Imperative
12
12
Meet
Our Commitment to Texas
Texas
A&M University is a creation of the
state, and in its origin was designed
to prepare educated problem-solvers
to lead the state’s development. This
fundamental mission, born out of the
land grant heritage of service, remains
today. Texas A&M University’s aspiration
to be among the best public universities
in the country resonates with this
historical mandate. The diverse population
of Texas should have access to the
best public education in America without
having to leave the state. Texas A&M
University must also reach out even
more to help solve the most difficult
societal problems, including those
related to public education, crime,
and the environment, and must honor
its heritage of enhancing the economic
development of all regions of the
state. If it is to achieve enduring
national prominence, Texas A&M University
must first stay committed to Texas.
P
R E C E P T: F U L F I L L O
U R F L A G S H I P
M I S S I O N
Texas A&M
University, by virtue of its history
and its drive for excellence, is one
of two flagship institutions in the
State of Texas. Its broad array of
programs and the fact that it is a
center of research, graduate education,
and professional schools define it
as a flagship. Flagships, by their
nature, require more resources than
other institutions, but they also
return more to the state and its citizens.
The people of the university must
understand and embrace its special
role and its special responsibilities.
One aspect of this responsibility
is to model the most effective teaching,
research, and service for our System
partners and the state. Fostering
increased interdependence of Texas
A&M University with our partners in
the agencies and other institutions
in The Texas A&M University System
will help us exploit our public and
private resources for the greatest
benefit to the students and taxpayers
of the State of Texas. Moreover, Texas
A&M University should lead in working
productively with all comprehensive
research universities in Texas for
the betterment of the state. In addition,
the university must work to engender
public and legislative support for
the role of flagship universities.
Resolving
new socioeconomic challenges in
the State of Texas and beyond will
provide faculty and students with
unique intellectual opportunities
that will stimulate inquiry, strengthen
public support, and solidify the
role of the university as a flagship
institution in the System and in
the State of Texas.
T
A S K F O R C E I D
E A
P
R E C E P T: C R E AT E A
C O N T E M P O R A R Y V I E
W O F O U R
S E R V I C E H E R I TA G E
The genesis
of the Morrill Act that established
the land grant universities in America
was the demand created by the Industrial
Age for educated people to serve the
agricultural and mechanical needs of
a growing nation. This landmark legislation
recognized that education could and
should lead to the improvement of the
human condition. It also resulted in
recognition that learning should be
for the many rather than the few. This
strong notion of service still prospers
at Texas A&M University. The challenge
as we enter the knowledge age is to
capture and enact a contemporary concept
of the land grant philosophy. Our contemporary
understanding of how higher education
can transform society will have an impact
on American life equal to or greater
than that of the Morrill Act in the
late 19th century. Texas A&M University
should lead its peers in extending and
amplifying what it means to be a land
grant university in the 21st century.
The
demographic changes presently sweeping
through the State of Texas will gain
momentum in the first two decades
of the next century. The choice is
clear. This state can continue to
be a place of opportunity or it can
decline due to serious socioeconomic
problems. The flagship universities
in Texas have a unique responsibility
to find solutions to these difficult
issues. There is no better time than
now for Texas A&M University, as a
vibrant, evolving land grant institution,
to assume the leadership role in addressing
the challenges ahead.
T
A S K F O R C E I D E
A
-
Establish Educational
Extension and Research programs
as a fundamental and high-priority
land grant mission of Texas A&M
University in the 21st Century.
Develop and implement an exemplary
national model for this new concept.
-
Infuse the idea of learning through
service into the educational experience
of Texas A&M University. Incorporate
a required service experience into
the undergraduate curriculum.
-
Expand the idea of service through
extension and research to the most
pressing social problems of the
late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Make the work of the Bush School
a national model for educating elected
and appointed public officials,
citizen board members, and students
on public service and the development
and implementation of public policy.
-
Establish a Center for Business
and Industry in the university,
which is charged with coordinating
the role of the institution in economic
initiatives statewide, marketing
the intellectual capabilities of
the university to the private sector,
nurturing new spin-off and incubator
companies resulting from local university/private
sector collaboration, and promoting
the growth of the university’s research
park. Quadruple the number of
spin-off industries associated with
the university.
-
Open the various resources of the
university to the greater public.
Establish the Texas A&M University
Access Center, a large “window”
to the university through which
requests for assistance or partnerships
would flow.
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T
H E U N I V E R S I T Y
’ S F U T U R E I
S A B O U T
S E R V I C E :
The
next quarter of a century promises
a host of new opportunities
associated with dramatic, revolutionary
advances in the life sciences
and an expanding technological,
information age. In responding
to these challenges, the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences
seeks excellence through scholarship
by building on its distinguished
teaching, research, and extension/public
service programs. The college
embraces its goal of developing
future leaders for the agricultural,
food, human, and life sciences
industries by fostering an intellectually
challenging academic environment
focused on the individual needs
and interests of each student.
The College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences will serve Texas
and the nation by providing
leadership through research
discoveries, furthering the
transfer of knowledge within
the academic and extension programs
of the Land Grant University
System, and supporting a network
of industry partners and global
linkages to advance research
and learning.
The
College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences, Vision for 2020
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