Concho Resources, Texas A&M open engineering academy in Midland
MIDLAND, TX—Chancellor John Sharp and other officials from Texas A&M University joined Concho Resources CEO and Chairman Tim Leach last week to celebrate the opening of The Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College.
The Concho addition is the seventh academy in which Texas A&M University’s outstanding College of Engineering has collaborated with a community college to deliver a more affordable path for undergraduate students to earn an Aggie engineering degree. Already, nearly 2,000 students are studying at Texas A&M academies in Brenham, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Brownsville.
See a video about The Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College here: https://youtu.be/jdgJfxo6PaA
Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College is scheduled to open in fall 2019. Program administrators will accept applications through June 30.
The innovative co-enrollment partnership was developed to address the state’s growing need for engineers. Qualified students will be admitted to the Texas A&M College of Engineering and take their engineering courses from Texas A&M faculty, while completing the first two years of general studies coursework at Midland College and then finishing their engineering degrees in College Station.
“We are proud to be engaged corporate citizens in our community and pleased to support the Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College. The program creates new opportunities for students in West Texas and will enhance the pipeline of highly skilled local talent that our industry and region need to be successful,” said Leach, who is also a regent in The Texas A&M University System. “As the Permian continues to grow over the next decade, access to higher education in Midland is essential for meeting our industry’s increasing demand for an innovative and technical workforce.”
Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp added that The Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College allows students to remain close to home for their first two years while pursuing one of 20 majors within the College of Engineering at Texas A&M.
“We are pleased to offer students in Midland a unique pathway toward a first-rate degree from an engineering college ranked among the top 10 in the world,” Sharp said. “Our goal is to attract the very best students to Texas A&M Engineering, even if circumstances require them to stay close to home for the first part of their college career. These students will be Aggies in Midland from day one.”
Steve Thomas, president of Midland College said that engineering degrees are critically important to the community of Midland and to the mission of Midland College.
“The Texas A&M-Concho Engineering Academy at Midland College is a natural partnership designed to provide a highly trained engineering workforce to fill much-needed local engineering and technology jobs,” he said.
In Texas, the projected need for engineers in the workforce is 53,000 by 2024. To meet this need, universities and two-year colleges must work together to bridge the gap and attract and retain students who are interested in STEM fields. Engineering students in the Engineering Academy program enroll in math, science and core curriculum courses through Midland College and have the unique opportunity to enroll in Texas A&M engineering courses taught by Texas A&M faculty on the Midland College campus.
Texas A&M Engineering Vice Chancellor and Dean Dr. M. Katherine Banks said the academies offer new ways for people to access to a top-ranked engineering program.
“The academies provide new pathways to a first-rate engineering education,” Banks said. “At a time when many Texas families are worrying about the cost of college, students can live at home for the first two years of college without postponing their participation in an engineering program that is highly regarded by employers across the country.”
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu