Texas A&M University at Galveston
Encyclopedia
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 engineering, oceans and coastal resources, and university studies (curriculum focused on marine environmental law and policy). The graduate programs include: a masters in marine resources management and a masters or a Ph.D. in marine biology. The program is available with or without a thesis option. It is the home of the Texas Maritime Academy and has a Navy
-option-only NROTC unit on campus. (Marine Corps-option NROTC cadets must attend the main campus in College Station, TX
.) The Texas Maritime Academy cadets of Texas A&M at Galveston get hands-on training on board the S.S Cape Gibson, which is currently permanently berthed at the campus.
Students attending Texas A&M University at Galveston have many benefits of students attending the College Station campus. Sea Aggies, or Sea Ags, may purchase tickets for all sporting events
, fine arts performances and concerts held in College Station. Degrees are awarded from Texas A&M University
in College Station and Sea Aggies receive the same Aggie ring of which they have the option to attend the ring ceremony in College Station.
While the branch shares much with the main campus, the atmosphere fostered by the faculty, staff, and students emphasizes the intimate relationship between the Galveston, Texas-based university and the sea. Campus life is enhanced by the cultural and social activities in Galveston, Texas
and incorporates many of the advantages of living on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
.
on Pelican Island
. Land was donated again in 1993 with an additional 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) as well as 14 acres (56,656 m²) on Teichman Road to house TEEX, the sailing and rowing teams. Since then Texas A&M Galveston has been focused towards maritime fields in biology, administration, and engineering. Enrollment included 91 students in 1971 and has since risen to roughly 1,900.
because of its rounded (or clipper) stern. In 1996 Texas A&M Galveston (of which Texas Maritime was now a part) retired the aging Texas Clipper. In its stead, the school acquired the decommissioned USNS Chauvenet. Built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
of Glasgow
, Scotland
in 1970, the new vessel was named the Texas Clipper II as per tradition.
In the summer of 2005, the Texas Maritime Academy took delivery of the USNS Sirius. Built in 1966 as a replenishment ship for the Royal Navy
and purchased by the U.S. Navy as a logistics ship, it supported two carrier battle group
s in the Indian Ocean
during the Iranian hostage crisis and continued its career in the Navy serving across the world, notably in the Persian Gulf
. It was retired and given to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), then assigned to TAMUG under an agreement that it can be activated by MARAD at any time. During the fall of 2005, the Sirius served in New Orleans
for Katrina
relief, from September 10 until November 29 and at Lake Charles, LA for Rita
relief until March 2. Because of its extended relief effort the Sirius was unable to undergo a refit in 2006 to adapt its new role as a training vessel and comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards. Because the Sirius had not undergone a refit, it could not be formally commissioned as the USTS Texas Clipper nor could it be used for summer training cruises. This is forcing the University to look to the other state maritime academies (California Maritime Academy
from 2006–present) to help fulfill the summer cruise requirements until the work on the Sirius was completed. In the winter of 2009 the US Coast Guard ruled that the Siruis was unfit for training and was prepared for decommissioning while the school looked for a new training ship. On June 25, 2009, the Sirius was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
TAMUG's current training ship, the S.S. Cape Gibson, was delivered to the Texas Maritime Academy on October 19, 2009.
, Texas A&M University at Galveston closed on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at 5 p.m. and evacuation was ordered. Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, on September 13 at 2:10am. It was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. The campus was not severely damaged; however, the infrastructure of Galveston Island as a whole was. As a result of Galveston Island not being able to support the close to 1800 students the enormous challenge of relocating all students, administration, and staff began. On Wednesday, September 24, 2008 fall classes resumed in College Station. TAMUG resumed operations in Galveston in the spring of 2009.
established within Texas, and holding around $15 billion. Texas A&M’s endowment share totals approximately $5.6 billion; 10th largest in the nation and fourth among public university systems. At one time, the PUF was the chief source of income for Texas A&M, but today its revenues account for less than 10 percent of the university's annual budget. This has challenged the university to increase sponsored research and private donations.
was no longer a requirement, causing a new generation of students an opportunity to alter traditions. Such traditions involve university sponsored events such as Silver Taps honoring students who have died, to student run events, which include the Student Bonfire
.
Starting in the 1970s, the students of Texas A&M at Galveston created their own Aggie Bonfire
, mirroring the traditions of the College Station student body. However, the Galveston campus ceased observance of the tradition after the structure in College Station collapsed on November 18, 1999; killing twelve students. (See Aggie Bonfire
for more on the 1999 Bonfire Collapse.)
One tradition unique to the Galveston campus includes underclassmen students rubbing the anchor in front of the library prior to an exam for good luck. To walk beneath the arc of the anchor's chain is reserved as a senior privilege.
TAMUG / Texas Maritime Academy is also home of the William C. Hearn Honor Guard, an organization composed of fifteen cadets. Commonly known as Hearn's Guard, the organization participates in events both on and off-campus. They present a highly visual presence at TAMUG ceremonies, campus events, Galveston parades, and local ceremonies and memorial services.
After disappearing in the late 70's, the Texas Maritime Academy band was resurrected in the Fall of 2010. Under the guidance of CMDR. James Sterling '71 US Navy (Retired), whom originated the TMA band as a cadet, the newly established band debuted at the 2010 Parent's Day Pass in Review ceremony.
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . 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...
offering undergraduate degrees in marine biology
Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather...
, marine fisheries, marine engineering
Naval architecture
Naval architecture is an engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction, maintenance and operation of marine vessels and structures. Naval architecture involves basic and applied research, design, development, design evaluation and calculations during all stages of the life of a...
technology, marine sciences, marine transportation, maritime administration, maritime studies, maritime systems engineering, oceans and coastal resources, and university studies (curriculum focused on marine environmental law and policy). The graduate programs include: a masters in marine resources management and a masters or a Ph.D. in marine biology. The program is available with or without a thesis option. It is the home of the Texas Maritime Academy and has a Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
-option-only NROTC unit on campus. (Marine Corps-option NROTC cadets must attend the main campus in College Station, TX
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...
.) The Texas Maritime Academy cadets of Texas A&M at Galveston get hands-on training on board the S.S Cape Gibson, which is currently permanently berthed at the campus.
Students attending Texas A&M University at Galveston have many benefits of students attending the College Station campus. Sea Aggies, or Sea Ags, may purchase tickets for all sporting events
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname "Aggie" is common at land-grant or "Ag" schools in many states. The teams compete in Division I of NCAA sports...
, fine arts performances and concerts held in College Station. Degrees are awarded from Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . 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...
in College Station and Sea Aggies receive the same Aggie ring of which they have the option to attend the ring ceremony in College Station.
While the branch shares much with the main campus, the atmosphere fostered by the faculty, staff, and students emphasizes the intimate relationship between the Galveston, Texas-based university and the sea. Campus life is enhanced by the cultural and social activities 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...
and incorporates many of the advantages of living on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
History
Texas A&M University Galveston began in 1962 as a marine laboratory and as the home of the Texas Maritime Academy. The federal government donated the first training ship, the Texas Clipper, to the Maritime Academy in 1965. In 1968 the campus was expanded with a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) donation by George P. MitchellGeorge 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...
on Pelican Island
Pelican Island (Texas)
Pelican Island is an island located in Galveston County, Texas. It is part of the city of Galveston and is linked to Galveston Island by a causeway. The island is home to the Texas A&M University at Galveston as well as USS Stewart , USS Cavalla and Seawolf Park...
. Land was donated again in 1993 with an additional 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) as well as 14 acres (56,656 m²) on Teichman Road to house TEEX, the sailing and rowing teams. Since then Texas A&M Galveston has been focused towards maritime fields in biology, administration, and engineering. Enrollment included 91 students in 1971 and has since risen to roughly 1,900.
Texas Clipper
The Texas Maritime Academy acquired its first training ship in 1965. Previously named the SS Excambion when sailed by American Export Lines, the vessel was renamed the Texas ClipperTexas Clipper
USTS Texas Clipper, 473 foot ship, served as a merchant marine training vessel with the Texas Maritime Academy at Texas A&M University at Galveston for 30 years beginning in 1965...
because of its rounded (or clipper) stern. In 1996 Texas A&M Galveston (of which Texas Maritime was now a part) retired the aging Texas Clipper. In its stead, the school acquired the decommissioned USNS Chauvenet. Built by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders
Upper Clyde Shipbuilders was a British shipbuilding consortium created in 1968 as a result of the amalgamation of five major shipbuilders of the River Clyde in Scotland...
of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1970, the new vessel was named the Texas Clipper II as per tradition.
In the summer of 2005, the Texas Maritime Academy took delivery of the USNS Sirius. Built in 1966 as a replenishment ship for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and purchased by the U.S. Navy as a logistics ship, it supported two carrier battle group
Carrier battle group
A carrier battle group consists of an aircraft carrier and its escorts, together composing the group. The first naval task forces built around carriers appeared just prior to and during World War II. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the first to assemble a large number of carriers into a single...
s in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
during the Iranian hostage crisis and continued its career in the Navy serving across the world, notably in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. It was retired and given to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD), then assigned to TAMUG under an agreement that it can be activated by MARAD at any time. During the fall of 2005, the Sirius served in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
for Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
relief, from September 10 until November 29 and at Lake Charles, LA for Rita
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Rita was the fourth-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the most intense tropical cyclone ever observed in the Gulf of Mexico. Rita caused $11.3 billion in damage on the U.S. Gulf Coast in September 2005...
relief until March 2. Because of its extended relief effort the Sirius was unable to undergo a refit in 2006 to adapt its new role as a training vessel and comply with U.S. Coast Guard safety standards. Because the Sirius had not undergone a refit, it could not be formally commissioned as the USTS Texas Clipper nor could it be used for summer training cruises. This is forcing the University to look to the other state maritime academies (California Maritime Academy
California Maritime Academy
The California Maritime Academy is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system and is one of only seven degree-granting maritime academies in the United States...
from 2006–present) to help fulfill the summer cruise requirements until the work on the Sirius was completed. In the winter of 2009 the US Coast Guard ruled that the Siruis was unfit for training and was prepared for decommissioning while the school looked for a new training ship. On June 25, 2009, the Sirius was returned to the U.S. Maritime Administration.
TAMUG's current training ship, the S.S. Cape Gibson, was delivered to the Texas Maritime Academy on October 19, 2009.
- TS Texas ClipperTexas ClipperUSTS Texas Clipper, 473 foot ship, served as a merchant marine training vessel with the Texas Maritime Academy at Texas A&M University at Galveston for 30 years beginning in 1965...
, ex-USS QueensUSS Queens (APA-103)USS Queens was a Windsor-class attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. She was commissioned late in the war and initially assigned to transport duties; consequently she did not take part in any combat operations....
(APA-103) — 1965–1996 - TS Texas Clipper II, ex-USNS Chauvenet (T-AGS-29) — 1999–2005
- Sirius, ex-USNS SiriusUSNS Sirius (T-AFS-8)USNS Sirius was a Sirius-class combat stores ship of the United States Navy, named for Sirius , the brightest visible star....
(T-AFS-8) — 2005-2009 - S.S. Cape Gibson 2009–present
Response to Hurricane Ike
In preparation of Hurricane IkeHurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
, Texas A&M University at Galveston closed on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, at 5 p.m. and evacuation was ordered. Ike made U.S. landfall at Galveston, Texas, on September 13 at 2:10am. It was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. The campus was not severely damaged; however, the infrastructure of Galveston Island as a whole was. As a result of Galveston Island not being able to support the close to 1800 students the enormous challenge of relocating all students, administration, and staff began. On Wednesday, September 24, 2008 fall classes resumed in College Station. TAMUG resumed operations in Galveston in the spring of 2009.
Endowment
The Texas A&M University System is a minority stakeholder in an endowment known as the Permanent University FundPermanent 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...
established within Texas, and holding around $15 billion. Texas A&M’s endowment share totals approximately $5.6 billion; 10th largest in the nation and fourth among public university systems. At one time, the PUF was the chief source of income for Texas A&M, but today its revenues account for less than 10 percent of the university's annual budget. This has challenged the university to increase sponsored research and private donations.
Traditions
Texas A&M University has many time-honored traditions, many of which began when the Agriculture and Mechanical College of Texas was establish in 1871. Traditions continued to evolve as service in the CorpsTexas A&M University Corps of Cadets
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University...
was no longer a requirement, causing a new generation of students an opportunity to alter traditions. Such traditions involve university sponsored events such as Silver Taps honoring students who have died, to student run events, which include the Student 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...
.
Starting in the 1970s, the students of Texas A&M at Galveston created their own 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...
, mirroring the traditions of the College Station student body. However, the Galveston campus ceased observance of the tradition after the structure in College Station collapsed on November 18, 1999; killing twelve students. (See 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...
for more on the 1999 Bonfire Collapse.)
One tradition unique to the Galveston campus includes underclassmen students rubbing the anchor in front of the library prior to an exam for good luck. To walk beneath the arc of the anchor's chain is reserved as a senior privilege.
TAMUG / Texas Maritime Academy is also home of the William C. Hearn Honor Guard, an organization composed of fifteen cadets. Commonly known as Hearn's Guard, the organization participates in events both on and off-campus. They present a highly visual presence at TAMUG ceremonies, campus events, Galveston parades, and local ceremonies and memorial services.
After disappearing in the late 70's, the Texas Maritime Academy band was resurrected in the Fall of 2010. Under the guidance of CMDR. James Sterling '71 US Navy (Retired), whom originated the TMA band as a cadet, the newly established band debuted at the 2010 Parent's Day Pass in Review ceremony.