Texas A&M University–Kingsville

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Texas A&M University–Kingsville
TAMUK tower after victory.jpg
Established 1925
Type Public university
President Steven H. Tallant, Ph.D.
Faculty 401
Students 6,662
Location Kingsville, Texas, United States
Campus 1,600 acres (6.5 km²)
Colors Blue and Gold
Nickname Javelinas (informally "Hoggies")
Mascot Porky the Javelina
Website http://www.tamuk.edu

Texas A&M University–Kingsville (formerly Texas A&I University) is a U.S. national university with a multicultural student body that is 62 percent Hispanic and includes students from 35 states and 43 foreign countries. The university has nationally recognized programs in engineering, agriculture, wildlife, music, and the sciences and is known for developing the nation's first doctoral degree in bilingual education. Founded in 1925 as South Texas State Teachers College, the university's name change in 1929 to Texas College of Arts and Industries (A&I) signaled the broadening of its mission. A 1967 name change to Texas A&I University marked another transition. The university became a member of the Texas A&M University System in 1989 and changed names in September 1993.

Contents

[edit] Academics

Texas A&M–Kingsville has 56 undergraduate degree programs, 61 master's programs and six doctoral degrees in the Colleges of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Human Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Education, Engineering and Graduate Studies.[1] The university features the region's only programs in engineering, social sciences and agriculture. With state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, the university's 545 acre (2.2 km²) teaching farm gives agriculture students hands-on farming and ranching experience. A&M–Kingsville's bilingual education program, offering degrees at the master's and doctoral levels, was the first of its kind in the country and continues to be one of the strongest.[2] Undergraduates in nearly all disciplines have an opportunity to participate in research projects.

[edit] Rankings

Texas A&M–Kingsville is ranked in the Top 100 national universities by Washington Monthly magazine. The university consistently ranks among the country's top 10 producers of Hispanic engineers and has the only accredited program in natural gas engineering in the United States. The Texas Legislature approved and funded the creation and construction of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, the first professional school of any kind at any university south of San Antonio, which opened in the fall of 2006. In addition, the university offers the only professional degree in ranch management in the United States.

[edit] Research

The Natural Toxins Research Center at Texas A&M–Kingsville(NTRC) boasts the largest collection of venomous snakes in the country and attracts researchers from around the world to its one-of-a-kind serpentarium. For over three decades, its mission has been to provide global research, training & resources that will lead to the discovery of medically important toxins found in snake venoms. They also provide snake venoms, venom fractions and tissue for biomedical research.

Texas A&M–Kingsville's Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and its Citrus Center both have international reputations, attracting scholars and research projects from around the world.

The Welhausen Water Resources Center, through its membership in the International Arid Lands Consortium, is playing a role in the Middle East with its expertise in water conservation and development. The newly founded South Texas Environmental Institute plans to bring regional entities together to solve environmental questions through research.

The South Texas Archives and Special Collections, a division of the James C. Jernigan Library is located on the campus. It hosts one of the largest archival collection in Texas, devoted almost exclusively to the history of South Texas. The South Texas Archives is a state depository that contains the official records from many local towns, cities, special districts, courts and other regional agencies. In addition, the Archives hosts large photograph collections, thousands of written and oral histories of the region, as well as the collections of many local and state legislators, such as Carlos Truan, Irma Rangel and J.T. Canales.

[edit] Student Life

[edit] Residence Life

The campus is home to several dormitory buildings. The university recently completed a new residence hall with 600 beds in a suite-style environment.[3] In addition, the private Javelina Station apartments near campus offer apartment-style living specifically geared towards college students.

The Memorial Student Union Building (commonly called the MSUB or SUB) is often referred to as the "living room of campus." [4] It is home to the Financial Aid Department, the Office of Student Activities, the Dean of Students, several ballrooms and meeting rooms. The building also houses a large cafeteria, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Sodexo-operated restaurant counters providing hot and deli submarine sandwiches, smoothies and coffee/cappuccino. The building also hosts a large university bookstore, operated by Barnes and Noble. The Memorial Student Union Building also accommodates a large game room with a dozen pool tables, ping pong tables, a computer and study hall section, several large flat screen televisions, and a video arcade room.

The university is currently building a new Student Recreation Center. The new 24-hour center will be approximately 36,000 square feet and contain two indoor multi-purpose gymnasiums that can be used for basketball, soccer, and volleyball. It will also contain 5,600 square feet for a new cardio fitness and weight room with an elevated track. It is estimated to be completed in January 2010. [5]

The Steinke Physical Education Center (SPEC) is home to the university's Department of Kinesiology. The multistory complex also houses various recreational concourses that provide many activities for students, faculty and staff throughout the semester. Among these are a bowling ally, racketball courts, an Olympic sized swimming pool, a fitness center and large locker rooms.

The school has many activities available to students and residents throughout the year. The Office of Resident's Life and the Office of Student Activities sponsor many activities throughout the year, including Hoggie Days (a student orientation program), fall and spring festivals, picnics, dorm activities. The Office of Student Activities also hosts free weekend movie events in the Peacock Auditorium, lawn and drive-in movie events, recreational sports, Family Weekend events, the Homecoming Bonfire and several other traditional school spirit or entertainment activities throughout the year.

[edit] Student Organizations

The university hosts a number of student organizations, including a number of Greek-letter academic honor societies, academic and professional societies, political clubs, religious student organizations and many others. There are approximately 105 vibrant student organizations at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. They are divided into categories: academic, community service, honor societies, faith-based, spirit & tradition, cultural/international, military, sports, Greek, performing & visual arts, social & political issues, student government, student media, health & recreation, programming and special interest. [6]

[edit] Greek Life

The university is home to chapters or colonies of several Greek fraternities and sororities, including:

Fraternities:

Sigma Lambda Beta
Sigma Chi
Lambda Chi Alpha
Omega Delta Phi
Omega Delta Sigma

Sororities:

Alpha Sigma Alpha
Delta Phi Epsilon
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Kappa Delta Chi
Theta Phi Alpha

[edit] Athletics

Texas A&M-Kingsville is a member of the Lone Star Conference. The university has seen much success in athletics, winning several conference titles, most recently in baseball.[7] The perennial success in football[8] led some to dub the school as a "football factory" with 7 National Championships: 1979, 1976, 1975, 1974, 1970, 1969, 1959 and 34 Conference Championships: 1931, 1932, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1951, 1952, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1967-70, 1974-77, 1979, 1985, 1987-89, 1992-97, 2001-04, 2009.

The university offers 5 men's sports and 5 women's sports. Facilities include Javelina Stadium for football; the Gil H. Steinke Physical Education Center for volleyball and men's and women's basketball; Nolan Ryan Field for baseball; and Vernie & Blanche Hubert Field for softball.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Campus

Texas A&M–Kingsville is located in Kingsville, Texas, just 40 miles (60 km) southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas and 120 miles (190 km) north of Mexico. Kingsville, with a population of 25,000, is home to the headquarters of the famed King Ranch and Naval Air Station Kingsville. Texas A&M–Kingsville has 1,601 acres (6 kN-m²) of land, including a 250 acre (1 km²) main campus with 82 buildings.

Texas A&M–Kingsville also maintains an upper-level division in south San Antonio, Texas, a historically underserved area.[9] The campus is currently called Texas A&M University–Kingsville System Center-San Antonio, but in the future will become a separate university, Texas A&M University–San Antonio.[10]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.tamuk.edu/academics/
  2. ^ http://www.tamuk.edu/news/2005/december/bilingual_ed/
  3. ^ http://www.tamuk.edu/news/2008/november/res_hall_groundbreaking/
  4. ^ http://www.tamuk.edu/construction/reno/SUB/
  5. ^ http://www.tamuk.edu/construction/new/rec_center/
  6. ^ http://osa.tamuk.edu/studenthandbook/StudentOrganizations.html
  7. ^ http://www.javelinaathletics.com/MensBaseball.cfm?spcode=BASB
  8. ^ http://www.javelinaathletics.com/MensFootball.cfm?spcode=FOOT
  9. ^ Jakeway, Donald (2006-11-10). "Unprecedented economic expansion under way on South Side". San Antonio Business Journal. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2006/11/13/focus2.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  10. ^ "A&M System Regents Approve Building Lease for San Antonio Campus". Texas A&M University System Communications Office. 2006-12-01. http://sago-news.tamu.edu/releases/?p=215. Retrieved 2006-12-17. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 27°31′30″N 97°52′57″W / 27.5251°N 97.8825°W / 27.5251; -97.8825

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