Introduction International Involvement Research History Location
Introduction:
Texas A&M University is a flagship state university with over 48,000 students, an internationally recognized faculty, and one of the largest university campuses in the world. The university has a strong tradition of educational outreach, as 25 percent of the freshman class are the first in their family to attend college. In addition, the university has an enrollment of over 4000 international students from over 125 nations. Texas A&M has two branch campuses, one in Galveston, Texas, and one in Doha, Qatar.
As a major research university, Texas A&M was ranked first in the US in 2008 by The Washington Monthly magazine for "tangible contributions to the public interest." This honor is based on the research profile of the university, the public service dedication of its students, and in contributing social mobility to its students. U.S. News and World Report ranked Texas A&M third in the US as a "best value" among public universities, and 23rd in the US among public universities. Many degree programs are ranked among the top 10 in the country. It is among the top 100 global universities, according to the Shanghai Jiaotong University rankings, and in a Webmetrics study of the impact of a university, Texas A&M ranked among the top 20 universities globally. The John Templeton Foundation listed Texas A&M as one of the thirty-five American college programs that "communicates the values of honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, and fairness in the classroom.”
International Involvement:
Texas A&M is among the top 20 global universities hosting international students. The university is deeply committed to international education, and has a strong presence around the world. Many of the more than 4,000 international students on campus are involved in graduate studies and research. In addition to the branch campus in Qatar, the university maintains a study center in Italy, a study and research facility in Costa Rica, and a center in Mexico. The university sends students around the world on study and service projects. Over 1300 A&M students participated in activities abroad in Europe, Asia, and Latin America in 2007-2008.
The university has formal research and study agreements with 100 of the world’s top universities, scientific organizations, and research agencies, including Mexico’s Conacyt and Panama’s Senacyt. Texas A&M is a member of the four interdisciplinary scientific research centers dedicated to collaborative excellence on a global scale through the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology’s Global Research Partnership (KAUST), along with Cornell University, the University of Oxford and Stanford University. Texas A&M is also part of a global consortium of universities building the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile.
Texas A&M has a strong commitment to international service. The Confucius Institute at Texas A&M, as well as the biannual China –US Relations Conference, is a key part of the university’s outreach to China, and the university’s efforts to strengthen political, economic, and social linkages with China. In addition, the university hosts and participates in numerous international research partnerships, including the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, a research partnership between 21 countries in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The university is the home of "Las Americas Digital Research Network", an online architecture network for 26 universities in 12 nations, primarily in Central and South America.
Dr. Elsa A. Murano is the first woman and first Hispanic-American to serve as President of Texas A&M University, and exemplifies the internationalization of the university. Born in Cuba, and living in several Latin American countries, her first language is Spanish. Dr. Murano became the 23rd president of the university in January of 2008.
Research:
With nearly $570 million invested in research, Texas A&M ranks in the top tier of universities nationwide in research expenditures and in impact. Texas A&M's 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. Texas A&M has made significant contributions in many different research areas, such as animal cloning. Texas A&M scientists pioneered the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named “cc”, on December 22, 2001, and was also the first academic institution to clone each of six different species.
The university is committed to developing cutting edge, revolutionary research in areas that are vital for the future, including energy, bio-medical research, public policy, and the environment. Research entities located at the university include the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Cyclotron Institute, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology. The Texas A&M system also consists of a number of state research and extension agencies, including the Texas Transportation Institute, the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, and Texas Agrilife Research. Research at Texas A&M spans every continent around the world.
Texas A&M attracts the best and brightest faculty, who exemplify the highest standard of education, research and scholarship. Our junior researchers are among the most promising at any university, and our senior researchers are some of the most highly acclaimed and experienced in the world. Faculty at Texas A&M have received such accolades as the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize, the World Food Prize, the Wolf Prize, the Humboldt Award, and the National Medal of Science. Twenty-seven faculty are members of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine. More than 500 hold the title of fellow, or a title of equal significance in their respective fields. Among these outstanding researchers, Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, known as the “father of the Green Revolution,” for his work in expanding global food resources, remains active on the faculty, and the university honors his legacy with the Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture.
History and Values:
Texas A&M began in 1876, as the first public institution in the state of Texas. The name of the university was originally “Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1963, the university’s name was changed to Texas A&M University. The initials "A" and "M" are a link to the university’s past, but they no longer represent any specific words as the curriculum has grown to include not only agriculture and engineering, but architecture, business, education, geosciences, liberal arts, medicine, science, public service, and veterinary medicine. Likewise, students and graduates of the institution are known as “Aggies,” although the vast majority of them do not study agriculture.
The University is known throughout the United States for several key characteristics. First, the purpose of the university is to develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good, and its students subscribe to six core values: Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, and Selfless Service. The university is also well known for several traditions that define the student body, including Silver Taps, a silent campus memorial service for students who have died. The “12th Man tradition” which represents a commitment to loyalty, as at each sporting event students remain standing for the duration of each event, prepared to help in any way. “Aggie Muster” is an annual gathering to honor Aggies who have died in the previous years. The “Big Event” is a student-organized event in which students serve the residents of the community, and is the largest in the United States. The Corps of Cadets is the largest body of students in the country with commitments to serve in the US military, outside the U.S. service academies, with approximately 1800 men and women in officer training programs and civilian leadership programs. Because of the university’s commitment to public service, former President George Bush Senior helped to establish the “George Bush School of Government and Public Service” and chose to place his Presidential Library and Museum at the campus in 1997. President Bush remains very active at the university and often visits for special events.
Location:
Texas A&M University is located in the city of College Station, Texas, about 90 miles north of Houston. With the neighboring city of Bryan, the area has approximately 170,000 residents. The central Texas location offers several advantages: it's small enough to offer safe and affordable living and just a short drive to three major Texas cities—Houston, Austin and Dallas. A regional airport provides commercial flights to Dallas and Houston, making travel to all points in the US and internationally convenient.
The university is a partner in the Research Valley Partnership, and host to the Research Valley Innovation Center (RVIC), a science and technology incubator/accelerator formed to help early-stage ventures transition into successful businesses. The Research Valley region has the highest per capita concentration of materials scientists, engineering teachers, chemistry teachers, veterinary technologists, and technicians in the nation. Because over 17% of the adult population of the area has a master’s degree or PhD, the region is recognized for its scientific and technical workforce.
