Texas A&M System Adds Space in Fort Worth
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Aggieland North just got a little grander.
The members of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System voted Wednesday to expand a lease of 10,630 square feet to make more room for the System’s growing footprint in Fort Worth.
The new Texas A&M University System offices will be located in the Burnett Plaza in downtown Fort Worth. Several member institutions will be moving into the lease space this fall. These include Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Texas A&M Engineering, the Mays Business School, Tarleton State University, and others. These Texas A&M System members will be among the first entities to join the Texas A&M University School of Law as part of recently planned expansion into Fort Worth.
The member institutions’ presence marks the realization of the vision to create an urban research campus in downtown Fort Worth, which has been dubbed “Aggieland North.”
Earlier this year, the regents approved $85 million for a Law and Education Building and another $85 million for a Research and Innovation Center in Fort Worth. The campus will be built on several blocks adjacent to the existing School of Law building, which is scheduled to be replaced as part of the campus expansion. The cost of the Law and Education Building, which is scheduled to begin construction in 2023, will be paid with proceeds from the Permanent University Fund. The Research and Innovation Center is expected to be built at approximately the same time.
“We just couldn’t wait,” John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System, said. “Our expansion into the nation’s fastest-growing large city is a game-changer for the A&M System, the city of Fort Worth and the entire North Texas region, and we want to get going as soon as possible.”
The System has already rented space in the Burnett Plaza, located at 801 Cherry Street in Fort Worth, but Wednesday’s action by the regents allows expansion of the lease to give the System plenty of room to grow.
“We are eager to grow the System’s presence in Fort Worth,” said Kim McCuistion, associate vice chancellor and inaugural director for the research and academic campus. “We have a lot of exciting work ahead, and the sooner we can get started, the better.”
Kevin Starbuck, Texas Division of Emergency Management’s assistant chief of Region 1, will lead his team in the new space as soon as it is ready. TDEM’s people in the area are spread out in different locations, but they will come together in the leased space as they await construction of the permanent facilities.
Under Starbuck, TDEM personnel will work on issues such as mitigation, recovery and preparedness. Region 1, which covers 42 counties from North Central Texas to the Piney Woods of East Texas, will focus largely on flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, drought and homeland security-related issues.
Joining TDEM, Texas A&M AgriLife’s Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Evidence Center also will be one of first tenants in the leased space. The new center will become a leading source for objective scientific evidence on agriculture, environment, natural resources and nutrition. The work of the team will help policymakers reach science-informed solutions for addressing malnutrition and diet-related chronic disease in a way that considers the environment and economy.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.2 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 152,000 students and makes more than 24 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu