Texas A&M University
Encyclopedia
Texas A&M University is a coeducation
al public
research university
located in College Station
, Texas
(USA). It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System
. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school history. 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 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA), the National Institutes of Health
, the National Science Foundation
, and the Office of Naval Research
. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering
.
The first public institution of higher education in Texas, the school opened on October 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas
. Its original mission was to educate males in farming and military techniques. Under the leadership of President James Earl Rudder
, in the 1960s A&M desegregated, became coeducational, and dropped the requirement for participation in the Corps of Cadets
. To reflect the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings, the Texas Legislature
renamed the school to Texas A&M University in 1963. The letters "A&M," originally short for "Agricultural and Mechanical," are retained only as a link to the university's past. The school's students, alumni
, and sports teams are known as "Aggies".
The main campus is one of the largest in America, spanning 5500 acres (22 km²), and includes the George Bush Presidential Library
. Approximately one-fifth of the student body lives on campus. Texas A&M has approximately 800 officially recognized student organizations. Many students also observe the traditions of Texas A&M University
, which govern daily life as well as special occasions, including sports events. Varsity Aggie sports teams compete in the Big 12 Conference
. However in July 2012, the school will join the Southeastern Conference
. A&M operates two branches: Texas A&M at Qatar
and Texas A&M University at Galveston
. Working with agencies such as the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M has a direct presence in each of the 254 counties in Texas. The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and houses 18 research institutes. Texas A&M has awarded over 320,000 degrees, including 70,000 graduate and professional degrees.
As a Senior Military College
, Texas A&M is one of three public universities with a full-time, volunteer Corps of Cadets. It provides more commissioned officers to the United States Armed Forces
than any other school outside of the service academies.
used these funds to establish the state's first public institution of higher education, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, then known as Texas A.M.C. Brazos County donated 2416 acres (10 km²) near Bryan, Texas
for the school's campus.
Classes began on October 4, 1876, with 40 students and 6 faculty members. Admission was limited to white males, and all students were required to participate in the Corps of Cadets
and receive military training. Enrollment climbed to 258 students before declining to 108 students in 1883, the year the University of Texas
opened in Austin, Texas
. Though originally envisioned and annotated in the Texas Constitution
as a branch of the University of Texas, Texas A.M.C. had a separate Board of Directors from the University of Texas from the first day of classes and was never enveloped into the University of Texas System
.
In the late 1880s, many Texas residents saw no need for two colleges in Texas and clamored for an end of Texas A.M.C. In 1891, Texas A&M was saved from potential closure by its new president Lawrence Sullivan Ross
, former governor of Texas
, and well-respected Confederate
Brigadier General
. Ross made many improvements to the school and enrollment doubled to 467 cadets as parents sent their sons to Texas A&M "to learn to be like Ross". During his tenure, many enduring Aggie traditions
were born, including the creation of the first Aggie Ring. After his death in 1898, a statue was erected in front of what is now Academic Plaza to honor Ross and his achievements in the history of the school.
Under pressure from the legislature, in 1911 the school began allowing women to attend classes during the summer semester. At the same time, A&M began expanding its academic pursuits with the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine
in 1915.
. By 1918, 49% of all graduates of the college were in military service, more than any other school. In early September 1918, the entire senior class enlisted, with plans to send the younger students at staggered dates throughout the next year. Many of the seniors were fighting in France when the war ended two months later.
Over 1,200 former students served as commissioned officers. After the war, Texas A&M grew rapidly and became nationally recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and military science. The first graduate school was organized in 1924 and the school awarded its first Ph.D. in 1940. In 1925, Mary Evelyn Crawford Locke became the first female to receive a diploma from Texas A&M, although she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. The following month the Board of Directors officially prohibited all women from enrolling.
Many Aggies again served in the military during World War II
, with the college producing 20,229 combat troops. Of those, 14,123 Aggies served as officers, more than any other school and more than the combined total of the United States Naval Academy
and the United States Military Academy
. During the war, 29 A&M graduates reached the rank of general.
Enrollment soared after the war as many former soldiers used the G.I. Bill to further their education. In 1948, the state Legislature formally recognized Texas A&M as a separate university system from the University of Texas System, codifying the de facto
arrangement between the schools.
James Earl Rudder
, class of 1932, became the 16th president of the college. Rudder's tenure (1959–1970) marked a critical turning point in the school's history. Under his leadership, Texas A&M underwent a dramatic expansion in terms of its physical plant construction, but more importantly, it diversified and expanded its student body by admitting women and minorities. The Corps of Cadets became voluntary. In the face of growing student activism during the 1960s, Rudder worked diligently to ensure that school continue to fulfill its mission of providing a quality education for all Aggies. By his death in 1970, Rudder had overseen the growth of the school from 7,500 to 14,000 students from all 50 states and 75 nations.
In 1963, the 58th Legislature of Texas approved of Rudder's changes, and officially renamed the school "Texas A&M University", specifying that the "A" and the "M" were purely symbolic, reflecting the school's past, and no longer stood for "Agricultural and Mechanical". In the following 35 years, Texas A&M more than tripled its enrollment from 14,000 students to over 45,000.
Much of the legislative work allowing the expansion of Texas A&M and the admission of women was pushed by State Senator William T. "Bill" Moore
, who served from 1949 to 1981. Known as "the Bull of the Brazos" and "the father of the modern Texas A&M University", Moore was a Bryan attorney and businessman originally from Wheelock
in Robertson County. He also taught economics at TAMU prior to his entry into World War II.
Texas A&M became one of the first four universities given the designation sea-grant for its achievements in oceanography
and marine resources development in 1971. In 1989, the university earned the title space-grant by NASA
, to recognize its commitment to space research and participation in the Texas Space Grant Consortium.
In 1997, the school became the home of the George Bush Presidential Library
. Operated by the National Archives and Records Administration
, it is one of thirteen American presidential libraries
. Former President George Bush remains actively involved with the university, frequently visiting the campus and participating in special events.
Texas A&M received national media attention on November 18, 1999, when Aggie Bonfire
, a ninety-year-old student tradition, collapsed during construction. Twelve current and former students died and twenty-seven others were injured. The accident was later attributed to improper design and poor construction practices. The victims' family members filed six lawsuits against Texas A&M officials, the student Bonfire leaders, and the university. Half of the defendants settled their portion of the case in 2005, and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against the university in 2007.
With strong support from Rice University
and the University of Texas at Austin
, the Association of American Universities
inducted Texas A&M in May 2001, on the basis of the depth of the university's research and academic programs. In December 2006, university President Robert Gates
resigned from his position to become the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Elsa Murano
became his replacement in January 2008, but later resigned in June 2009 and was replaced by R. Bowen Loftin
. In September 2011, Texas A&M announced that it will leave the Big 12 Conference
for the Southeastern Conference
in July 2012.
2008 semester, Texas A&M was the seventh largest American university with an enrollment of 48,039 students pursuing degrees in 10 academic colleges. The student body represents all 50 U.S. state
s and 130 foreign countries. Texas residents account for 86% of the student population, and 28.9% are either of international origin or members of ethnic minority groups. The student body consists of 46.8% women and 53.2% men.
Although Texas A&M is a secular institution, its student body has a reputation for being religious
and conservative. According to a 2005 student survey published in the Princeton Review
, Texas A&M ranked 13th highest in the category "students pray on a regular basis." Four years later, the Princeton Review ranked Texas A&M the eighth most socially conservative
campus in the nation. The Princeton Review also ranked the university in 2011 as the "17th least friendly" college in the US for LGBT
people.
The university consistently ranks among the top ten public universities each year in enrollment of National Merit scholars. According to the College Board
, the fall 2008 entering freshman class consisted of 54% students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 86% in the top quarter, and 99% in the top half. Seventy-four percent of these students took the SAT
. The middle 50% of the freshmen had average scores as follows: in critical reading, 520–630, math, 560–670, and in writing 500–610. Twenty-six percent of the incoming freshmen took the ACT
, with the middle 50% scoring between a 23 and 29.
In the fall 2008 semester, the Dwight Look College of Engineering
had the largest enrollment of 20.5%. The College of Liberal Arts
and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
followed, enrolling 15% and 14% of the student body, respectively. The College of Education and Human Development
enrolls 12%, and Mays Business School
enrolled about 11%. Colleges with less than 10% enrollment included the College of Architecture
, the College of Science
, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the College of Geosciences
, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
. Approximately 8% of the student body had not declared a major.
In the fall 2011 semester, enrollment at Texas A&M surpassed 50,000 for the first time. A record 50,054 students were enrolled on the census day.
, Fordham University
, Purdue University
, and the University of Minnesota
. According to The Washington Monthly
criteria, which considers research, community service, and social mobility, Texas A&M ranks fifth nationally. The John Templeton Foundation
listed Texas A&M as one of the thirty-five American college programs that "communicate[s] the values of honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, and fairness in the classroom". The 2011 Kiplinger's Personal Finance
ranked the school as the 23rd best-value public university on the basis of in-state tuition, and the 35th best-value public university on the basis of out-of-state tuition. After conducting a survey of leading employment recruiters, the Wall Street Journal ranked Texas A&M 2nd nationally, as "most likely to help students land a job in key careers and professions". In 2009 the National Science Foundation has recognized Texas A&M as one of the top 20 research institutions.
Internationally, the university is also well-regarded. Newsweek International ranked Texas A&M as the 77th university globally on the basis of "openness and diversity" as well as "distinction in research". In a comparison of educational quality, faculty quality, and research output, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
ranked Texas A&M 53rd in the Americas and 88th internationally. The Times Higher Education Supplement
listed Texas A&M 60th among the world's top 100 technology
universities, 24th among America's top biomedicine
universities, and 50th among North America's top 50 universities. The 2011 QS World University Rankings
ranked the university 158th overall in the world, 40 places up from 2010.
(TAMUS), is partially funded from two endowments. The smaller endowment, totaling $1.17 billion in assets, is run by the private Texas A&M Foundation. A larger sum is distributed from the Texas Permanent University Fund
(PUF). TAMUS holds a minority stake (one-third) in this fund; the remaining two-thirds belongs to the University of Texas system. As of 2006, the PUF ending net asset value stood at $10.3 billion; $400.7 million was distributed to the two university systems in fiscal year 2007. Combined, the total endowment for the TAMUS stands at $5.6 billion, as of 2006.
The Texas A&M University system, in 2006, was the first to explicitly state in its policy that technology commercialization was a criterion that could be used for tenure
. Passage of this policy was intended to give faculty more academic freedom and strengthen the university's industry partnerships. Texas A&M works with both state and university agencies on various local and international research projects to forge innovations in science and technology that can have commercial applications. This work is concentrated in two primary locations–Research Valley and Research Park. Research Valley, an alliance of educational and business organizations, consists of 11400 acres (46.1 km²) with 2500000 square feet (232,257.6 m²) of dedicated research space. An additional 350 acres (1 km²), with 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of research space, is located in Research Park. Among the school's research entities are the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine
, the Texas Transportation Institute
, the Cyclotron Institute, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology
, and the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology.
In 2004, Texas A&M received nearly $570 million in research funding, ranking the school among the top 20 American research institutes. Almost $400 million of the grants were new awards. Throughout 2004, Texas A&M System faculty and research submitted 121 new inventions and established 78 new royalty-bearing licensing agreements; the innovations resulted in income of $8 million. The Texas A&M Technology Licensing Office filed for 88 patent
s for protection of intellectual property
in 2004.
Spearheaded by the College of Veterinary Medicine
, Texas A&M scientists created the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named 'cc', on December 22, 2001. Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone
each of six different species: cattle, a Boer goat
, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse.
In 2004, Texas A&M joined a consortium of universities to build the Giant Magellan Telescope
in Chile
. Estimated to be the largest optical telescope ever constructed, the facility will have seven mirrors, each with a diameter of 8.4 metres (9.2 yd). This will give the telescope the equivalent of a 24.5 metres (26.8 yd) primary mirror and will be ten times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope
. Construction is slated to be complete in 2016.
As part of a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy
's National Nuclear Security Administration
, Texas A&M completed the first conversion of a nuclear research reactor from using highly enriched uranium
fuel (70%) to utilizing low-enriched uranium (20%). The eighteen-month project ended on October 13, 2006, after the first ever refueling the reactor, thus fulfilling a portion of U.S. President
George W. Bush
’s Global Nuclear Threat Reduction Initiative.
Texas A&M has participated in over 500 research projects in over 80 countries and leads the Southwestern United States
in annual research expenditures. The university conducts research on every continent and has formal research and exchange agreements with 100 institutions in 40 countries. Texas A&M ranks 13th among U.S. research universities in exchange agreements with institutions abroad and student participation in study abroad programs, and has strong research collaborations with the National Natural Science Foundation of China and many leading universities in China.
Texas A&M owns three international facilities, a multipurpose center in Mexico City, Mexico, the Soltis Research and Education Center near the town of San Isidro, Costa Rica
, and the Santa Chiara Study Abroad Center in Castiglion Fiorentino
, Italy. In 2003, over 1,200 Aggie students, primarily undergraduates, studied abroad. Additionally, the university includes two branch campuses: Texas A&M at Qatar
located in Education City in Doha, Qatar devoted to engineering disciplines and Texas A&M University at Galveston
in Galveston, Texas
, devoted to marine research and host to the Texas Maritime Academy.
Texas A&M's Center for International Business Studies is one of 28 supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The university is also one of only two American universities in partnership with CONACyT, Mexico's equivalent of the National Science Foundation
, to support research in areas including biotechnology, telecommunications, energy, and urban development. In addition, 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.
Texas A&M's College Station campus, one of the largest in America, spans 5200 acres (21 km²) plus 350 acres (1 km²) for Research Park. The university is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area
located within Brazos County
in the Brazos Valley
(Southeast Central Texas) region, an area often referred to as "Aggieland". According the U.S. Census Bureau
, as of 2008, the population of Brazos County is estimated at 175,122. Money Magazine
, in 2006, named College Station the most educated city in Texas, and the 11th most educated American city, due largely to the size of the university. Aggieland is centrally located within 200 miles (321.9 km) of three of the 10 largest cities in the United States and 75% of the Texas
and Louisiana
populations (approximately 13.1 million people). The area's major roadway is State Highway 6, and several smaller state highways and Farm to Market Road
s connect the area to larger highways such as Interstate 45
.
The campus is bisected by a railroad track operated by Union Pacific
. The area east of the tracks, known as Main Campus, includes buildings for the colleges of engineering, architecture, geosciences, science, education and liberal arts. Dormitories, as well as the main dining centers and many campus support facilities, are also on Main Campus. Notable buildings on Main Campus include Kyle Field
, Sterling C. Evans Library,the Academic Building, Harrington Hall, the Memorial Student Center, the Administration Building, Rudder Tower, Albritton Bell Tower, and the Bonfire Memorial. To the west of the railroad tracks lies West Campus, which includes most of the sports facilities, the business school, agricultural programs, life sciences, the veterinary college, the political science and economics school, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the George Bush Presidential Library
and two schools within the Texas A&M Health Science Center
. Research Park, the area of West Campus along Kimbrough Boulevard
, includes many research facilities.
During the 2006 fall semester, 20.5 percent 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, also known as residence halls. While some halls are single-sex, others are co-educational. Usually students of different genders live on alternate floors, although some halls are segregated by room or suite. Residence hall styles vary. Many halls offer only indoor access to individual rooms, but other halls locate room entrances on an outdoor balcony. Room sizes vary by building. Halls with larger rooms include 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 cigarette
s into the hall.
Northside consists of 17 student residence halls, including the 3 university honors dorms. Two of the university honors dorms are freshman only. The halls are located near local entertainment district Northgate, and offer convenient access to campus dining establishments: Sbisa Dining Hall, The Underground and Bernie's Cafe. The demolition of Moore Hall, Crocker Hall, and McInnis Hall is scheduled for August 2011. A $58 million 600-bed residence hall will replace the demolished halls that have accommodated roughly the same number. Some halls (particularly Walton) have unofficially claimed tables within the Sbisa Dining Hall and many halls congregate for dinner at a specific time each weekday.
Several of the residence halls located on Southside are reserved for members of the Corps of Cadets. 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 "[symbolize] the 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
, the Aggie mascot
, lives with her handlers in the Quadrangle.
Texas A&M is one of six United States Senior Military College
s. The schools' Corps of Cadets
(or the Corps) is the United States' largest uniformed student body outside the service academies. Many members participate in ROTC programs and earn commissions in the United States Armed Forces
upon graduation. Members of the Corps have served in every armed conflict fought by the United States since 1876, and over 225 have served as general
s or Flag Officers.
Until 1965, Corps membership was mandatory. The Corps welcomed female members in the fall of 1974, and as of fall 2007, the co-ed Corps boasts an enrollment of 1,887 cadets.
The Corps is composed of two Air Force Wings, three Army Brigades, two Navy and Marine Regiments, and a joint military unit called The Task Force, as well as the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
, whose members may be affiliated with any military branch. Parson's Mounted Cavalry is the only mounted ROTC unit in the United States. The Ross Volunteer Company, the oldest student-run organization in the state, is the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas
. The Fish Drill Team, a precision, close-order rifle drill team composed entirely of Corps freshmen, represents the school in local and national competitions. They have won the national championship almost every year since their creation in 1946, and have appeared in several Hollywood productions, with prominent roles in the movies A Few Good Men
and Courage Under Fire
.
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
, the world's largest precision military
marching band
, provides music for University functions and presents intricate halftime performances at football games. Some band drills are so complicated that they require band members to step between each other's feet to complete the maneuvers. These drills must be drawn by hand as computer marching programs have returned errors; their calculations require two people to be in the same spot at the same time.
, and common interest organizations. Orientation programs encourage students to become involved in campus activities and organizations from the beginning. An April 2005 campus survey found that 74% of the students were currently involved with at least one organization and that 88% participated in a campus organization in the past.
One of the oldest student organizations is the Singing Cadets
, founded in 1893. Known as the "Voice of Aggieland", the Singing Cadets are an all-male choral group with about 70 members. The group travels nationally and has completed several international tours; most recently, South Africa in 2010.
Texas A&M Hillel
, the oldest Hillel organization in the United States, was founded in 1920 at the original college. The organization occurred three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois.
GLBT Aggies
is the descendant organization of Gay Student Services (GSS), the only student organization to ever successfully sue the institution for official recognition. In the decision Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University
the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the First Amendment required public universities to recognize student organizations aimed at gay
students.
The Graduate Student Council, founded in 1995, serves as the student government for Texas A&M University’s graduate and professional students. It is a council representing all TAMU graduate students with a purpose to improve graduate students’ academic, living and social experiences. The GSC represents student’s concerns and is their liaison with the University Administration.
Students exercise at the Student Rec Center, a three-story facility encompassing 373000 square feet (34,652.8 m²), which includes exercise equipment, athletic courts, an indoor running track, a rock-climbing tower, and one of the top competitive pools and diving wells in America. The Rec Center also organizes intramural sports throughout the year.
Some national service organizations originated at A&M. Aggie students founded the largest one-day student-run service project in America known as The Big Event. The annual service project allows students to give back to their community by assisting local residents. The organization CARPOOL, a student run, safe ride program
has provided over 179,000 free rides (as of January 2011) to Aggies unable to transport themselves home. Its organizers also assist other universities in establishing similar programs. In addition, the Corporation for National and Community Service
listed A&M among the 500 academic institutions in the 2005–06 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
The Student Government Association (SGA), one of A&M's largest organizations, consists of over 1,300 student members in 3 branches, 15 committees, and 4 commissions. SGA has changed little since 1972, except its relative position within the official framework of the university.
ranked The Battalion
, founded in 1893, as the 5th best college newspaper in America in 2010. Students also publish a secondary school newspaper, the Maroon Weekly. The Aggieland, formerly known as The Olio and The Longhorn, is one of America's largest college yearbooks in number of pages and copies sold. The university houses the public broadcasting stations: KAMU-TV
, a PBS member station since 1970, KAMU-FM
an NPR affiliate since 1977, and the student-run KANM
, "the college station of College Station
". W5AC broadcast the first live, play-by-play broadcast of a college football game, at Kyle Field, in November 1921. The game, played in Dallas between Aggies and University of Texas, ended in a scoreless tie.
The Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. Although the school and surrounding community have grown, and military training is no longer required, the school's history
has instilled in students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality." Texas Monthly
posits that Texas A&M students' respect for school traditions and values is the university's greatest strength. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, while others have been introduced more recently. These traditions help current and former students to cultivate the Aggie Spirit, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school. They dictate many aspects of student life, including how to greet others (using the official school greeting "Howdy!"), how to act at an A&M sporting event, and, in many cases, what words a student may use in conversation.
The most visible tradition among seniors and former students is the wearing of the Aggie Ring, whose design has been relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1894. Students may order a ring after completing 90 credit hours of coursework, including at least 45 hours at A&M, or after graduation. Graduate students may receive a ring after 75% of their graduate coursework is completed or after the acceptance of their dissertation or thesis. Though unsanctioned by the University, many students "dunk" their newly acquired Aggie Rings into a pitcher of beer and quickly chug the entire pitcher to "earn" the ring. Some students dunk their rings in alternative substances, including ice cream or nonalcoholic beverages.
In keeping with the idea that all current and former students comprise a family, Aggies have created two traditions to honor members of the Aggie family who have died. Aggie Muster
is held annually on the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto
, April 21, to honor any current and former student who died during the previous year. Over 300 Musters are held around the world, with the largest taking place at Reed Arena
on the Texas A&M University campus. All Muster ceremonies feature the Roll Call for the Absent. As the names of the deceased Aggies are called, a family member or friend answers "Here" and lights a candle, to symbolize that although their loved one is not present in body, his or her spirit will shine forever. The event received worldwide attention during World War II
, when 25 Aggies "mustered" during the battle
for the island of Corregidor
.
Students who die while enrolled at Texas A&M are also honored at Silver Taps, a ceremony held, when necessary, on the first Tuesday of the month. This tradition began as a memorial for former Texas A&M president Lawrence Sullivan Ross
. On the day of the ceremony, flags fly half-staff and notices are posted throughout campus. At 10:15 p.m. the lights around campus are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower while students and faculty collect in the Academic Plaza. Following a 21-gun salute
by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad, six buglers
play an A&M version of the song Taps
, Silver Taps, three times from the dome of the school's Academic Building: once to the north, the south and to the west. The song is not played to the east symbolizing that the sun will never rise on that Aggie again.
fans are called the 12th Man
, meaning they are there to support the 11 players on the field, willing to enter the game, if necessary. To further symbolize their "readiness, desire, and enthusiasm," the entire student body stands throughout the game. The tradition began on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic where A&M played Centre College
. A&M had so many injuries in the first half of the game that Coach
Dana X. Bible
feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. He called into the stands for E. King Gill, a reserve who had left football after the regular season to play basketball. Although he did not actually play, his readiness symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game. A&M won 22–14, but E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. In recent decades, the 12th Man is represented on the field by a walk-on player who wears the No. 12 jersey and participates in kick-offs.
The 12th Man uses a variety of school yells, rather than cheers, to support Aggie teams. Each year the student body elects five students to serve as the Yell Leaders. At midnight
before each home football
game at Kyle Field or at a predesignated location at away games, the fans gather together to practice the yells for the next day's game. Led by the Yell Leaders, and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, the Twelfth Man files into the stadium to participate in Midnight Yell Practice
to practice yells, sing the War Hymn, and joke about their opponents. At the conclusion of the yell practice, the stadium lights are extinguished and fans kiss their dates. This is also done as practice, because Aggies are expected to "mug down", or kiss their dates, every time the football team scores on the field. Sports Illustrated
named Midnight Yell as one of the "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate."
was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving
in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual college football
game between the schools. Though it began as a trash pile, Aggie Bonfire evolved into a massive six-tiered structure, the world record being held at 109 feet (33.2 m).
After the collapse of the 1999 structure, causing the death of 11 students and one former student, the university suspended Bonfire indefinitely, but the tradition continues off-campus without direct University involvement, sanction, or participation.
until June 2012. The Aggies will compete in the Southeastern Conference
in all sports starting July 2012. The school's 20 sports teams are known as the Aggies, and the school's colors are maroon
and white
. As of April 2011, Aggies have earned 138 Southwest and Big 12 conference regular-season and tournament titles and 11 team national championships. The women's soccer team, formed in 1993, earned 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995 to 2009, advancing at least as far as the round of 16 in seven of the last eight appearances. The women's volleyball
team earned 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1993 to 2004, advancing past the first round each time. In 2004 Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked Olsen Field
"the best college baseball venue". Sports Illustrated
ranked the university 46th, in a 2002 analysis of "America's Best Sports College[s]" and College Station the 9th best college sports town.
A&M's archrival
is the University of Texas. In 2004, sporting events between the Aggies and Longhorns became known as the Lone Star Showdown. The most-watched event in the rivalry is the annual football
game held the day of Thanksgiving
. Other rivalries include Texas Tech
, Baylor University
, and the recently renewed rivalry with the University of Arkansas
.
team has won 18 Southwest Conference championships, 3 Big 12 South Division championships, 1 Big 12 championship, and 1 national championship. The team has appeared in 30 bowl games, winning 13, and has produced 41 first Team All-Americans, 5 Academic All-Americans, and 1 Heisman Trophy
winner, John David Crow
in 1957. Twenty-one Aggies currently play in the NFL
.
Since 1904, home football games have been played at Kyle Field
, a stadium with a current capacity of 83,002. In 2004, CBS SportsLine.com ranked Kyle Field the top football stadium while Sporting News ranked it fourth. The same year Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked an A&M football weekend the third best college football experience.
6 times and in the NCAA Tournament
11 times, of which 3 resulted in Sweet Sixteen
appearances, the highest round to which the Aggies have advanced. The women's basketball team has 1 Southwest Conference Tournament championship,1 regular season Big 12 Conference championship and 2 Big 12 Tournament championships, most recently in 2011. The women have advanced to 8 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning the National Championship in 2011. They have also competed in the WNIT
twice, winning that tournament in 1995.
The men's basketball team was coached by head coach Mark Turgeon
for four years until he left for the head coaching position at the University of Maryland
. The women's team has been coached by Gary Blair
since 2003. Home games are played at the 12,989-seat Reed Arena
. G. Rollie White Coliseum
, formerly the home of the volleyball and basketball teams, hosted basketball games before Reed Arena opened in 1998.
With over 280,000 former students, A&M has one of the largest and most active alumni groups
in America. Many Aggies have attained local, national, and international prominence. Jorge Quiroga
and Martin Torrijos
have served as heads of state
for Bolivia
and Panama
, respectively, and Rick Perry
is the current Governor of Texas
and 2012 US Presidential candidate. Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations,is a past president of the university. Congressmen Joe Barton
, Bill Flores
, Jeb Hensarling
, and Louie Gohmert
, and former Austin, Texas, mayor Will Wynn
are all graduates.
Aggies made their mark on the gridiron
with Houston Texans
head coach Gary Kubiak
, title-winning coach Gene Stallings
, Houston Oilers defensive tackle Ray Childress
, Heisman Trophy
winner John David Crow
, Heisman runner-up, legislator, and actor John Kimbrough
, punt returner Dante Hall
, offensive tackle Richmond Webb
, Detroit Lions
defensive end and punter Yale Lary
, former Dallas Cowboys
assistant coach and former player Dat Nguyen
, punter Shane Lechler
, and defensive end Ty Warren
. Paul "Bear" Bryant
coached at A&M where "survivors" of his grueling football practice camp at Junction, Texas
were nicknamed named The Junction Boys. Other famous Aggie athletes include Randy Barnes
, indoor/outdoor shotput world record holder, baseball standouts Chuck Knoblauch
and Wally Moon; along with Stacy Sykora
, Libero for the USA national volleyball team.
Aggies have also made a mark on pop culture. Robert Earl Keen
and Lyle Lovett
, who often strummed their guitars on the porch of their Northgate home, have become popular country singers. William A. Pailes
and Michael E. Fossum
became NASA astronauts. Rip Torn
is a veteran of the silver screen
and Neal Boortz
(who attended but graduated elsewhere) is a nationally syndicated talk show host with the sixth largest listening audience in the United States. Wen Ho Lee
, a doctoral graduate of A&M, became the subject of a 1999 espionage investigation; though arrested, charges were dropped in 2000.
Many Aggies have become business leaders, particularly in the fields of energy, construction, communications, and chemistry. Current leaders include Jack Whiteside, President of Barnes & Click, Inc., Lowry Mays
, chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Communications, George P. Mitchell
, chairman and CEO, Mitchell Energy and Development Corp., H.B. Zachry, President of the H.B. Zachry Company, John Zachry, CEO of Zachry Corp., David Zachry, President of Zachry Corp., Khalid A. Al-Falih
, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, and Eduardo Castro-Wright, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores USA.
Because of A&M's military roots, many Aggies have become leaders in the armed forces, and were featured in the 1943 propaganda film We've Never Been Licked
. George H. Gay, Jr., was the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 in the Battle of Midway
. Lieutenant General Jay T. Robbins
became a fighter ace in World War II with 22 aerial victories. Major General Robert B. Williams
led World War II raid on the Schweinfurt ball bearing factories. General Bernard Adolph Schriever
, known as "the architect of the Air Force’s ballistic missile and military space program", became the namesake of Schriever Air Force Base
, Colorado. General Michael Moseley
is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
.
In addition, seven Aggies received the Medal of Honor
in World War II
. The recipients are:
Coeducation
Mixed-sex education, also known as coeducation or co-education, is the integrated education of male and female persons in the same institution. It is the opposite of single-sex education...
al public
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
research university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA). It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System
Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school history. Texas A&M's designation as a land
Land-grant university
Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....
, sea
Sea grant colleges
The National Sea Grant College Program is a program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce...
, and space grant
Space grant colleges
The space-grant colleges compose a network of 52 consortia, based at universities across the United States, for outer space-related research. Each consortium is based in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico and consists of multiple independent institutions, with one of the...
institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
(NASA), the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
, the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, and the Office of Naval Research
Office of Naval Research
The Office of Naval Research , headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes, and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S...
. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering
Petroleum engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the activities related to the production of hydrocarbons, which can be either crude oil or natural gas. Subsurface activities are deemed to fall within the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry, which are the activities of...
.
The first public institution of higher education in Texas, the school opened on October 4, 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas
History of Texas A&M University
The history of Texas A&M University, the first public institution of higher education in Texas, began in 1871, when the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established as a land-grant college by the Texas Legislature. Classes began on October 4, 1876...
. Its original mission was to educate males in farming and military techniques. Under the leadership of President James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...
, in the 1960s A&M desegregated, became coeducational, and dropped the requirement for participation in the Corps of Cadets
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University...
. To reflect the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings, the Texas Legislature
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
renamed the school to Texas A&M University in 1963. The letters "A&M," originally short for "Agricultural and Mechanical," are retained only as a link to the university's past. The school's students, alumni
Alumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
, and sports teams are known as "Aggies".
The main campus is one of the largest in America, spanning 5500 acres (22 km²), and includes the George Bush Presidential Library
George Bush Presidential Library
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. It was dedicated on Nov. 6, 1997 and opened to the public shortly thereafter...
. Approximately one-fifth of the student body lives on campus. Texas A&M has approximately 800 officially recognized student organizations. Many students also observe the traditions of Texas A&M University
Traditions of Texas A&M University
The traditions of Texas A&M University are a key aspect of the culture of Texas A&M University. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, shortly after the opening of the school, while others have been introduced more recently...
, which govern daily life as well as special occasions, including sports events. Varsity Aggie sports teams compete in the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
. However in July 2012, the school will join the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
. A&M operates two branches: Texas A&M at Qatar
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Texas A&M University at Qatar is a branch of Texas A&M University located in Education City, Doha, Qatar. The University offers undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. A graduate program for chemical engineering commenced in 2011...
and Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology, marine fisheries, marine engineering technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems...
. Working with agencies such as the Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M has a direct presence in each of the 254 counties in Texas. The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through ten colleges and houses 18 research institutes. Texas A&M has awarded over 320,000 degrees, including 70,000 graduate and professional degrees.
As a Senior Military College
Senior Military College
In the United States, a Senior Military College is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs and are specifically recognized under 10 USC 2111a...
, Texas A&M is one of three public universities with a full-time, volunteer Corps of Cadets. It provides more commissioned officers to the United States Armed Forces
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
than any other school outside of the service academies.
History
Beginning years
The U.S. Congress laid the groundwork for the establishment of Texas A&M in 1862 with the adoption of the Morrill Act. The act auctioned land grants of public lands to establish endowments for colleges 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... to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life". In 1871, the Texas LegislatureTexas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
used these funds to establish the state's first public institution of higher education, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, then known as Texas A.M.C. Brazos County donated 2416 acres (10 km²) near Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
for the school's campus.
Classes began on October 4, 1876, with 40 students and 6 faculty members. Admission was limited to white males, and all students were required to participate in the Corps of Cadets
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University...
and receive military training. Enrollment climbed to 258 students before declining to 108 students in 1883, the year the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
opened in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Though originally envisioned and annotated in the Texas Constitution
Texas Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Texas is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of the U.S. State of Texas.Texas has had seven constitutions: the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, the state constitutions of 1845,...
as a branch of the University of Texas, Texas A.M.C. had a separate Board of Directors from the University of Texas from the first day of classes and was never enveloped into the University of Texas System
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System encompasses 15 educational institutions in Texas, of which nine are academic universities and six are health institutions. The system is headquartered in Austin and has a total enrollment of over 190,000 students...
.
In the late 1880s, many Texas residents saw no need for two colleges in Texas and clamored for an end of Texas A.M.C. In 1891, Texas A&M was saved from potential closure by its new president Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was the 19th Governor of Texas , a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University.Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to...
, former governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
, and well-respected Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. Ross made many improvements to the school and enrollment doubled to 467 cadets as parents sent their sons to Texas A&M "to learn to be like Ross". During his tenure, many enduring Aggie traditions
Traditions of Texas A&M University
The traditions of Texas A&M University are a key aspect of the culture of Texas A&M University. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, shortly after the opening of the school, while others have been introduced more recently...
were born, including the creation of the first Aggie Ring. After his death in 1898, a statue was erected in front of what is now Academic Plaza to honor Ross and his achievements in the history of the school.
Under pressure from the legislature, in 1911 the school began allowing women to attend classes during the summer semester. At the same time, A&M began expanding its academic pursuits with the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.Founded in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It...
in 1915.
World Wars era
Many Texas A&M graduates served during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. By 1918, 49% of all graduates of the college were in military service, more than any other school. In early September 1918, the entire senior class enlisted, with plans to send the younger students at staggered dates throughout the next year. Many of the seniors were fighting in France when the war ended two months later.
Over 1,200 former students served as commissioned officers. After the war, Texas A&M grew rapidly and became nationally recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and military science. The first graduate school was organized in 1924 and the school awarded its first Ph.D. in 1940. In 1925, Mary Evelyn Crawford Locke became the first female to receive a diploma from Texas A&M, although she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. The following month the Board of Directors officially prohibited all women from enrolling.
Many Aggies again served in the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with the college producing 20,229 combat troops. Of those, 14,123 Aggies served as officers, more than any other school and more than the combined total of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
and the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. During the war, 29 A&M graduates reached the rank of general.
Enrollment soared after the war as many former soldiers used the G.I. Bill to further their education. In 1948, the state Legislature formally recognized Texas A&M as a separate university system from the University of Texas System, codifying the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
arrangement between the schools.
University era
On March 26, 1960, Major GeneralMajor General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder
James Earl Rudder was a United States Army Major General, Texas Land Commissioner, and President of Texas A&M University.-Early life:...
, class of 1932, became the 16th president of the college. Rudder's tenure (1959–1970) marked a critical turning point in the school's history. Under his leadership, Texas A&M underwent a dramatic expansion in terms of its physical plant construction, but more importantly, it diversified and expanded its student body by admitting women and minorities. The Corps of Cadets became voluntary. In the face of growing student activism during the 1960s, Rudder worked diligently to ensure that school continue to fulfill its mission of providing a quality education for all Aggies. By his death in 1970, Rudder had overseen the growth of the school from 7,500 to 14,000 students from all 50 states and 75 nations.
In 1963, the 58th Legislature of Texas approved of Rudder's changes, and officially renamed the school "Texas A&M University", specifying that the "A" and the "M" were purely symbolic, reflecting the school's past, and no longer stood for "Agricultural and Mechanical". In the following 35 years, Texas A&M more than tripled its enrollment from 14,000 students to over 45,000.
Much of the legislative work allowing the expansion of Texas A&M and the admission of women was pushed by State Senator William T. "Bill" Moore
William T. Moore (Texas politician)
William Tyler Moore, Sr., known as W. T. 'Bill' Moore , was an attorney and businessman in Bryan, Texas, who was a conservative Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from District 5 from 1967 until 1981.Moore originally represented District 14 from 1949 to 1953 and then revised District 11...
, who served from 1949 to 1981. Known as "the Bull of the Brazos" and "the father of the modern Texas A&M University", Moore was a Bryan attorney and businessman originally from Wheelock
Wheelock, Texas
Wheelock is an unincorporated community in Robertson County, Texas, United States. It is located 15 miles northeast of Bryan and 11 miles southeast of Franklin. Wheelock is located on Farm to Market Road 46 and Farm to Market Road 391...
in Robertson County. He also taught economics at TAMU prior to his entry into World War II.
Texas A&M became one of the first four universities given the designation sea-grant for its achievements in oceanography
Oceanography
Oceanography , also called oceanology or marine science, is the branch of Earth science that studies the ocean...
and marine resources development in 1971. In 1989, the university earned the title space-grant by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, to recognize its commitment to space research and participation in the Texas Space Grant Consortium.
In 1997, the school became the home of the George Bush Presidential Library
George Bush Presidential Library
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. It was dedicated on Nov. 6, 1997 and opened to the public shortly thereafter...
. Operated by the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
, it is one of thirteen American presidential libraries
Presidential library
In the United States, the Presidential library system is a nationwide network of 13 libraries administered by the Office of Presidential Libraries, which is part of the National Archives and Records Administration...
. Former President George Bush remains actively involved with the university, frequently visiting the campus and participating in special events.
Texas A&M received national media attention on November 18, 1999, when Aggie Bonfire
Aggie Bonfire
Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing 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 Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn...
, a ninety-year-old student tradition, collapsed during construction. Twelve current and former students died and twenty-seven others were injured. The accident was later attributed to improper design and poor construction practices. The victims' family members filed six lawsuits against Texas A&M officials, the student Bonfire leaders, and the university. Half of the defendants settled their portion of the case in 2005, and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against the university in 2007.
With strong support from Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
and the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
inducted Texas A&M in May 2001, on the basis of the depth of the university's research and academic programs. In December 2006, university President Robert Gates
Robert Gates
Dr. Robert Michael Gates is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W....
resigned from his position to become the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Elsa Murano
Elsa Murano
Elsa Alina Murano was the 23rd President of Texas A&M University. On June 14, 2009, Murano resigned as president of the university, effective June 15, 2009....
became his replacement in January 2008, but later resigned in June 2009 and was replaced by R. Bowen Loftin
R. Bowen Loftin
Richard Bowen Loftin , better known as R. Bowen Loftin, is the 24th President of Texas A&M University. On Jan 21, 2010 he was named sole finalist for the position of President of Texas A&M University....
. In September 2011, Texas A&M announced that it will leave the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
for the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
in July 2012.
Student body
In the fallAutumn
Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
2008 semester, Texas A&M was the seventh largest American university with an enrollment of 48,039 students pursuing degrees in 10 academic colleges. The student body represents all 50 U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s and 130 foreign countries. Texas residents account for 86% of the student population, and 28.9% are either of international origin or members of ethnic minority groups. The student body consists of 46.8% women and 53.2% men.
Although Texas A&M is a secular institution, its student body has a reputation for being religious
Religion in the United States
Religion in the United States is characterized by both a wide diversity in religious beliefs and practices, and by a high adherence level. According to recent surveys, 83 percent of Americans claim to belong to a religious denomination, 40 percent claim to attend services nearly every week or...
and conservative. According to a 2005 student survey published in the Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
, Texas A&M ranked 13th highest in the category "students pray on a regular basis." Four years later, the Princeton Review ranked Texas A&M the eighth most socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
campus in the nation. The Princeton Review also ranked the university in 2011 as the "17th least friendly" college in the US for LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people.
The university consistently ranks among the top ten public universities each year in enrollment of National Merit scholars. According to the College Board
College Board
The College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
, the fall 2008 entering freshman class consisted of 54% students in the top 10% of their high school graduating class, 86% in the top quarter, and 99% in the top half. Seventy-four percent of these students took the SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
. The middle 50% of the freshmen had average scores as follows: in critical reading, 520–630, math, 560–670, and in writing 500–610. Twenty-six percent of the incoming freshmen took the ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
, with the middle 50% scoring between a 23 and 29.
In the fall 2008 semester, the Dwight Look College of Engineering
Dwight Look College of Engineering
The Dwight Look College of Engineering is the engineering school of Texas A&M University in College Station and is home to more than 10,700 engineering students in 12 departments....
had the largest enrollment of 20.5%. The College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts
Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station. The college offers courses in social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and the performing arts, and is a major source of international education.-Academics:...
and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, or AgLifeSciences for short, is one of ten colleges and schools that are part of Texas A&M University. Agriculture and the Life Sciences have been part of the university since its founding in 1876 as the "Agricultural & Mechanical College of...
followed, enrolling 15% and 14% of the student body, respectively. The College of Education and Human Development
Texas A&M College of Education and Human Development
The College of Education and Human Development is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station. The college has five academic departments: Distance Learning, Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, Educational Psychology, Health & Kinesiology, and Teaching, Learning and...
enrolls 12%, and Mays Business School
Mays Business School
Mays Business School is the business school at Texas A&M University. The school educates over 4,500 students in undergraduate and postgraduate programs and consistently ranks among the top public business schools in the nation....
enrolled about 11%. Colleges with less than 10% enrollment included the College of Architecture
Texas A&M College of Architecture
Texas A&M College of Architecture is a college of Texas A&M University at College Station.With over 1,800 students, the college is one of the largest architectural colleges in the nation. Established in 1905, Texas A&M's architecture program is the oldest in Texas...
, the College of Science
Texas A&M College of Science
The Texas A&M College of Science is the science college of Texas A&M University in College Station. The faculty includes a Nobel laureate and three National Academy of Sciences members...
, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the College of Geosciences
Texas A&M College of Geosciences
Texas A&M College of Geosciences is a college of Texas A&M University located in College Station, Texas. The college has six academic departments and programs, including Atmospheric Sciences, Geography, Geology & Geophysics, Oceanography, Environmental Programs in Geosciences, and the Water...
, and the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.Founded in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It...
. Approximately 8% of the student body had not declared a major.
In the fall 2011 semester, enrollment at Texas A&M surpassed 50,000 for the first time. A record 50,054 students were enrolled on the census day.
Rankings
In the 2011 U.S. News and World Report ranking of public universities, Texas A&M is listed 19th; among "national universities" the school is 58th.In the U.S. News and World Report ranking, Texas A&M tied with Clemson UniversityClemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
, Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
, and the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. According to The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly
The Washington Monthly is a bimonthly nonprofit magazine of United States politics and government that is based in Washington, D.C.The magazine's founder is Charles Peters, who started the magazine in 1969 and continues to write the "Tilting at Windmills" column in each issue. Paul Glastris, former...
criteria, which considers research, community service, and social mobility, Texas A&M ranks fifth nationally. The John Templeton Foundation
John Templeton Foundation
"The John Templeton Foundation is a philanthropic organizationthat funds inter-disciplinary research about human purpose and ultimate reality. It is usually referred to simply as the Templeton Foundation...
listed Texas A&M as one of the thirty-five American college programs that "communicate[s] the values of honesty, trust, respect, responsibility, integrity, and fairness in the classroom". The 2011 Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Personal Finance is a magazine that has been continuously published, on a monthly basis, from 1947 to the present day. It was the nation's first personal finance magazine, and claims to deliver "sound, unbiased advice in clear, concise language"...
ranked the school as the 23rd best-value public university on the basis of in-state tuition, and the 35th best-value public university on the basis of out-of-state tuition. After conducting a survey of leading employment recruiters, the Wall Street Journal ranked Texas A&M 2nd nationally, as "most likely to help students land a job in key careers and professions". In 2009 the National Science Foundation has recognized Texas A&M as one of the top 20 research institutions.
Internationally, the university is also well-regarded. Newsweek International ranked Texas A&M as the 77th university globally on the basis of "openness and diversity" as well as "distinction in research". In a comparison of educational quality, faculty quality, and research output, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University or SJTU), sometimes referred to as Shanghai Jiaotong University , is a top public research university located in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is known as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China...
ranked Texas A&M 53rd in the Americas and 88th internationally. The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education Supplement
The Times Higher Education , formerly Times Higher Education Supplement , is a weekly British magazine based in London reporting specifically on news and other issues related to higher education...
listed Texas A&M 60th among the world's top 100 technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
universities, 24th among America's top biomedicine
Biomedicine
Biomedicine is a branch of medical science that applies biological and other natural-science principles to clinical practice,. Biomedicine, i.e. medical research, involves the study of physiological processes with methods from biology, chemistry and physics. Approaches range from understanding...
universities, and 50th among North America's top 50 universities. The 2011 QS World University Rankings
QS World University Rankings
The QS World University Rankings is a ranking of the world’s top 500 universities by Quacquarelli Symonds using a method that has published annually since 2004....
ranked the university 158th overall in the world, 40 places up from 2010.
Endowment
Apart from revenue received from tuition and research grants, the university, as part of the Texas A&M University SystemTexas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the United States. Through a statewide network of eleven universities, eight state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates over 100,000 students, conducts more than $600...
(TAMUS), is partially funded from two endowments. The smaller endowment, totaling $1.17 billion in assets, is run by the private Texas A&M Foundation. A larger sum is distributed from the Texas Permanent University Fund
Permanent University Fund
The Permanent University Fund is one of the methods by which the State of Texas funds public higher education within the state. A portion of the returns from the PUF are annually directed towards the Available University Fund , which distributes the funds according to provisions set forth by the...
(PUF). TAMUS holds a minority stake (one-third) in this fund; the remaining two-thirds belongs to the University of Texas system. As of 2006, the PUF ending net asset value stood at $10.3 billion; $400.7 million was distributed to the two university systems in fiscal year 2007. Combined, the total endowment for the TAMUS stands at $5.6 billion, as of 2006.
Research
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
. Passage of this policy was intended to give faculty more academic freedom and strengthen the university's industry partnerships. Texas A&M works with both state and university agencies on various local and international research projects to forge innovations in science and technology that can have commercial applications. This work is concentrated in two primary locations–Research Valley and Research Park. Research Valley, an alliance of educational and business organizations, consists of 11400 acres (46.1 km²) with 2500000 square feet (232,257.6 m²) of dedicated research space. An additional 350 acres (1 km²), with 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of research space, is located in Research Park. Among the school's research entities are the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine
Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine
The Texas A&M Institute for Genomic Medicine is a research institute of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. It was founded in 2005 under a $50 million award from the Texas Enterprise Fund to pioneer the development of life-changing medical breakthroughs, accelerate the pace of medical discoveries and...
, the Texas Transportation Institute
Texas Transportation Institute
The Texas Transportation Institute in College Station, Texas is the largest transportation research agency in the United States. Created in 1950, primarily in response to the needs of the Texas Highway Department , TTI has since broadened its focus to address all modes of transportation–highway,...
, the Cyclotron Institute, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology
Institute of Biosciences and Technology
The Institute of Biosciences and Technology , a component of the Texas A&M Health Science Center represents the Texas A&M University System, one of the two main Texas state university systems, in the state's and world's largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center, in Houston, Texas...
, and the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology.
In 2004, Texas A&M received nearly $570 million in research funding, ranking the school among the top 20 American research institutes. Almost $400 million of the grants were new awards. Throughout 2004, Texas A&M System faculty and research submitted 121 new inventions and established 78 new royalty-bearing licensing agreements; the innovations resulted in income of $8 million. The Texas A&M Technology Licensing Office filed for 88 patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s for protection of intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
in 2004.
Spearheaded by the College of Veterinary Medicine
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is a college of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.Founded in 1916, the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is one of only 31 colleges of veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada. It...
, Texas A&M scientists created the first cloned domestic animal, a cat named 'cc', on December 22, 2001. Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
each of six different species: cattle, a Boer goat
Boer goat
The Boer goat was developed inSouth Africa in the early 1900s for meat production. Their name is derived from the Dutch word "Boer" meaning farmer. The Boer goat was probably bred from the indigenous goats of the Namaqua Bushmen and the Fooku tribes, with some crossing of Indian and European...
, pigs, a cat, a deer and a horse.
In 2004, Texas A&M joined a consortium of universities to build the Giant Magellan Telescope
Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope is a ground-based extremely large telescope planned for completion in 2018. It will consist of seven diameter primary segments, with the resolving power of a primary mirror and collecting area equivalent to one...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Estimated to be the largest optical telescope ever constructed, the facility will have seven mirrors, each with a diameter of 8.4 metres (9.2 yd). This will give the telescope the equivalent of a 24.5 metres (26.8 yd) primary mirror and will be ten times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
. Construction is slated to be complete in 2016.
As part of a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
's National Nuclear Security Administration
National Nuclear Security Administration
The United States National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the United States Department of Energy. It works to improve national security through the military application of nuclear energy...
, Texas A&M completed the first conversion of a nuclear research reactor from using highly enriched uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
fuel (70%) to utilizing low-enriched uranium (20%). The eighteen-month project ended on October 13, 2006, after the first ever refueling the reactor, thus fulfilling a portion of U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
’s Global Nuclear Threat Reduction Initiative.
Worldwide
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
in annual research expenditures. The university conducts research on every continent and has formal research and exchange agreements with 100 institutions in 40 countries. Texas A&M ranks 13th among U.S. research universities in exchange agreements with institutions abroad and student participation in study abroad programs, and has strong research collaborations with the National Natural Science Foundation of China and many leading universities in China.
Texas A&M owns three international facilities, a multipurpose center in Mexico City, Mexico, the Soltis Research and Education Center near the town of San Isidro, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and the Santa Chiara Study Abroad Center in Castiglion Fiorentino
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 well known for its annual festivals and Etruscan archeological site.-Geography:...
, Italy. In 2003, over 1,200 Aggie students, primarily undergraduates, studied abroad. Additionally, the university includes two branch campuses: Texas A&M at Qatar
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Texas A&M University at Qatar is a branch of Texas A&M University located in Education City, Doha, Qatar. The University offers undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. A graduate program for chemical engineering commenced in 2011...
located in Education City in Doha, Qatar devoted to engineering disciplines and Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston
Texas A&M University at Galveston is an ocean-oriented branch campus of Texas A&M University offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology, marine fisheries, marine engineering technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems...
in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, devoted to marine research and host to the Texas Maritime Academy.
Texas A&M's Center for International Business Studies is one of 28 supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The university is also one of only two American universities in partnership with CONACyT, Mexico's equivalent of the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, to support research in areas including biotechnology, telecommunications, energy, and urban development. In addition, 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.
Campus
Texas A&M's College Station campus, one of the largest in America, spans 5200 acres (21 km²) plus 350 acres (1 km²) for Research Park. The university is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area
Bryan-College Station metropolitan area
The Bryan–College Station Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Brazos Valley region of Texas that covers three counties: Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson...
located within Brazos County
Brazos County, Texas
Brazos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the Central Texas region. In 2010, its population was 194,851. The county seat is Bryan and it is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. Brazos is named for the Brazos River, along with Brazoria...
in the Brazos Valley
Brazos Valley
The Brazos Valley is a region in the U.S. state of Texas consisting of Brazos County, Robertson County, Grimes County, Washington County, Burleson County, Madison County, and Leon County, with Brazos County and the cities of College Station and Bryan at its center...
(Southeast Central Texas) region, an area often referred to as "Aggieland". According the U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
, as of 2008, the population of Brazos County is estimated at 175,122. Money Magazine
Money Magazine
Money Magazine is a business news and financial programme that is broadcast on Sundays at 7:00pm in Hong Kong by television channel TVB Pearl.-Producers and reporters:...
, in 2006, named College Station the most educated city in Texas, and the 11th most educated American city, due largely to the size of the university. Aggieland is centrally located within 200 miles (321.9 km) of three of the 10 largest cities in the United States and 75% of the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
populations (approximately 13.1 million people). The area's major roadway is State Highway 6, and several smaller state highways and Farm to Market Road
Farm to Market Road
In the United States, a farm-to-market road or ranch-to-market road is a state road or county road which serves to connect rural or agricultural areas to market towns...
s connect the area to larger highways such as Interstate 45
Interstate 45
Interstate 45 is an intrastate Interstate Highway located entirely within the U.S. state of Texas. It connects the cities of Dallas and Houston, continuing southeast from Houston to Galveston over the Galveston Causeway to the Gulf of Mexico...
.
The campus is bisected by a railroad track operated by Union Pacific
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. The area east of the tracks, known as Main Campus, includes buildings for the colleges of engineering, architecture, geosciences, science, education and liberal arts. Dormitories, as well as the main dining centers and many campus support facilities, are also on Main Campus. Notable buildings on Main Campus include Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
, Sterling C. Evans Library,the Academic Building, Harrington Hall, the Memorial Student Center, the Administration Building, Rudder Tower, Albritton Bell Tower, and the Bonfire Memorial. To the west of the railroad tracks lies West Campus, which includes most of the sports facilities, the business school, agricultural programs, life sciences, the veterinary college, the political science and economics school, the George Bush School of Government and Public Service, the George Bush Presidential Library
George Bush Presidential Library
The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library of George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States. It was dedicated on Nov. 6, 1997 and opened to the public shortly thereafter...
and two schools within the Texas A&M Health Science Center
Texas A&M Health Science Center
The Texas A&M Health Science Center, a component of the Texas A&M University System, is an assembly of colleges devoted to educating health professionals and researchers of competence and integrity...
. Research Park, the area of West Campus along Kimbrough Boulevard
Farm to Market Road 60
Farm to Market Road 60, or FM 60, is a Farm to Market Road in Texas, running from SH 21, southwest of Caldwell, southeastward to SH 36 at Lyons; and from another point on SH 36 at Lyons, northeastward to FM 158 at Bryan. In Brazos County, it is also known as Raymond Stotzer Pkwy west of FM 2154...
, includes many research facilities.
Residential life
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
, drugs
Recreational drug use
Recreational drug use is the use of a drug, usually psychoactive, with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. Such use is controversial, however, often being considered to be also drug abuse, and it is often illegal...
, or cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s into the hall.
Northside consists of 17 student residence halls, including the 3 university honors dorms. Two of the university honors dorms are freshman only. The halls are located near local entertainment district Northgate, and offer convenient access to campus dining establishments: Sbisa Dining Hall, The Underground and Bernie's Cafe. The demolition of Moore Hall, Crocker Hall, and McInnis Hall is scheduled for August 2011. A $58 million 600-bed residence hall will replace the demolished halls that have accommodated roughly the same number. Some halls (particularly Walton) have unofficially claimed tables within the Sbisa Dining Hall and many halls congregate for dinner at a specific time each weekday.
Several of the residence halls located on Southside are reserved for members of the Corps of Cadets. 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 "[symbolize] the 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 (Texas A&M)
Reveille is the official mascot of Texas A&M University. Students adopted the first Reveille, a mixed-breed dog, in 1931. To thank Texas A&M for its assistance during World War II, the US Army designated Reveille a Cadet General , the highest ranking member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.Eight...
, the Aggie mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
, lives with her handlers in the Quadrangle.
Corps of Cadets
Senior Military College
In the United States, a Senior Military College is one of six colleges that offer military Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs and are specifically recognized under 10 USC 2111a...
s. The schools' Corps of Cadets
Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University...
(or the Corps) is the United States' largest uniformed student body outside the service academies. Many members participate in ROTC programs and earn commissions in the United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
upon graduation. Members of the Corps have served in every armed conflict fought by the United States since 1876, and over 225 have served as general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s or Flag Officers.
Until 1965, Corps membership was mandatory. The Corps welcomed female members in the fall of 1974, and as of fall 2007, the co-ed Corps boasts an enrollment of 1,887 cadets.
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
, whose members may be affiliated with any military branch. Parson's Mounted Cavalry is the only mounted ROTC unit in the United States. The Ross Volunteer Company, the oldest student-run organization in the state, is the official honor guard for the Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
. The Fish Drill Team, a precision, close-order rifle drill team composed entirely of Corps freshmen, represents the school in local and national competitions. They have won the national championship almost every year since their creation in 1946, and have appeared in several Hollywood productions, with prominent roles in the movies A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men (film)
A Few Good Men is a 1992 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. It was adapted for the screen by Aaron Sorkin from his play of the same name. A courtroom drama, the film revolves around the trial of two U.S...
and Courage Under Fire
Courage Under Fire
Courage Under Fire is a 1996 film directed by Edward Zwick, and starring Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips and Matt Damon. It is one of the first films to depict the 1991 Gulf War.-Plot:...
.
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
, the world's largest precision military
Military band
A military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, provides music for University functions and presents intricate halftime performances at football games. Some band drills are so complicated that they require band members to step between each other's feet to complete the maneuvers. These drills must be drawn by hand as computer marching programs have returned errors; their calculations require two people to be in the same spot at the same time.
Activities
Texas A&M has over 800 student organizations, including academic, service, religious, GreekFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, and common interest organizations. Orientation programs encourage students to become involved in campus activities and organizations from the beginning. An April 2005 campus survey found that 74% of the students were currently involved with at least one organization and that 88% participated in a campus organization in the past.
One of the oldest student organizations is the Singing Cadets
Texas A&M Singing Cadets
The Texas A&M Singing Cadets are a male choral group at Texas A&M University. Nicknamed "The Voice of Aggieland", the Singing Cadets have been touring for 107 seasons, with their roots in a glee club founded on the A&M campus in 1893. The Singing Cadets are one of the oldest collegiate singing...
, founded in 1893. Known as the "Voice of Aggieland", the Singing Cadets are an all-male choral group with about 70 members. The group travels nationally and has completed several international tours; most recently, South Africa in 2010.
Texas A&M Hillel
Texas A&M Hillel
Texas A&M Hillel is the oldest Hillel Foundation organization in the United States. The organization was founded in 1920, three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois. Texas A&M Hillel began as the "TAMC Menorah Club" and was organized in 1916 by Dr...
, the oldest Hillel organization in the United States, was founded in 1920 at the original college. The organization occurred three years before the national Hillel Foundation was organized at University of Illinois.
GLBT Aggies
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Aggies is an officially recognized student group at Texas A&M University. Originally known as Gay Student Services , the organization was officially recognized by Texas A&M University in 1985 after a lengthy court battle.- History :In the spring semester...
is the descendant organization of Gay Student Services (GSS), the only student organization to ever successfully sue the institution for official recognition. In the decision Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University
Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University
Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University, 737 F. 2d 1317 is a court case in which the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the First Amendment required public universities to recognize student organizations aimed at gay students...
the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held that the First Amendment required public universities to recognize student organizations aimed at gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
students.
The Graduate Student Council, founded in 1995, serves as the student government for Texas A&M University’s graduate and professional students. It is a council representing all TAMU graduate students with a purpose to improve graduate students’ academic, living and social experiences. The GSC represents student’s concerns and is their liaison with the University Administration.
Students exercise at the Student Rec Center, a three-story facility encompassing 373000 square feet (34,652.8 m²), which includes exercise equipment, athletic courts, an indoor running track, a rock-climbing tower, and one of the top competitive pools and diving wells in America. The Rec Center also organizes intramural sports throughout the year.
Some national service organizations originated at A&M. Aggie students founded the largest one-day student-run service project in America known as The Big Event. The annual service project allows students to give back to their community by assisting local residents. The organization CARPOOL, a student run, safe ride program
Designated driver
The terms "designated driver" and "designated driving" refer to selecting a person to remain sober, as the driver of a vehicle, while others are allowed to drink to excess . A designated driver is a person who abstains from alcohol on a social occasion in order to drive his/her companions home safely...
has provided over 179,000 free rides (as of January 2011) to Aggies unable to transport themselves home. Its organizers also assist other universities in establishing similar programs. In addition, the Corporation for National and Community Service
Corporation For National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America, and other national service initiatives...
listed A&M among the 500 academic institutions in the 2005–06 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
The Student Government Association (SGA), one of A&M's largest organizations, consists of over 1,300 student members in 3 branches, 15 committees, and 4 commissions. SGA has changed little since 1972, except its relative position within the official framework of the university.
Media
The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
ranked The Battalion
The Battalion
The Battalion is the student newspaper of Texas A&M University. Started in 1893 as a monthly publication, it continues to this day, now as a daily paper. The first paper at Texas A&M University was the Texas Collegian published in 1878...
, founded in 1893, as the 5th best college newspaper in America in 2010. Students also publish a secondary school newspaper, the Maroon Weekly. The Aggieland, formerly known as The Olio and The Longhorn, is one of America's largest college yearbooks in number of pages and copies sold. The university houses the public broadcasting stations: KAMU-TV
KAMU-TV
KAMU-TV is a full-service, Public Broadcasting Service member public television station in College Station, Texas broadcasting on digital channel 12 from its transmitter near the university campus, and is owned and operated by Texas A&M University...
, a PBS member station since 1970, KAMU-FM
KAMU-FM
KAMU-FM is a public radio station located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It is owned and operated by the university. It began broadcasting in 1977. The radio station shares the same facility as KAMU-TV, at the Moore Communications Center.KAMU-FM programming...
an NPR affiliate since 1977, and the student-run KANM
KANM
KANM Student Radio, "the College station of College Station," is the Student radio station at Texas A&M University. It operates over the air as an unlicensed low-power AM operation at 1580 AM, on the Texas A&M campus cable television system at channel 88, at 99.9 cable FM on Bryan/College Station...
, "the college station of College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
". W5AC broadcast the first live, play-by-play broadcast of a college football game, at Kyle Field, in November 1921. The game, played in Dallas between Aggies and University of Texas, ended in a scoreless tie.
Traditions
History of Texas A&M University
The history of Texas A&M University, the first public institution of higher education in Texas, began in 1871, when the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was established as a land-grant college by the Texas Legislature. Classes began on October 4, 1876...
has instilled in students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality." Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
posits that Texas A&M students' respect for school traditions and values is the university's greatest strength. Some of the school traditions date to the 1890s, while others have been introduced more recently. These traditions help current and former students to cultivate the Aggie Spirit, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school. They dictate many aspects of student life, including how to greet others (using the official school greeting "Howdy!"), how to act at an A&M sporting event, and, in many cases, what words a student may use in conversation.
The most visible tradition among seniors and former students is the wearing of the Aggie Ring, whose design has been relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1894. Students may order a ring after completing 90 credit hours of coursework, including at least 45 hours at A&M, or after graduation. Graduate students may receive a ring after 75% of their graduate coursework is completed or after the acceptance of their dissertation or thesis. Though unsanctioned by the University, many students "dunk" their newly acquired Aggie Rings into a pitcher of beer and quickly chug the entire pitcher to "earn" the ring. Some students dunk their rings in alternative substances, including ice cream or nonalcoholic beverages.
Muster (Texas A&M University)
Aggie Muster is a time-honored tradition at Texas A&M University. Muster officially began on April 21, 1922 as a day for remembrance of fellow Aggies. Muster ceremonies today take place in approximately 320 locations globally including Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq. The largest muster...
is held annually on the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
, April 21, to honor any current and former student who died during the previous year. Over 300 Musters are held around the world, with the largest taking place at Reed Arena
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, trade shows, family entertainment, and Texas A&M...
on the Texas A&M University campus. All Muster ceremonies feature the Roll Call for the Absent. As the names of the deceased Aggies are called, a family member or friend answers "Here" and lights a candle, to symbolize that although their loved one is not present in body, his or her spirit will shine forever. The event received worldwide attention during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when 25 Aggies "mustered" during the battle
Battle of Corregidor
The Battle for Corregidor was the culmination of the Japanese campaign for the conquest of the Philippines. The fall of Bataan on 9 April 1942 ended all organized opposition by the U.S...
for the island of Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
.
Students who die while enrolled at Texas A&M are also honored at Silver Taps, a ceremony held, when necessary, on the first Tuesday of the month. This tradition began as a memorial for former Texas A&M president Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan Ross
Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was the 19th Governor of Texas , a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and a president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, now called Texas A&M University.Ross was raised in the Republic of Texas, which was later annexed to...
. On the day of the ceremony, flags fly half-staff and notices are posted throughout campus. At 10:15 p.m. the lights around campus are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower while students and faculty collect in the Academic Plaza. Following a 21-gun salute
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
by the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad, six buglers
Bugle (instrument)
The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
play an A&M version of the song Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...
, Silver Taps, three times from the dome of the school's Academic Building: once to the north, the south and to the west. The song is not played to the east symbolizing that the sun will never rise on that Aggie again.
Sports
12th Man
Aggie footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
fans are called the 12th Man
12th Man (football)
The 12th man or 12th player is a term used to describe the fans within a stadium during association football or American football games. This term has a different meaning in cricket, referring to the first substitute player who fields when a member of the fielding side is injured...
, meaning they are there to support the 11 players on the field, willing to enter the game, if necessary. To further symbolize their "readiness, desire, and enthusiasm," the entire student body stands throughout the game. The tradition began on January 2, 1922, at the Dixie Classic where A&M played Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
. A&M had so many injuries in the first half of the game that Coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Dana X. Bible
Dana X. Bible
Dana Xenophon Bible was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi College , Louisiana State University , Texas A&M University , the University of Nebraska , and the University of Texas...
feared he wouldn’t have enough men to finish the game. He called into the stands for E. King Gill, a reserve who had left football after the regular season to play basketball. Although he did not actually play, his readiness symbolized the willingness of all Aggies to support their team to the point of actually entering the game. A&M won 22–14, but E. King Gill was the only man left standing on the sidelines for the Aggies. In recent decades, the 12th Man is represented on the field by a walk-on player who wears the No. 12 jersey and participates in kick-offs.
The 12th Man uses a variety of school yells, rather than cheers, to support Aggie teams. Each year the student body elects five students to serve as the Yell Leaders. At midnight
Midnight
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons....
before each home football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game at Kyle Field or at a predesignated location at away games, the fans gather together to practice the yells for the next day's game. Led by the Yell Leaders, and the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, the Twelfth Man files into the stadium to participate in Midnight Yell Practice
Midnight Yell Practice
Midnight Yell Practice, known locally as Midnight Yell or Yell Practice, is a tradition at Texas A&M University. Midnight Yell is similar to a pep rally. On the night before each home football game, Midnight Yell takes place in Kyle Field at midnight; two nights before each away game, Midnight...
to practice yells, sing the War Hymn, and joke about their opponents. At the conclusion of the yell practice, the stadium lights are extinguished and fans kiss their dates. This is also done as practice, because Aggies are expected to "mug down", or kiss their dates, every time the football team scores on the field. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
named Midnight Yell as one of the "100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate."
Bonfire
Almost every year since 1909, A&M students have built a large bonfire to celebrate their "burning desire to beat the hell outta" the University of Texas. Aggie BonfireAggie Bonfire
Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing 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 Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn...
was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
in conjunction with the festivities surrounding the annual college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game between the schools. Though it began as a trash pile, Aggie Bonfire evolved into a massive six-tiered structure, the world record being held at 109 feet (33.2 m).
After the collapse of the 1999 structure, causing the death of 11 students and one former student, the university suspended Bonfire indefinitely, but the tradition continues off-campus without direct University involvement, sanction, or participation.
Athletics
A charter member of the Southwest Conference until its dissolution in 1996, A&M will compete in the Big 12 ConferenceBig 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
until June 2012. The Aggies will compete in the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
in all sports starting July 2012. The school's 20 sports teams are known as the Aggies, and the school's colors are maroon
Maroon (color)
Maroon is a dark red color.-Etymology:Maroon is derived from French marron .The first recorded use of maroon as a color name in English was in 1789.-Maroon :...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
. As of April 2011, Aggies have earned 138 Southwest and Big 12 conference regular-season and tournament titles and 11 team national championships. The women's soccer team, formed in 1993, earned 15 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1995 to 2009, advancing at least as far as the round of 16 in seven of the last eight appearances. The women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team earned 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1993 to 2004, advancing past the first round each time. In 2004 Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked Olsen Field
Olsen Field
Olsen Field is a baseball stadium in College Station, Texas, that is home to the Texas A&M baseball program. The stadium was dedicated on March 21, 1978, and is named in honor of Pat Olsen, a 1923 graduate of Texas A&M University and a former baseball player in the New York Yankees farm system...
"the best college baseball venue". Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
ranked the university 46th, in a 2002 analysis of "America's Best Sports College[s]" and College Station the 9th best college sports town.
A&M's archrival
College rivalry
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics, the latter being typically...
is the University of Texas. In 2004, sporting events between the Aggies and Longhorns became known as the Lone Star Showdown. The most-watched event in the rivalry is the annual football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game held the day of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
. Other rivalries include Texas Tech
Texas Tech Red Raiders
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are the athletic teams that represent Texas Tech University . The women's basketball team uses the name Lady Raiders; however, the school's other women's teams use the "Red Raiders" name. The university's athletic program fields teams in 15 varsity sports and 30 club sports...
, Baylor University
Battle of the Brazos
The Battle of the Brazos is the official collegiate sports rivalry between the Baylor Bears and Texas A&M Aggies. The rivalry is named for the Brazos River that flows by the two schools, which are only 90 miles apart...
, and the recently renewed rivalry with the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
.
Football
Founded in 1894, the footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team has won 18 Southwest Conference championships, 3 Big 12 South Division championships, 1 Big 12 championship, and 1 national championship. The team has appeared in 30 bowl games, winning 13, and has produced 41 first Team All-Americans, 5 Academic All-Americans, and 1 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner, John David Crow
John David Crow
John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...
in 1957. Twenty-one Aggies currently play in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
Since 1904, home football games have been played at Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
, a stadium with a current capacity of 83,002. In 2004, CBS SportsLine.com ranked Kyle Field the top football stadium while Sporting News ranked it fourth. The same year Sports Illustrated on Campus ranked an A&M football weekend the third best college football experience.
Basketball
Founded in 1912, the men's basketball team won 11 Southwest Conference championships and 2 Southwest Conference Tournament championships. The team has appeared in the National Invitation TournamentNational Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
6 times and in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
11 times, of which 3 resulted in Sweet Sixteen
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances, the highest round to which the Aggies have advanced. The women's basketball team has 1 Southwest Conference Tournament championship,1 regular season Big 12 Conference championship and 2 Big 12 Tournament championships, most recently in 2011. The women have advanced to 8 NCAA Tournament appearances, winning the National Championship in 2011. They have also competed in the WNIT
Women's National Invitation Tournament
The Women's National Invitation Tournament , formerly the National Women's Invitation Tournament, is a college basketball tournament with a preseason and postseason version played every year...
twice, winning that tournament in 1995.
The men's basketball team was coached by head coach Mark Turgeon
Mark Turgeon
Mark Leo Turgeon is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach for the University of Maryland Terrapins. Turgeon previously served as head coach at Texas A&M for 4 years.-Personal:...
for four years until he left for the head coaching position at the University of Maryland
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball
The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
. The women's team has been coached by Gary Blair
Gary Blair
Gary Claude Blair is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball team. In his 26 years as a collegiate head coach, Blair has only suffered one losing season, and has reached postseason play 22 times, including 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2 Final Four appearances in 1998...
since 2003. Home games are played at the 12,989-seat Reed Arena
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, trade shows, family entertainment, and Texas A&M...
. G. Rollie White Coliseum
G. Rollie White Coliseum
The G. Rollie White Coliseum is an on-campus arena at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Often referred to as the "Jollie Rollie" or "The Holler House on the Brazos," the arena was the home of Texas A&M's Aggie volleyball team, which played there since its...
, formerly the home of the volleyball and basketball teams, hosted basketball games before Reed Arena opened in 1998.
Notable people
The Association of Former Students
The Association of Former Students is the official alumni association of Texas A&M University. The Association attracts over 400,000 members and has 242 clubs worldwide...
in America. Many Aggies have attained local, national, and international prominence. Jorge Quiroga
Jorge Quiroga
Jorge Fernando "Tuto" Quiroga Ramírez was President of Bolivia from August 7, 2001 to August 6, 2002. He is of Spanish descent.-Background and early life:...
and Martin Torrijos
Martín Torrijos
Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino is a Panamanian politician and the former President of the Republic of Panama.Torrijos was elected President on May 2, 2004...
have served as heads of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
for Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, respectively, and Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
is the current Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
and 2012 US Presidential candidate. Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush and Obama administrations,is a past president of the university. Congressmen Joe Barton
Joe Barton
Joseph Linus "Joe" Barton is a Republican politician, representing in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus...
, Bill Flores
Bill Flores
William H. "Bill" Flores is the U.S. Representative for . The district, located in the middle of the state, includes Waco, College Station and Bryan. He is a member of the Republican Party and the former CEO of Phoenix Exploration Company, an oil and natural gas exploration company.-Early life and...
, Jeb Hensarling
Jeb Hensarling
Jeb Hensarling has been the Republican congressman representing Texas' 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2003.-Early life:...
, and Louie Gohmert
Louie Gohmert
Louis Buller Gohmert, Jr. is an American politician and current Republican U.S. Representative from Texas's 1st congressional district.-Life and career:...
, and former Austin, Texas, mayor Will Wynn
Will Wynn
William Patrick Wynn served as mayor of Austin, Texas from 2003 to 2009. He is a Democrat.- Family :Born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, Wynn was the sixth of seven children. He attended Texas A&M University, where he graduated cum laude with a degree in Environmental Design in 1984...
are all graduates.
Aggies made their mark on the gridiron
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
with Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
head coach Gary Kubiak
Gary Kubiak
Gary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a...
, title-winning coach Gene Stallings
Gene Stallings
Eugene Clifton Stallings, Jr. is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at Texas A&M University , where he was one of the "Junction Boys", and later served as the head coach at his alma mater from 1965 to 1971. Stallings was also the head coach of the St...
, Houston Oilers defensive tackle Ray Childress
Ray Childress
Raymond Clay Childress, Jr. is a former American football defensive lineman in the NFL for the Houston Oilers from 1985–1996, earning Pro Bowl honors five times....
, Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner John David Crow
John David Crow
John David Crow was the Heisman Trophy winner and halfback from Texas A&M University in 1957...
, Heisman runner-up, legislator, and actor John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough
John Kimbrough was a college athlete, a member of the Texas Legislature, the star of two western movies and a rancher. His older brother Frank Kimbrough served as head football coach at Baylor and West Texas A&M.-Football:...
, punt returner Dante Hall
Dante Hall
Damieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
, offensive tackle Richmond Webb
Richmond Webb
Richmond Jewel Webb is a former National Football League offensive tackle with the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals. Webb played college football for Texas A&M University...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
defensive end and punter Yale Lary
Yale Lary
Robert Yale Lary is a former American football player.After graduating from North Side High School in 1949, he attended Texas A&M University, where he was a standout in football and baseball...
, former Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
assistant coach and former player Dat Nguyen
Dat Nguyen
Dat Tan Nguyen is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League . He was the first Vietnamese American to play in the NFL. He played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1999 to 2005. He played college football at Texas A&M. He was the Cowboys' assistant linebackers coach and...
, punter Shane Lechler
Shane Lechler
Edward Shane Lechler is an American football punter who currently plays for the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League. Lechler played college football for Texas A&M from 1996-1999. In the NFL, Lechler has been named an All-Pro eight times during his career...
, and defensive end Ty Warren
Ty Warren
Ty'ron "Ty" Markeith Warren is an American football defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
. Paul "Bear" Bryant
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...
coached at A&M where "survivors" of his grueling football practice camp at Junction, Texas
Junction, Texas
Junction is a city in and the county seat of Kimble County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
were nicknamed named The Junction Boys. Other famous Aggie athletes include Randy Barnes
Randy Barnes
Eric Randolph Barnes is a former American shot putter who holds both the current outdoor and indoor World Records for the event. He won silver at the 1988 Olympics and gold at the 1996 Olympics....
, indoor/outdoor shotput world record holder, baseball standouts Chuck Knoblauch
Chuck Knoblauch
Edward Charles "Chuck" Knoblauch is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played all or part of twelve seasons in the majors, from until , for the Minnesota Twins , New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals...
and Wally Moon; along with Stacy Sykora
Stacy Sykora
Stacy Denise Sykora is an American volleyball player. She was a two-time All-American at Texas A&M University and she competed in both the 2000 and the 2004 Olympics as part of the U.S. women's national team...
, Libero for the USA national volleyball team.
Aggies have also made a mark on pop culture. Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen
Robert Earl Keen, Junior is an American Texas Country singer-songwriter. He is popular with fans of traditional country music, folk music, college radio, and alt-country. Keen currently resides in Kerrville, Texas and maintains a ranch in Medina, Texas.-Early life:Growing up in Houston, Texas,...
and Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, who often strummed their guitars on the porch of their Northgate home, have become popular country singers. William A. Pailes
William A. Pailes
William Arthur Pailes was a USAF astronaut in the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program during the mid-1980s. He served as a Payload Specialist on STS-51-J Atlantis .-Personal:...
and Michael E. Fossum
Michael E. Fossum
Michael Edward Fossum is an American astronaut. He flew into space on board the NASA Space Shuttle missions STS-121 and STS-124 as a mission specialist and is currently aboard the international space station as commander of Expedition 29.-Education:Michael Fossum spent his early life in McAllen,...
became NASA astronauts. Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
is a veteran of the silver screen
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
and Neal Boortz
Neal Boortz
Neal A. Boortz, Jr. is an American Libertarian radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Neal Boortz Show, airs throughout the United States on Dial Global . It is ranked seventh in overall listeners, with 4.25+ million per week...
(who attended but graduated elsewhere) is a nationally syndicated talk show host with the sixth largest listening audience in the United States. Wen Ho Lee
Wen Ho Lee
Dr. Wen Ho Lee is a Taiwan-born Taiwanese American scientist who worked for the University of California at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He created simulations of nuclear explosions for the purposes of scientific inquiry, as well as for improving the safety and reliability of the US nuclear...
, a doctoral graduate of A&M, became the subject of a 1999 espionage investigation; though arrested, charges were dropped in 2000.
Many Aggies have become business leaders, particularly in the fields of energy, construction, communications, and chemistry. Current leaders include Jack Whiteside, President of Barnes & Click, Inc., Lowry Mays
Lowry Mays
Lester Lowry Mays is the founder and current chairman of Clear Channel Communications.-Early years:Lester Lowry Mays was born on July 24, 1935 in Harris County, Texas, USA to Lester T. Mays and Mary Virginia Lowry. Mays attended the A&M College of Texas , where he received a B.S. in petroleum...
, chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Communications, George P. Mitchell
George P. Mitchell
George Phydias Mitchell is an American businessman, real estate developer and philanthropist from Texas.-Biography:He was born to Greek immigrant parents in the port city of Galveston, Texas. Mitchell earned a degree from Texas A&M University with an emphasis in geology and petroleum engineering...
, chairman and CEO, Mitchell Energy and Development Corp., H.B. Zachry, President of the H.B. Zachry Company, John Zachry, CEO of Zachry Corp., David Zachry, President of Zachry Corp., Khalid A. Al-Falih
Khalid A. Al-Falih
Khalid A. Al-Falih is the Vice-President of Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil company in terms of market capitalization. He joined the company in 1978 and was appointed Vice-president in January 2009. Mr. Khalid A...
, President and CEO of Saudi Aramco, and Eduardo Castro-Wright, CEO of Wal-Mart Stores USA.
Because of A&M's military roots, many Aggies have become leaders in the armed forces, and were featured in the 1943 propaganda film We've Never Been Licked
We've Never Been Licked
We've Never Been Licked is a World War II propaganda film produced by Walter Wanger and released by United Artists. Parts of the movie were shot on location at the Texas A&M University campus...
. George H. Gay, Jr., was the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8 in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
. Lieutenant General Jay T. Robbins
Jay T. Robbins
Jay Thorpe Robbins was a career officer in the United States Air Force who rose to the rank of lieutenant general....
became a fighter ace in World War II with 22 aerial victories. Major General Robert B. Williams
Robert B. Williams
Major General Robert Boyd Williams was a World War II general in the United States Army Air Forces. He led the B-17 raid on the Schweinfurt ball-bearing factories, the first large-scale deep penetration bombing raid on Germany.-Early life:...
led World War II raid on the Schweinfurt ball bearing factories. General Bernard Adolph Schriever
Bernard Adolph Schriever
General Bernard Adolph Schriever , also known as Bennie Schriever, was a United States Air Force general. He was born in Bremen, Germany, and after immigrating to the United States, played a major role in the U.S. Air Force programs for space and ballistic missile research.-Early years:Bernard...
, known as "the architect of the Air Force’s ballistic missile and military space program", became the namesake of Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base
Schriever Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located approximately 10 miles east of Peterson AFB near Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States.-Overview:...
, Colorado. General Michael Moseley
T. Michael Moseley
Teed Michael Moseley, , is a retired United States Air Force General who served as the 18th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force...
is a former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
In addition, seven Aggies received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The recipients are:
- Horace S. Carswell, Jr., class of 1938Horace S. Carswell, Jr.Horace Seaver "Stump" Carswell, Jr. was a Medal of Honor recipient as a Major in the United States Army Air Corps who served in World War II...
- Thomas W. Fowler, class of 1943Thomas W. FowlerThomas Weldon Fowler was a former student of the Texas A&M University, a United States Army officer, and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II....
- William G. Harrell, class of 1943
- Lloyd H. Hughes, class of 1943
- George D. Keathley, class of 1937
- Turney W. Leonard, class of 1942Turney W. LeonardTurney White Leonard was a United States Army officer who received the U.S. military's highest award, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in World War II.-Biography:...
- Eli L. Whiteley, class of 1941Eli L. WhiteleyEli Lamar Whiteley was a Captain in the United States Army who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Sigolsheim, France during World War II.-Medal of Honor citation:...