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== History ==
{{Main|History of Texas A&M University}}
[[File:TexasA&MCampus_1902.jpg|thumb|left|Texas A&M in 1902|alt=It shows, left to right, Ross Hall, Old Main, and Foster Hall.]]
=== Beginning years ===
O [[EUA Congresso]] lançou as bases para o estabelecimento de Texas A & M em 1862 com a adopção do [[Morrill Act]]. O ato leiloadas concessões de terra de terras públicas para estabelecer dotações para faculdades onde o objeto "principal será, sem excluir outros estudos científicos e clássicos, incluindo táticas militares, para ensinar tais ramos de aprendizagem como estão relacionadas à agricultura e artes mecânicas ... promover a educação liberal e prática das classes industrial na perseguições várias profissões e na vida ". <ref name="handbook"/> Em 1871, a [[Assembléia do Texas]] usou esses recursos para criar a primeira instituição pública do Estado do ensino superior, <ref name="txconstitution"> {{Cite documento | title = A Constituição Texas, Artigo 7 º - Educação, Seção 13 - Colégio Agrícola e Mecânica | publisher = Estado de = | Archivedate = 10 de junho de 2007 | deadurl = yes | postscript =<!-- None - ref >}}</> Colégio Agrícola e Mecânica do Texas, então conhecida como Texas AMC <ref name="handbook"/> [[Condado de Brazos]] {{doados converter | 2416 | acre | km2 | 0 | sp = us}} perto [[Bryan, Texas]] para campus da escola <ref name="handbook"> {{Cite documento. | title = Texas A & M University | trabalho = [[Handbook of Texas]] | publisher = Texas State Historical {{Link Morto | data = Outubro de 2010 | bot = H3llBot}} </ ref>
Classes began on October 4, 1876, with 40 students and 6 faculty members. Admission was limited to white males, and all students were required to participate in the [[Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets|Corps of Cadets]] and receive military training.<ref name="dethloff1617">{{Cite document| last = Dethloff | first = Henry C.|authorlink=Henry C. Dethloff | title =A Pictorial History of Texas A&M University, 1876–1976 | place=College Station, Texas, Texas | publisher =Texas A&M University Press | year =1975 |pages=16–17| postscript = <!--None-->}}</ref> Enrollment climbed to 258 students before declining to 108 students in 1883, the year the [[University of Texas at Austin|University of Texas]] opened in [[Austin, Texas]].<ref name="Adams16">{{Cite book|last=Adams Jr.|first=John A.|title=Keepers of the Spirit|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|page=16, table 1–1|year=2001|isbn=1-58544-127-9|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> Though originally envisioned and annotated in the [[Texas Constitution]] as a branch of the [[University of Texas]], Texas A.M.C. had a separate Board of Directors from the University of Texas from the first day of classes and was never enveloped into the [[University of Texas System]].<ref name="handbook"/>
[[File:TAMU Sul Ross statue.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Lawrence Sullivan Ross|Lawrence Sullivan "Sul" Ross]] located in front of the Academic Building|alt=A large domed building overlooks a full-length statue of balding white male with a mustache and long goatee and wearing a knee-length coat. The pedestal is engraved "Lawrence Sullivan Ross". ]]
In the late 1880s, many Texas residents saw no need for two colleges in Texas and clamored for an end of Texas A.M.C. In 1891, Texas A&M was saved from potential closure by its new president [[Lawrence Sullivan Ross]], former [[governor of Texas]] and well-respected [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Brigadier General]]. Ross made many improvements to the school and enrollment doubled to 467 cadets as parents sent their sons to Texas A&M "to learn to be like Ross".<ref name="ferrell">{{Cite news|last=Ferrell|first=Christopher|title=Ross Elevated College from "Reform School"|newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|year=2001|url=http://209.189.226.235/aandmnews/anniversary/1rossbio.htm|accessdate=2007-03-22|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> During his tenure, many enduring [[Traditions of Texas A&M University|Aggie traditions]] were born, including the creation of the first [[Traditions of texas a&m#Aggie Ring|Aggie Ring]].<ref name="ferrell"/> After his death in 1898, a statue was erected in front of what is now Academic Plaza to honor Ross and his achievements in the history of the school.<ref name="ferrell">{{cite web|last=Ferrell|first=Christopher|title=Ross Elevated College from "Reform School"|publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|year=2001|url=http://209.189.226.235/aandmnews/anniversary/1rossbio.htm|accessdate=2007-03-22}}</ref>
Under pressure from the legislature, in 1911 the school began allowing women to attend classes during the summer semester.<ref name="kavanagh">{{Cite news | last=Kavanagh | first=Colleen | title=Questioning Tradition | newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle | year=2001 | url=http://theeagle.com/aandmnews/anniversary/1questioningtradition.htm | accessdate=2008-06-24 | format= – <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3AKavanagh+intitle%3AQuestioning+Tradition&as_publication=&as_ylo=2001&as_yhi=2001&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup>|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20041226171757/http://theeagle.com/aandmnews/anniversary/1questioningtradition.htm |archivedate = December 26, 2004|deadurl=yes | postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> At the same time, A&M began expanding its academic pursuits with the establishment of the [[Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences|School of Veterinary Medicine]] in 1915.<ref name="handbook"/>
=== World Wars era ===
Many Texas A&M graduates served during [[World War I|World War I]]. By 1918, 49% of all graduates of the college were in military service, more than any other school.<ref name="handbook"/> In early September 1918, the entire senior class enlisted, with plans to send the younger students at staggered dates throughout the next year. Many of the seniors were fighting in France when the war ended two months later.<ref name="liffick">{{Cite news|last=Liffick|first=Brandie|title=Tradition spanning generations|newspaper=The Battalion|date=2001-10-30|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2001/10/03/Ams125th/Tradition.Spanning.Generations-515912.shtml|accessdate=2007-03-22|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref>
Over 1,200 former students served as commissioned officers. After the war, Texas A&M grew rapidly and became nationally recognized for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and military science.<ref name="handbook"/> The first graduate school was organized in 1924 and the school awarded its first Ph.D. in 1940.<ref name="handbook"/> In 1925, Mary Evelyn Crawford Locke became the first female to receive a diploma from Texas A&M, although she was not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony.<ref name="crawford">{{Cite document | title=THE TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION MAGAZINE | SPRING 2010 | publisher=Texas A&M University Foundation | url=http://giving.tamu.edu/PDFs/Spring10_Spirit.pdf | accessdate=2011-02-16 | postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> The following month the Board of Directors officially prohibited all women from enrolling.<ref name="kavanagh"/>
Many Aggies again served in the military during [[World War II]], with the college producing 20,229 combat troops. Of those, 14,123 Aggies served as officers, more than any other school and more than the combined total of the [[United States Naval Academy]] and the [[United States Military Academy]].<ref name="adams160">{{Cite book|last=Adams Jr.|first=John A.|title=Keepers of the Spirit|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|year=2001|pages=160, 163|isbn=1-58544-127-9|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> During the war, 29 A&M graduates reached the rank of general.<ref name="handbook"/>
Enrollment soared after the war as many former soldiers used the [[G.I. Bill]] to further their education.<ref name="gillentine">{{Cite news | last=Gillentine | first=Kristy | title=Aggies recall days at Annex | newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle | date=March 11, 2007 | url=http://theeagle.com/stories/031107/am_20070311019.php| accessdate=2008-06-24 | format= – <sup>[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3AGillentine+intitle%3AAggies+recall+days+at+Annex&as_publication=&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]</sup>|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070930181709/http://theeagle.com/stories/031107/am_20070311019.php |archivedate = September 30, 2007|deadurl=yes | postscript=<!--None-->}} {{Wayback|url=http://theeagle.com/stories/031107/am_20070311019.php|date =20080615115959|bot=DASHBot}}</ref> In 1948, the state Legislature formally recognized Texas A&M as a separate university system from the University of Texas System, codifying the [[de facto]] arrangement between the schools.<ref name="system">{{Cite document|title=A&M System History|publisher=Texas A&M University System|url=http://www.tamus.edu/regents/history/|accessdate=2011-02-16|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref>
=== University era ===
On March 26, 1960, [[Major General]] [[James Earl Rudder]], class of 1932, became the 16th president of the college.<ref name="dethloff184">{{Cite document|last=Dethloff|first=Henry C.|title=A Pictorial History of Texas A&M University, 1876-1976|place=[[College Station, Texas]]|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|year=1975|page=184|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> Rudder's tenure (1959–1970) marked a critical turning point in the school's history. Under his leadership, Texas A&M underwent a dramatic expansion in terms of its physical plant construction, but more importantly, it diversified and expanded its student body by admitting women and minorities. The Corps of Cadets became voluntary. In the face of growing student activism during the 1960s, Rudder worked diligently to ensure that school continue to fulfill its mission of providing a quality education for all Aggies. By his death in 1970, Rudder had overseen the growth of the school from 7,500 to 14,000 students from all 50 states and 75 nations.<ref name="rudder">{{Cite document|last=Ferrell|first=Christopher|coauthors=|title=Rudder's influence is evident on campus|work=|pages=|language=|publisher=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|year=2001|url=http://209.189.226.235/aandmnews/anniversary/1rudderbio.htm|accessdate=2009-06-29|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref><ref>Christopher B. Bean, "James Earl Rudder and the Transformation of Texas A&M University," ''Journal of South Texas'' (Fall 2008), Vol. 21 Issue 2, pp 119-31</ref>
In 1963, the 58th [[Legislature of Texas]] approved of Rudder's changes, and officially renamed the school "Texas A&M University",<ref name="rudder"/> specifying that the "A" and the "M" were purely symbolic, reflecting the school's past, and no longer stood for "Agricultural and Mechanical".<ref name="handbook"/> In the following 35 years, Texas A&M more than tripled its enrollment from 14,000 <!--Measurement of population-->students to over 45,000.<ref name="TAMUfacts">{{Cite document|title=About Texas A&M University|publisher=Texas A&M University|url=http://www.tamu.edu/home/aboutam/|accessdate=2008-02-20|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref>
Texas A&M became one of the first four universities given the designation [[sea-grant university|sea-grant]] for its achievements in [[oceanography]] and marine resources development in 1971. In 1989, the university earned the title [[space-grant college|space-grant]] by [[NASA]], to recognize its commitment to space research and participation in the Texas Space Grant Consortium.<ref name="britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Texas A&M University|encyclopedia=Britannica|volume=1|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/589321/Texas-A-M-University|accessdate=2007-05-22}}</ref>
[[File:George Bush Presidential Library.jpg|thumb|left|George Bush Presidential Library|alt=Above the doorway of a large, relatively plain rectangular structure with a short dome are the words "George Bush Library". In front of the building is a circular courtyard with a water fountain; eight American flags are positioned evenly around the circle.]]
In 1997, the school became the home of the [[George Bush Presidential Library]]. Operated by the [[National Archives and Records Administration]], it is one of thirteen American [[Presidential library|presidential libraries]]. Former President [[George H.W. Bush|George Bush]] remains actively involved with the university, frequently visiting the campus and participating in special events.<ref name="bushlibrary">{{Cite document|url=http://bushlibrary.tamu.edu|title=Bush Library|publisher=George Bush Presidential Library and Museum|accessdate=2007-04-21|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref><ref name="bushlibopens">{{Cite document|title=George Bush Presidential Library and Museum Opens|publisher=The Record|DUPLICATE DATA: publisher=[[NARA]]|date=January 1998|url=http://www.archives.gov/publications/record/1998/01/bush.html|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref>
Texas A&M received national media attention on November 18, 1999, when [[Aggie Bonfire]], a ninety-year-old student tradition, collapsed during construction. Twelve current and former students died and twenty-seven others were injured. The accident was later attributed to improper design and poor construction practices.<ref name="homeland">{{Cite document|last=Cook|first=John Lee, Jr.|title=Bonfire Collapse|publisher=[[U.S. Department of Homeland Security]]|url=http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-133.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-03-03|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> The victims' family members filed six lawsuits against Texas A&M officials, the student Bonfire leaders, and the university. Half of the defendants settled their portion of the case in 2005,<ref name="kapitan">{{Cite news|last=Kapitan|first=Craig|title=Bonfire case under scrutiny by court|newspaper=The Bryan-College Station Eagle|date=2006-09-03|url=http://209.189.226.235/stories/090306/am_20060903005.php|accessdate=2009-04-02|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against the university in 2007.<ref name="vanderwerf">{{Cite news|last=Van Der Werf|first=Martin|title=Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Lawsuits Over Texas A&M Bonfire Accident|newspaper=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]|date=2007-04-25|url=http://chronicle.com/news/article/2169/appeals-court-upholds-dismissal-of-lawsuits-over-texas-am-bonfire-accident|accessdate=2007-05-24|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref>
With strong support from [[Rice University]] and the [[University of Texas at Austin]], the [[Association of American Universities]] inducted Texas A&M in May 2001, on the basis of the depth of the university's research and academic programs.<ref name="Aggie_Daily">{{cite press release|title=Texas A&M Selected For Membership In Association Of American Universities|publisher=Texas A&M University|date=2001-05-07|url=http://tamunews.tamu.edu/archives/article.php?articleid=10936&month=5&year=2001|accessdate=2009-04-02}}</ref> In December 2006, university President [[Robert Gates]] resigned from his position to become the U.S. [[Secretary of Defense]].<ref name="newpresdent">{{Cite news|last=Mengers|first=Katlynn|title=Search for new president begins|newspaper=The Battalion|date=2007-01-19|url=http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2007/01/19/News/Search.For.New.President.Begins-2654924.shtml|accessdate=2007-05-03|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> [[Elsa Murano]] became his replacement in January 2008, but later resigned in June 2009<ref>{{Cite news|last=Perez|first=Israel|url=http://www.dailytexanonline.com/state-local/survey-ranks-desirable-qualities-for-a-m-s-new-president-1.1868780|title=Survey ranks desirable qualities for A&M's new president|accessdate=2009-09-29|date=2009-09-08|newspaper=The Daily Texan|postscript=<!--None-->}} {{dead link| date=May 2010 | bot=DASHBot}}</ref> and was replaced by [[R. Bowen Loftin]].
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