COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M, grappling with the challenges of its massive size, has implemented a plan to manage rapid enrollment growth.
- Texas A&M President Mark Welsh III recently sharedplans to halt undergraduate growth on the main campus for five to seven years.
- The university will cap undergraduate enrollment at 15,000 annually, improve campus transportation with new buses and pedestrian safety measures, and invest in new facilities.
- Texas A&M's student body has grown more than 30% over the last 10 years, more than double the average of all other public universities in the state.
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"I'm glad that, like, we're doing well and that it's drawing a lot of crowds in because it is great here, but I think it'll help to now like minimize the growth," TAMU student Evan Dubin said.
Texas A&M has seen incredible growth over the past decade, bringing some challenges.
"Parking, classrooms, buses, all of that, it's pretty crowded in A&M in general," TAMU student Devesh Murali said.
"Like the sidewalks, the streets are all really, really tough, as well as getting in with faculty and advisors," Dubin said.
This is why A&M President Mark Welsh III recently shared plans to halt undergraduate growth on the main campus for the next five to seven years.
"I think it is crowded here, especially with parking and like the streets and all that, so it was good to hear," Dubin said.
The university will cap undergraduate enrollment at 15,000 annually, improve campus transportation with new buses and pedestrian safety measures, and invest in new facilities.
"I think like putting the students that are here first and being able to like adapt to that is huge," Dubin said.
Devesh Murali told 15ABC that this decision will make things more convenient for current and future Aggies.
15ABC asked Murali if these changes will improve or worsen things for A&M in the long run.
"In the long run, I think it would improve stuff," he said.
"It just makes a campus easier to navigate, you know, get classes, because a lot of times it's hard to get courses because of the amount of people in the program, stuff like that. "
He also believes that A&M makes decisions with the best interests of students in mind.
"It's pretty nice to have someone of authority to listen to students' inquiries. It just shows that A&M's in good hands has a bright future and whatnot," he said.
