Miles SmithThe Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents recently approved more than $141 million in construction projects around the state.
“The Texas A&M System is making major investments into the future of Texas today,” Chancellor John Sharp said. “All of these projects align with our commitment to providing high-quality educational experiences and responding to the needs of Texas residents.”
This follows Texas A&M’s announcement last week that the university is offering land near its Bryan campus to nuclear reactor companies to help deliver more power to the state’s electric grid.
Projects include:
- $80 million for Student Housing Phase III and Dining Project at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. This project will add 300 new student beds and a dining facility, increasing on-campus housing capacity and providing improved meal options to keep up with explosive student enrollment at this rapidly growing south San Antonio campus.
- A $63.4 million Event Center/Arena Project at East Texas A&M University. This modern multi-use arena will serve as a venue for intercollegiate sports and community events, increasing campus visibility and engagement. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2025.
- A $40.6 million Teaching & Academic Student Support Services Facility at Prairie View A&M University. This new facility will centralize academic support services, enhancing student access to resources such as tutoring and career services. The project is designed to support student engagement and success, with construction starting in February 2025.
- A $28.3 million Player Development Center at Blue Bell Park for Texas A&M University. This facility will enhance player amenities for the baseball program, supporting recruitment efforts and improving the overall experience for student-athletes. Pre-construction services are set to commence in FY 2025.
- $27 million for the South Texas Workforce Development Project at the Port of Brownsville. This new Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service facility will focus on advanced manufacturing training to prepare the local workforce for in-demand jobs, supporting economic growth across the Rio Grande Valley. Construction is set to begin in April 2025.
The Board of Regents also:
- Authorized President Mark Welsh III to negotiate a public-private partnership with Aegis Aerospace, a Houston-based commercial space and lunar exploration company, to allow Aggie engineering students to conduct in-space experiments. Aegis will build, own and operate the research platform, and will partner with Texas A&M for the development, assembly and operation of the platform. The Aegis agreement will create the Texas A&M/ Aegis Aerospace Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology facility, or TAMU-SPIRIT. The research platform would be dedicated to activities such as in-space research, testing, advanced materials manufacturing, robotics testing, space surveillance and tracking methodologies. Researchers from the Texas A&M University System will have exclusive priority rights to send samples and experiments to be installed on the research platform.
- Promoted Amanda Dotson, director for the System Internal Audit Department, to Chief Auditor. She replaces Charlie Hrncir, who retired last month.
Rendering courtesy Texas A&M University System
