Texas A&M International University

Last updated
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University seal.svg
Former names
Texas A&I University at Laredo (1969–1977)
Laredo State University (1977–1993)
TypePublic
Established1969;55 years ago (1969)
Academic affiliations
CONAHEC
President Pablo Arenaz [1]
Academic staff
192 Full-time (Fall 2011)
Students8,305 (Fall 2019), [2]
Location, ,
United States
Campus300 acres (1.2 km2)
Nickname Dustdevils
Website www.tamiu.edu
Texas A&M International University logo.svg

Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) is a public university in Laredo, Texas. It is part of the Texas A&M University System and home to over 8,500 students each academic semester. TAMIU offers over 70 undergraduate and graduate degrees in four colleges.

Contents

History

Academics

Texas A&M International University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through four colleges. They include:

Rankings

In 2015, The Economist Magazine's "List of America's Best Colleges" ranked TAMIU ninth in the nation, ahead of all other schools in Texas.

In 2013, the National Council on Teacher Quality, based in Washington, D.C., ranked TAMIU subpar in the matriculation of its education majors, of which there were some seven hundred graduates between 2009 and 2012. The institution received 2.5 on an 8.0 ranking system, or 1.5 for its elementary program and 1.0 for the secondary studies. TAMIU provides the majority of public school teachers to the two systems in Webb County. The programs were evaluated based on rigor, selectivity, and the level of mentorship provided to prospective educators. [4]

TAMIU officials questioned the motive, methodology, and results of the study. University officials released a statement: "TAMIU joins other teacher-training programs from colleges of education across the nation in challenging the accuracy of NCTQ results that incorporate inaccurate data and inherently flawed research methodology." [5] The NCTQ was founded in 2000 by the conservative think tank, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. TAMIU suggested that the NCTQ favors the dismantling of university teacher education programs with "bargain-basement online programs, some of which are directed by NCTQ surrogates." [5] TAMIU questioned why no NCTQ researcher visited the campus but instead based its evaluation on information sent primarily to the Washington office via emails. [5]

The TAMIU program was placed on probation in February 2013 by the Texas Board of Educator Certification. Though 70 percent of the TAMIU education graduates passed the certification examination, state accountability standards require an 80 percent completion rate to avoid probationary status. [5] TAMIU President Ray Keck noted that Texas Tech, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Stanford universities all fared poorly in the NCTQ study as well and asked, "Do you honestly believe those universities run slipshod programs in education?" [5] In July 2014, the University was notified by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) that its full accreditation status had been restored. [6]

In 2014, the College Affordability and Transparency Center, a project of the U.S. Department of Education, ranked the university sixth in the nation for lowest net price among public four-year universities. [7]

Research

TAMIU is home to various research centers, including the Binational Center, Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade, The Western Hemispheric Trade Information Center, the Texas Center for Border Economics and Enterprise Development, the Small Business Development Center and the Center for Earth and Environmental Studies.

Athletics

The Texas A&M International (TAMIU) athletic teams are called the Dustdevils. The university is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) since the 2019–20 academic year. The Dustdevils previously competed in the D-II Heartland Conference from 2006–07 to 2018–19 and in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2002–03 to 2005–06.

TAMIU competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, golf and soccer; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading and dance.

Move to NCAA Division II

The Dustdevils became active members of NCAA Division II on September 1, 2008. As an active member, TAMIU is eligible for conference championships and NCAA tournament berths. [8]

Rebranding

In August 2014, the Dustdevil Athletics Department launched a new team logo and marks for the NCAA Division II programs.

Accomplishments

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lone Star Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the South Central states, with schools in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arkansas, with two members in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington competing as affiliates for football only.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Presa, Texas</span> CDP in Texas, United States

La Presa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Webb County, Texas, United States. The population was 319 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laredo, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Laredo is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and seat of Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a village to the capital of the short-lived Republic of the Rio Grande to the largest inland port on the Mexican border. Laredo's economy is primarily based on international trade with Mexico, and as a major hub for three areas of transportation: land, rail, and air cargo. The city is on the southern end of I-35, which connects manufacturers in northern Mexico through Interstate 35 as a major route for trade throughout the U.S. It has four international bridges and one railway bridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southland Conference</span> American collegiate athletic conference

The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). The Southland sponsors 18 sports, 10 for women and eight for men, and is governed by a presidential Board of Directors and an Advisory Council of athletic and academic administrators. Chris Grant became the Southland's seventh commissioner on April 5, 2022. From 1996 to 2002, for football only, the Southland Conference was known as the Southland Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar University</span> Public university in Beaumont, Texas, US

Lamar University is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2022, the university enrollment was 17,044 students. Lamar University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and named for Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of the Republic of Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartland Conference</span> Defunct US collegiate athletic conference

The Heartland Conference was a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division II level, which was founded in 1999. The majority of members were in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The conference office was located in Waco, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Valley State University</span> Public historically black university in Georgia, USA

Fort Valley State University is a public land-grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Veterans Field is a baseball venue in Laredo, Texas. Built in 1950, the park was formerly known as West Martin Field, but the field's name was changed to honor the men and women who have served defending America in the armed forces. Home to many teams over the years, it was renovated in 2002, and now seats 5,000 with concessions and two picnic areas. Veterans Field was home to the Laredo Broncos of United League Baseball. Veterans Field was also the home to the five-time champion of the Mexican League team Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos from 1985 to 2003. Veterans Field is also home to the Texas A&M International University Dustdevils college baseball team of the NCAA's Division II Heartland Conference.

United Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Laredo, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Zaffirini</span> American politician

Judith Pappas Zaffirini is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from the 21st District, which includes her home city of Laredo in south Texas. Zaffririni is the first female dean of the Texas Senate. Zaffirini has been named among the "Top 100 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States" by Hispanic Business magazine. Zaffirini is the first Mexican American woman elected to the Texas Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laredo College</span> Public college in Laredo, Texas, U.S.

Laredo College (LC) is a public community college in Laredo, Texas. Founded as Laredo Junior College in 1947, it is part of the Laredo Independent School District. As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of LC includes the municipality of Laredo and all of Webb, Jim Hogg and Zapata counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals</span> Texas college athletics team

The Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals refers to the college athletics teams of Lamar University, in Beaumont, Texas. The Cardinals and Lady Cardinals teams compete in seventeen NCAA Division I sports as a member of the Southland Conference. The Cardinals rejoined the Southland after spending the 2021–22 athletic year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

Texas A&M International University Soccer Complex was built in 2006 and renovated in 2007. The soccer complex is located in Laredo, Texas in the Texas A&M International University campus. The complex has two soccer fields with a seating capacity of 4,000 on one of them. The Dustdevil Field is the home stadium to the 2007 champion team Laredo Heat member of the National Premier Soccer League and the TAMIU Dustdevils women and men's soccer teams member of the Heartland Conference, NCAA Division II.

<i>Bilingual Review</i> Academic journal

The Bilingual Review/La revista bilingüe is a triannual peer-reviewed open access academic and literary journal covering research on Spanish-English bilingualism, bilingual education, and Hispanic American literature. It was previously published by Bilingual Review Press, which is affiliated with the Hispanic Research Center at Arizona State University. The current publisher is Texas A&M International University.

The Lamar Cardinals football program represents Lamar University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. The Cardinals are members of the Southland Conference and play their home games in the 16,000 seat Provost Umphrey Stadium. The Cardinals left the Southland Conference in July 2021 to join the Western Athletic Conference, which relaunched its football league at the FCS level during the 2021 season. After one season in the WAC, Lamar and the Southland Conference announced on July 11, 2022 Lamar's accelerated return to the Southland Conference effective immediately.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M International Dustdevils</span>

The Texas A&M International Dustdevils are the athletic teams that represent the Texas A&M International University, located in Laredo, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Lone Star Conference (LSC) since the 2019–20 academic year. The Dustdevils previously competed in the D-II Heartland Conference from 2006–07 to 2018–19; and in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 2002–03 to 2005–06.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esther Buckley</span> American educator and politician (1948–2013)

Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley was an educator in Laredo, Texas, USA, who from 1983 to 1992 was one of the eight members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was appointed to the board by U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laredo metropolitan area</span> Metropolitan Statistical Area in Texas, United States

The metropolitan area is the 178th-largest United States metropolitan area and covers all of Webb county, with a population of 250,304. It is also a part of the Laredo-Nuevo Laredo Metropolitan Area with an estimate population of 689,022 in 2020.

Bethany House of Laredo is a non-profit organization based in Laredo, Texas, USA, serving homeless people, disabled people, impoverished people, elderly people and veterans Laredo and Webb County. The organization runs several centers providing shelters and services for homeless people and other vulnerable groups.

References

  1. "Getting to Know TAMIU's Sixth President: Dr. Pablo Arenaz".
  2. "Analytics". EmpowerU. The Texas A&M University System. 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. "Texas A&M International University". Archived from the original on 2014-09-08.
  4. JJ Velasquez, "Study slams TAMIU: Grads not prepared to teach", Laredo Morning Times, June 19, 2013, pp. 1, 14A
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 JJ Velasquez, "Study challenged: TAMIU responds to teacher preparation issue", Laredo Morning Times, June 20, 2013, p. 1
  6. "Texas A&M International University". Archived from the original on 2014-06-25.
  7. "College Affordability and Transparency Center". Archived from the original on 2011-07-03.
  8. "TAMIU Athletics Granted Active NCAA Division II Status". Archived from the original on May 24, 2011.
  9. "Meet Tano". tanoforcountyjudge.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

27°34′22″N99°26′07″W / 27.5727°N 99.4353°W / 27.5727; -99.4353