Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi


Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi is a public university in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is part of the Texas A&M University System.

History

TAMU-CC originally opened in 1947 as the University of Corpus Christi, a private university operated by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
After the campus was nearly totally destroyed by Hurricane Celia in 1970, the school could not afford to rebuild, and requested the Texas Legislature for assistance. The Legislature approved opening a branch of Texas A&M University the following year; UCC would hold its final graduating class in 1973 and BGCT would sell the campus to the State shortly thereafter, retaining 10 acres to maintain a student religious center.
Originally named Texas A&I University at Corpus Christi it was later named Corpus Christi State University before joining the Texas A&M University System in 1989 and taking its current name.

Academics

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi offers 33 undergraduate majors, 25 graduate programs, and six doctoral programs through six colleges.
The College of Liberal Arts has seven departments, housing 12 undergraduate and six graduate degrees, ranging from the arts to criminal justice to psychology.
The College of Business offers eight undergraduate and two graduate degrees and is accredited by AACSB.
The College of Education and Human Development offers teacher certification in more than 30 areas as well as three undergraduate degrees, 11 graduate programs, and two doctoral programs.
The College of Science and Engineering offers 12 undergraduate and five graduate degrees.
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences offers two undergraduate degrees and four graduate degrees including the Doctor of Nursing Practice.
The College of University Studies offers a degree in University Studies.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is English as a Second Language International member university. ESLI, through its Language Centers, prepares students from non-English speaking countries to successfully enter and study at North American universities

Research

According to SCImago Institutions Rankings, between 2007 and 2011, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi ranked 261 in the World by normalized impact of publications. In 2013 it ranked 2247 in the World by quality of publications, and 2548 by publication output.
As of March 2016, the total number of Google Scholar citations of the first 20 researcher affiliated with the university is 39,283. According to the Ranking Web of Universities, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi ranks 1551 in the World, 491 in North America and 360 in the USA.
In spring 2014 the university put forward the momentum 20/20 vision aiming to become an emerging research university with an unparalleled commitment to every student’s success, closing gaps in achievement and delivering a robust campus experience. The university has significantly improved its research activities in the recent years, notably in the field of coastal and marine sciences as well as in geospatial engineering.

Centers, institutes, and affiliates

The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science is a research institute dedicated to geospatial science. The Institute was founded by an endowment from the Conrad Blucher family. Research by the institute includes the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network, Texas Spatial Reference Center research for the Texas Height Modernization, and other geospatial research relating to surveying and mapping.
The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies brings scientists to the campus to strengthen TAMU-CC's research on environmental issues facing the Gulf of Mexico, area wetlands, coastal waterways, and beaches. Other centers on campus conduct research on biodiversity through offshore scientific diving expeditions, and aid in oil spill response, hurricane tracking, and commercial shipping.
The Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence & Innovation is one of the six unmanned aircraft system test sites in the USA, designated by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2014.

Student life

Student government

The Student Government Association at TAMU-CC hosts the officers of the student body. The SGA runs a three-branch system, with the Executive Board consisting of the Student Body Officers, the Legislative Board consisting of the Student Senate, and the Judicial Board consisting of the Chief and Associate Justices.
The current legislative branch, or Student Senate, has two underlying groups of senators: the classification senators, which holds 3 graduate senators, 4 senior senators, 3 junior senators, 3 sophomore senators, and 3 freshman senators, as well as the college senators, which holds two senators for each of the five colleges: Business, Education, Liberal Arts, Nursing, and Science & Technology.
Elections for SGA are held twice a year, once near the close of the spring for all positions, and then at the opening of the fall for the freshman senators and remaining vacancies from the spring elections.

Publications

TAMU-CC has an entirely student-run newspaper, Island Waves. It was first published in 1993, and is, in part, funded through student fees and advertisement sales. Issues are put out every Thursday throughout the fall and spring semesters, with three issues printed over the summer.
Islander Magazine is a biannual news publication for Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, first published in the Fall of 2006.

Greek life

TAMU-CC is home to four Interfraternity Council Fraternities. Alpha Sigma Phi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Sigma Pi. The university has four National Panhellenic Sororities. Alpha Gamma Delta, Delta Delta Delta, Gamma Phi Beta, and Zeta Tau Alpha. The university also has 7 Multicultural Greek Council organizations. Lambda Theta Alpha, Sigma Lambda Beta, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Delta Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Beta Xi Chi. Greek Life is a growing aspect of the TAMU-CC campus gaining notoriety and size over the years since it began at the university in 1998.

Islander Dining Hall

Islander Dining Hall has been designated as an Ocean Friendly Restaurant. It is the second university dining hall in the nation to receive the designation. As part of 400 OFR in the U.S., Islander Dining Hall is working to lower an estimated 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic entering the world's marine ecosystems. Elizabeth Alford, Marketing Manager for the Islander Dining Hall, said of the designation:
"With the university surrounded by Oso Bay and Corpus Christi Bay, it is important that we take initiative to reduce the amount of plastic and Styrofoam waste that could potentially come from Islander Dining Hall.... It is imperative that we use our location as an educational tool for our students. This recognition encourages our community to be stewards of the environment."
Islander Dining Hall has banned the use of Styrofoam, plastic bags, plastic plates, and plastic utensils. Islander Dining Hall also uses reusable food-ware for onsite dining, recycles, and provides biodegradable coffee cups and to-go plates.

Athletics

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi joined the Southland Conference as of 2006-07 as a non-football member. Before that, it had been an independent since it began offering Division III sports in 1999.
TAMUCC offers 5 men's sports: baseball, basketball, cross country, tennis, and track and field; as well as 8 women's sports: basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
TAMUCC teams all compete under the team name Islanders, the name taken from TAMUCC being located on an island. Their mascot is "Izzy the Islander", a costumed man with a tiki mask headdress, grass skirt and spear. Prior to that, the official mascot was "Tarpie" the Tarpon.

Men's basketball

The Islanders basketball team is coached by Willis Wilson and play their home games at the American Bank Center as well as at the Dugan Wellness Center on the University's campus. They have played in the NCAA tournament once, in 2007, losing in the first round.

Women's Cross Country

The Islander cross country team is regarded as the most successful sport in school history, as the women's team has won 7 out of the 9 conference titles. In 2009, they scored the highest at the regional meet, with a 6th-place finish. In 2018, under new head coach Brent Ericksen, the Islander women won the Southland conference title by one point, making the win the smallest margin in Southland Conference history.

Notable people

Presidents

Alumni