155-514: The Aggie Bonfire was a long-standing annual tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry with the University of Texas at Austin . For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies —built a bonfire on campus each autumn, known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire". The event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta t.u.", a derogatory nickname for
310-578: A Boer goat , pigs, a cat, a deer, and a horse. In 2016, the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) targeted the university and alleged abusive experiments on dogs. According to Texas A&M, the dogs in question were given several experimental treatments to improve or cure a genetic condition that also affects humans. During this period, the dogs were under the care of board-certified veterinarians and other highly trained staff with oversight from multiple agencies including
465-472: A National Public Radio affiliate since 1977, and the student-run station KANM , which bills itself "the college station of College Station". W5AC , a student-run amateur radio club, broadcast the first live, play-by-play broadcast of a college football game at Kyle Field in November 1921. Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. Although
620-610: A Rough Collie , lives with her handlers in the Corps in the Quad. Texas A&M is one of six United States senior military colleges . As of 2019, the university's Corps of Cadets (or the Corps), with more than 2,500 members, is the largest uniformed student body outside the service academies . Many members participate in Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs and earn commissions in
775-586: A senior military college , Texas A&M is one of six American universities classed as a senior military college and has a full-time, volunteer Cadet Corps whose members study alongside civilian undergraduate students. About one-fifth of the student body lives on campus. Texas A&M has more than 1,000 officially recognized student organizations. Many students observe university traditions that govern conduct in daily life and sporting events. The university's students, alumni, and sports teams are known as Aggies , and its athletes compete in eighteen varsity sports as
930-664: A $ 6 million marine biology center in Haifa , Israel, in 2016. As of 2020, approximately 20% of the Texas A&;M student body lived on campus, primarily in one of two distinct housing sections located on opposite ends of the campus. Both the Northside and Southside areas contain student residence halls. Some halls are single-sex. Several halls include a "substance-free" floor whose residents pledge to refrain from bringing alcoholic beverages , recreational drugs , or tobacco products into
1085-533: A construction camp on the Houston and Texas Central Railroad. The town's name has been attributed to a well at the construction camp, a foreman named E.W. Wellborn, or a landowner named W.W. Willburn. Also in 1867, a post office opened in the community under the name Wellborn Station. In 1870, the name was shortened to Wellborn. On April 14, 2011, the City Council of College Station voted 5–2 to annex Wellborn, thus making
1240-475: A family member or friend answers "here" and lights a candle to symbolize although their loved one is not physically present, his or her spirit will shine forever; this is traditionally followed by a three-volley salute . The event received nationwide attention during World War II, when 25 Texas A&M alumni held a brief Aggie Muster during the Battle of Corregidor . College Station, Texas College Station
1395-412: A farmer reported that students carried off his entire barn as fuel for Bonfire. To prevent future incidents, the university made Bonfire a school-sanctioned event. The following year, for the first time, the school provided axes, saws, and trucks for the students and pointed them toward a grove of dead trees on the edge of town. During the 1940s, the school paper described Bonfire as "the greatest event of
1550-453: A heap of trash and debris, was burned in 1909 to generate enthusiasm for a variety of sporting events. A decade later, the focus of the event narrowed to the annual rivalry game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas, held near Thanksgiving Day . Little information was recorded about the early Bonfires; the 1921 Texas A&M yearbook mentioned the "final rally" of the students before
1705-466: A hiatus on an official Bonfire. However, since 2002, a student-sponsored coalition has constructed an annual unsanctioned, off-campus "Student Bonfire" in the spirit of its predecessor. The students of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas , known as Aggies, burned their first bonfire on November 18, 1907, to congratulate the football team on a recent win. The first on-campus Aggie Bonfire,
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#17328526346341860-586: A higher proportion than that of any other American college or university. In early September 1918, the entire senior class enlisted, and there were 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. More than 1,200 alumni 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
2015-531: A member of the Southeastern Conference . In 1862, the U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Act , which auctioned land grants of public lands to establish endowments for colleges at which 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
2170-424: A portfolio of over 2,600 inventions. On average, Texas A&M files over 50 patents and closes 25 license agreements per year. Texas A&M has led the world in several fields of cloning research. Scientists at the university's College of Veterinary Medicine created the first cloned pet, a cat named 'cc', on December 22, 2001. Texas A&M was also the first academic institution to clone six species; cattle,
2325-536: A return on investment. As of 2015, Texas A&M was rated the second-best university for veterans in USA Today and ninth for "business schools for veterans" by the Military Times . The Texas A&M University System has an endowment valued at more than $ 19.2 billion; the second highest among U.S. public universities and seventh overall. Apart from revenue received from tuition and research grants, as part of
2480-496: A separate off-campus student team. Many former students participated with teams they belonged to as students. Each team had assigned shifts, although individuals were not limited to working only the assigned shifts. Students working on Bonfire wore "grodes"—old T-shirts, jeans, and boots. By tradition, grodes were either not washed until after Bonfire burned or not washed at all. In 1983, the city of College Station began manufacturing Austin city limits signs for students to place at
2635-580: A small lake, the Spirit Ice Arena, and is the home of the Arts Council of the Brazos Valley. The amphitheater has hosted a variety of musical events, including the annual Starlight Music Series, a concert series that starts in late spring and runs through late summer. Wolf Pen also has a sidewalk for a scenic run that when completed is about 1 mi (2 km). Wellborn became a community in 1867 as
2790-525: A student-run safe ride program , has provided over 250,000 free rides (as of 2016 ) to students who are unable to transport themselves home. Its organizers help other universities establish similar programs. In 2009, GLBT Aggies , formerly Gay Student Services (GSS), successfully sued the university for official recognition and the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the U.S. Constitution requires public universities to allow such student organizations under
2945-401: A time were allowed on the stack. Once the stack was finished, a burnt-orange outhouse with "t.u frat house" painted on the front was placed on top of the stack. Although between two and five thousand students participated in the construction of Bonfire each year, most worked only part-time, and many worked only one or two shifts. Student workers were organized by dormitories or Corps units, with
3100-417: Is State Highway 6 , and several smaller state highways and Farm to Market Roads connect the area to larger highways such as Interstate 45 . The College Station 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,
3255-507: Is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and a member of the Association of American Universities . The university was the first public higher education institution in Texas; it opened for classes on October 4, 1876, as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (A.M.C.) under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Act . In the following decades,
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#17328526346343410-584: Is a public , land-grant , research university in College Station, Texas , United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&;M University System in 1948. Since 2021, Texas A&M has enrolled the largest student body in the United States , and is the only university in Texas to hold simultaneous designations as a land-, sea- , and space-grant institution. It
3565-730: Is a city in Brazos County, Texas , United States, situated in East-Central Texas in the Brazos Valley , towards the eastern edge of the region known as the Texas Triangle . It is 83 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Houston and 87 miles (140 km) east-northeast of Austin . As of the 2020 census , College Station had a population of 120,511. College Station and Bryan make up the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area ,
3720-471: Is bisected to the north by Church Street, made famous by the Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett duet "The Front Porch Song". Wolf Pen Creek District is a large commercial development adjacent to Post Oak Mall and between two of the city's main commercial thoroughfares: Earl Rudder Freeway and Texas Avenue . The area consists of a greenway with trails, a $ 1.5 million amphitheater and entertainment area,
3875-747: Is bordered by the city of Bryan to the northwest. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 49.6 sq mi (128.5 km ), of which 49.4 sq mi (128.0 km ) is land and 0.19 sq mi (0.5 km ), or 0.35%, is covered by water. College Station has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa). Winters are mild with periods of low temperatures usually lasting less than two months, while summers are hot and humid. Snow and ice are rare; most recently, College Station received three to five inches of snowfall on February 15, 2021. Summers are hot and humid with occasional showers and thunderstorms being
4030-526: Is dedicated to marine research and hosts the Texas A&M Maritime Academy ; Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen is dedicated to engineering, biomedical science, public health, and food systems industry management; and Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) in Education City , Al Rayyan , Qatar , is dedicated to engineering disciplines. Texas A&M Health maintains several other Health Science Centers and campuses away from
4185-493: Is home to 125 stores; its opening on February 17, 1982, helped create the impetus for growing economic and commercial developments for College Station. It is currently the largest taxpayer in College Station and the second-largest in the Brazos Valley, though the anchor stores are free-standing units that are privately owned and taxed separate from the mall proper. Over 75% of retail sales in the Brazos Valley come from sales at
4340-578: Is located in Fort Worth . Texas A&M maintains the RELLIS Campus , formerly the Texas A&M University-Riverside Campus and Bryan Air Force Base, which was transferred from the university to become a separate entity within the Texas A&M University System in September 2015. Texas A&M is part of the Texas A&M University System, which consists of eleven universities, eight state agencies, and
4495-733: Is not based upon his service in the Confederate Army. Amid the Black Lives Matter movement and vandalism of the statue, attempts in 2020 by a group of students and activists to secure its removal were rebuffed by the university's administration, other students and alumni, and counter-protestors. The university also confirmed that the removal of the statue would require Texas Congressional approval. In 2022, university president M. Katherine Banks implemented university-wide administrative restructuring that involved several changes to academic unit names and branding. The College of Science ,
4650-792: Is owned by Texas A&M University , is also based in College Station. College Station is part of the Bryan-College Station Arbitron market #238. The service area of Blinn College includes all of Brazos County. Blinn operates a campus in nearby Bryan. Almost all of College Station is within the College Station Independent School District , while small sections are in Bryan Independent School District . College Station ISD operates two high schools: A&M Consolidated High School and College Station High School . Students living in
4805-422: Is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area of Brazos County , which is located in the Brazos Valley (Southeast Central Texas) region, an area often referred to as "Aggieland". Brazos Valley is centrally located within 200 miles (320 km) of three of the ten largest cities in the U.S. and 75% of the population of Texas and Louisiana —approximately 13 million people. The area's major roadway
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4960-436: Is prohibited, and hazing has been banned. The Bonfire leadership structure has remained in place, although in 2014 only 10 of the 26 dorms were represented by Bonfire crews. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000 to 15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties. The 2013 Student Bonfire attracted 12,000 people, despite being postponed until January due to flooding. There
5115-473: Is scheduled for 2025—it will be the largest optical telescope ever constructed with seven mirrors, each with a diameter of 8.4 meters (9.2 yd), the equivalent of a mirror 24.5 meters (26.8 yd) across and ten times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope . As part of a collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy 's National Nuclear Security Administration , Texas A&M completed
5270-675: Is selected by and reports to the chancellor. The provost is responsible for all educational and service activities of the university, and reports to the president. The cabinet, as the institution's administrative arm, and the deans of the respective colleges, also report to the president. The university and colleges are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and associated professional organizations offering degrees in 130 courses of study, over 260 professional and graduate degrees via its 17 colleges, and further opportunities in 21 research centers and institutes. As of
5425-515: Is the mother of the current emir Sheikha Moza bint Nasser , Texas A&M University at Qatar was set up through an agreement between Texas A&M and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development and continues its part of Qatar's efforts to expand higher education with the assistance of elite institutions from the United States. All degrees at the Qatar campus are granted by
5580-435: Is wearing an Aggie Ring , whose design has been relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1894. Although not sanctioned by the university, many students "dunk" their newly acquired Aggie Rings into a pitcher of beer and drink the entire pitcher in seconds. Texas A&M students have created two major traditions to honor deceased former students. The Aggie Muster is a ceremony of remembrance held annually on April 21,
5735-480: Is wrapped around each tier. For added support, four 24-foot (7.3 m) poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45-foot (14 m) center pole, each with a steel pipe. These poles are known as Windle-sticks, after Levi Windle, a staunch supporter of Student Bonfire who died in an unrelated accident in 2003. The Board changed or eliminated many of the minor traditions that had proliferated during Aggie Bonfire, primarily for safety reasons. Alcohol
5890-564: The College of Geosciences , and the College of Liberal Arts, were merged to form the Texas A&M University College of Arts & Sciences. Several academic units underwent a change in name from "college" to "school". Additionally, the Texas A&M pharmacy unit was renamed the Texas A&M University Irma Lerma Rangel School of Pharmacy . The following year, Banks suddenly resigned in July, only days after
6045-495: The Corps of Cadets became voluntary for students at Texas A&M. Before, Corps leaders directed construction of Bonfire. However, because the Corps had no authority over the "non-regs", or civilian students, a separate Bonfire leadership structure was instituted. The new leaders were designated with colored hard hats , or pots, with the overall leaders known as redpots. The first Bonfire built with both Corps and non-reg participation
6200-523: The Electronics Training Program , which would train Navy personnel to maintain new radar systems. During the war, 29 Texas A&M graduates reached the rank of general . After the end of World War II, enrollment rapidly grew as many former soldiers used the G.I. Bill to fund their education; however, enrollment stagnated in the following decade. In 1948, the state legislature established
6355-488: The First Amendment 's "freedom to assemble" clause. The university newspaper The Battalion has been in production since 1893. 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. As of 2007, the university houses three public broadcasting stations: KAMU-TV , a PBS member station since 1970; KAMU-FM ,
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6510-662: The George Bush Presidential Library opened in 1997. Attention was drawn again in 1999, when 12 people were killed and 27 injured when the Aggie Bonfire collapsed while being constructed . In 2022, it became one of the first areas served by Amazon 's Prime Air drone delivery service, along with Lockeford, California . College Station is south of the center of Brazos County at 30°36′5″N 96°18′52″W / 30.60139°N 96.31444°W / 30.60139; -96.31444 (30.601433, –96.314464). It
6665-532: The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum —one of fifteen American presidential libraries operated by the National Archives and Records Administration . Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush remained actively involved with the university, frequently visiting the campus and participating in special events until his death in 2018. He was buried on campus. With strong support from Rice University and
6820-651: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Muscular Dystrophy Association . The university is also engaged in significant scientific exploration projects. In 2004, as part of its responsibilities under the space grant program, it joined a consortium of universities and countries to build the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile. Construction began in November 2015; on its completion—which
6975-481: The Texas Legislature renamed the college Texas A&M University; the letters "A&M" were retained as a tribute to the university's former designation. The university's main campus spans over 5,500 acres (22 km ), and includes the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum . The university offers degrees in more than 130 courses of study through 18 colleges, and houses 21 research institutes. As
7130-686: The Texas Transportation Institute , the Cyclotron Institute, the Institute of Biosciences and Technology, and the Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology. Texas A&M University is a member of the SEC Academic Consortium . Texas A&M works with state and university agencies on local and international research projects to develop innovations in science and technology that can have commercial applications. In 2006,
7285-542: 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 285 alumni have served as generals or flag officers as of 2021. Until 1965, Corps membership was mandatory. The Corps began accepting female members in the fall semester of 1974. The Corps of Cadets is composed of four major units, the Air Force Wing,
7440-553: The "Northgate Music Festival" in 2002. In 2006, the city council incorporated Northgate as a special tax zone to finance additional improvements and expansions. Live music is a major draw to the Northgate area. Many well-known musicians, especially in the Texas country music scene, initially performed in the Northgate area. Notable names include Robert Earl Keen , Grammy award-winner Lyle Lovett , Dub Miller, and Roger Creager . The district
7595-473: The 15th-largest metropolitan area in Texas with 268,248 people as of 2020. College Station is home to the main campus of Texas A&M University , the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System . The city owes its name and existence to the university's location along a railroad. Texas A&M's triple designation as a land-grant university , National Sea Grant College Program , and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program reflects
7750-442: The 17th-best public university in the country and 50th overall. After conducting a survey of leading employment recruiters, The Wall Street Journal ranked Texas A&M second nationally as "most likely to help students land a job in key careers and professions" and the 83rd-best college overall. As of 2017, according to Best Value Schools , Texas A&M graded first in nation as the best college for military veterans, based on
7905-413: The 1930s. This fire consisted of three piles of wood, with the center stack being 35 feet (11 m) high. Despite a lack of official advertisement, over one thousand spectators attended. The following year, the unofficial event was rebranded Student Bonfire. Now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Student Bonfire has official bylaws and a Board of Directors comprising former students. The bylaws specify
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#17328526346348060-556: The 1970s, the Guinness Book of Records listed Aggie Bonfire as the largest bonfire in the world. In 1978, Bonfire shifted from its previous teepee design to a wedding cake style, in which upper stacks of logs were wedged on top of lower stacks. The structure was built around a fortified center pole, made from two telephone poles spliced together by cutting matching notches, approximately 10 feet (3 m) long, and with 5 US gallons (19 L) of glue. Four steel plates were bolted to
8215-422: The 58th Legislature of Texas approved Rudder's proposal for a substantial expansion of the college. Over the coming years, Texas A&M augmented and upgraded its physical plant and facilities, and diversified and expanded its student body by admitting women and minorities. Membership in the Corps of Cadets also became voluntary from the start of the fall semester of 1963. Initially, the decision to admit women made
8370-478: The Aggie Spirit, a strong sense of loyalty and respect for the university. They dictate many aspects of student life, including greeting others using the official school greeting of "Howdy!", personal conduct at university sporting events, and students' word choices in conversation. A visible designation tradition among senior undergraduates, graduate students nearing the end of their programs, and former students
8525-761: The Army Brigade, the Navy/Marine Regiment, and 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, one of the oldest student-run organizations 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 Texas A&M in local and national competitions. The team have won
8680-627: The Bonfire burning from the Texas A&M and College Station police departments and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission . In 1989, the Campus Ministry Association, representing 17 religious denominations, unanimously approved a resolution asking the university to change Bonfire because of concerns about safety, participant academic performance, humanitarian considerations, and the environment. Shortly afterwards,
8835-450: The Bonfires of the 1960s were constructed in five to ten days, working primarily in daylight, by the late 1970s, changes in the school led to a more elaborate and lengthy construction schedule. Construction began in late October with "Cut", obtaining wood by cutting down trees with axes, which took several weekends. After Cut, students brought the logs to campus during "Load", a process by which
8990-835: The Bryan-College Station campus. The School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed), at the Houston Methodist Hospital , and the Texas A&M Institute of Biosciences and Technology , are both located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston . The School of Dentistry is located in Dallas , and the institution has a presence in Corpus Christi , Kingsville , Lufkin , McAllen, Round Rock , and Temple . Texas A&M School of Law, formerly Texas Wesleyan University School of Law,
9145-444: The College Station and Northgate College Station post offices. As of May 2008, the local unemployment hovered around 3 to 4%, among the lowest in Texas. This rate is largely attributed to the significant role the university plays in the local economy. However, underemployment is an ongoing issue. Post Oak Mall was the city's first mall and is currently the largest mall in the Brazos Valley . The 82-acre (330,000 m ) mall
9300-548: The Duncan Intramural Fields on the south side of A&M's campus for 27 years, in 1992, Bonfire was relocated to the Polo Fields on the northeast corner of campus. This more isolated site, with a larger area for people to gather, made it a safer location. After heavy rains in 1994, the partially completed Bonfire began to slowly lean to the side as the soil underneath shifted. Student officials had enough warning to clear
9455-711: The Faculty Senate's Committee of the Whole approved a resolution asking for a panel to explore alternatives to Bonfire. Although students protested Bonfire's environmental impact since 1970, no changes were made for decades. In 1990, student Scott Hantman asked the Bonfire leadership to help him address the problem. The group solicited volunteers, and in the spring of 1991, they planted 400 trees. The tradition, Aggie Replant , has been repeated annually. The Replant organization became independent of Bonfire in 1994 when it gained its own Student Government Committee. After being held at
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#17328526346349610-448: The Polo Fields, working around the clock, to rebuild the Bonfire in time for the game. It was completed only hours before it was scheduled to burn. After the 1994 Bonfire was burned, two tons of lime were spread on the Polo Fields to stabilize the ground. This layer hardened to a consistency similar to concrete. In 1996 a student, Greg White, died in a car accident on his way home from Cut. The student and several companions were riding in
9765-509: The Quadrangle, known as "The Quad" , an area consisting of dormitories, Duncan Dining Hall, and the Corps training fields. The Corps Arches, a series of twelve arches that allude to the spirit of the 12th Man , 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. The Aggie mascot Reveille ,
9920-555: The RELLIS Campus. The system is governed by a ten-member Board of Regents , nine of whom are appointed by the Governor of Texas to six-year terms, and one non-voting Student Regent who is appointed to a one-year term. The Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System is responsible for day-to-day operations and is answerable to the Board of Regents. The university is led by the university president, who has executive responsibility, and
10075-565: The Redpots and Yell Leaders then lit the stack with torches the night before the annual football game against the University of Texas when at home and two nights before the game when it was played in Austin. This event was popular among current and former students and people traveled from all over the state and the nation to observe the burning of Bonfire. Hotel rooms within 65 miles (105 km) of College Station were booked weeks or months in advance of
10230-428: The Texas A&M Campus, built a bonfire as a prop for the movie. Their structure used a design similar to a teepee , where all the logs rested against each other in a conical shape. The logs were placed at an angle between 23 and 30 degrees, giving it "a tremendous vertical and horizontal resistance". This allowed Bonfire to grow from 25 feet (8 m) tall to over 50 feet (20 m) tall. Subsequent Aggies adopted
10385-441: The Texas A&M College Station campus as the flagship of a new system of universities, the Texas A&M University System. Its goal was to serve as the lead institution to foster the evolution of a statewide educational, research and service system. On July 1, 1959, Major General James Earl Rudder , class of 1932, became the 16th president of the college. In 1963, with the backing of State Senator William T. "Bill" Moore ,
10540-493: The Texas A&M University System was the first to explicitly state in its policy technology commercialization could be used for tenure . Passage of this policy was intended to give faculty more academic freedom and strengthen the university's industry partnerships. The efforts of system-wide faculty and research departments have yielded millions of dollars for Texas A&M in royalty-bearing license agreements through more than 900 patents and 1,500 patent applications relating to
10695-417: The Texas Wesleyan University School of Law and renamed it the Texas A&M University School of Law . In 2017, the retention of the statue of Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross was in question after other institutions removed statues of former Confederate officers . The Texas A&M University System Chancellor, John Sharp , and President, Michael Young , announced the statue would remain on campus because it
10850-419: The University and its branch campus in Qatar and shared accurate information. In 2013, Texas A&M signed an agreement to open a $ 200 million campus in Nazareth , Israel, as a "peace campus" for Arabs and Israelis. The agreement led to protests from students at the Qatari campus, who called it "an insult to [their] people". The planned campus in Nazareth was never opened; instead, Texas A&M opened
11005-401: The University of Texas and was never incorporated into the University of Texas System . In the late 1880s, many Texas residents saw no need for two colleges in Texas and advocated for the elimination of Texas A.M.C. In 1891, the college was saved from closure by its new president Lawrence Sullivan Ross , former Governor of Texas and former Confederate Brigadier General , by demonstrating
11160-447: The University of Texas, in May 2001, the Association of American Universities inducted Texas A&M on the basis of the depth of its research and academic programs. As the student population increased, so did the university's diverse academic offerings. On July 12, 2013, Texas A&M Health Science Center was formally merged into the university. On August 12, 2013, the university acquired
11315-456: The University of Texas. The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in conjunction with festivities surrounding the annual football game. Early bonfires were little more than piles of trash, but the event gradually became more organized and eventually grew to an immense size, setting the world record in 1969. In 1999, the Bonfire collapsed during construction , killing 12 and injuring 27 others. The accident led Texas A&M to declare
11470-403: The age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 58.0% were not families. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.98. The racial makeup of the city as of 2019
11625-512: The agreement with the Qatar Foundation, TAMU agreed 70% of its undergraduates at its Qatar campus would be Qatari citizens. The curriculum is designed to emulate the academic rigors of the facility at College Station but critics question whether this is possible due to Qatar's strict stance on some of the freedoms granted to U.S. students. TAMU has also been criticized over its Qatari campus due to Qatar's alleged ties to Islamic terrorism and
11780-514: The anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto , to honor current and former students who died the previous year. Alumni also typically socialize and remember their time at the university. Over 300 Musters are held around the world, the largest taking place at Reed Arena on the university's main campus. All Muster ceremonies feature the Roll Call for the Absent, in which names of deceased alumni are called,
11935-594: The area and tear down the Bonfire one week before its scheduled burn date. Nine tractors, two bulldozers, and two forklifts dismantled the stack on October 26, 1994 (three weeks earlier than usual; the Aggies' game vs. Texas was moved from Thanksgiving weekend to the first weekend of November due to the NCAA's ban against Texas A&M from appearing on television that season), which, at 70% completed, stood 40 feet (12 m) tall and 45 feet (14 m) wide. Students and alumni flocked to
12090-521: The bed of a pickup truck when the driver lost control and the truck rolled. Nine other students were injured. In its later years, students building Bonfire used logs donated by local landowners who wanted their land cleared for construction or farming. Over 8000 logs were used each year in the late 1990s, taking about 5000 students a combined 125,000 man-hours to construct. After being doused in 700 lb (318 kg) of jet fuel , applied by staff members at A&M's Fire Training School,
12245-531: The broad scope of the research endeavors it brings to the city, with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as NASA , the National Institutes of Health , the National Science Foundation , and the Office of Naval Research . College Station's origins date from 1860, when the Houston and Texas Central Railway began to build through the region. Eleven years later, the site was chosen as the location for
12400-462: The campus would be a boon for revenues, the first business district was established in College Station near the campus, taking its name for the closest on-campus landmark: the north gate. When the city was incorporated in 1938, its first City Hall was opened in the new district. In 1994, restoration efforts began to revitalize the ailing area. A four-day music festival, "North By Northgate", was introduced in 1998 and has become an annual tradition, renamed
12555-435: The city adopted a council-manager system of city government. Population growth accelerated following World War II as the nonstudent population reached 7,898 in 1950, 11,396 in 1960, 17,676 in 1970, 30,449 in 1980, 52,456 in 1990, and 67,890 in 2000. The Bryan-College Station metropolitan area's population crossed 270,000 people in 2018. In the 1990s, College Station and Texas A&M University drew national attention when
12710-513: The college began to focus on degrees in scientific agriculture, and civil and mechanical engineering. In 1881, enrollment grew to 258 but declined to 108 in 1883, the same year the University of Texas opened in Austin . Although originally envisioned and annotated in the Texas Constitution as a branch of the soon-to-begin University of Texas, Texas A.M.C. had a separate Board of Directors from
12865-412: The college could function and excel in its established form under proper leadership. Ross made many improvements to the campus, installing running water and permanent dormitories. Enrollment doubled under his tenure to 467 cadets as parents sent their sons to Texas A.M.C. to emulate the traits of Ross. Many college traditions began under Ross's presidency, including the creation of the first Aggie Ring ,
13020-454: The college grew in size and scope, expanding to its largest enrollment during WWII before its first significant stagnation in enrollment post-war. Enrollment grew again in the 1960s under the leadership of President James Earl Rudder , during whose tenure, the college desegregated, became coeducational, and ended the requirement for participation in the Corps of Cadets . In 1963, to reflect the institution's expanded roles and academic offerings,
13175-553: The college's educational and technical training resulted in 20,229 trained combat troops for U.S. military efforts. Of those, 14,123 alumni 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 . At the start of World War II, Texas A&M was selected as one of six engineering colleges to participate in
13330-464: The community the Wellborn district. Wellborn is often mispronounced as 'well-born' but is pronounced by locals as 'Well-burn'. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 120,511 people, 41,682 households, and 20,487 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2000, 67,890 people, 24,691 households, and 10,370 families resided in the city. Of the 24,691 households, 21.0% had children under
13485-541: The community’s poverty rate." The city of College Station has a council-manager form of government. Voters elect the members of a city council, who pass laws and make policy. The council hires a professional city manager who is responsible for day-to-day operations of the city and its public services. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) operates the Bryan District Parole Office in College Station. The United States Postal Service operates
13640-438: The complexity of the design, there were no formal written instructions or architectural blueprints for the construction of Bonfire. Knowledge on how to build the structure was passed verbally from one redpot to the next. By 1999, the only written documentation on the building of Bonfire was the rough schematic printed on the back of the official Bonfire T-shirt worn by participants from the freshman honors dormitory, Lechner. While
13795-482: The country's human rights record. In 2016, Texas A&M Aggie Conservatives, a campus activism group, criticized the campus and called for its immediate closure on the grounds it violated a commitment to educating Texans and diminished the credibility of engineering degrees of students at College Station. On 7 January 2024, Mark A. Welsh III , President of TAMU, addressed inaccuracies and misconceptions circulating on various websites and social media platforms regarding
13950-408: The date Bonfire burned. Crowds ranged from 30,000 to 70,000 people, depending on the weather and the strength of the Aggie football team. The 1998 Bonfire was broadcast live on Fox Sports Southwest . At approximately 2:42 a.m. on November 18, 1999, the 59-foot-high stack, consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and former students working on
14105-419: The design that must be used each year, and no changes have been permitted since the first burn in 2003. This design, based on the recommendation of the 2002 university task force and approved by a structural engineer, results in a Bonfire less than half the size of those from the 1960s. In a departure from previous practice, every log in the stack touches the ground. To maintain the traditional wedding-cake design,
14260-514: The district spans about 145 acres (0.59 km ), bounded by Wellborn Road to the west, South College Avenue to the east, the College Station city limits to the north, and University Drive to the south. The district is the home of the Dixie Chicken . Northgate's roots started in the 1930s as the city began enjoying rapid population growth from the influx of Texas A&M University students, professors, and their families. Realizing that proximity to
14415-452: The dorms of the Corps of Cadets (whose leaders oversaw construction). In 1957, the structure collapsed two days before Bonfire was to be held, but students worked around-the-clock to rebuild it, and the bonfire burned as scheduled. During this period, University of Texas students attempted several stunts, trying to light the stack early, but to no avail. In both 1933 and 1948, students from UT rented an airplane and tried to drop fire bombs onto
14570-412: The early years, as female volunteers were subject to verbal abuse from their male counterparts. In 1987, two female photographers from the school yearbook alleged that male workers shouted obscenities and threw dirt on them as they tried to take pictures of the raising of the center pole. The redpots responded that women were always welcome to participate as long as they did their share of the work, and that
14725-474: The fall semester in 2021, Texas A&M was the largest American university with an enrollment of 72,982 students who were pursuing degrees in 17 academic colleges. The student body originates from all 50 U.S. states and over 120 other countries. Texas residents account for 86.27% of the student population and 7.42% are of international origin. The demographics of the student body are 52.9% male and 47.1% female. Members of ethnic minority groups make up 42.2% of
14880-417: The first conversion of a nuclear research reactor from using highly enriched uranium fuel (70%) to use low-enriched uranium (20%). The eighteen-month project ended on October 13, 2006, after the first-ever refueling of the reactor, thus fulfilling a portion of the United States' Global Nuclear Threat Reduction Initiative. In 2013, geography researchers named the largest volcano on Earth, Tamu Massif , after
15035-634: 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 from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to recognize its commitment to space research and participation in the Texas Space Grant Consortium. In 1997, the university opened the Bush School of Government and Public Service and
15190-430: The football season". The 1947 Corps handbook stated that "bonfire symbolizes two things: a burning desire to beat the team from the University of Texas, and the undying flame of love that every loyal Aggie carries in his heart for the school"; this was often shortened to "the burning desire to beat the hell out of t.u." The Bonfire design changed in 1942. Universal Studios , filming the movie We've Never Been Licked on
15345-413: The game against Texas, but did not refer to a bonfire. Six years later, the school yearbook published a photograph of the event. Freshmen were expected to build the early Bonfires to help prove their worth. For almost two decades, the students constructed Bonfire from debris and wood acquired through various, sometimes illicit, means, including appropriating lumber intended for a dormitory in 1912. In 1935,
15500-410: The hall. Northside consists of seventeen student residence halls, including two dedicated to honors students . Approximately half of the residence halls on campus are reserved for members of the Corps of Cadets. The university also has four major apartment complexes for both staff and students, which are located both on and adjacent to the campus. Facilities for the Corps of Cadets are located in
15655-409: The highest poverty rate among U.S. cities with populations over 100,000. However, this statistic is likely impacted by the fact that Texas A&M University has the largest student enrollment in the U.S. . The U.S. Census Bureau has noted that "both in small counties with a large university and in large counties with multiple universities, the presence of college students who live off campus raises
15810-461: The incident, the Bonfire Memorial was officially dedicated. The memorial is composed of three design elements: The memorial design has been recognized by several organizations as an outstanding architectural design and masonry accomplishment. The American Institute of Architects , San Antonio Chapter, recognized the memorial as a winner of the 2005 AIA San Antonio Design Award. The memorial also
15965-535: The institution has over 11,750 acres (50 km ), which includes 3,000,000 square feet (279,000 m ) of dedicated research space. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies Texas A&M among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" as of 2021. Its research entities include the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study , the Texas Institute for Genomic Medicine ,
16120-434: The late 1920s, students were officially nicknamed "Farmers" but the moniker "Aggies"—a common nickname for students at schools focused heavily on agriculture—gained favor and became the official student-body nickname in 1949. The first day of classes was set for October 2, 1876, but only six students enrolled on the first day. Classes were delayed and officially began on October 4 with six faculty members and forty students at
16275-538: The liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life". In 1871, the Texas Legislature used these funds to establish the state's first public institution of higher education, the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, (Texas A.M.C.). Brazos County donated 2,416 acres (10 km ) near Bryan, Texas , for the college's campus. From its beginning until
16430-421: The logs are cut to different heights, with the tallest set reaching 32 feet (9.8 m) high. The lowered height eliminates the need for a spliced center pole. Instead, a single utility pole, sunk 15 feet (4.6 m) into the ground, serves as the center pole. As in the pre-1999 versions of Bonfire, each log is tied to the log next to it with baling wire. To further fortify the structure, aircraft-grade steel cable
16585-406: The logs were loaded by hand onto flatbed trucks and brought to campus. In early November, crews began "Stack", a three-week period in which the logs were wired together and Bonfire took shape. Near the end of stack, known as "Push", students worked around the clock in rotating shifts. The first four of the six stacks were built with the efforts of all safety-trained participants. The day before Bonfire
16740-472: The logs were sloping only 14 degrees . The spiral arrangement of the logs was designed to make Bonfire collapse into itself in a twisting motion, thus protecting spectators. Although the tradition stated that if Bonfire burned through midnight then A&M would win the following day's football game, the introduction of the wedding cake design drastically reduced the time it took for Bonfire to fall, sometimes burning for only 30 or 45 minutes. Despite
16895-504: The logs. To ensure safety during the Stack period, the organizers maintained a perimeter around the working area, and allowed only safety-trained students through. Cranes, donated by local construction companies, assisted in getting logs onto the upper tiers, and volunteers from those companies were on-hand at all times to offer advice. Emergency medical technicians were also required to be on site at all times and no more than 70 students at
17050-659: The main dining centers, and many campus support facilities are also on the 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
17205-489: The mall's stores. Two full power local commercial television stations included CBS affiliate KBTX-TV (which also includes subchannels affiliated with CW and Telemundo) and MyNetworkTV affiliate KYLE-TV which also airs Fox programming (via Waco-based KWKT-TV ) on its second digital subchannel. Low power television stations KAGS-LD and KRHD-CD respectively air programming from NBC (via Temple-based KCEN-TV ) and ABC (via Waco-based KXXV ). PBS member station KAMU , which
17360-483: The maneuvers. Membership of the Corps of Cadets is a requirement for joining the Aggie Band, whose members live by the same standards, schedules, and regimens as the rest of the Corps. Texas A&M has over 1,000 student organizations, including academic, service, religious, social, and common interest organizations, and hosts 58 nationally or internationally recognized Greek Letter Organizations (GLOs). About 10% of
17515-487: The military school. During the first semester, enrollment increased to 48 students and by the end of the 1877 spring semester, 106 students had enrolled. Admission was limited to white males, who were required to participate in the Corps of Cadets and receive military training. Originally, the college taught no classes in agriculture or engineering, instead concentrating on classical studies, languages, literature, and applied mathematics. After initial resistance from faculty,
17670-506: The national championship almost every year since their creation in 1946, and have appeared in several Hollywood films, including A Few Good Men and Courage Under Fire , in which they had prominent roles. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, the nation's largest precision military marching band , provides music for university functions and presents halftime performances at football games. Some band drills are so complicated they require band members to step between each other's feet to complete
17825-407: The new idea, and the teepee design became standard for Bonfires for the next 25 years. Beginning in 1952, the bonfires were constructed entirely from fresh-cut logs. The event suffered its first fatality in 1955, when a student was struck by a swerving car. For unrelated reasons, that same year the Bonfire was moved from Simpson Drill Field in front of the Memorial Student Center to Duncan Field, near
17980-445: The officer before he could succeed and chased him across campus. In 1999, a Longhorn fan hired someone to build a six-foot model airplane designed to carry a bomb into the wood stack to ignite it prematurely. "He was actually in the process of building that plane when they had the tragedy at bonfire", Mel Stekoll said. "At that point, we scrapped the plan. It would have been the next year that we planned to try it." In 1965, membership in
18135-411: The only real variation in weather. Northgate is a mixed-use district north of Texas A&M University that features a combination of businesses, restaurants, apartments, churches, and entertainment. It is known for its eclectic mix of restaurants and bars . A large portion of the stores, bars, and restaurants in Northgate are frequented, patronized, and staffed by Texas A&M students. In total,
18290-693: The photographers were standing dangerously close to the stack. To find their own place in the Bonfire hierarchy, female students founded the all-female Bonfire Reload Crew to provide refreshments to those working at Cut and Stack. Injuries plagued the construction process. In 1981, student Wiley Keith Jopling died after being run over by a tractor at the Cut site. At the 1985 Cut site, one student broke his hip, and, in 1989, another student lost two fingers when logs crushed his hand. Fractures and amputations were rare, but many students suffered cuts, scrapes, or exposure to poison ivy . Hazing , including beatings with ax handles,
18445-452: The proposed Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, a land-grant school. In 1876, as the nation celebrated its centennial , the school (renamed Texas A&M University in 1963) opened its doors as the first public institution of higher education in the state of Texas. College Station's population grew slowly, reaching 350 in 1884 and 391 at the turn of the century. However, during this time, transportation improvements took place in
18600-460: The resignation of the interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, after a botched attempted hiring of Kathleen McElroy to revive the university's journalism program. The initial job offer, which included a multiyear offer and tenure, was later watered down, with McElroy being presented with a succession of different offer letters. The final, which was rejected, was a one-year contract that could be terminated at any time. Her potential hiring
18755-577: The same. Though not explicitly envisioned as such, over time it became a de facto all-male institution and led to a decades-long debate about the role of women at the college. In 1911, under pressure from the Texas Legislature, the college allowed women to attend classes during the summer semester. A.M.C. expanded its academic offerings with the establishment of the School of Veterinary Medicine in 1915. Many Texas A&M alumni served during World War I and by 1918, 49% of all Aggies were in military service,
18910-496: The school and surrounding community have grown and military training is no longer mandated, the university's history has instilled in students, according to Paul Burka, "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. These traditions enable and encourage students and alumni to cultivate
19065-452: The senior class ring . Ross served until his death in 1898; to honor his contributions to the college, a statue of him was erected in 1918 in front of modern-day Academic Plaza. Initially, women were permitted to attend classes only as "special students" but were not permitted to seek degrees. In 1893, Ethel Hudson, a daughter of one of the faculty, became the first woman to take classes; in 1899, her sisters Sophie and Mary Hudson did
19220-431: The sports facilities, the business school, agricultural programs, life sciences, the veterinary college, the political science and economics school, George Bush School of Government & Public Service , George Bush Presidential Library , and two schools within the Texas A&M Health Science Center. Outside the main campus, the institution formally includes three branch campuses : Texas A&M University at Galveston
19375-408: The stack of logs set the world record for the height of a bonfire at 109 ft 10 in (33 m) tall. Out of concern for the safety of participants and the community, the university limited the size to 55 feet (17 m) tall and 45 feet (14 m) in diameter. As an added precaution, nearby campus buildings were equipped with rooftop sprinkler systems . Despite the new height restrictions, in
19530-514: The stack, 12 were killed and 27 were injured. Immediately after the collapse, Emergency Medical Technicians and trained First Responders of the Texas A&M Emergency Care Team (TAMECT), a student-run, volunteer service, who staffed each stage of construction, administered first aid. TAMECT alerted the University Police and University EMS (also a student-run service), who dispatched all remaining university medics, and requested mutual aid from
19685-444: The stack. In one of these instances, the plane ran low on fuel, and was forced to land at Easterwood Airport in College Station —the wooden portions of the plane found themselves part of Bonfire that year. In 1956, there was an unsuccessful attempt to plant explosives at the Bonfire site, and, in the late 1970s, a College Station police officer was fired after trying to ignite the bonfire several days ahead of schedule. Students spotted
19840-754: The student body receives about $ 810 million in financial aid annually. The admission rate of students who applied as undergraduates in 2020 was 63%. The school is rated as "more selective" by U.S. News & World Report . In a comparison of educational quality, faculty quality, and research output, the Center for World-Class Universities placed Texas A&M 57th nationally and 151st internationally in its 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) rankings. In its 2021–2022 rankings, The Times Higher Education Supplement listed Texas A&M 61st among North America's universities and 193rd among world universities. The 2021–2022 QS World University Rankings placed
19995-434: The student body very unhappy. The change was initially resisted and some minor efforts to reverse it persisted for several decades. The positive impact of these changes was rapid. By 1972, on-campus housing was dedicated for women and in 1976, the student body elected its first Black student-body president. In the same series of actions, the Texas legislature officially renamed the school "Texas A&M University", specifying
20150-450: The student body, respectively. The School of Education and Human Development and Mays Business School each enrolled 9%. The remaining schools enrolled less than 6% each. In addition, slightly more than 3% of the student body had not declared a major. As of 2019, the university enrolled the seventh-highest total of National Merit scholars in the United States and the third-highest among all public universities. As of 2021, about 72% of
20305-488: The student government for Texas A&M University's graduate and professional students. Student organizations have had a nationwide impact. Texas A&M students founded the largest one-day, student-run service project in America known as The Big Event . The annual service project allows students to serve the community by assisting local residents. Such events are now also held at other universities. The organization CARPOOL,
20460-465: The student population. According to U.S. News & World Report , Texas A&M has a student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1 and an average-freshman-retention rate of 92%. According to the institution, in 2019, it had a four-year-graduation rate of 59% and a six-year-graduation of 81.7%. College of Engineering had the largest enrollment of 29.6%. The College of Liberal Arts and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences followed, enrolling 12% and 11% of
20615-499: The summit of the Bonfire so that students would stop stealing signs from Austin. The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band began building the outhouse, ending the tradition of stealing Bonfire's components. Although women were allowed to serve coffee and provide first aid in the late 1960s, in 1974 they were officially banned from both Cut and Stack. The ban was partially rescinded in 1979, when women were again allowed to participate in Cut, and completely rescinded in 1981. Few women participated in
20770-507: The surrounding agencies. In addition to the mutual aid received from the College Station and Bryan , Texas EMS, Fire, and Police Departments, members of Texas Task Force 1 , the state's elite emergency response team, arrived to assist the rescue efforts. A memorial was constructed on the university polo fields, the site of the accident. Construction began in October 2003 and was completed by November 2004. On November 18, 2004, five years following
20925-463: The symbolic nature of the letters "A" and "M", which reflect the institution's past, and no longer denote "Agricultural and Mechanical". By the time of his death in 1970, Rudder had overseen the growth of the college from 7,500 to 14,000 students from all 50 U.S. states and from 75 other nations. In the 35 years following his death, Texas A&M more than tripled its enrollment from 14,000 students to more than 45,000. Texas A&M became one of
21080-531: The town. In 1900, the I&;GN Railroad was extended to College Station (the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company abandoned the line in 1965), and 10 years later, electric interurban service was established between Texas A&M and the neighboring town of Bryan. A city bus system replaced the interurban in the 1920s. In 1930, the community to the north of College Station, known as North Oakwood,
21235-470: The two poles, and a 3 ⁄ 8 inch (9.5 mm) cable wrapped around the joint and secured to the pole with steel staples. Four perimeter poles were placed 150 feet (46 m) away and ropes were stretched between the perimeter poles to center poles and tension placed on them to hold the center pole together. After the center pole was erected, logs were placed vertically around it in a multi-tiered wedding cake design composed of thousands of logs. By 1984,
21390-751: The undergraduate population is affiliated with a GLO fraternity or sorority. One of the oldest student organizations is the Singing Cadets , an all-male choral group not affiliated with the Corps of Cadets with about 70 members that was founded in 1893. Texas A&M Hillel , the oldest Hillel organization in the United States , was founded in 1920 at the original college. Since 1955, the MSC Student Conference on National Affairs has held conferences, lectures, and other programs to discuss national and international issues with speakers. The Department of Recreational Sports provides athletic activities to
21545-530: The university 168th in the world. In its 2022 edition, the Center for World University Rankings placed Texas A&M as the 74th-best university globally and 41st nationally. In the 2022 edition of the U.S. News & World Report ranking of universities, Texas A&M was placed 68th nationally and 130th globally. In 2021, The Washington Monthly assessed Texas A&M 21st nationally based on their criteria that weigh research, community service, and social mobility. In 2021, Forbes rated Texas A&M as
21700-643: The university community; sports facilities include the Student Recreation Center, a natatorium ; the Penberthy Rec Sports Complex; and the Omar Smith Instructional Tennis Center. The Student Government Association (SGA), one of A&M's largest organizations, has over 1,300 student members in three branches, fifteen committees, and four commissions. The Graduate Student Council, which was founded in 1995, serves as
21855-607: The university in honor of their research contributions. Of the university's numerous agreements and joint facilities of international cooperation, Texas A&M owns a multipurpose center in Mexico City, Soltis Research and Education Center near San Isidro, Costa Rica, and Santa Chiara Study Abroad Center in Castiglion Fiorentino , Italy. During the 2018 academic year, over 5,600 Texas A&M students—primarily undergraduates—studied in 110 countries. Marine research occurs on
22010-767: The university system, Texas A&M is partially funded from two endowments. The smaller endowment and investment assets, totaling $ 2.6 billion as of 2021, is run by the private Texas A&M Foundation. A larger sum is distributed from the Texas Permanent University Fund (PUF), in which the system holds a one-third stake. As of 2021 , the PUF ending net-asset value was approximately $ 30 billion. The National Science Foundation ranked Texas A&M 16th among American universities for research and development expenditures in 2021 with $ 1.14 billion. Concentrated in two primary areas, Research Valley and Research Park,
22165-411: The university's TAMU College of Engineering. TAMUQ was opened in 2003, and the current contract extends through 2023. The campus offers undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering, and a graduate degree in chemical engineering. TAMUQ has received awards for its research. Texas A&M receives $ 76.2 million per year from the Qatar Foundation for the campus. In
22320-878: The university's branch campus, Texas A&M University at Galveston . It also has collaborations with international facilities such as Hacienda Santa Clara in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato , Mexico. The university is one of 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. The university also hosts Las Americas Digital Research Network, an online architecture network for 26 universities in 12 nations, primarily in Central and South America. Founded in 1995 by then-emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife, who
22475-595: Was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males. Data from the ACS 1-year estimates indicates that the median income for a household in College Station was $ 47,632, a decrease from $ 52,397 reported in the 2020 census . According to Forbes , approximately 28.5% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2021, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those aged 65 or older. The ACS 1-year estimates suggest this percentage may be as high as 30.2%,
22630-434: Was 77.45% White, 7.74% African American, 0.30% Native American, 10.25% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 6.32% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any ethnicity/nationality were 15.6% of the population. In the city, the population was distributed as 14.4% under the age of 18, 51.2% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 9.4% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
22785-692: Was a virtual Burn in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic , and the only persons allowed to attend in-person were those that built it. In 2022, the stack site was moved up the road, but the new site was located on a flood plain. Frequent rain during Stack season causing deep mud at the site, and forecasted rain for Burn night, forced Burn to be delayed to January 2023. 30°37′22″N 96°20′07″W / 30.6227°N 96.3352°W / 30.6227; -96.3352 ( Bonfire Memorial ) - Bonfire Memorial Texas A%26M University Texas A&M University ( Texas A&M , A&M , or TAMU )
22940-723: Was appointed interim president. April 2024, students at Texas A&M University joined other college students across the USA in protesting against the Israel-Hamas war . They demanded that A&M divest funds from companies supporting the war. The protests continued in into the next academic year with the students alleging that Israel was carrying out a genocide and the administration cracking down on protests and further limiting free speech . Texas A&M's College Station campus spans 5,200 acres (21 km ) and Research Park covers an additional 350 acres (1 km ). The university
23095-452: Was common. The 1980s also saw increased alcohol consumption during the Bonfire ceremony. In 1988, police issued 140 Minor in Possession (of alcohol) citations and arrested six people. The following year, the local police department brought a paddywagon to the site for the first time, as they anticipated mass arrests for alcohol violations. As many as 150 police officers were on duty during
23250-418: Was heavily criticized by conservative groups and alumni, as the offer was made to a black woman who had previously worked at The New York Times and studied how to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in newsrooms. Shortly thereafter, the university paid McElroy $ 1 million to settle her legal claims. After Banks resigned, Mark A. Welsh III , the dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service ,
23405-399: Was in 1963. The stack was scheduled to burn only days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy . Out of respect, the students dismantled the stack. As Head Yell Leader Mike Marlowe explained, "It is the most we have and the least we can give." In the following years the structure became more elaborate, and in 1967 the flames could be seen 25 miles (40 km) away. In 1969,
23560-441: Was incorporated as part of Bryan. College Station did not incorporate until October 19, 1938, after a 217-39 vote, with John H. Binney as the first mayor. Within a year, the city established a zoning commission, and by 1940, the population had reached 2,184. The city grew under the leadership of Ernest Langford, called by some the "Father of College Station", who began a 26-year stretch as mayor in 1942. Early in his first term,
23715-411: Was organized in 1924 and the school awarded its first PhD in 1940. In 1925, Mary Evelyn Crawford Locke became the first female student to receive a diploma from Texas A&M but she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. The following month, the Board of Directors officially prohibited all women from enrolling. Many Texas A&M alumni served in the military during World War II ;
23870-586: Was recognized as a winner of the 2005 MCAA International Excellence in Masonry Awards. To further honor the victims, in 2000, the Aggie Replant Committee planted 12 live oak trees at the Polo Grounds. Shortly after the university officially cancelled Bonfire, students began planning an unofficial bonfire for November 2002. Known as the "Unity Project", it became the first unofficial Bonfire since
24025-432: Was scheduled to burn, junior redpots would build the fifth stack, and then senior redpots would build the sixth. During Cut, all logs were felled by hand, with students working in teams to chop down each tree with their axes. The manual labor ensured that participants were invested in each log that went into the Bonfire. Once the trees had fallen, brownpots, the "executive lumberjacks", used chainsaws to cut limbs and prepare
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