he started some great University of Texas at Austin traditions. With two UT engineering degrees and a faculty post, Eckhardt became head of the Physical Plant in 1931. That positioned him to supervise construction of the campus' new landmark - the Main Building Tower. Eckhardt devised a lighting system to take advantage of its commanding architecture to announce university achievements. When he implemented the orange lighting of the UT Tower, he demonstrated one of the engineer's chief contributions to society - applying technology for human purposes.
Eckhardt's orange lights first flooded the tower in 1937. In 1947, he helped create guidelines for using the orange lights. A number "1" on all sides highlighted by orange lights signals that the university won a national championship. The full Tower glowing orange alone represents a victory over Texas A&M, Commencement and other occasions the president deems appropriate. The Tower top bathed in orange symbolizes other victories or a conference title in any intercollegiate sport.
On Feb. 2, 2001, President Larry R. Faulkner appointed a committee to recommend a revised set of Tower lighting guidelines, specifically addressing:
- Should the Tower be lit for individual achievements, as well as "group" achievements?
- What should be the level of recognition?
- What should the lighting pattern be for each level of recognition?
- Should the Tower be lit for non-university events?
The committee recommended, and the president approved, the lighting configurations listed and illustrated below. A summary of the philosophy on which the committee based its recommendations also is listed.
Committee Philosophy
- Lighting patterns should distinguish between academic and staff achievements and athletic victories
- Traditional Orange should be displayed for celebration of campus-wide events
- Darkened tower (UT Remembers) should be used only for solemn occasions
- Committee recommends two new lighting configurations: (1) White top, Orange shaft; (2) Top split Orange and White with Orange shaft
- Other lighting options are available
TOWER ENTIRELY WHITE
Standard Tower Lighting
TOWER WITH WHITE TOP AND ORANGE SHAFT
Academic and Staff Achievements
- Faculty academic achievements (Academic Convocation)
- Student academic achievements (Honors Day)
- Staff achievements (Staff Recognition Day)
- Academic team achievements with #1 displayed
- Other events at the President's discretion
TOWER WITH ORANGE TOP AND WHITE SHAFT
Athletic Achievements
- Football regular season victories, except Texas A&M
- Non-Bowl Championship Series (BCS) victories
- Other events at the President's discretion
TOWER ENTIRELY ORANGE
Significant Athletic Victories
- Football victories
- Texas A&M
- Big 12 South
- Big 12 Championship Game
- Big 12 Regular Season Team Championship
- Big 12 Tournament Championships
- Student organization sports club national championships
TOWER ENTIRELY ORANGE WITH #1 DISPLAYED
Athletic Championships
- Football Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 1 vs. 2 win
- NCAA championships for all other sports
TOWER ENTIRELY ORANGE
Campus-wide Accolades
- UT's Birthday - September 15
- Commencement
- Texas Independence Day - March 2
- Other campus-wide events at the President's discretion
DARKENED TOWER WITH WHITE CAP AND OBSERVATION DECK
Solemn Occasions
Configuration: All other levels dark, including windows
- UT Remembers (annual memorial service)
- Tower Garden Dedication
- Significant solemn occasions, e.g. Texas A&M Bonfire Tragedy
- Other occasions at the President's discretion
TOWER TOP SPLIT ORANGE AND WHITE WITH ORANGE SHAFT
Symbolic Campus Events
- Gone to Texas - welcoming new students to campus
- Other events at the President's discretion
TOWER WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS OR NUMBERING
Special Effects
The complete list of UT Tower policies can be found in On Campus published by the Office of Public Affairs for The University of Texas at Austin community. Publication is monthly during the academic year, except holiday periods.
