| 2 million+ | Number of miles TEEX instructors travel in Texas each year to offer on-site training and services |
|---|---|
| 176,298 | Number of students who attended TEEX classes in FY 2005 |
| 6,700 | Number of companies served through TEEX programs |
| 6,500 | Number of municipalities and public agencies served through TEEX programs |
| 6,500 | Number of courses TEEX offered in FY 2005 |
| 50 | Number of countries represented by students who attended TEEX courses in FY 2005 |
| $15 | Amount generated for every dollar TEEX receives in state general revenue |
I received an e-mail the other day congratulating me on completing my “fish” year as Chancellor on November 4. I hadn’t thought of it that way—freshmen in Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets are known as fish—but it seems appropriate if you think of fish as being overwhelmed by a new and strange environment. I'm still drinking out of a fire hydrant, but I have managed to swallow a few gulps.
In my last column I wrote about the urban search and rescue teams of Texas Task Force 1 operating out of TEEX, or the Texas Engineering Extension Service, as well as the Lone Star State Incident Management Team of the Texas Forest Service. These men and women did—and continue to do—a superb job of responding to Katrina and Rita.
But the list of things I wasn’t aware of keeps getting longer and longer. Just as I was about to check TEEX off of my list of topics for this column, I got to visit the three TEEX training divisions that are headquartered at the Riverside Campus about 12 miles west of College Station.
This is the former Bryan Army Air Force Base where astronaut Buzz Aldrin earned his wings and where the first hurricane hunter aircraft took off. Today, the 1,900-acre campus has about 100,000 square feet of offices, classrooms and laboratories.
As the photos show, I got to play all morning.
The
first stop started out with a bang—literally—as I practiced
marksmanship with personnel from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
How
many chancellors can say that they have driven a 110-horsepower
Caterpillar D5M bulldozer while on the job?
And the first stop started out with a bang — literally. I got to practice my marksmanship with personnel from the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the law enforcement firing range. I also visited with 43 police cadets who will be future law enforcement officers in the Brazos Valley, including the Texas A&M University Police Department. TEEX has been training law enforcement professionals since 1940, making it the oldest continuing state-wide law enforcement extension training agency in the state.
Then it was off to visit the people who conduct public works training. I’m probably the only chancellor in the country who can claim to have spliced a strand of fiber-optic cable—capable of handling 129,000 phone conversations at once—and driven a 110-horsepower Caterpillar D5M bulldozer all in a morning’s work.
The
maroon dot at the top is me, after I took control of an aerial lift
truck and rose 50 feet into the air.
My proudest moment came when I successfully—sort of—took control of an aerial lift truck and rose 50 feet into the air while standing in its bucket. Now look at the picture. Doesn’t that look like more than 50 feet to you?
My education continued as I helped disassemble an industrial-sized water pump—they had already loosened the bolts—and examined its inner workings, and saw a 5,000-volt electrical arching demonstration. I was leaning toward claustrophobic as I climbed through the confined space trailer where utilities personnel learn to work safely in tight spaces . . . and they do it in the dark. I have a newfound respect for the folks at the utilities company.
This was done at TEEX’s new $1.5 million state-of-the-art training facility, a former World War II hangar that has been completely gutted and refurbished.
At the Technology and Economic Development site, I used an ultrasonic device to find an air leak in a compressor hose at a distance and tested a programmable logic controller, which is a mini computer that automates manufacturing lines. I pretended to understand it.
Going behind the scenes at TEEX was a great way to wrap up my “fish” year as chancellor. I learned a lot during my visit, just as I have everywhere I have gone during the past 12 months.
I’m proud of the good work I see across the A&M System, and I’m grateful that so many of you have taken the time to educate me about what you do every day. With your help, I am learning new ways to serve you as chancellor.
After all, I’m willing to bet that even Buzz Aldrin felt like a fish out of water during his first few months on the job.
