[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 133 (Friday, October 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1813]]
               125TH ANNIVERSARY OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEVIN BRADY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 4, 2001

  Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Texas A&M 
University, the oldest public university in Texas, which is celebrating 
its 125th anniversary today. By virtue of being the first public 
institution of higher learning opened in the state of Texas, today we 
commemorate a milestone for public higher education in Texas.
  When Texas A&M opened on October 4, 1876 it attracted a mere six 
students. Today its student body has grown to nearly 45,000, a level 
that is expected to once again place it among the five largest 
universities in the nation. Since its opening, Texas A&M has awarded 
more than 265,000 degrees. Its graduates include Texas Governor Rick 
Perry, Bolivian President Jorge F. Quiroga, legislators and other 
public officials at both the Federal and state levels, chief executive 
officers of Fortune 500 companies and numerous other highly successful 
individuals in business, industry and education. Additionally, it has 
produced thousands of officers for all branches of the military, 
including more than 200 who have achieved the rank of general or 
admiral.
  While teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels will 
always be central to Texas A&M's multiple missions, the University has 
emerged as a major research institution. In fact, this past May it was 
selected for membership in the Association of American Universities 
(AAU), the prestigious 101-year-old organization that restricts its 
ranks to the nation's premier public and private institutions of higher 
learning. Texas A&M's annual investment in research now totals more 
than $400 million annually--the most for any institution in Texas or 
the Southwest. The myriad of studies and experiments are significantly 
enhancing the basic body of knowledge, and many of the projects have 
had major economic impact on the state and nation.
  Texas A&M's success in teaching and research can be attributed to an 
outstanding faculty whose ranks now total approximately 2,400. Included 
are scores of individuals who are considered among the best in their 
fields-nationally and internationally. The faculty includes a winner of 
the Nobel Prize, the National Medal of Science, the World Food Prize 
and numerous members of the National Academy of Sciences and the 
National Academy of Engineering.
  Mr. Speaker, Texas A&M was founded as a Land-Grant College under 
provisions of the Morrill Act which was approved by Congress on July 2, 
1862. The act stipulated that such institutions' ``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 
various pursuits and professions in life . . .''
  By most assessments, Texas A&M is unsurpassed in staying true to its 
Land-Grant heritage while expanding into other areas that provide the 
foundations for a leading 21st Century university. For example Texas 
A&M's Colleges of Agriculture and Engineering are among the largest and 
most respected in the nation, and its Corps of Cadets is the largest 
uniformed student organization on any campus in the nation, except for 
the service academies.
  Additionally, Texas A&M took the lead nationally in applying the 
Land-Grant concept to two other areas that are crucial to the nation, 
specifically sea and space. The concept that led to the Federal 
creation of Sea-Grant and Space-Grant Colleges was initiated at Texas 
A&M, and Texas A&M is one of a select few institutions to hold Federal 
mandates as a Land-, Sea- and Space-Grant College.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been fortunate to represent and work closely with 
Texas A&M University since I was elected to Congress in 1996. During 
this time I have seen first-hand from the students, the faculty, and 
the administration why Texas A&M University has become one of our 
nation's premier universities.
  Again, I wish to congratulate Texas A&M University on its first 125 
years and wish everyone there much success in the university's next 125 
years.

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