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The campus of Texas A&M University, also known as Aggieland, is situated in
College Station, Texas College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley, towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle. It is northwest of Houston and east-northeast of Austin, ...
, United States.
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
is centrally located within 200 miles (320 km) of three of the ten largest cities in the United States and 75% of the Texas and
Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...
populations. Aggieland's major roadway is State Highway 6, and several smaller state highways and
Farm to Market Road In the United States, a farm-to-market road or ranch-to-market road (sometimes farm road or ranch road for short) is a state highway or county road that connects rural or agricultural areas to market towns. These are better-quality roads, usually ...
s connect the area to larger highways such as
Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. While most primary Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, ...
. The campus is bisected by a set of railroad tracks primarily operated by
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
. The area east of the railroad tracks is known as "Main Campus" and includes many of the academic buildings, the Memorial Student Center,
Kyle Field Kyle Field is an American football stadium in College Station, Texas located on the campus of Texas A&M University. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggies football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a permanent concrete stadium s ...
, and the student dormitories. The portion of the campus west of the railroad tracks is known as "West Campus" and includes most of the other sports facilities, the business school, agricultural programs, the veterinary college, the George Bush Presidential Library and the medical school. The area of West Campus along Kimbrough Boulevard is known as "Research Park" and includes many research facilities.


History


Establishment

The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, later known as Texas A&M University was established by the
Texas State Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a po ...
on April 17, 1871 as the state's first public institution of higher education. The legislature provided $75,000 for the construction of buildings at the new school. A committee tasked with finding a home for the new college chose Brazos County, which agreed to donate 2,416 acres (10 km2) of land. The college officially opened on October 4, 1876, with six professors. Livestock roamed freely but cautiously, and the area served as a meeting point for the
Great Western Cattle Trail The Great Western Cattle Trail is the name used today for a cattle trail established during the late 19th century for moving beef stock and horses to markets in eastern and northern states. It ran west of and roughly parallel to the better know ...
. The first building to be placed on campus was known as Old Main. "A stately, semi-classic building four stories in height", Old Main housed all the activities of the college for the first ten years of the school's existence. In the following three decades, it played a prominent part in A&M activities and housed the offices of the school's presidents. The building caught fire in the early hours of May 27, 1912, and was unable to be saved.


Sul Ross era

Many people credit Texas A&M president
Lawrence Sullivan Ross Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and the 4th president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now c ...
, known affectionately to students as "Sully", with saving the school from closure and transforming it into a respected military institution. Ross, the immediate past
governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...
, had been a well-respected
Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
soldier along with being a Baylor graduate and he enjoyed a good reputation among state residents. When Ross arrived at the school in February 1891, he found that there was no running water, the school was suffering a housing shortage, the faculty was disgruntled, and many of the students ran wild. Ross promptly began instituting improvements. When students returned for the 1891–1892 school year, they found a new three–story, 41 room dormitory (named Ross Hall), the beginning of construction on a new home for the president, and a new building to house the machine and blacksmith shops. Even with the addition of a new dormitory, space was still at a premium. Some cadets were forced to live on the fourth floor of the main building. Enrollment continued to rise, so much so that by the end of his tenure Ross requested that parents first communicate with his office before sending their sons to the school. The increase in students necessitated an improvement in facilities, and from fall 1891 until September 1898 the college spent over $97,000 on improvements and new buildings. This included construction of an infirmary, which included the first indoor toilets on campus, a new artesian well, a natatorium, four new faculty residences, an electric light plant, an ice works, a laundry, a cold storage room, a slaughterhouse, a gymnasium, a warehouse, and an artillery shed. The last major campus construction overseen by Ross was the development of the Mess Hall. Designed by architectural firm Glover and Allen and opened in 1897, the Mess Hall could originally seat 500 students. Its front porches were later enclosed to double the seating capacity, making the Mess Hall the largest dining hall in Texas. An accidental kitchen fire on the morning of November 11, 1911, destroyed the building. Its replacement, Sbisa Dining Hall, remains one of the primary dining centers on campus. During this time one of the more recognizable features of the Texas A&M landscape, the Century Oak Tree, was planted. The massive
oak tree An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the Fagaceae, beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northe ...
, located in Academic Plaza, would become a favored place for students to propose marriage.


Early 20th century

The focal point of campus for much of the early 20th century was Military Walk, a 1,500-foot (460 m) street that connected the former Guion Hall, now the location of the Rudder Theatre Complex, with Sbisa Dining Hall. Lined with oak trees, the avenue provided access to Assembly Hall (1889–1929), Foster Hall (1899–1951), Ross Hall (1891–1955), Gaithright Hall (1876–1933), and Mitchell Hall (1912–1972). The street was closed in 1971. Many of the original trees remain, but buildings, walk ways, and grassy areas were added in place of the street itself. The school began offering an expanded choice of degree programs at the same time that the state legislature and the
United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
established several services at Texas A&M. The college was unprepared for the ensuing population growth. For the next ten years, several hundred students lived in tents in a field in the middle of campus. In the late 1920s, following the discovery of oil on university lands, Texas A&M and the University of Texas negotiated a settlement for the division of the
Permanent University Fund The Permanent University Fund (PUF) is a sovereign wealth fund created by the State of Texas to fund public higher education within the state. A portion of the returns from the PUF are annually directed towards the Available University Fund (AUF ...
which enabled A&M to receive one-third of the revenue. This guaranteed wealth enabled A&M to grow and expand.


Post-World War II

Enrollment soared after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
(WWII) as many former servicemen used the
G.I. Bill The G.I. Bill, formally the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I. (military), G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in ...
to further their education. Again unprepared for the growth, between 1946 and 1950 Texas A&M used the inactive
Bryan Air Force Base Bryan Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Brazos County, Texas, located west of Bryan. Bryan Air Force Base was originally activated in 1943 as a U.S. Army Air Forces installation known as Bryan Army Air Field. The base hous ...
, west of
Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places in the United States * Bryan, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Ohio, a city * Bryan, Texas, a city * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town * Bryan County, Georgia * ...
near the
Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
, as an extension of the campus. An estimated 5,500 men lived, studied, ate, and attended classes at the base, which became known as the Annex. Former students lived and studied in cramped, cheaply built and already-dilapidated WWII buildings without heating, air conditioning or indoor plumbing, and described having to hitchhike to and from the remote site if they did not have their own cars. In 1951, with the outbreak of the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
, the base was reactivated for
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
(USAF) pilot training. In the late 1950s, after combat in Korea had wound down, the USAF inactivated the base again. The USAF fully vacated the base in May 1961 and the land and buildings were leased to Texas A&M in 1962 under an arrangement that would allow the university to buy the property at a heavily discounted price in the future. The facility was named the Research Annex.


Late 20th century

The
George Bush Presidential Library The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States (1989–1993), and his wife Barbara Bush. Located on a site on the west campus of T ...
was established in 1997 on of land donated by Texas A&M at the western edge of the campus. This tenth presidential library was built between 1995 and 1997 and contains the presidential and vice-presidential papers of
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
and the vice-presidential papers of
Dan Quayle James Danforth Quayle (; born February 4, 1947) is an American retired politician who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...
. In 1998, activists on campus (including Professor Patrick Slattery) suggested the statue of
Lawrence Sullivan Ross Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross (September 27, 1838January 3, 1898) was the 19th governor of Texas, a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and the 4th president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now c ...
should be removed on the basis that he was a member of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
. Instead, Slattery and others wanted to create a "diversity plaza", with a statue of Matthew Gaines, an African-American politician. The project was abandoned in the wake of the
Aggie Bonfire The Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing annual tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Texas A&M Aggies, Aggies—built a bonfire on campu ...
tragedy, in 1999.


The 2004 Campus Master Plan

To address the rapid growth of the student body and faculty, Texas A&M created a Campus Master plan that provided guidelines on campus development. The plan created by the architectural firm Barnes Gromatzky Kosarek Architects with Michael Dennis & Associates, was completed in July 2004. The primary goals of the plan were to: reinforce campus identity and community, establish connectivity, create architecture that contributes positively to the campus community, promote spatial equity and appropriateness, promote sustainability, and develop a supportive process to achieve the goals above. Major components of the plan include *New Main Drive *Administration Building/East Lawn Area *East Quad *East-West Pedestrian Walks *Library Quad and Diversity Plaza *Academic Quad and Military Walk *Simpson Drill Field and the New Underpasses *New West Quad and Wellborn Road *West Campus Extension of Old Main *White Creek Greenway Texas A&M's master plan has won several awards including: Campus Planning Award from the Boston Society of Architects and a 2004 design award from the Texas Society of Architects.


Current status

Following the completion of the master plan, Texas A&M has begun some of the largest construction projects in its history. In 2007, the Texas A&M University system had close to 700 million dollars of construction projects planned or already underway in the Bryan College Station area. To fund this expansion, the university is relying on state funding, donations, fees and tuition revenue bonds to cover costs. The first major building of this construction phase, the $95 million
Interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...
Life Sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, ...
building, is the largest building on campus. In addition, Texas A&M is constructed two physics buildings dedicated to astronomical research with funds from a donation by George P. W. Mitchell. From late 2008 to August 2011, Texas A&M constructed a $104 million, Emerging Technologies and Economic Development Interdisciplinary Building. Outside of main campus, Texas A&M Health Science Center is constructing a new campus on in Bryan, Texas. The first building on this new campus opened in 2010. On December 16, 2010, Texas A&M broke ground on a new Humanities and Arts building. This building is especially notable because of the institution's "historical focus on engineering and agriculture". The school finished renovations and reopened on the Memorial Student Center on April 21, 2012. In addition to academic facilities, athletics director Bill Byrne has overseen an aggressive expansion of the university's sports faculties since his hiring in 2003. Under his leadership, Texas A&M completed several athletics facilities including the McFerrin Athletic Center, an indoor
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
practice field and track and field facility. The center was host of the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. The department has also completed the Cox-McFerrin Center, a practice facility for the men's and
women's A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...
basketball teams. The school recently renovated the schools baseball stadium, Olsen Field, with a name change to Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park following a $7 million donation from
Blue Bell Creameries Blue Bell Creameries is an American food company that manufactures ice cream. It was founded in 1907 in Brenham, Texas. For much of its early history, the company manufactured both ice cream and butter locally. In the mid-20th century, it abandone ...
. The field was reopened on February 17, 2012. Future plans include the renovation of Kyle field.


Areas


Main Campus

The main campus chiefly contains the student and Corps of Cadets dormitories, university apartments, various dining facilities, a health center, a post office, libraries, a university-operated golf course, and drill fields used by the Corps. The main campus houses some facilities of the College of Sciences and all of the facilities of the College of Architecture, the
College of Education and Human Development The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is one of seventeen colleges and professional schools at the University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public un ...
, the College of Geosciences, the
College of Liberal Arts A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary education, tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding academic degree, degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further educatio ...
, and the Dwight Look College of Engineering. Notable buildings on the main campus include Kyle Field, the Academic Building, the Memorial Student Center, the Administration Building, Rudder Tower, Albritton Bell Tower, and the Bonfire Memorial. The main campus is bordered by George Bush Drive, Wellborn Road, University Drive, and Texas Avenue on the south, west, north, and east sides, respectively.


East Campus

The eastern region of campus, or "East Campus," is commonly cited as beginning to the east of Evans library and continuing to the Texas Avenue border of Texas A&M University's College Station campus. Buildings on this side of campus include the majority of architecture buildings as well as a few engineering buildings and the administration building.


West Campus

The west campus contains both the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Health Science Center, a component of the
Texas A&M University System The Texas A&M University System is a state university system in Texas and is one of the state's seven independent university systems. The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States, with a ...
. West campus also contains some facilities of the College of Sciences, the new facilities of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (relocated in 2011), all of the facilities of the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, and
Mays Business School Mays Business School is the business school at Texas A&M University. The school educates more than 7,400 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students in accounting, finance, management, management information systems, marketing and supply cha ...
. In addition to a few dining facilities, the Medical Sciences Library and the West Campus Library are the only two libraries on west campus. Olsen Field, home of the baseball team, and
Reed Arena Reed Arena is a sports arena and entertainment venue located at the corner of Olsen Boulevard and Kimbrough Boulevard in College Station, Texas. This facility is used for Texas A&M University basketball games and commencement ceremonies, concerts, ...
, home of the basketball team, are both situated on west campus as well. In addition, administrative offices of various state agencies, including the Texas Engineering Extension Service and
Texas Transportation Institute The Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) in Bryan/College Station, Texas is a transportation research agency in the United States. The institute was created in 1950, primarily in response to the needs of the Texas Highway Department (now t ...
, are housed here.
Easterwood Airport Easterwood Airport (, Easterwood Field) is a regional airport in College Station, Texas, serving Texas A&M University, Bryan-College Station, and Brazos County, Texas. Accessed via FM 60 (Raymond Stotzer Parkway), it is southwest of the cent ...
, which provides flights to both
George Bush Intercontinental Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport is an international airport in Houston, Texas, United States, serving the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Initially named Houston Intercontinental Airport upon its opening in 1969, it was renamed in ho ...
and
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is the primary international airport serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and the North Texas region, in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the largest hub for American Airlines, which is headquartere ...
, is located on the far west side of west campus. West Campus is bordered by railroad tracks operated by
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
, George Bush Drive, Raymond Stotzer Parkway, and Easterwood Airport, on the east, south, north, and west sides, respectively.


RELLIS Campus

Formerly named the Research Annex, the Research and Extension Center at Bryan, and then the Riverside Campus, and commonly known as the Riverside Annex or simply the Annex, the RELLIS Campus is an extension of the main campus located to the northwest, adjacent to SH 47 and SH 21 in
Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city in and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of C ...
, northeast of the
Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...
. It is home to a
Blinn College Blinn College is a public junior college in Brenham, Texas, with additional campuses in Bryan, Schulenburg, Sealy, and Waller. Brenham is Blinn's original and main campus, with housing and athletics. History Blinn was founded in 1884 as Mi ...
satellite campus. SH 47 was completed in August 1996, creating a shorter and more direct route between the facility and the main A&M campus. In 2016, the facility was renamed RELLIS - an acronym of Texas A&M’s core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service. The RELLIS hosts three training divisions of the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), which occupies about of offices, classrooms, and laboratories. The agency maintains outdoor training facilities at Riverside, including overhead and underground electric power training fields, a firing range for law enforcement officers, a heavy equipment training field, an emergency vehicle-driving track, unexploded ordnance ranges and search grids, and simulation prop houses for tactical training. A vintage WWII hangar at the RELLIS Campus was recently transformed into a state-of-the-art training facility for utility workers in the electric power and telecommunications industry. Classrooms in the new facility include interactive Smart boards, custom-built workbenches and cabinets, built-in audiovisual systems, and automatic lighting. The runways have also been used as an
SCCA The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting Autocross, Rallycross, High Performance Driver Education, HPDE, Time trial, Time Trial, Road racing, Road Racing, Regularity rally, R ...
racetrack. In 2006, the Texas A&M College of Architecture completed an Built Environment Teaching and Research Facility also known as Architecture Ranch. The building contains a woodshop, a metal shop, and two digital fabrication machines: a CNC
mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...
and a CNC
plasma cutter Plasma cutting is a process that cuts through electrical conductor, electrically conductive materials by means of an accelerated jet of hot plasma (physics), plasma. Typical materials cut with a plasma torch include steel, stainless steel, alumin ...
. Architecture Ranch is located on . The campus is also home to several Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) testing facilities used in the areas of vehicle performance and handling, vehicle-roadway interaction, the durability and efficacy of highway pavements, and the safety of structural systems. A joint Texas A&M System-University of Texas system low density library began construction in June 2012. The facility is designed to hold one million books and eliminate redundancy in the collections of the two university systems. In 2015, Blinn College announced that it would cancel expansion plans at its existing Bryan campus and build a new campus at RELLIS instead. Blinn expected to invest $34 million in the site. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Blinn College educational building took place on March 31, 2017. In 2022, Blinn opened a new $32M administration building at RELLIS, incorporating 19 new classrooms in addition to offices for student enrollment.


Bush Combat Development Complex

The George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex is a military research center on the RELLIS Campus, part of the
United States Army Futures Command The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) is a United States Army Structure of the United States Army#Army Commands, and Army Service Component Commands, command that runs modernization projects. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The AFC ...
. The $200M facility was first announced in August 2019, and opened in 2022. It includes a "one-of-a-kind, kilometer-long tunnel" used for hypersonic research. The complex is also home to the Research Integration Center; Innovation Proving Ground; and Ballistic, Aero-optics and Materials Range, where weapons are tested.
Raytheon Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Founded in 1922, it merged in 2020 with Unite ...
tested a high-energy laser there in 2023, the first open-air usage in the state of Texas. The facility was initially funded by the state of Texas ($50M), Texas A&M ($80M) and the AFC ($96M). Retired
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
Maj. Gen. Tim Green serves as Director of the site, and retired
Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...
Col. Rosendo “Ross” Guieb serves as Executive Director.


Residential life

During the 2006 fall semester, 20.5% of the student body lived on campus in one of two distinct housing sections located on opposite ends of campus. Both the Northside and Southside areas contain student dormitories, or residence halls. While some halls are single-sex, others are
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
. Usually students of different genders live on alternate floors, although the Corps dormitories and Hobby Hall are segregated by room or suite. Residence hall styles vary; while many halls offer only indoor access to individual rooms, access to the rooms of "balcony halls", comes from an outdoor balcony. Room sizes vary by building, and halls with larger rooms including en-suite or private bathrooms, while halls with smaller rooms have a common bathroom on each floor. Several halls include a "substance-free" floor, where residents pledge to avoid bringing alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes into the hall. While the university provides a variety of dining facilities, non-Corps students are not required to purchase a meal plan. Northside consists of 17 student residence halls, including the three university honors dorms. The halls are located near Northgate, a local entertainment district. The campus dining establishments Sbisa Dining Hall and The Underground are located on Northside. Some halls have unofficially claimed tables within the Sbisa Dining Hall and many halls congregate for dinner at a specific time each weekday. Southside contains halls both for the Corps of Cadets members and "non-regs". Non-corps halls in this area center around the Commons, a hub for activities and dining. Southside has two Learning Living Communities, which allow freshmen to live in a cluster with other students who share common interests. Facilities for the Corps of Cadets are located in the Quadrangle, or "The Quad", an area consisting of dormitories, Duncan Dining Hall, and the Corps training fields. The Corps Arches, a series of 12 arches that " ymbolizethe undying spirit of the 12th Man of Texas A&M", mark the entrance to the Quadrangle. All cadets, except those who are married or who have had previous military service, must live in the Quad with assigned roommates from the same unit and graduating class.
Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), the ...
, the Aggie
mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...
, lives with her handlers in the Quadrangle. Married students, single parent students, and undergraduate students who are sophomores, juniors, or seniors and do not have children may live in the Gardens at University Apartments.Apartments
."
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
. Retrieved on December 15, 2016.
This complex is, as of 2011, Texas A&M's newest apartment unit complex. Gardens at University Apartments is zoned to the College Station Independent School District, which educates dependent children who live in them. Residents are zoned to College Hills Elementary School, Oakwood Intermediate School, A&M Consolidated Middle School, and
A&M Consolidated High School A&M Consolidated High School, also known as "Consol", is a public high school located in the city of College Station, Texas, United States. It is classified as a 5A school by the UIL. The school is part of the College Station Independent School ...
. White Creek Apartments has all categories of single, unmarried students. Married students and students with families as well as sophomore and higher undergraduate students previously lived at Avenue A Apartments, College View Apartments, and Hensel Apartments. Texas A&M University has announced that all residents must be moved out of the Avenue A Apartments, College View Apartments, and Hensel Apartments by 5pm on May 31, 2013. Afterwards, the aforementioned apartments will be demolished in preparation for the Campus Point project. In 1998
American Campus Communities American Campus Communities, Inc. (ACC) is the largest developer, owner and manager of student housing communities in the United States. It is headquartered in Bee Cave, Texas, with an Austin postal address. - Compare with thcity limits map of ...
was awarded the contract to develop, build, and manage a student housing property at TAMU. The Aggies also have many opportunities to not only clean up their campus, but also help in the surrounding community. Students pick up trash and recyclables in Galveston State Park, along nearby highways, and after every home football game.


Notable buildings

Of the over 200 buildings on the Texas A&M University campus, the most recognized include the Academic Building, Albritton Bell Tower, the O&M Building, the Administration Building, the
George Bush Presidential Library The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States (1989–1993), and his wife Barbara Bush. Located on a site on the west campus of T ...
, Kyle Field, and the Memorial Student Center (MSC).


Academic Building

The Academic Building stands at the crossroads of the campus. Completed in 1914, it stands on the site of Old Main, the first campus building, which burned to the ground in 1912. Its most prominent feature is its copper dome, which is green with
verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...
, much like the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
. When the building was constructed, it was one of the first on campus to use
rebar Rebar (short for reinforcement bar or reinforcing bar), known when massed as reinforcing steel or steel reinforcement, is a tension device added to concrete to form ''reinforced concrete'' and reinforced masonry structures to strengthen and aid ...
. Its architect, A&M Professor F. E. Giesecke knew little about reinforced concrete, "so ejust figured out the amount of steel...necessary and doubled it". The result was an extremely durable building so filled with steel that blowtorches had to be used when piping for water fountains was added. In front of the Academic Building is the Academic Plaza, which is the site of a wide range of campus events, most notably Silver Taps.


Albritton Bell Tower

Donated to Texas A&M University by Martha and Ford D. Albritton and dedicated on October 6, 1984, the Albritton Tower is tall and contains 49 bells, cast by the Paccard Bell Foundry, weighing a total of , the largest of which weighs . The bells ring every quarter-hour and are also programmed to play music such as '' The Spirit of Aggieland'', patriotic songs, and hymns.


Eller O&M Building

The David G. Eller Oceanography & Meteorology (O&M) Building is the tallest building at Texas A&M University. The construction of the Oceanography and Meteorology (O&M) building began in August 1970 and was completed in 1973. The architectural designers for the building were the father and son team of Preston M. Geren Sr. and Preston M. Geren Jr. of Fort Worth. Both the Gerens are Aggies. The building was built by the Tulsa, OK-based
Manhattan Construction Company The Manhattan Construction Company is an American-owned construction company founded by Laurence H. Rooney in Chandler in Oklahoma Territory in 1896. Today, the firm operates under its parent company, Manhattan Construction Group with affiliat ...
. It cost $7.6 million to build and was constructed of reinforced concrete and steel, with limestone exterior walls. In 1989, the building was renamed the David G. Eller Building for Oceanography and Meteorology, after David G. Eller, the former Chairman of the University Board of Regents. The building encompasses of office, classroom, laboratory, and storage space. Housing the departments of geography, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography, it maintains a TTVN site for distance education which facilitates teaching with the
Texas A&M University at Galveston Texas A&M University at Galveston (TAMUG) is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students enrolled at Texas A&M University at Galveston, known affectionately as 'Sea Aggies', ...
campus. A Doppler radar system located on the roof provides data on severe storms.


E.V. Adams Band Hall

The E.V. Adams Band Hall houses the Texas A&M Wind Symphony, the
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band (also known as the Noble Men of Kyle Field, Kyle or just the Aggie Band) is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 400 men and women from the school's Texas A&M University Corps of Cade ...
, as well as the University Symphonic, Concert, and Jazz Band; and Orchestra. Constructed in the 1970s, the Adams band hall was initially intended to serve as a
dormitory A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm), also known as a hall of residence, a residence hall (often abbreviated to halls), or a hostel, is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential qu ...
office building. It is a two-story building with a basement. The Music Programs were moved out and into a new multimillion-dollar facility (The John D. White '70 - Robert L. Walker '58 Music Activities Center) in the Fall of 2019, it includes an indoor marching hall design for the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band and a two Smaller Halls for the Concert Bands, Orchestras, and Choirs as well as numerous well insulated individual practice room. . On Top of that facing toward Kyle field is a full sized Practice Turf field for the Aggie Band.


The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is located on a site on west campus. The Library and Museum is situated on a plaza adjoining the Presidential Conference Center and the Texas A&M Academic Center. It operates under the administration of the
NARA The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
under the provisions of th
Presidential Libraries Act of 1955
The archives contains over 38 million pages of personal papers and official documents from the Vice Presidency and Presidency as well as personal records from associates connected with President Bush's public career as congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in China, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition to memoranda, speeches, and reports found in the textual collection, there is an extensive audiovisual and photographic archive that includes approximately one million photographs and thousands of hours of audio and video tape. The 1997 statue, '' The Day the Wall Came Down'', is exhibited on the Library grounds.


Jack K. Williams Administration Building

The Administration Building is the centerpiece of the main entrance to Texas A&M University. For many years home to all of Texas A&M's administrative offices, the Jack K. Williams Administration Building opened its doors in 1932. It 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, features of this monumental classical structure include intricate
Ionic columns The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...
, polished brass handrails along its marble staircases and stained-glass windows. In 1997, the building was officially named after former Texas A&M University president Jack Williams to honor his work in increasing enrollment while preserving the traditional aura of the campus.


Kyle Field

One of the most prominent architectural features of the campus is the Kyle Field, also known as ''The Home of the 12th Man''. In the fall of 1904,
Edwin Jackson Kyle Edwin Jackson Kyle (July 22, 1876 – December 26, 1963) was the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala from 1945 to 1948. He was also the first Texan to advocate agricultural teaching in state schools successfully. He is the namesake of Kyle Field, an Am ...
, professor of horticulture and an 1899 graduate of Texas A&M, fenced off a section of the southeast corner of campus that had been assigned to him for agricultural use. Using $650 of his own money, he purchased the covered
grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators, typically at sports stadiums and including both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium i ...
from the Bryan fairgrounds and built wooden
bleachers Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports-fields and at other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step enabling access to a ...
to raise the seating capacity to 500 people. After the
first World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the stadium was dedicated as a living memorial to the Aggies who died in that conflict. On game days 55 American
flags A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and flags have ...
, one for each Aggie killed, fly around the highest points of the stadium. At Kyle Field, the November 1921 game between the Aggies and their long-time rival, the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...
, became the first college football game to offer a live, play-by-play broadcast. Over the years, the modest wooden bleachers were expanded to a three deck concrete stadium with a capacity of 83,002, the second largest football venue in Texas. The largest stadium in the state previously belonged to the University of Texas. Other features of the stadium and surrounding area include the Bright Football Complex, a natural grass field, the Texas A&M Sports Museum, a press box, and the second largest video board in college athletics. Kyle Field is often regarded as one of the most intimidating college football stadiums in the nation.
CBS Sportsline CBSSports.com (formerly CBS SportsLine.com and SportsLine USA) is an American sports news website operated by Paramount Streaming, a division of Paramount Global. It is the website for CBS' CBS Sports, Sports division featuring news, highlight ...
listed Kyle Field as the nation's top stadiums with a top-ranked score in three categories (atmosphere, tradition, and fans).


Memorial Student Center

Popularly known as "The Living Room of Texas A&M", the Memorial Student Center (MSC) has been a living memorial, a living room, and a living tradition at Texas A&M University. Dedicated on Muster Day (April 21) in 1951, the MSC was originally dedicated to those Aggies who gave their lives during World Wars I and II, but was later rededicated to all Aggies who have given or will give their lives in wartime. Because the building and grounds are a memorial, those entering the MSC are asked to "uncover" (remove their hats) and not walk on the surrounding grass lawns. On the main floor of the MSC is the Flagroom, a large, flag-lined room which students use for meetings, visiting, napping, and studying. The MSC also contains a bookstore, a bank, three art galleries, three dining facilities, and two ballrooms, one of which named after
Robert Gates Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is an American intelligence analyst and university president who served as the 22nd United States secretary of defense from 2006 to 2011. He was appointed by President George W. Bush and retained b ...
. Additionally, the MSC contains many meeting rooms and is the home of numerous student committees "that provide an array of educational, cultural, recreational and entertainment programs for the Texas A&M community." In 2007, the Aggie student body voted for $122 million renovations to the Memorial Student Center, allowing it to become fully compliant with both fire code and the
Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...
. The project began in the summer of 2009, requiring the building to remain closed due to the renovations. The renovations increased the size of the building to accommodate the growing school population, and make more efficient use of existing space. The MSC reopened on Muster Day, April 21, 2012, 61 years after its original opening.


Transportation

On-campus residents, who make up about 20% of the student body, usually travel to classes by
walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined as an " inverted pendulum" gait in which the body vaults o ...
,
biking Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
, or taking the on-campus shuttle. Faculty, staff, and visitors may also take advantage of the on-campus shuttle route system, which operates from 7 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and at select times during nights and weekends. Sidewalks and walkways pervade the campus to allow pedestrians to travel to their selected destination. Multiple bike racks are located throughout the campus, especially adjacent to buildings, for bicyclists to park their bicycles. Off-campus residents, who make up the remaining 80% of the student body, may travel to campus by walking, bicycling, driving by
motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on railway track, rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such ...
, or taking the off-campus shuttle. Students who reside in the Northgate area usually walk or bike to campus due to its close proximity. Those who travel to campus by an automobile park on assigned student parking lots located throughout the campus and travel to their classes by walking or taking the on-campus shuttle. Motorcycle parking lots are also located throughout the campus for motorcyclists. As the on-campus shuttle route, the off-campus route operates 7 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and at select times on nights and weekends.


Other facilities

The main campus of the university includes two branch campuses of the main campus: Texas A&M at Qatar located in
Education City Education City is an educational and research hub located in Al Rayyan, Al Rayyan Municipality in the Doha Metropolitan Area of Qatar. Developed by the Qatar Foundation, it was established by Moza bint Nasser, one of the consorts of Qatar's form ...
in
Doha, Qatar Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It is also Qatar's ...
devoted to engineering disciplines and Texas A&M University at Galveston in
Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...
, devoted to marine research and host to the Texas Maritime Academy. It also includes three international facilities, a multipurpose center in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, Mexico, the Santa Chiara Study Abroad Center in
Castiglion Fiorentino Castiglion Fiorentino () is a small, walled city in eastern Tuscany, Italy, in the province of Arezzo, between the cities of Arezzo and Cortona. It is known for its annual festivals and its Etruscan archeological site. History Due to the overall ...
, Italy shared with
Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...
and the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...
and the Soltis Center for Research and Education in
Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
. On August 12, 2013 the university purchased the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and renamed it the Texas A&M School of Law. Texas A&M on October 23, 2013 announced plans to build a new branch campus, Texas A&M University at Nazareth - Peace Campus, in Israel. Texas A&M University has expanded in 2013 with the merging of the
Texas A&M Health Science Center Texas A&M Health, also known as Texas A&M University Health, and Texas A&M University Health Science Center, is the medical education component of Texas A&M University, and offers health professions research, education and patient care in dentistr ...
, and the acquisition of
Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Texas A&M University School of Law is the law school of Texas A&M University located in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Established in 1989 as the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, it was formerly the law school of Texas Wesleyan University unt ...
.


Texas A&M Health Science Center

The Texas A&M Health Science center was merged with Texas A&M on July 12, 2013. The Texas A&M Health Science Center offers programs on a "distributed" (geographically dispersed) model, with two simulation centers for practice learning. It has six academic colleges in different places across Texas: # the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry at
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
# the College of Medicine campuses at
Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places in the United States * Bryan, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Bryan, Ohio, a city * Bryan, Texas, a city * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town * Bryan County, Georgia * ...
,
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
and
Round Rock Round Rock is a city in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson and Travis County, Texas, United States, part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 according to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city stra ...
# the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences campuses at College Station,
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...
and
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
# the School of Rural Public Health at College Station # the
Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy The Texas A&M University Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, located on the campuses of Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University–Kingsville, is the pharmacy school of Texas A&M University and is a component of Texas A&M Health. The sc ...
at Kingsville # the
College of Nursing A college of nursing is an educational institution that provides nursing education, often part of a university. College of Nursing may also refer to: *Australian College of Nursing, a professional body for nurses in Australia, created by merging t ...
in
Bryan, Texas Bryan is a city in and the county seat of Brazos County, Texas, United States. It is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley (East and Central Texas). As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 83,980. Bryan borders the city of C ...
and
Round Rock Round Rock is a city in Williamson County, Texas, Williamson and Travis County, Texas, United States, part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 according to the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city stra ...
Other components include the
Institute of Biosciences and Technology The Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology (IBT), a component of Texas A&M Health, and The Texas A&M University System, is located in the world's largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center, in Houston, Texas. The institute provi ...
at Houston and the Coastal Bend Health Education Center.


Texas A&M School of Law

On June 26, 2012, Texas Wesleyan University and
Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
reached an agreement whereby Texas A&M would take over ownership and operational control of the School, to be renamed The Texas A&M University School of Law. The agreement was finalized on August 12, 2013. Texas A&M purchased the school, the land, and everything with it for $73 million.


Footnotes


References

*


External links


Texas A&M University Campus MapsTour Texas A&M
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campus of Texas AandM University Texas A&M University Texas AandM University Buildings and structures in Brazos County, Texas