Texas A&M University

Mission

Texas A&M University is 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. It prepares students to assume roles in leadership, responsibility and service to society. Texas A&M assumes as its historic trust the maintenance of freedom of inquiry and an intellectual environment nurturing the human mind and spirit. It welcomes and seeks to serve persons of all racial, ethnic and geographic groups, women and men alike, as it addresses the needs of an increasingly diverse population and a global economy. In the 21st century, Texas A&M seeks to assume a place of preeminence among public universities while respecting its history and traditions.

What It Means to be a Research University

There are more than 3,500 institutions of higher education in the United States. Texas A&M is one of fewer than 100 institutions that met the 1994 Carnegie classification of a Research I University—a university that offers a full range of degree programs through the doctorate, receives $40 million or more in federal research funding and awards 50 or more doctorates a year.

Texas A&M’s teaching, research and service, its financial and other resource needs, and the nature of its faculty, staff and students are all integral to the research university mission. What the Boyer Report says about research universities is completely true of Texas A&M:

Because of the research universities’ commitment to create new knowledge, they consider research capability as a primary qualification for appointment, promotion and tenure of faculty members, and they pride themselves on having world-class scholars among their ranks. Significantly, almost all the Nobel laureates who have identified themselves as professors have been affiliated with research universities. Of course, outstanding researchers are not limited to these institutions; nearly all colleges and universities can point to strong scholars within their departments. But at research universities, these faculty become a defining element. Research universities also have graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in far greater numbers than other institutions, since graduate education is a major component of their mission. Another characteristic is the requisite research environment, including extensive libraries, well-equipped laboratories, sophisticated computer capabilities, and, often, university presses, all housed in appropriate facilities.

Preface to the Boyer Commission on
Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, 1998

Vision 2020

Vision 2020 is Texas A&M’s roadmap for its quest to be recognized as a consensus top 10 public university by the year 2020. Rather than merely establishing a goal to be recognized for excellence, Vision 2020 identifies 12 specific areas in which the university should focus, and underscores them with well-crafted “imperatives” that clearly define the objectives. Attainment of those objectives, outlined in the imperatives, entails continued enhancement across a broad spectrum of clearly articulated academic and related endeavors, with the envisioned top 10 recognition being a welcome byproduct.

Vision 2020 Imperatives

President Robert M. Gates has enthusiastically embraced Vision 2020, noting it prominently in his October 3, 2002, convocation address shortly after assuming the Texas A&M presidency and on numerous subsequent occasions. More than just noting it, however, he has put into action his resolve to achieve the aspirations reflected in Vision 2020 planning and articulation. He has elected to focus initially on four areas that are embedded in the original imperatives, plus one new imperative:

  • Elevate the faculty (Imperative 1)
  • Improve graduate and undergraduate programs (Imperatives 2 and 3)
  • Diversity and globalization (Imperative 6)
  • Improve space (New Imperative 13)

Accordingly, Texas A&M’s accomplishments for 2005 highlight our progress in addressing these four imperatives as well as looking at our basic research mission, our management of the university’s finances, and on other areas of the university that have seen important progress in the past year.

Priorities and Goals

The Four Key Imperatives

Faculty Reinvestment
  • Complete faculty reinvestment goal of adding 447 new tenure-track and selected clinical faculty over the fall 2002 baseline of 1,649 tenure-track faculty.
  • Increase the number of international and national awards to faculty, including memberships in the National Academies of Science and Engineering, Nobel Prize winners, and winners of other prestigious national and international awards such as the Wolf Prize and Humboldt Research Prize.
  • Show demonstrated faculty-related improvement in the quality of undergraduate education (e.g., lower student-faculty ratio, enhanced undergraduate research opportunities, more undergraduate classes taught by tenure track faculty and other benchmarks.).
Diversity
  • Complete and implement the university-wide Diversity Plan.
  • Continue to achieve year-on-year increases in the number of underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Texas A&M.
  • Increase the persistence and graduation rates of underrepresented students and first-generation, low-income students.
  • Continue to achieve retention and graduation rates for underrepresented students that are among the highest in the state and comparable to rates for Anglo students.
  • Meet the goals of the state’s Closing the Gaps campaign in minority matriculation rates.
  • Continue to make faculty reinvestment hires that are more diverse than existing faculty:
  • The percentage of African-American and Hispanic faculty among new hires should be higher than their representation among existing faculty.
  • The percentage of female faculty among new hires should be higher than their representation among existing faculty.
  • Continue to make new administrative hires at the level of dean, assistant provost, and above that are more diverse by gender and ethnicity than existing administrators.
  • Expand partnerships with the corporate sector through the Texas Diversity Council.
Improving Undergraduate and Graduate Education
  • Implement changes in curriculum and processes to increase 4-year graduation rates. Improve student faculty ratio from current 20:1 to 17:1.
  • Increase the percentage of undergraduate courses taught by tenured and tenure-track faculty.
  • Reduce the number of lower-division classes with more than 50 students.
  • Increase the number of lower-division classes with fewer than 20 students.
  • Enhance the quality of the undergraduate experience by implementing changes recommended by the Undergraduate Experience Task Force in such areas as:
  • common first-year experience,
  • enhanced course delivery,
  • enhanced honors opportunities,
  • integration of in-class and out-of-class experiences,
  • leadership,
  • learning communities,
  • revised/enhanced core curriculum,
  • summer school,
  • undergraduate research,
  • progress towards degree, and
  • suitability and advisability of a ‘general studies’ degree.
  • Enhance the quality of graduate education by:
  • making compensation packages competitive with Vision 2020 peers,
  • ensuring ongoing support for graduate student tuition,
  • continuing to maintain high master’s and doctoral graduation rates,
  • increasing the size of the graduate program by 10 percent to become 21 percent of the total,
  • continuing to develop new degree programs in needed areas, especially distance education programs, and
  • continuing to develop new cooperative initiatives with System universities.
Improving Space, Facilities, and Infrastructure
  • Complete the Life Science Building and if funding becomes available soon, complete the Emerging Technologies and Economic Development Building.
  • Meet space needs for Phase 2 of faculty reinvestment.
  • Replace SIMS, the university’s 20-year-old student information management system.

Additional Goals

Participation and Success:
  • Continue to show year-on-year increases in minority enrollment at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Maintain the highest six-year graduation rate in the state for all students.
  • Maintain the highest six-year graduation rate in the state for African-American and Hispanic students.
  • Maintain highest six-year graduation in the state for transfer students.
  • Continue to close the gaps in graduation rates among ethnic groups.
  • Improve four- and five-year graduation rates for all groups.
  • Increase the number of graduates in the key fields of computer science and engineering.
Excellence
  • Continue to maintain high pass rates on state teacher certification exams.
  • Continue to maintain high pass rates on the state exam for professional engineers.
  • Increase the percentage of lower-division hours taught by tenured/tenure track faculty.
  • Maintain the high level of graduates who are employed in Texas or enrolled in a Texas graduate program within one year.
  • Continue to lower the average size of lower-division classes.
  • Continue to increase the percentage of faculty with teaching responsibilities who are tenure-track.
Research
  • Continue to increase total research expenditures at a rate of approximately 5 percent per year.
  • Continue to increase federal research expenditures per FTE faculty (currently over $100,000 per faculty member).
  • Continue to increase research as a percentage of general revenue.
Institutional Efficiencies and Effectiveness
  • Continue to keep the administrative cost ratio at Texas A&M below 5 percent (the lowest in the state).
  • Improve classroom utilization rates to meet state standards.
  • Improve lab utilization rates to meet state standards.
  • Continue to show year-on-year increases in business expenditures with Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs). Continue to rank in the top three state agencies in total HUB expenditures.
  • Continue to keep the cost of undergraduate education below national peers and below the highest cost at other public universities in Texas.

Additional University Goals for the Next Three to Five Years

Academic
  • Increase national rankings overall and in key disciplines.
Fiscal
  • Continue to make improvements in the financial administration of the university and to find new administrative efficiencies.
  • Increase weighted semester credit hours in proportion to faculty reinvestment hires to improve the financial base to support the cost of new faculty hires.
Research
  • Develop $100 million interdisciplinary life science complex, with accompanying transgenic mouse facility and magnet research facility.
  • Establish regional centers of excellence in energy and biotechnology.
  • Establish major U.S. Department of Defense proposal related to infectious diseases.
  • Expand activities in the area of commercialization.
International
  • Establish a U.S.-Arabian Gulf Studies Program.
  • Establish a China Studies Program.
Development
  • Fill unmet goals of the capital campaign.
  • Begin to use development to fund space and infrastructure needs.
  • Target additional endowed faculty chairs, professorships and graduate fellowships.
Corps of Cadets
  • Develop the Corps leader development program into a broad-based university program of choice in the state and the region.
  • Achieve steady growth toward a goal of 2,600 cadets.
Assessment
  • Institute evidence-based decision making and other outcomes assessment across all academic and administrative areas.
Student Affairs
  • Implement comprehensive and ongoing/long-term replacement and renovation cycle for all on-campus student housing.
TAMU at Qatar
  • Reach a steady state in enrollment and faculty numbers by 2008.
  • Grow undergraduate enrollment to 450 students.
  • Grow graduate programs based on market demand.

Commentary

Faculty Reinvestment

  • Since September 2004, the university has engaged in 215 faculty searches (130 for new positions and 85 to replace departing faculty).
  • 109 offers have been made (38 women, 8 African American, 4 Hispanic, 16 Asian American).
  • 84 offers have been accepted (23 women, 4 African American, 4 Hispanic, 7 Asian American).

Diversity

  • Student Diversity — More freshman applications this year (more than 20,000) included a substantial increase in completed applications from African-American (+14 percent) and Hispanic (+20 percent) students.
  • Significant increase in admit offers among African-American (+7 percent) and Hispanic (+16 percent) applicants compared to last year.
  • Established permanent infrastructure, facilities and staff of Prospective Student Centers in areas of the state that have historically been underrepresented in the TAMU student population. Prospective Student Centers are located in Corpus Christi, Dallas, Houston, McAllen, San Antonio, and College Station.
  • New graduate enrollment for fall 2004 increased over the previous year’s incoming class by 64 percent for African-American students and by 20 percent for Hispanic students. Similar increases are expected for fall 2005 based on increased recruiting efforts in 2004-2005.
  • $1.25 million was allocated to graduate diversity fellowships, which were awarded to 69 students for 2004-2005.
  • Faculty Diversity — New hires have been more diverse than existing faculty:
  • Eight of 121, or 6.6 percent, of new tenured and tenure-track hired in the last year are African American. Only 2.2 percent of current instructional faculty are African American.
  • Eleven of 121, or 9 percent, of new tenured and tenure-track hires are Hispanic. This compares to 5.0 percent among existing faculty.
  • Twenty-three of 121, or 19, percent of new tenured and tenure-track faculty are Asian American. Only 8.3 percent of existing faculty are Asian American.
  • Thirty-seven of 121, or 30.5 percent, of new tenured and tenure-track faculty are women. This compares to 18.2 percent among existing instructional faculty.

Improving Undergraduate and Graduate Education

  • Reinvigorated the Aggie Honor Code, established the Aggie Honor System Office and established the Honor Council.
  • Established a task force charged to look at ways of enhancing the undergraduate experience.
  • Established a new flat-tuition policy to encourage earlier graduation and ensure more productive use of university resources.
  • Two new Systemwide programs—the Pathways to the Doctorate and the new Texas A&M System Graduate Faculty (and a third under discussion, a fast-track undergrad to master’s program)—are helping “close the gaps” by making it easier for students from other system universities to transition to graduate studies at Texas A&M.
  • Funding for graduate student programs has increased significantly in the past few years. This year, funds toward student-related initiatives amounted to $2,006 per student (up from $923 per student in 2001), including $3.25 million in fellowships and $5 million to assist with graduate student tuition, fees and insurance.
  • Texas A&M has changed its summer enrollment policy for graduate students so teaching assistants are only required to enroll for 3 semester credit hours.
  • University leadership is also looking at changing our policy related to the 99-hour doctoral cap to give doctoral students six full years of support.

Space

  • Accomplished many of the projects and moves in Phase 1 of faculty reinvestment.
  • Coordinated a comprehensive inspection and repair of natural gas systems on campus.
  • Secured funding of $100 million for a Life Science Building
  • Presented a tuition revenue bond request for Emerging Technology Building.

Additional University Goals

Management and Operations
  • Handled the aftermath of the student apartment fire in a way that helped the affected family and treated them as humanely as possible,
  • Took immediate action to address safety issues across the university.
  • Overhauled the university’s approach to risk management to make it more effective, more thorough, and more accountable.
  • Reorganized business functions to put them under the oversight and management of the division of finance.
Research
  • Won an $18 million Department of Homeland Security National Award to establish a Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense Center.
  • Was awarded a National Center for Information Assurance and Security by the National Security Agency.
  • Established a Technology Commercialization Center to aid in technology transfer and to help the university benefit financially from new discoveries made by university faculty.
Financial
  • Identified (and are in the process of implementing) recommendations that will result in almost $3 million in annual cost savings, cost avoidance or revenue generation for the university. Implementation of these recommendations will result in the elimination of 56 positions and will free up over 75,000 square feet of space to be redirected toward faculty reinvestment.
  • Increased HUB expenditures to 19.9 percent for fiscal 2004, compared to the state average of 14.0 percent and were ranked in the top 50 of state agencies for percentage of HUB participation. For the first six months of fiscal 2005, we have again improved our participation to 20.85 percent and have moved up to the top 20 of agencies in the state for percentage of HUB participation.
  • Reviewed or made changes in a number of business services:
  • Reed Arena — hired an outside consultant to review operations and proposed a business plan to improve financial contribution.
  • Graphic Services — eliminated printing services; a reduction in force was implemented to eliminate an operating deficit.
  • Mail Services — hired outside consultant to review operations.
  • Food Services — reviewed financial operations by individual unit. Eliminated food service at the Commons Dining Hall and Golf Course Snack bar and revamped other units to improve the overall financial contributions.
  • Stores (warehousing) — closed the department and migrated to a “just-in-time” process.
  • Faculty Club — reviewed financial contribution and have developed a plan to improve overall financial contribution.
Development
  • Completed capital campaign that raised more than $950 million.
  • Visited Aggie organizations in various Texas and U.S. cities (e.g., Houston, San Francisco).
Student Affairs
  • Undertook a comprehensive student housing master plan study to complement and coordinate with overall campus master plan effort.
  • Initiated study of student health service facility’s adequacy to serve size and demands of the contemporary student population. Current facility was built in 1972, when the student population was only 16,000. Also considered functional overlap of student health service with student counseling service, and models and functional efficiencies of combining those two distinct functions in a single facility.
International
  • Reviewed issues affecting international students at Texas A&M.
  • Contributed to national discussion of issues affecting international students and faculty.
  • Worked with the Office of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of State, and the White House to implement needed changes to policies affecting the travel and status of international students and faculty.
TAMU at Qatar
  • Completed second year of academic instruction with 142 students (60 percent male, 40 percent female; 65 percent Qatari, 35 percent from 16 countries).
  • Employed 22 faculty members.
  • Received more than 600 applications for 60 student slots.
TAMU at Galveston
  • Recommended approval of a new vice president and chief executive officer.
  • Supported development and presentation of a Legislative Budget Board submission for future funding (including tuition revenue bond for the Science Complex).
Corps of Cadets
  • Raised Corps average GPR to 2.73, the highest in 10 years.
  • Increased the number of cadets contracted for commission from 34 percent to 42 percent.