Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University Logo
Latin: '
Motto N/A
Established 18766
(first public college in Texas)
Type Flagship State university
Endowment
Staff 2,500+3
Rector  
Chancellor  
President  Dr. Robert M. Gates
Principal  
Vice-Chancellor  
Dean  
 
Faculty  
Students
Undergraduates  35,732
Postgraduates  8,192
Doctoral students  
Location College Station, Texas USA
Campus setting Urban, 5,200 acres4 (21 km²)
Endowment $4.3 billion (Systemwide)5
Colours Maroon and white
Mascot Reveille. Teams referred to as the Aggies.
Nickname
Affiliations
Website www.tamu.edu

Texas A&M University, often "Texas A&M", "A&M" or "TAMU" for short, is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. Texas A&M's triple designation as a Land-, Sea-, and Space-Grant institution reflects a broad range of research, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research.

Contents

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History

The basis for funding for the college was established by the Morrill Act, passed by the US Congress in 1862, which provided for donation of public land (land grants) to the states. The land could then be sold at public auction to establish a permanent fund to support a college where the "leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and mechanical arts...in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life." In 1871 the Texas legislature passed legislation to establish the college and provide appropriations for building the campus. The college opened for classes in 1876 as the "Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas". In 1963 the legislature change the name to "Texas A&M University" to reflect the expanded roles and academic offerings of the university.

In addition to being designated as a "land grant college", Texas A&M earned the designation of "sea grant college" in 1971 in recognition of its oceanographic and marine research contributions. In 1989 it was also granted the title of "space grant college" by NASA, in recognition of its commitment to space research and participation in the "Texas Space Grant Consortium".

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Academics

A view of Main Campus of Texas A&M University, looking from Kyle Field. In the distance is the Academic Building with its copper dome.
A view of Main Campus of Texas A&M University, looking from Kyle Field. In the distance is the Academic Building with its copper dome.

Texas A&M has an enrollment of 44,647 students2, studying for degrees in 10 academic colleges. (currently making it the 8th largest university in the United States). Under the leadership of President Dr. Robert M. Gates, the university has initialized an aggressive financial focus on four areas of improvement that includes student diversity, faculty reinvestment, space allocation, and improving the undergraduate and graduate education experience14.

Texas A&M's ten colleges are: Lowry Mays College of Business, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Architecture, College of Education, Dwight Look College of Engineering, College of Geosciences, George Bush School of Government and Public Service, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science, and College of Veterinary Medicine

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Worldwide

  • Branch campus located in Education City, Qatar, near Doha
  • Ongoing research projects on all seven continents 11
  • Formal research, student and faculty exchange or other partnerships with about 100 institutions in about 40 nations 9
  • One of only two U.S. university partnerships with CONACYT, Mexico's equivalent of the National Science Foundation 10
  • Home of "Las Americas Digital Research Network," an online architecture network for 26 universities in 12 nations primarily in Central and South America 8
  • Operates a study center in Santa Chiara, Italy, and a multi-purpose center in Mexico City 9
  • More than 1,200 students participated in study abroad or exchange programs in 2003 9
  • Center for International Business Research and Education one of only 28 in United States supported by U.S. Department of Education 12
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Rankings

Texas A&M University is currently ranked 60th in the United States and tied for 21st among public universities1. It is ranked as the 25th "Best Value for a Public School" in the nation, and the best value in the state of Texas[1]

The Dwight Look College of Engineering is tied for 14th nationally. The Agricultural Engineering program is ranked 1st in the nation. Other rankings include Aerospace, 11; Chemical, 19; Civil, 10; Computer Engineering, 21; Electrical, 19; Industrial, 7; and Mechanical, 171.

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Campus

Sbisa Dining Hall and the Water Tower with "Welcome To Aggieland" greeting
Sbisa Dining Hall and the Water Tower with "Welcome To Aggieland" greeting

Texas A&M University is one of the largest universities by area (with 5,200 acres4 (21 km²) in all) in the nation (behind the United States Air Force Academy and Stanford University, among others) with approximately 200 buildings and a value of over $1 billion. The Texas A&M campus is home to the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

The campus is divided into two parts separated by a set of railroad tracks that run through its center. The portion of the campus east of the railroad tracks is known as the Main Campus while the portion of the campus west of the railroad tracks is known as West Campus. Also, the area west of White Creek is known as Research Park.

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Aggieland

Texas A&M University's Main Campus is located in College Station, Texas, also known as Aggieland. The metropolitan area of Bryan-College Station, Texas is located in Brazos County, Texas, population 152,415 (Census 2000), in East Texas. The city is centrally located, approximately equidistant from three of the 10 largest cities in the United States. It is 95 miles north of Houston, 166 miles northeast of San Antonio and 169 miles south of Dallas. It is 104 miles east of Austin, the state capital of Texas. Seventy five percent of the Texas and Louisiana populations (13.1 million people) live within 3.5 driving hours of College Station.

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Notable buildings

Of the over 200 buildings on Texas A&M University Campus some of the most recognized include the Academic Building, the Albritton Bell Tower, the Administration Building, Kyle Field, the Memorial Student Center (MSC) and recently the George Bush Presidential Library.

Academic Building with Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue
Academic Building with Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue
  • Academic Building
    • One of the most recognized images of Texas A&M University, the Academic Building stands at the heart of the campus. Completed in 1914, it stands on the site of Old Main, the first campus building that burned in 1912. Of note is its copper dome, which was once polished, but since the polished dome's glare caused too great of danger for pilots landing at nearby Easterwood Airport, the university stopped polishing it. Now the dome has become green, much like the Statue of Liberty is presently. Academic Plaza, which is in front of the Academic Building, is the site of a wide range of campus events, including Silver Taps.
  • Albritton Bell Tower
    • Donated to Texas A&M University and dedicated on October 6, 1984 by Martha and Ford D. Albritton, the Albritton Tower is 138 feet tall and contains Westminster chimes which ring every quarter hour. There are 49 carillon bells, the largest of which weighs more than six thousand pounds, that can be programmed to play music such as the "Spirit of Aggieland". The bells also play hymns during Silver Taps, a memorial service for Aggies who have died during the past month. The clock faces of Albritton Tower bear the Roman numeral IIII rather than IV because Mr. Albritton believed that IV bore too much resemblance to "t.u.", Texas A&M's rival.
  • Easterwood Airport
  • George Bush Presidential Library
    • Operated by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the tenth Presidential Library in the United States. Former President George Bush remains actively involved with both the Bush Library and the nearby George Bush School of Government and Public Service, frequently visiting the campus and participating in special events.
Jack K. Williams Administration Building
Jack K. Williams Administration Building
  • Jack K. Williams Administration Building
    • For many years home to all of Texas A&M's administrative offices, the Jack K. Williams Administration Building opened its doors in 1932 and continues to house several Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University System offices and agencies. Designed by Professor C.S.P. Vosper and built by Campus Architect F.E. Giesecke, the monumental classical structure's features include intricate Ionic columns, polished brass handrails along its marble staircases and stained-glass windows.
  • Kyle Field
    • Since 1929 the home to the Fightin' Texas Aggies, Kyle Field recently ranked as the fourth best college football stadium by the Sporting News13.
  • Memorial Student Center (MSC)
    • For more than 50 years the Memorial Student Center has been a living memorial, a living room, and a living tradition at Texas A&M University. Because the building and grounds are a memorial, those entering the MSC are asked to remove their hats, and walking on the grass outside is proscribed.
  • Laboratories
    • Laboratories on the Texas A&M University campus include the Energy Systems Laboratory, Fiber Optic Lab, Hypermedia Research Lab, Materials and Structures Testing Lab, Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab, Turbomachinery Laboratory and the Wave Propagation and Damping Laboratory. Texas A&M was involved in a bid to operate the Los Alamos National Laboratory for the US Department of Energy but dropped its bid in December 2004. Texas A&M is the first academic institution to clone six different species: cattle, a boer goat, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse15.
  • Texas A&M Libraries
    • Libraries on campus include the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the Cushing Memorial Library, the Medical Sciences Library, the Policy Sciences & Economics Library, Sterling C. Evans Library, West Campus Library and the Biological Collections Library.
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Notable Athletic Buildings

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Student Life

Texas A&M has a remarkably high number of student organizations, over 800. Students are encouraged to become involved on campus from the moment they attend Fish Camp. Events are also held at the beginning of the year for students to find organizations that interest them. As a result of A&M's encouragement of student activities, the term "the other education" has been termed to describe the high level of student involvement on campus. Texas A&M is host to the largest ROTC program in the United States with the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets3.

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Endowment

Texas A&M University System endowment totals approximately $4.3 billion; 10th largest in the nation and third among public university systems. The University is a minority stakeholder in an endowment known as the Permanent University Fund. The PUF principal in the fall 2000 was approximately $10 billion, second only to Harvard's endowment. The PUF primarily serves the University of Texas System with 2/3rds of its proceeds. The PUF also funds the Texas A&M University System with the remaining third. Other Texas public universities outside these two systems, notably University of Houston and Texas Tech University, are prohibited by law from sharing in the income from this endowment. At one time, the PUF was the chief source of income for Texas A&M, today its revenues account for less than 10 percent of the university's annual budget. This has challenged the university to increase sponsored research and private donations.

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Traditions

The oldest public college in the state, Texas A&M University has many time-honored traditions, many of which are discussed in full detail at traditions of Texas A&M University.

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Athletics

The logo of the Texas A&M athletic teams
The logo of the Texas A&M athletic teams

A charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, Texas A&M now competes in the Big 12 Conference (South Division) of the NCAA's Division I-A. The sports teams are known as the Aggies and the colors are maroon and white.

The University's major rival is the University of Texas, known to Aggies as "texas university" or simply "t.u.". In 2004, sporting events between Texas A&M and the University of Texas became known as the "Lone Star Showdown". The most-watched part of this rivalry is the annual football game held on the day after Thanksgiving.

The football team is currently coached by Dennis Franchione.

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Titles

Some of the titles won by Aggie athletic teams include:

  • National titles
    • Football
      • 1939
    • Softball
      • 1982 (AIAW), 1983 (NCAA), 1987 (NCAA)
  • Conference titles
    • Big 12 Conference
      • Football
        • 1998
      • Baseball
        • 1998, 1999 (College World Series)
      • Men's Outdoor Track & Field
        • 2001
      • Women's Soccer
        • 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005
    • Southwest Conference
      • Football
        • 1917, 1919, 1921, 1925, 1927, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1956, 1967, 1975, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993
      • Men's Basketball
        • 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1950, 1963, 1968, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1985
      • Baseball
        • 1931, 1934, 1937, 1942, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1964, 1966, 1977, 1978, 1986, 1989, 1993
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Student publications and media

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Notable people

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External links


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Notes

  • Note 1: Source: U.S. News and World Report. [2]
  • Note 2: Source: A&M Systemwide Campus News. [3]
  • Note 3: Source: Texas A&M Facts & Stats. [4]
  • Note 4: Source: US News & World Report: America's Best Colleges 2006. [5]
  • Note 5: Source: 2004 NACUBO Endowment Study. [6]
  • Note 6: Source: Texas A&M University Undergraduate Catalog 2004-2005 Edition. [7]
  • Note 7: Source: Texas A&M University Statistical Factbook. [8]
  • Note 8: Source: Las Americas. [9]
  • Note 9: Source: International Programs. [10]
  • Note 10: Source: CONACYT and Texas A&M. [11]
  • Note 11: Source: Long-Term Environmental Monitoring at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Supported With GIS. [12]
  • Note 12: Source: ED.gov Funded Centers for International Business Education. [13]
  • Note 13: Source: Sporting News Ranking of College Football Stadiums. [14]
  • Note 14: Source: President Gates Academic Convocation 2005. [15]
  • Note 15: Source: Texas A&M Leads World in Cloning Animals. [16]



Colleges and Schools of Texas A&M University
Agriculture and Life Sciences | Architecture | Business | Education | Engineering |
Geosciences | Liberal Arts | Science | Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences | Government 		Texas A&M University's logo


Texas A&M University System

Universities: Texas A&M University | A&M-Commerce | A&M-Corpus Christi |
A&M-Kingsville | Prairie View A&M | Tarleton State | A&M-Texarkana |
A&M International | West Texas A&M
Branches: TAMU at Galveston | TAMU at Qatar
Agencies: TAES | TCE | TEES | TEEX | TFS | TTI | TVMDL
Health Science Center: Dentistry | Medicine | Biomedical | IBT | SRPH |
HSC Satellites

Texas A&M University System Seal


Big 12 Conference
North Division: Colorado | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Missouri | Nebraska
  South Division: Baylor | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | Texas A&M | Texas Tech   		Big Twelve Conference