Texas A&m

History

Texas A&M was founded in 1876 and is the sixth largest university in the country with over 50,000 current students. The main campus is one of the largest in the country spanning 5,500 acres with one-fifth of its students living on campus. The university offers degrees in over 150 courses of study through 10 colleges and houses 18 research institutes. In the 2011 U.S. News and World Report ranking of public universities listed Texas A & M 19th and is ranked 58th among national universities.[1] According to The Washington Monthly criteria, which considers research, community service, and social mobility Texas A&M ranks fifth nationally. [2] The Texas A&M culture is a product of the university's founding as a rural military and agricultural school. Although the school and surrounding community have students "the idealized elements of a small-town life: community, tradition, loyalty, optimism, and unabashed sentimentality." These traditions help current and former students to cultivate the Aggie Spirit, a sense of loyalty and respect for the school.

Mission and Vision

The mission of Texas A&M is to be “dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Its mission of providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new understandings through research and creativity.”[3] The university values people as its highest assets. They want to encourage all of their employees to achieve their personal and professional goals and aspirations as they work toward achieving the university’s mission. Additionally there are six core values that build on its mission. They are as follows:

I. Excellence - Set the bar.