TAMIU Offers Glimpse of Campus’ Future with Unveiling of Master Plan
A chance to glimpse the future of Texas A&M International University’s (TAMIU) campus in five years, 15 years, and beyond was shared with TAMIU students, faculty, staff, and the community at large when a new Master Plan for the University was unveiled Thursday, March 9.
TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz joined project architects from Perkins+Will to provide an overview of the year-long project initiated in 2022. The event was previously scheduled Feb.1, 2023, but was postponed when inclement weather prevented travel by the Master Plan team to Laredo.
Two information sessions were scheduled in the Student Center Ballroom for University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. The first was from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. and the second from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. A special evening session was held for Alumni Association members and University donors and supporters.
Dr. Arenaz said the Master Plan is a vital tool to guide the University’s development and growth of its 300-acre campus for years to come.
“Great universities are the result of careful, deliberative planning. Dedicating our resources to creating a Master Plan affirms the importance of a unifying vision guiding future building, land use, and infrastructure changes needed to reach goals, adapt to change, and align with our overarching Strategic Plan objectives.
“Regularly creating or updating a campus Master Plan is simply a smart thing to do. It helps ensure that the caliber and delivery of our programs and services emanate from a campus optimized for this,” Arenaz explained, “TAMIU contracted with Perkins+Will to provide integrated services including planning, architecture, engineering, landscape design, and cost consulting for this Master Plan.”
The Master Plan includes existing conditions analysis, space utilization and benchmarking, enrollment statistics, and facility condition assessment as data-informed inputs. It offers a holistic set of future improvement recommendations for land use and building renovation/demolition/new construction.
Landscape design, infrastructure and transportation, and parking solutions have also been created. Finally, the Master Plan will inform a Capital Plan. Project descriptions, prioritization, phasing, and budgeting are all essential elements.
Arenaz said the Master Plan unveiling comes at an exciting time in the campus’ history as the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved plans for a new Health Sciences Education and Research Center, and an expansion of the Western Hemispheric Trade Center (WHTC) with a total planning amount of $71.2 million.
“These two campus additions will help drive program growth and expand impactful teaching, service, and research opportunities. In essence, they help us to continue to Go Beyond. Both include a 2023 start date.
“The 57,000-square foot Health Sciences Education and Research Center will create an interactive clinical building promoting learning and research within the health sciences, one of our fastest-growing study areas, through interaction with the public by TAMIU faculty and students. It will be a home for greater clinical/demonstration appointments for the community through public-facing communications disorders, community counseling centers, kinesiology research, and public health.
“The 25,200 gross square foot expansion to the existing WHTC will create an integrated business hub for the campus and community A. R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business activities. The expansion will house resources for local and regional business leaders, and provide easy access and greater visibility for public-facing, and serving centers, increasing their use. It will also expand classroom, and office space,” Arenaz noted.
The Master Plan will be added to a dedicated website that traces the project’s steps leading to its creation, including the project process, surveys, committee members, and information-gathering enterprises that anchored the initiative. It is located at go.tamiu.edu/masterplan
For additional information, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing, and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu, phone 956.326.2180, or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, 268.
University information is also online at tamiu.edu and throughout TAMIU’s social channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.