Texas A&M University

Table of Contents

Tours

  1. History & Traditions Walking Tour

    Can't make it to Aggieland? Take the virtual campus walking tour and learn everything as if you were here!

    Stops

    1. Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center

      The Appelt Aggieland Visitor Center staff is eager to welcome you to the beautiful campus of Texas A&M University. As the front door to the university, we are here to greet you with a warm "howdy," a smile and any information you may need to make your visit to Texas A&M a memorable experience. Our visitor services include tours, videos, exhibits and visit coordination with other campus groups. We are conveniently located on the first floor of Rudder Tower.

       

      Texas A&M University is a unique place where you will experience the spirit of Aggieland firsthand. We hope that you will come visit our campus to learn about our excellent academics, vibrant student life, outstanding intercollegiate athletics program, rich history, and time-honored traditions that make Texas A&M such an amazing place.

       

      Visit.tamu.edu

    2. Memorial Student Center

      The Memorial Student Center, or MSC, reopened on April 21, 2012, after undergoing an extensive renovation and expansion, making it one of the premier student unions in the country. It has always been a living memorial in honor of all the Aggies who have given their lives in service to their country, as well as the hub of student life since it first opened in 1951. 

       

      Features of the MSC include multiple dining facilities, state-of-the-art meeting and ballroom areas, and the Barnes & Noble Bookstore at Texas A&M University. The renovated MSC was designed to reduce environmental impact and contribute to a greener future, but much remains the same. The Flag Room, an area inside the MSC that is known as the "living room" of the university, retained its original look during the renovation. Students can still enjoy the welcoming tones of the baby grand piano and meet, lounge, study and sleep among the columns, globes, cowhide benches and chandeliers within an open atmosphere.

       

      Since the MSC is dedicated to all Aggies who have died in any war, past, present or future, it is a tradition to remove your hat before entering the building and to not walk on the grass surrounding it. The Hall of Honor on the north side of the building provides a fitting tribute to those Aggies who died while serving our country, where visitors can see the faces and read the stories of the seven Aggies who received the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award.

    3. James Earl Rudder Statue

      James Earl Rudder, 1993

      Located next to the Rudder Bldg.
      By Lawrence M. Ludtke (1929-2007) bronze

       

      Rudder was the sixteenth President of Texas A&M University. It was his vision, tenacity, and commitment to excellence in education that enabled the University’s doors to be opened to women and African Americans. During WWII, Major General Rudder led the attack on the cliffs at Normandy. Lawrence Ludtke used the clay he inherited from Pompeo Coppini to sculpt this work.

    4. Student Services Building

      The new Student Services Building at Texas A&M University will be the new home for four key service providers:

      Counseling & Psychological Services
      • Individual, Couple & Group Counseling
      • Psychoeducational Workshops
      • Crisis Intervention
      • Suicide Awareness & Prevention
      • Campus Outreach
      Disability Resources
      • Accommodations Coordination
      • Testing Administration Center
      • Sign Language Interpreter & Transcription Services
      • Assistive Technology Services
      Residence Life
      • Housing Assignments Office
      • Conference & Guest Services
      • Central Administrative Office
      Offices of the Dean of Student Life
    5. Academic Plaza

      The centerpiece for main campus and gathering spot for students studying and relaxing. The plaza continues to serve as a venue for a number of traditions. 

       

      The Academic Plaza is home to a statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, or Sully, as students call him. Sully was a former Texas Ranger, Governor of Texas and President of Texas A&M. During his presidency, way back in the 1890s, the Aggie Ring was designed, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band was formed, and intercollegiate football was brought to campus.


      Silver Taps, one of Texas A&M's most honored traditions that pays tribute to a passing current student, also takes place here. A rendition of Taps, known as Silver Taps, is played from the dome of the Academic Building at the end of the ceremony.

    6. Academic Building

      The Academic Building was completed in 1914, after Old Main burned down in 1912. As the centerpiece for main campus, it originally housed the Texas A&M library, but is now home to the Department of Sociology, Modern Languages, and other offices.

       

      Inside are two examples of selfless service, which is one of the core values of Texas A&M University. The replica of the Liberty Bell that hangs in the building was given to the university by Texas Governor Allan Shivers following World War II because, "No one suffered more than the Aggies, so we will give it to them." The second example is the seal on the floor. It was given as a class gift from the class of '78 and serves as an example of the importance Aggies place on giving back to the university, state and country.

       

    7. Cushing Memorial Library & Archives

      Cushing Memorial Library & Archives holds the special collections, rare books and manuscripts, and archives of Texas A&M University.


      For more information: Click here

       

      Regular Hours:
      Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 6:00pm
      Saturday open by appointment only
      Closed on Sunday



       

    8. Evans Library

      Sterling C. Evans Library and Library Annex are the main library facilities on Texas A&M's campus. 


      The Library Annex is open 24/5 with extensive spaces for general and group study throughout the building. It also houses Media and Reserves with access to movies, CDs, multimedia equipment, and a presentation practice room.


      For more information: Click here

       

      For up-to-date operating hours: Click here

    9. Zachry Engineering Education Complex

      https://zachry.tamu.edu/

      The Zachry Engineering Education Complex, our new modern, technology-integrated education facility is open and ready to help the College of Engineering transform engineering education.

      Located at the intersection of University Drive and Bizzell Street, the Zachry Engineering Education Complex is the largest academic building on campus and unlike any other facility in the nation. The 525,000-square-foot complex completely modernizes the original Zachry Engineering Complex and expands the facility to include a state-of-the-art Engineering Design Center.

      The complex will revolutionize the way we deliver education to our undergraduate students with its student-centered design and modern learning techniques and technology.

       

    10. Liberal Arts & Humanities Building

      Newly designed and constructed in 2011, this building is the first on Texas A&M's campus specifically designed for instruction and scholarship in the arts and humanities. It opened for classes in spring 2013. The state-of-the-art facility offers performance studies majors a black box theatre and recording studios, along with computer-based teaching classrooms and office spaces for the Department of English and the Department of Performance Studies.

       

      Click here for the College of Liberal Arts 

    11. Southside Commons

      The Commons houses four, suite-style residence halls, dining and Living Learning Communities. These halls are a popular choice on campus due to nightly tutors and plenty of places to study and relax.
    12. The Quad

      The Corps arches serve as the entry point to the Corps of Cadets Quadrangle, or "Quad." This is home to the approximately 2,200 men and women who participate on a voluntary basis in the Corps of Cadets. The Corps of Cadets is the nation's largest uniformed student organization and consistently commissions more officers into the U.S. Armed Forces than any other institution, except for the nation's service academies.

       

      New residence halls, as well as the Buzbee Leadership Learning Center, have recently been added to the Quad to accommodate the growing number of incoming students who want to be members of the Corps. More information about joining the Corps is available at the Corps Recruiting Office located in the Sam Houston Sanders Corps Center.

       

    13. Kyle Field

      Texas A&M’s Kyle Field has been the home of the Aggie football team since 1905.

      Seating Chart
      Facility Tours
      Attendance Records

      Over a two-year span (2014-15), Kyle Field underwent one of the largest and most extensive redevelopment project in the history of collegiate athletics. The redeveloped Kyle Field features an expanded seating capacity of 102,733, making it one of the five largest stadiums in collegiate football. The $485 million redevelopment was completed in two phases and made its debut for the 2015 season. The Aggies have welcomed more than 100,000 fans per contest to Kyle Field since the start of the 2014 season, including the stadium record of 110,633 for the Ole Miss game on Oct. 11, 2014.

      Prior to the redevelopment, the most recent major improvement was the $32.9 million north end zone expansion, which was completed in 1999. The formation of the Bernard C. Richardson Zone raised Kyle Field’s capacity to 82,589. “The Zone” opened at full capacity for the first time for the annual Texas A&M-Texas grudge match in 1999 and a then state-record football crowd of 86,128 watched the Aggies tally a hard-fought 20-16 victory over the arch rival Longhorns. The stadium record was broken six times since the 1999 game and stood at 90,079 (9-6 win over Nebraska in 2010) prior to the redevelopment.

      Kyle Field was named for Edwin Jackson Kyle, who served as Texas A&M’s dean of agriculture and athletic council president. Kyle donated a 400 x 400-foot area of the southern edge of campus that had been assigned to him for horticultural experiments.

      The permanent seating on the east and west sides of Kyle Field were added in 1927 and the horseshoe was completed in 1929. The stadium was expanded in 1967 to include two decks of grandstands, and the third decks were added to the east and west sides in 1980. The Aggies played on grass through the 1960s, but A&M became one of the many schools that switched to artificial turf in the early 1970s. Grass returned to Kyle Field in 1996 and the Aggies currently play on grass.