Tarleton Joins A&M System Research Center in Downtown Fort Worth

Artist rendering of Texas A&M System’s urban campus in downtown Fort Worth

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University will be part of the new Texas A&M System Research and Innovation Center in downtown Fort Worth, officials announced today.

Both the center and an education building will be constructed in phases on four blocks owned by the A&M System (close to the Fort Worth Convention Center). The Texas A&M University School of Law currently is housed in the former Southwestern Bell facility on Commerce Street, and either that space will be renovated or a new law school building will rise to accommodate growth and provide a state-of-the-art educational environment.

Once completed, the three facilities will create an urban campus designed to spur business development in one of the fastest growing large cities in the country. Nearly half of the 1.2 million adults in Tarrant County, age 25 and older, lack a college degree. One in four county households has an annual income below $30,000.

Representatives of the A&M System, the city of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and Fort Worth Now, a privately funded group formed to invigorate the pandemic aftermath, last week signed a memorandum outlining aspirations for the urban campus.

The non-binding statement enables more detailed planning in the coming months. Construction will require approvals from the A&M System Board of Regents, the Fort Worth City Council and Tarrant County Commissioners Court. 

“The A&M System is making a Texas-sized commitment to Fort Worth,” said A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. “Welcome to Aggieland North.”

Tarleton, Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M Health Science Center and five A&M System agencies have been tapped to propel programs in emergency response communications, biotechnology, medical laboratory science and nursing, among others.

“Tarleton already has a growing campus in Southwest Fort Worth and a nationally acclaimed medical laboratory science program in the downtown Medical District, so our university is a perfect fit for this initiative,” said Tarleton President James Hurley. “We are excited to be part of this innovative partnership.”

Design is underway on a second building on Tarleton’s Fort Worth campus, with construction set to begin next year and a grand opening planned in 2024. The $66 million Interprofessional Education Building, funded by the A&M System, will add 100,000 square feet of classroom and specialized laboratory space for health science and kinesiology programs.

A&M System agencies selected as urban campus partners are the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

For more information, go to https://www.tamus.edu/ft-worth/.

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 $9.6 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 153,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs annually. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion a year and help drive the state’s economy.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
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Tags: Academic Affairs, Administration, Alumni, Division of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, Tarleton State Fort Worth