We know that UTSA is growing rapidly, but they’re not the only state school in San Antonio any more, as ground was broken for the Texas A&M-San Antonio campus this past Friday.
Born in May 2009 after a drawn-out political battle, the university has grown to 2,600 students from a tiny seed campus operated by Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Housed in two old elementary schools on the South Side, students and faculty will move into their permanent home sometime after July 2011.
Located on nearly 700 acres between Zarzamora Street and Moursund Boulevard south of Loop 410, the first building is funded by $40 million in state tuition revenue bonds. Designed by Kell Muñoz Architects, it must pack all the basics into 91,000 square feet: classrooms, office space, computer labs, a library, bookstore and a food-service area.
Workers are nearly finished with University Way, the road leading into the campus, funded with $15 million approved in the city’s last bond election. Verano Land Group, which donated the land for the campus, is moving forward with plans to build a pedestrian-friendly urban village around A&M-San Antonio.
In October, students and faculty chose the jaguar as a mascot for the new university, and are already calling themselves “Jaggies,” a reference to the Aggies mascot at the flagship campus in College Station.
Hard to believe that a mere 40 years ago there was nothing but private schools and community colleges in San Antonio, but look where they are now. I hope that soon it will join UTSA in striving for Tier I status. Best of luck, TAMU-SA.