History of Texas A&M University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents 1 1870s-1880s: Early years 2 1890s: Sul Ross era 3 1900-1958: Program expansion 4 1958-1970: Rudder era 5 1970s-1980s 6 1990s 6.1 George H.W. Bush Presidential Library 6.2 Bonfire collapse 7 2000s 7.1 Hurricane relief 7.2 Current status 8 References 8.1 Secondary sources 9 External links

[edit] 1870s-1880s: Early years

The US Congress laid the groundwork for the establishment of Texas A&M on July 2, 1862 by passing the Morrill Act, which granted each state public land which could be sold at public auction to establish a permanent fund to support a college where 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...in order to promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life." Throughout the previous two decades, and during the two decades that followed, both the Republic of Texas and later the Texas State Legislature also set aside public lands to eventually create a college.

The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas was formally established by the state legislature on April 17, 1871 as the state's first public institution of higher education. Simultaneously, the legislature provided $75,000 for the construction of buildings at the new school. State leaders invested their profits from the sale of 180,000 acres received under the Land-Grant College Act in gold frontier defense bonds, creating a permanent endowment for the college. A committee tasked with finding a home for the new college chose Brazos County, which later in 1871 agreed to donate 2,416 acres of land for the new school.^[1]

The college officially opened on October 4, 1876 with six professors tasked with educating 106 students. Only men were admitted, and all students were required to participate in the Corps of Cadets and receive military training. Despite its name, the college taught no classes in agriculture, instead concentrated on classical studies, languages, literature, and applied mathematics. After four years, students could attain degrees in scientific agriculture, civil and mining engineering, and language and literature (Dethloff 1975, pp. 18). Many local farmers complained that the college was abusing its mission, and in November 1879 the president and faculty were removed from their posts and replaced with a new faculty teaching a mandated curriculum in agriculture and engineering.^[1] The campus at the time bore minimal resemblance to the campus as it is today. Wild animals freely roamed the campus, and the area also served as a meeting point for the Great Western Cattle Trail (Dethloff 1975, pp. 16–17).

Enrollment, which had climbed as high as 500 students, declined to only 80 students in 1883, the year the University of Texas opened in Austin, Texas. Although the legislature had originally envisioned that Texas A.M.C. would be part of the University of Texas system, the Austin college was established with a separate Board of Regents, leaving Texas A.M.C. to continue to be governed by its Board of Directors.^[1]

In the 1880s, student life was molded by the Corps of Cadets. The Corps was divided into a battalion of three companies, and rivalry among the companies was strong, giving birth to the Aggie spirit and future traditions. No bonfires, yell practices, or athletics teams existed as yet. No social clubs or fraternities developed, as they were discouraged. The Corps instead formed one large stable organization, improving the status of the College. Throughout the decade, public sentiment of A&M improved substantially (Dethloff 1975, pp. 21-22)

[edit] 1890s: Sul Ross era

Texas A.M.C. and the new University of Texas quickly began to battle over the limited funds that the state legislature made available for higher education. In 1887, the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station was established at Texas A.M.C., enable the college to gain more funding.^[1] Many residents of the state, however, saw little need for two colleges in Texas, and some wanted to close the agricultural and mechanical school.^[2]

Many people credit Texas A.M.C. president Lawrence Sullivan Ross, known affectionately to students as "Sully," as saving the school from closure and transforming it into a respected military institution.^[2] Ross, the immediate past governor of Texas, had been a well-respected Confederate soldier and enjoyed a good reputation among state residents.^[1]

When Ross arrived at the school, he found that there was no running water, the school was suffering a housing shortage, the faculty was disgruntled, and many of the students ran wild. Even as Ross began to make improvements in the hopes of drawing more students, parents began to send their children to the school in the hopes that they would learn from Ross's example.^[2] Although enrollment had always been limited to men, in 1893, Ethel Hudson, the daughter of an A&M professor, became the first woman to attend classes at the school and helped edit the annual yearbook. She was made an honorary member of the class of 1895. Several years later her twin sisters became honorary members of the class of 1903, and slowly other daughters of Aggie professors were allowed to attend classes.^[3]

Under Ross's leadership as president of the college, many of the enduring Aggie traditions were born. In the seven and one-half years he served, the first Aggie Ring was created, the first yearbooks was published, and the Aggie Band was formed. Ross's tenure also sawthe first intercollegiate football game played, ironically against the University of Texas.^[2]

[edit] 1900-1958: Program expansion

The school began broadenings its offerings, by 1910 listing eight degree programs, including agriculture, architecture, agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and textile engineering. Five years later the state legislature, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, established the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, organized the Texas Forest Service, and authorized a School of Veterinary Medicine at the college.^[1] The college was originally unprepared for the campus growth, and for the next ten years, at times up to 300 students were assigned to live in tents in a field in the middle of campus.^[4]

During this time women were also given a slightly more official standing in 1911, when the Texas Legislature refused to give A&M permission to hold summer semester unless women were also permitted to attend. For the next several decades during the summers cadets were not required to be in uniform and women could attend class and participate in intramural activities.^[3]

Texas A&M graduates were able to put their education to the test during World War I, and by 1918 forty-nine percent of all graduates of the college were in military service, a larger percentage than any other college or university.^[1] In early September 1918 the entire senior class of A&M was mustered into military service, with plans to send the younger students at staggered dates throughout the next year. Many of the seniors were already fighting in France by the time the war ended two months later.^[4] In total, over 1200 former students served as commissioned officers. After the conclusion of the war, Texas A&M experienced a rapid growth and became nationally recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and military science.^[1]

A&M organized its first graduate school in 1924.^[1] The following year a woman, Mary Evelyn Crawford Locke, had earned enough credits to receive a degree. Although she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony, she did receive a diploma from the registrar's office, the first issued to a female.^[5] The following month the Board of Directors officially prohibited women -- even daughters of professors -- to attend the school. In 1926 they codified that women in summer school had an unofficial status and could not pursue a degree. By 1930, however, it was estimated that over 1800 women had attended classes at A&M.^[3]

In the late 1920s, following the discovery of oil on university lands, Texas A&M College and the University of Texas negotiated a settlement for the division of the Permanent University Fund which enabled each institution to receive one-third of the revenues. This guaranteed wealth enabled A&M to continue to grow and expand. Enrollment increased even during the Great Depression, as student cooperative housing projects enabled the students to attend the school at low costs.^[1] During the Depression, as professors were forced to accept a 25% pay cut, the Board of Directors partially rescinded its order against female enrollment, allowing no more than 20 females at a time to enroll in the school, and further restricting the group to daughters of professors.^[3]

In 1940, the first Ph.D. was awarded, and more programs at the college began offering this highest degree.^[1]

World War II gave Texas A&M an opportunity to prove itself on a worldwide stage. Over 20,000 current and former A&M students served in the armed forces. Of these, 14,000 were officers, and twenty-nine reached the rank of general. The school had provided more officers for the armed forces during this war than both of the military academies combined.^[1] The college received nationwide exposure during the war when a reporter wrote a widely-distributed story about the Aggie Muster on the island of Corregidor.^[6] The intense interest caused by the article resulted in a World War II propaganda movie, We've Never Been Licked, which was filmed on the A&M campus and showcased many of the school traditions.

Shortly after World War II, in 1948, the state Legislature officially recognized A&M as a separate university system, distinct from the University of Texas system. The school's Board of Directors continued to oversee the system.^[7]

[edit] 1958-1970: Rudder era

The Texas Legislature defeated a nonbinding resolution in the 1950s to encourage A&M to admit women. In 1958 the school newspaper, The Battalion had begun writing editorials to encourage coeducation, causing the Student Senate to demand the editor of the paper resign. Later in the year students defeated 2-1 a campus resolution on coeducation.^[3]

On March 26, 1960 (Dethloff 1975, pp. 184), Major General James Earl Rudder, who has arguably had the most significant effect on the campus, became the 16th president of the college, his alma mater. At the time, the college was still an all-male military college with a 7,500 student enrollment. Within several years of his arrival, the 58th Legislature of Texas officially changed the name of the school from the A&M College of Texas to Texas A&M University.^[8] The Legislature specified that in the new name of the school, the A and the M were purely symbolic, reflecting the school's past, and no longer stood for "Agricultural and Mechanical."^[1]

With Rudder's strong encouragement, in 1963, the A&M Board of Directors officially reversed their previous decisions on admitting women in 1963.^[8] The wives and daughters of faculty, staff and students as well as women staff members were finally allowed to officially participate in undergraduate programs, although they were not permitted to join the Corps of Cadets.^[3]

The following year the college was officially integrated as A&M welcomed became the first African-American student to enroll. More change ensued, as in 1965 the Board of Directors voted to make membership in the Corps of Cadets voluntary. The same year the Board voted to allow any woman, not just those connected with students and professors, to attend the university. However, the Board required approval of each student by Rudder, who accepted any woman who met academic requirements.^[8]

In 1967, James L. Courtney of Dallas became the first African-American to receive an undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. In 1970, he went on to become the first to receive a degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine.^[9]

By 1968, Texas A&M broadened its curriculum, upgraded academic and faculty standards, and initiated a multi-million dollar building program.(Dethloff 1975, pp. 188)

By the time Rudder died in 1970, after 11 years as president of the school, Texas A&M University had grown to more than 14,000 students from all 50 states and 75 nations.^[8] The school had become officially coeducational, and had even begun construction of a woman's dorm.^[3]

[edit] 1970s-1980s

On September 17, 1971, Texas A&M University was one of the first four institutions to receive designation as a Sea-grant college in recognition of oceanographic development and research. A third designation was added on August 31, 1989 when Texas A&M was named a space-grant college. The university remains one of few institutions nationwide to hold designations as a land-, sea-, and space-grant college.^[7]

The Corps welcomed its first female members in the fall of 1974. At the time, the women were segregated into a special unit, known as W-1, and suffered harassment from many of their male counterparts.^[10][11] Women were originally prohibited from serving in leadership positions or in the more elite Corps units such as the Band and the Ross Volunteers. These groups were opened to female participation in 1988, following a federal court decision in a class-action lawsuit filed by a female cadet.^[11] Two years later, in 1990, female-only units were eliminated.^[11]

[edit] 1990s

The first female student body president was elected in 1994, and several other women have since repeated her achievement.^[3]

[edit] George H.W. Bush Presidential Library

See also: George Bush Presidential Library

The George Bush Presidential Library was established in 1997 on ninety acres of land donated by Texas A&M at the western edge of the campus. This tenth presidential library was built between 1995 and 1997 and contains the presidential and vice-presidential papers of George H.W. Bush and the vice-presidential papers of Dan Quayle.^[12]

To coincide with the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library, Texas A&M established the George Bush School of Government and Public Policy. The school, which offers a master's degree in public policy and one in international affairs as well as two research degrees, was oficially launched in 1997 and became a separate school within Texas A&M in 1999.^[13]

[edit] Bonfire collapse

Main article: Aggie Bonfire

At 2:32 AM on November 18, 1999, the partially completed Aggie Bonfire, standing 40 feet tall and consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. Of the 58 students and former students working on the stack, 12 were killed and 27 others were injured. The incident received nationwide attention, with other 50 satellite trucks broadcasting from the Texas A&M campus within hours.^[14]

On November 25, 1999, the date that Bonfire would have burned, Aggies instead held a vigil and remembrance ceremony. Over 40,000 people, including former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara and then-Texas governor George W. Bush and his wife Laura, lit candles and observed up to two hours of silence at the site of the Bonfire collapse.^[15]

A commission put together by Texas A&M University discovered that a number of factors led to the Bonfire collapse, including "excessive internal stresses" on the logs and "inadequate containment strength," where the wiring used to tie the logs together was not strong enough. The wiring broke after logs from upper tiers were "wedged" into lower tiers.^[14]

Texas A&M officials, Bonfire student leaders, and the university itself were the subject of several lawsuits by parents of the students injured or deceased in the collapse.^[16] On May 21, 2004, Federal Judge Samuel B. Kent dismissed all claims against the Texas A&M officials,^[17] and in 2005 36 of the 64 original defendants, including all of the student leaders, settled their portion of the case for an estimated $4.25 million, paid by their insurance companies.^[18][19] As of 2006, the remainder of the lawsuits were unresolved.

[edit] 2000s

[edit] Hurricane relief

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Texas A&M opened Reed Arena as a temporary shelter to house over 200 evacuees from New Orleans. Although school was barely in session and there was minimal notice, the students and staff of A&M prepared the facility, setting up several hundred beds on the arena floor and making arrangements for the evacuees to get new clothes and have medical checks. Aggie students organized a child care facility, and Aggie athletes escorted many of the teenagers to the Aggie Rec Center to play basketball.^[20] Less than three weeks later, Reed Arena was again opened as a temporary shelter for people fleeing Hurricane Rita.^[21]

[edit] Current status

On December 18, 2006, former Texas A&M University president Robert M. Gates was sworn in as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense. That same day, the A&M System Board of Regents named Dr. Ed J. Davis as interim president.

On January 5, 2007, Dr. Michael D. McKinney, chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, appointed a 15-member search advisory committee to assist in finding candidates for the position of president at Texas A&M. The committee will recommend candidates to McKinney, who will finalize his recommendations to the Board of Regents. McKinney anticipates the search process will conclude by September 2007.^[22]

The university has a current enrollment of more than 45,000, with more than 8,000 graduate and professional students, making it one of the largest universities in the nation.^[23]As of 2007, the percentages of women and men at the school are roughly equal, although for a number of years the number of female members of the freshman class have outnumbered the number of males.^[3] The university has awarded more than 320,000 degrees, 70,000 of which are graduate and professional degrees.^[23]

[edit] References

[edit] Secondary sources

[edit] External links

• Texas A&M Historical Images Collection - Cushing Library