Texas A&M...Becoming Liberal?

By: Amanda Hart

Texas Agriculture and Mechanical College. Judging from the original title of Texas A&M University, it is hard to imagine this famously Agriculture and Engineering school ever coming close to being “liberal.”

The word “liberal” literally means being in favor of progress and/or reform. Texas A&M University is working hard to introduce itself into the world of top-notch schools in America, and the Liberal Arts College is one way in which it is achieving this.The College of Liberal Arts has the most faculty and the most undergraduates on campus. I’m sure this is surprising to many people in the nation, Aggies included.

The College of Liberal Arts has taken great steps to assert itself throughout the University. According to the Vision 2020 Program information, the Liberal Arts College has expressed how it has progressed throughout the years. Some of the accomplishments include the quality of the faculty hired, Awards, and National Rankings. The following Departments improved their standing in the ranking of doctoral programs: English, History, Political Science, and Sociology.

The advancement of these various departments is suggestive of the growth of the college as a whole. The more nationally renowned different departments become the more the Liberal Arts College will be recognized as an important part of Texas A&M University.

The College also emphasizes research and it has great resources for promoting this. It has made purchases in libraries and electronic technology for students doing research for the liberal arts. The libraries on campus have worked with the Glasscock Center for Humanities Research to help the Liberal Arts College promote graduate student research in the humanities (Vision 2020).

The Liberal Arts College is asserting itself within the University with its population, resources, advancing degrees, and rising rankings nationally. It seems that the Liberal Arts College may become just as imperative to the University as the Engineering and Agriculture colleges are.