1. Texas A&M University An Institutional Snapshot
Nicholas Tomaskovic
HI ED545
Penn State University
July 3, 2016

2. Overview History Institutional Profile
Carnegie Classification & Rankings
System Structure
Leadership Structure
Revenue Sources & Expenses
Conclusion
Questions
Good morning / afternoon / evening. My name is Nicholas Tomaskovic and today I’d like to share some information about an institution that is generally regarded as one of the nation’s finest public research universities, Texas A&M. Although comprised of eleven undergraduate, graduate, special mission, and international campus locations, the focus of this presentation will be on Texas A&M’s College Station campus, which is largely identifies as the university's flagship location. During this presentation, we’ll become better acquainted with Texas A&M as we examine its history, current Carnegie classification and rankings, organizational leadership, and fiscal model. We’ll also take a closer look at some of the defining characteristics of Texas A&M and some of the ways in which it has stayed true to its original mission as a land-grant institution. Finally, we will conclude the presentation with an opportunity for questions and comments.

3. Formation and Early Years
Charter Granted: 1871
The Beginning : s
The Sul Ross Era: 1890s
Texas A&M has the distinction of being the first university of higher education in Texas, officially opening its doors on October 4, That fall it enrolled its inaugural class of six students, however by the conclusion of the spring semester this number had grown to over one hundred. Like many of the nation’s other public institutions who were founded in the mid-19th century, Texas A&M was a direct byproduct of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 and in fact had received its original charter from the state in April of 1871(Texas State Historical Association [TSHA], 2010). And, like many of the nation’s other public institutions, enrollment was limited to white, males who were also required to serve in the Corps of Cadets, a student military organization which is the oldest student organization on campus (TSHA, 2010).
Originally, the university was charted as the Agricultural and Mechanical School of Texas and was also referred to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. It wasn’t until the Texas Legislature voted to rename the school in 1963 that the shortened title came into being. Interestingly, the state’s legislature decided to retain the letters “A” and “M” as a symbolic reference to the school’s past, despite the fact that its curriculum had moved away from offering predominantly agricultural and mechanical studies as it had some years earlier (2010).
By the late 1880s Texas A&M was facing declining enrollments, lack of leadership, and stagnating funding. Needing to drastically turn the present situation around or risk closing its doors, the school’s board of directors offered the job of administrative chief to the then Texas governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross. Ross, a former Confederate Army general and popular political affectionately called “Sul” or “Sully” be peers, accepted the position and become the college’s first president during the school year. Rose faced many challenges including overseeing a campus which had no running water, a shortage of housing, and unhappy faculty. During his tenure as president dramatically improved the living conditions on campus, improved enrollment, and instituted policies prohibiting hazing. It was also during Ross’ time at Texas A&M that the college saw the creation of many of its lasting traditions including the Aggie Ring, the Aggie Band, and the first football game which was played against soon-to-be rival University of Texas (2010).
Figure 1: Historic Austin Hall (Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M, 2008).

4. Growth and Preeminence
Expansion:
Era of Change:
A New Face: Present
By the turn of the 20th century Texas A&M was rapidly expanding. By 1910 it had added programs in agriculture, architecture, agricultural engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and textile engineering. The next five years would see even more additions in the form of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, an organized co-op with the Texas Forest Service, and the creation of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the college. Significantly, it was during this time period that women were gradually allowed to enroll in greater numbers. World War I had a profound impact on Texas A&M as well as many other institutions of higher learning across the country. By 1918, 49% of Texas A&M graduates were involved in military service in some capacity; this was due in large part to the strong tradition of the Corps of Cadets which was responsible for significantly molding campus life (Texas A&M, n.d.).
The time between the world wars continued to bear witness to accelerated growth. The discovery of oil on university property during the 1920s gave Texas A&M much leverage in negotiating a settlement with the University of Texas which ultimately resulted in Texas A&M being entitled to receive up to one-third of the total revenue to benefit the division of the Permanent University Fund (TSHA, 2010). Such an acquisition greatly enhanced Texas A&M’s wealth and ensured continued growth for many years to come.
Like the First World War, World War II also had a dramatic impact on the university. In keeping with its strong military tradition, the institution produced a staggering amount of G.I.s (6,106) and officers (14,123) alike (2010).
Following the conflict, a hallmark decision brought Texas A&M closer still to the institution we recognize today. In 1948, during the early years of the post-war enrollment boom that would result from the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act—more commonly known as the G.I. Bill—the university settled an internal dispute between the legislature of Texas and the University of Texas. Legally and according to original legislation, Texas A&M was intended to serve as a branch unit of the University of Texas. However, this was later nullified when the Texas Legislature deemed authority over Texas A&M by another institution invalid and thus, Texas A&M formally became the flagship university of the Texas A&M University System (Texas A&M, n.d.).
The time period between 1959 and 1970 can be termed as the “Rudder Era.” Just as Lawrence Sullivan Ross had a profound impact on inner workings of Texas A&M some 80 years earlier, so too did Major General James Earl Rudder. Rudder assumed to role as the school’s president in early 1959, becoming to 16th president in the school’s history (website). During his tenure, President Rudder was responsible for transforming what was still an overwhelmingly male, military-related institution to a more inclusive co-educational environment and in 1964, the school admitted its first African American student as well (TSHA, 2010).
Since the 1970s Texas A&M University has continued to evolve its role within the higher education community. Research, specifically in the fields of engineering, oceanographic development, aerospace programming. Interestingly, Texas A&M has become one only a handful of universities to be considered a land, sea, and space-grant institution (Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d.), reinforcing its position within the academic community as well as its commitment to the state of Texas.
Figure 2: Commemorative statue of President James Earl Rudder (Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M, 2008).

5. Institutional Profile
Carnegie Classification: Doctoral granting university
Tier 1 Research Institution
Student Population:
Total: 58,515
46,492 Undergraduate
12,023 Graduate & Professional
Rankings
70th Overall (Tied)
26th Among Public Institutions (Tied)
Today, Texas A&M stands among the country’s leading research institutions in providing a balance of liberal arts and sciences curriculum with a focus on comprehensive and professional development. The Carnegie Classification system identifies Texas A&M’s flagship location at College Station as a doctorate granting university—that is to say that it awards a minimum of 20 doctoral degrees per year (The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, n.d.). As a doctoral university, Texas A&M engages in the highest levels of research activity and operates alongside a cohort of 108 peer institutions who conduct similar levels of scholarship.
A large institution, Texas A&M boasts an system-wide student population of over 64,000 students. Of this figure, Texas A&M-College Station enrolls upwards of 90% of the institution’s overall student body with a population of 58,515. Of that, 46,492 are degree seeking undergraduates and 12,023 students are enrolled in the university’s Masters, Doctoral, or Professional degree programs (Data and Research Services, 2016).
According to U.S. News and World Report Texas A&M is a Tier 1 research institution and is currently tied at 70th place in terms of overall national rankings, a distinction it shares with peer institution Virginia Tech (U.S. News & World Report, 2016).. Texas A&M is also named 26 among public institutions in the nation, once again sharing the ranking with Virginia Tech (2016). Such rankings are characteristic of high performing students, faculty, and academic endeavors; in short, they are indicative of success.

6. Structure: System Organization
Texas A&M is an institution that is both large and complex. As previously mentioned, the system is comprised of a multi-campus network including a medical sciences center and seven state agencies. This is significant because leadership of Texas A&M is reflective of this complexity in that each campus has its own administrative units which oversee the direct functioning of that campus. Each campus is led by a president who acts as the chief administrator for that location who in turn reports to the Office of the Chancellor. Significantly and perhaps even symbolically, the Office of the Chancellor is located in College Station, home to the largest campus location within the university system. The Chancellor oversees the day-to-day operation and management of the Texas A&M System including the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor & Chief Financial Officer which itself both directly and indirectly oversees various departmental units such as Agriculture, Engineering, and Research, for example.
However, this position too is ultimately subordinate to the nine-member Board of Regents who governs the administration and sets the fiscal and administrative policy for the entire Texas A&M system. This Board of Regents seems to share responsibilities similar to many of the other executive boards that were examined this past lesson. A closer look reveals that the Regents are comprised of a combination of corporate executives and lawyers with the majority of whom holding at least a bachelor’s degree from the university. The Regents are individually appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate for six-year terms. Interestingly, there is also one non-voting student member on the Board of Regents who has all the rights and privileges of a full member, barring the right to cast a vote (Texas A&M, n.d.).
This slide depicts a top down view of the entire university system in order to provide greater context of institutional decision-making as well as relationships that exist between various units. Note the delineation of responsibilities between the various campus heads, academic college deans, and vice chancellors.
Figure 3: The Texas A&M University System - Organizational Chart (Texas A&M,2012) .

7. Structure: Leadership Organization
This next slide further illustrates the current leadership within the university at Texas A&M – College Station. Leadership at the flagship campus is comprised of the President and CEO, Michael Young, who is directly responsible for units both academic and non-academic including Athletics, Student Affairs, Research, Diversity, and Human Resources. Interestingly, several offices seem to be a direct result of the original mission and status of the university as a public flagship land-grant institution. These include the offices of Government Relations, the Health Science Center, and the Commandant, with the last example no doubt representative of the university’s longstanding tradition of maintaining the student-based Cadent Corps.
It would appear that leadership at Texas A&M in a state of transition as several positions are currently filled by staff with interim titles such as the Interim Vice President for Human Relations & Organizational Effectiveness, Interim Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, and Interim Associate Vice President for Information Technology. The President’s Cabinet also reflects links to its military tradition as it includes two positions—Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, Rear Admiral Robert Smith III (Ret.) and Brigadier General (Ret.) Commandant Joe Ramirez, Jr.—at the administration level.
Figure 4: Texas A&M University President’s Cabinet (Texas A&M, 2016).

8. Institutional Revenue
As a public research university, Texas A&M’s sources of revenue are fairly diversified yet interestingly balanced, with almost all sources of revenue falling within ten percentage points difference from one another. It would appear that a substantial amount of Texas A&M’s revenue is derived from private gift, grants, and contracts (26%), other core revenues (20%), and state appropriations (19%); these form the top three entities in terms of income stream for the university. Income derived from student tuition and associated fees, interestingly, only account for 15% of Texas A&M’s overall revenue flow which is the third smallest source of institutional revenue (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016).
Notably, Texas A&M boasts a higher proportion (26%) of core revenue resulting from private gifts, grants, and contracts than many of its peer institutions in the public sector. Also significant is the amount of funding received from government grants and contracts (13%). This can likely be attributed to Texas A&M’s being a recipient of substantial government funding in fields such as biodefense and nuclear energy (Texas A&M, n.d.).
Figure 5: Core Revenue by Source for 2014 Fiscal Year (IPEDS, 2016).

9. Institutional Expenses
As a whole, Texas A&M’s distribution of core expenses is indicative of other public research institutions that were examined. Both instruction (33%) and research (29%) form the majority (62% in total) of the school’s expenditures. In this instance, instruction comprises a higher portion of the overall amount than many of the other items and though not as higher some (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). Research expenditure is high relative to the figures overall. According the Texas A&M’s mission statement taken directly from their website, it’s clear that the institution realizes its preeminent role the pursuit and development of research and that ”providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new understandings through research and creativity.” (Texas A&M Mission Statement, n.d.).
Furthermore, Texas A&M is “dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields,” though the degree to which this may be achieved through instruction is left unsaid as there is no language making express mention of the role of faculty in such student development. Nonetheless, it would seem that research is paramount and those who do research also paramount, thus pointing back to the expenditures previously noted.
It would also seem that a higher percentage of government grants and contracts has some effect on the amount that Texas A&M is spending to fuel its research. This may be due in part to the high value that this institution places on research and perhaps also the mindset that greater expenditure in such fields will yield a great return on investment, thus paving the way for even more contracts—both public and private—being generated in the future. At the moment, and so long as tuition continues to consist of at or around 15% of total revenue, then it stands to reason that such a model is likely to continue successfully.
Figure 6: Core Expenses by Source for 2014 Fiscal Year (IPEDS, 2016).

10. Conclusion Closing Thoughts Thank You
This represents an institutional snapshot of my findings on Texas A&M University to date. The institutional data available on Texas A&M University – College Station is intriguing to say the least. Indeed, Texas A&M stands among the country’s leading research institutions, providing a balance of liberal arts and sciences curriculum with a focus on comprehensive and professional development. It always struck me as incredibly overwhelming to be able to effectively run an institution on the scale of Texas A&M and overseeing the needs of over 60,000 students, in addition to faculty and staff is no small endeavor.
The aforementioned rankings discussed earlier and the emphasis the university places on cutting edge research has created a level of prestige that the university undoubtedly works vigorously to maintain and further. This in turn has created a demand for such a renowned academic experience that is recognized on national and international scopes and which is sought after by both prospective students and faculty alike.
I hope that you have enjoyed learning more about a complex institution with a rich history and tradition, as I have.

11. Questions?
Are there any questions I can answer at this time?

12. References
Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M. (2008). Austin Hall [Image file.] Retrieved from Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M. (2008). Earl Rudder Statue [Image file.] Retrieved from Data and Research Services. (2016). Texas A&M University Enrollment Profile Fall Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. (n.d.). Texas A&M University. Retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Finance - Texas A&M University College Station . Retrieved from Texas A&M. (n.d.). Texas A&M Mission Statement. Retrieved from Texas A&M. (2012). The Texas A&M University system organizational chart. Retrieved from Texas A&M. (2016). Texas A&M University President’s Cabinet. Retrieved from Texas A&M. (n.d.). History of the university. Retrieved from Texas State Historical Association. (2010). Texas A&M University. Retrieved from The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. (n.d.). Texas A&M University-College Station. Retrieved from U.S. News & World Report Texas A&M University – College Station. Retrieved from