Planning the Next 50 Years

E2 | Sunday, August 23, 2020 | lmtonline.com | Laredo Morning Times 50th Anniversary By Christian Alejandro Ocampo Laredo Morning Times F or over half a century, Texas A&M Inter- national has molded members of the re- gion and around the world into nurses, sci- entists, writers, artists and more. In the year 2020, it is hard to imagine Laredo without its univer- sity, and the improvements it has brought to the community will not soon be forgotten. While this year has been a tough year for many amid the coronavirus pandemic, just like the university, they carry on. For 50 years, the university has adapted to the ever-changing com- munity and its needs. And for the next 50 years, it will continue to do the same as well. According to president Dr. Pablo Arenaz, TAMIU is expected to grow from 10,000 to 12,000 students in the next five years who will all look forward to graduating from either undergraduate, graduate or doctoral programs. To do so, it is also plan- ning to move into a doctoral/profes- sional university, and Arenaz said it is on the way to being recognized as a destination university for several of its programs that will continue to expand to meet the standards of both the students and the industry. “We have plans to expand our doctoral offerings to include de- grees in criminal justice, border studies, education, eventually biol- TAMIU’s 50th anniversary Planning the next 50 years Photo Courtesy of TAMIU An inside view of the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library.