TAMUK- Will it ever recover?

['89HOG]

I would add one thing: The "Master Plan" seems to have been broken into two parts: 1.) Ten-year plan; and, 2.) Long-term plan.

The first ten-year plan (with implementation by 2020) included things like the new Music Education Complex, the new Student Recreation Center, the new Javelina Dining Hall, new dorms (Mesquite Village West, Lucio Hall, Newman Housing Center), NCAA sport complexes (located west of the Mesquite Grove), Thomas Aquinas Newman Center (with chapel), etc.

Those things have all been built or are currently under construction (along with some major renovations -- to the SUB, Honors College, Financial Aid/Registrar, etc.).

One of those ten-year plan proposals was a renovation or add-on to Javelina Stadium. It seemed to indicate a building between the SPEC (Steinke Phys Ed Center) and the northern end zone of Javelina Stadium. This would include a curved northern wing of the building that is seen in the image. It would also include a building parallel to the west (student) bleachers. If you look at the previous image (showing only the ten-year plan), that project is shown.

https://i.ibb.co/LrSYXdr/tamuk00002.jpg

The rest of the building projects in the long-term plan were simply meant to be further up the road.

For comparison, here is the current map of the university: https://www.tamuk.edu/maps/

I really hope that they begin construction on those buildings at Javelina Stadium. It could provide plenty of facilities for the Athletics Department as well as major improvements to stadium. I think that this would be a great draw for potential players to the Javelina football team. It would also make watching the games more of an experience.

Thanks, chris (I'm not typing all the extra letters). This certainly gives me some hope. I remember this Master Plan but forgot it was already 10 years old. The new music building looks massive and I know we've seen many other new buildings over the years (pharmacy, engineering, etc). I'm guessing the order (10 yr vs long-term) has probably been adjusted a bit, but it's good to see some progress is being made.

The additions to the stadium sure look nice. Based on the pics it looks like the west side stands and south endzone complex will be done first, then the east side stands, north complex and other buildings will be done part of the master plan. It even looks like they threw in a parking garage (southwest of the stadium).

GO HOGS!!!

[lantana]

Chrissssssss in California:

Enrollment is not near 10,000.....recent news release announced a drop off in enrollment, in fall 2019, from about 8,200 DOWN to 7,100 or so.....see local television reports...


Theoretical reason(s) were Indian engineering students, and so forth, the usual suspects...but IMO, lack of concentrated school and social media marketing efforts (and even possibly some fall off due to poor football results last couple of years, but not just sure that has a major impact...).

Fall off is a major issue with me, really concerned, and have opened up some conversations with school officials on "what is going on.....". If my numbers are correct, TA & M International in Laredo now has more students than in Kingsville....

Take care.

lantana

[LSC Fan]

Chrissssssss in California:

Enrollment is not near 10,000.....recent news release announced a drop off in enrollment, in fall 2019, from about 8,200 DOWN to 7,100 or so.....see local television reports...


Theoretical reason(s) were Indian engineering students, and so forth, the usual suspects...but IMO, lack of concentrated school and social media marketing efforts (and even possibly some fall off due to poor football results last couple of years, but not just sure that has a major impact...).

Fall off is a major issue with me, really concerned, and have opened up some conversations with school officials on "what is going on.....". If my numbers are correct, TA & M International in Laredo now has more students than in Kingsville....

Take care.

lantana

And the removing the of some of the dual credit students from the enrollment figures as well which in truth are over inflating a bunch of enrollment figures at colleges across the state and nation.

[ASURAM2010]

And the removing the of some of the dual credit students from the enrollment figures as well which in truth are over inflating a bunch of enrollment figures at colleges across the state and nation.

How is it over inflating the numbers? While I think there needs to be, and in most cases there is, a break down of your "traditional" students, I think counting all of the students who are enrolled in classes offered by your university is a fairly accurate way to count the number of students taking classes from your university.

[LSC Fan]

I agree. The Master Plan was released in 2010. Since then, enrolled at Texas A&M University-Kingsville has increased by about 25%. Enrollment is now approaching 10,000 students.

My wife and I care about our school. We both enjoyed our time there -- and both of us earned multiple degrees there. My wife is from a large family. Of that family, a total of five siblings attended school at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Between the siblings and spouses in that family, ten of us were students representing a total of fourteen degrees earned. In some ways, we had better times in Kingsville than the siblings who attended Stanford, Harvard or other more well-known universities.

In fact, I undertook some major revisions to the Wikipedia page for the university some time ago. Someone had created a page, but it was short and contained a single photo. Since I had taken a class in photojournalism as a grad student and also worked at the South Texas Archives, I was able to update the page, add quite a bit of information and include some photos that I had taken. It's funny that some of those photos ended up on other websites that include pages about the school.

I felt that it was important to have a good Wikipedia page because it is often the first impression of students searching for information about the school. Others have offered edits since then; however, I was disappointed that a few of my sections were removed (along with some great photos that were flagged).

One of the benefits of athletics -- and football in general -- is that it offers a sense of unity and belonging to a school. Javelina Stadium is that one place on campus where more students gather at one place and time than anywhere else. It offers school spirit, pride and -- win or loss -- a sense of fellowship and kinship. I actually have life-long friends that I met for the first time at Javelina football games. It was the destination for the fun, low-key first date with the girl who would eventually become my wife.

While watching last week's football game, I noticed that it was broadcast live via a local New Mexico PBS television. It would be great to see that for the Javelinas too.

This is very important part right here and if the right people in decision making areas with the school and other movers and shakers could get together, the program could be salvageable and put back on track. I went to A&I and finished one year after the name change and really it was kind of doom and gloom time on campus because no one was happy about the name change. But also all the media and local attention was turned toward the newly named and formed four year campus in Corpus. BUT it didn't hurt the football program in terms of support and certainly quality of play, save a little hit we took after the NCAA hammered us in 1999/2000.

What we need is a good old fashion "grassroots movement" to light an inferno under our administration, the BOR and our fan and alumni base. Using Social media seems to be the way to go with these things. I can't see why if can't be given a try with this?

[LSC Fan]

How is it over inflating the numbers? While I think there needs to be, and in most cases there is, a break down of your "traditional" students, I think counting all of the students who are enrolled in classes offered by your university is a fairly accurate way to count the number of students taking classes from your university.

Because in most cases that dual credit student is taking the class either from their own computer or high school and will never step foot on campus as a student of that college and it might be for a three hour course at most maybe six hours per semester. And they are being used to justify existing budget structures and like here in Corpus with Del Mar, building new brick and mortar campuses when the rank and file who work on the existing campuses say they do not need it. But that does not stop the community college districts from making it sound like we have a demand and asking the taxpayers to swallow the tax increase via bond elections. With the four year schools, the numbers look good when they approach Austin for more money and goodies when legislature meets every two years, but they are asking for the same goodies.

[ASURAM2010]

Because in most cases that dual credit student is taking the class either from their own computer or high school and will never step foot on campus as a student of that college and it might be for a three hour course at most maybe six hours per semester. And they are being used to justify existing budget structures and like here in Corpus with Del Mar, building new brick and mortar campuses when the rank and file who work on the existing campuses say they do not need it. But that does not stop the community college districts from making it sound like we have a demand and asking the taxpayers to swallow the tax increase via bond elections. With the four year schools, the numbers look good when they approach Austin for more money and goodies when legislature meets every two years, but they are asking for the same goodies.

I can see that point of view. One of the things that I have noticed with ASU and their dual credit classes is they have provided (don't know if it is in the actual attendance article or not) the number of students who started as dual credit and then actually came to ASU once they completed high school and that number is substantially higher than I would have expected it to be. But we are targeting our dual credit classes to the communities that typically have been ASU or regional university type of communities. Luckily, I have not seen or heard that ASU is taking on more capital improvements based on the dual credit students. I do know that we are working on capital projects that are directly tied to the number of students that are physically on campus as that number has risen significantly as well in the last 5 years.

[LSC Fan]

I can see that point of view. One of the things that I have noticed with ASU and their dual credit classes is they have provided (don't know if it is in the actual attendance article or not) the number of students who started as dual credit and then actually came to ASU once they completed high school and that number is substantially higher than I would have expected it to be. But we are targeting our dual credit classes to the communities that typically have been ASU or regional university type of communities. Luckily, I have not seen or heard that ASU is taking on more capital improvements based on the dual credit students. I do know that we are working on capital projects that are directly tied to the number of students that are physically on campus as that number has risen significantly as well in the last 5 years.

I hope that is not the case at TAMUK or any other four year because if the dual credit student is being used to justify building new buildings on any campus whether it's A&M or Sul Ross, it should come under extreme scrutiny by the legislature. Not needed capital projects + more budget expenditures for upkeep and staffing = higher tuition and student debt.

['89HOG]

I hope that is not the case at TAMUK or any other four year because if the dual credit student is being used to justify building new buildings on any campus whether it's A&M or Sul Ross, it should come under extreme scrutiny by the legislature. Not needed capital projects + more budget expenditures for upkeep and staffing = higher tuition and student debt.

What are you worried about??? Uncle Bernie is going to wipe the slate clean.

[ccchhhrrriiisss]

Chrissssssss in California:

Enrollment is not near 10,000.....recent news release announced a drop off in enrollment, in fall 2019, from about 8,200 DOWN to 7,100 or so.....see local television reports...

Theoretical reason(s) were Indian engineering students, and so forth, the usual suspects...but IMO, lack of concentrated school and social media marketing efforts (and even possibly some fall off due to poor football results last couple of years, but not just sure that has a major impact...).

Fall off is a major issue with me, really concerned, and have opened up some conversations with school officials on "what is going on.....". If my numbers are correct, TA & M International in Laredo now has more students than in Kingsville....

Wow! Do you have a citation or link for this? The only news outlet that I could find was from KIII-TV out of Corpus Christi, Texas.

https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/...e-c8b00124187d

When I mentioned my figures, I was using the current number from the university website.

Now, I was enrolled in the school while the school began experiencing a rapid increase in enrollment. I remember a fall semester when there were no dorm rooms left -- and the school had to put incoming students up elsewhere. Enrollment had risen since it hit a modern low in the mid-to-late 1980s. By the 2000s (while I was enrolled), enrollment was increasing every year. I worked at the South Texas Archives while it was still in Baugh Hall (behind Cousins Hall just before it was razed). I remember walking from my dorm in Lewis Hall and passing college students housed in old dorm rooms at Poteet Hall (which was already being used by Academy High School for quite some time).

Official enrollment only counts full and part-time students (and part-time includes only students enrolled for six hours per semester or more). This is true at EVERY college and university -- including regional universities throughout the Lone Star Conference. It was true back when schools were starting concurrent enrollment trends as far back as the 1980s. If anything, Texas A&M University-Kingsville might have been late to that trend.

According to KIII-TV, in 2018-2019, international students accounted for 245 of those and dual-credit students accounted for 170. That's a total of 415 students. Yet, according to the university, enrollment purportedly fell 10%. I do think that it might have something to do with the rising cost of tuition and fees, housing and other costs that have pushed the cost of attendance above a threshold that let's prospective students see the university as a "value" option. Why attend Texas A&M University-Kingsville if A&M-Corpus Christi is nearly the same cost or you could save money by staying home and attending school in the Valley, Laredo or San Antonio?

You're correct about the marketing. The school needs to be aggressive with its marketing strategies. Focusing solely upon the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend and using old techniques to do so is not enough. I would focus on target majors (e.g., engineering, agriculture, education, etc.) in areas where people are going to have to move away for college anyway. Texas is a huge state and there are millions of people living in those "gap" regions.

My brother-in-law graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2012. Both he and the woman he married graduated with degrees in Architectural Engineering. They chose the school because of that particular major. At the time (and I believe still today), it was one of only two universities in Texas to offer this degree (the other being UT-Austin). My brother-in-law was a top high school student with high standardized test scores. Instead of going to one of the top-tier schools (where he would have undoubtedly been accepted), he chose Texas A&M University-Kingsville due to the availability of this major, cost and proximity to the Rio Grande Valley. They quickly found jobs right after graduation.

I think that this is what the university should focus upon. Texas A&M University-Kingsville doesn't just offer an education. Graduates find great jobs in many industries. My brother-in-law is working in an architectural firm in San Antonio (and he has flown out for projects in California and around the United States). The best man at my wedding played football for the Javelinas while earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is now married to a girl he met at the university. He works for a research company and defense contractor and she is a physical therapist in San Antonio. I have friends and family members who work in the tech industry, education, agriculture, law and even politics. Not long ago, I was driving and saw a car in front of me with a "Javelina Engineering" bumper sticker leaving HP headquarters less than two miles from my house.

The school has a reputation for developing and preparing students for the real world. This should be a part of their aggressive marketing campaign.

[ccchhhrrriiisss]

This is very important part right here and if the right people in decision making areas with the school and other movers and shakers could get together, the program could be salvageable and put back on track. I went to A&I and finished one year after the name change and really it was kind of doom and gloom time on campus because no one was happy about the name change. But also all the media and local attention was turned toward the newly named and formed four year campus in Corpus. BUT it didn't hurt the football program in terms of support and certainly quality of play, save a little hit we took after the NCAA hammered us in 1999/2000.

What we need is a good old fashion "grassroots movement" to light an inferno under our administration, the BOR and our fan and alumni base. Using Social media seems to be the way to go with these things. I can't see why if can't be given a try with this?

I agree.

I sent an email to President Tallant a few years ago. I mentioned that I felt that Texas A&M University-Kingsville should have a school motto. Most reputable schools have a motto. Harvard's is "Veritas" ("Truth"). The University of Texas motto is "Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis" ( "The Instruction and Protection of the State"). Most mottos are in Latin. Others are in Greek. Stanford's motto is in German ("Die Luft der Freiheit weht" or "The Wind of Freedom Blows").

I thought that Texas A&M University-Kingsville should have one. I even suggested Spanish or German for the region's history. He responded that he liked the idea. He was going to pass it along. However, I don't know what became of it.

At the same time, I mentioned in a Facebook message to someone at the school's public affairs department that it would be nice to give ex-students the opportunity to get a free shirt for joining the Javelina Alumni association. There could be a campaign to take a photo in that shirt and post it online in social media with appropriate hashtags. For instance, since we live in the San Francisco Bay Area, my wife and I could take a photo in our shirts by the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods, Oracle Park, Levi's Stadium, etc. It would be nice for our university family to show just how far our Javelina education and pride has taken us.

Unfortunately, I never heard a response.

[LSC Fan]

What are you worried about??? Uncle Bernie is going to wipe the slate clean.

LOL! That money he told me to plant in my backyard still hasn't sprung a tree.

I got two in college right now and let's just say I get kind of cranky at the start of the month when I have to hit send buttons for their housing payments.

['89HOG]

Wow! Do you have a citation or link for this? The only news outlet that I could find was from KIII-TV out of Corpus Christi, Texas.

https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/...e-c8b00124187d

When I mentioned my figures, I was using the current number from the university website.

Now, I was enrolled in the school while the school began experiencing a rapid increase in enrollment. I remember a fall semester when there were no dorm rooms left -- and the school had to put incoming students up elsewhere. Enrollment had risen since it hit a modern low in the mid-to-late 1980s. By the 2000s (while I was enrolled), enrollment was increasing every year. I worked at the South Texas Archives while it was still in Baugh Hall (behind Cousins Hall just before it was razed). I remember walking from my dorm in Lewis Hall and passing college students housed in old dorm rooms at Poteet Hall (which was already being used by Academy High School for quite some time).

Official enrollment only counts full and part-time students (and part-time includes only students enrolled for six hours per semester or more). This is true at EVERY college and university -- including regional universities throughout the Lone Star Conference. It was true back when schools were starting concurrent enrollment trends as far back as the 1980s. If anything, Texas A&M University-Kingsville might have been late to that trend.

According to KIII-TV, in 2018-2019, international students accounted for 245 of those and dual-credit students accounted for 170. That's a total of 415 students. Yet, according to the university, enrollment purportedly fell 10%. I do think that it might have something to do with the rising cost of tuition and fees, housing and other costs that have pushed the cost of attendance above a threshold that let's prospective students see the university as a "value" option. Why attend Texas A&M University-Kingsville if A&M-Corpus Christi is nearly the same cost or you could save money by staying home and attending school in the Valley, Laredo or San Antonio?

You're correct about the marketing. The school needs to be aggressive with its marketing strategies. Focusing solely upon the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend and using old techniques to do so is not enough. I would focus on target majors (e.g., engineering, agriculture, education, etc.) in areas where people are going to have to move away for college anyway. Texas is a huge state and there are millions of people living in those "gap" regions.

My brother-in-law graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2012. Both he and the woman he married graduated with degrees in Architectural Engineering. They chose the school because of that particular major. At the time (and I believe still today), it was one of only two universities in Texas to offer this degree (the other being UT-Austin). My brother-in-law was a top high school student with high standardized test scores. Instead of going to one of the top-tier schools (where he would have undoubtedly been accepted), he chose Texas A&M University-Kingsville due to the availability of this major, cost and proximity to the Rio Grande Valley. They quickly found jobs right after graduation.

I think that this is what the university should focus upon. Texas A&M University-Kingsville doesn't just offer an education. Graduates find great jobs in many industries. My brother-in-law is working in an architectural firm in San Antonio (and he has flown out for projects in California and around the United States). The best man at my wedding played football for the Javelinas while earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is now married to a girl he met at the university. He works for a research company and defense contractor and she is a physical therapist in San Antonio. I have friends and family members who work in the tech industry, education, agriculture, law and even politics. Not long ago, I was driving and saw a car in front of me with a "Javelina Engineering" bumper sticker leaving HP headquarters less than two miles from my house.

The school has a reputation for developing and preparing students for the real world. This should be a part of their aggressive marketing campaign.

Bro, you need to work for the university in PR and write a couple of ads for us. Seriously, really neat stories.

[LSC Fan]

Wow! Do you have a citation or link for this? The only news outlet that I could find was from KIII-TV out of Corpus Christi, Texas.

https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/...e-c8b00124187d

When I mentioned my figures, I was using the current number from the university website.

Now, I was enrolled in the school while the school began experiencing a rapid increase in enrollment. I remember a fall semester when there were no dorm rooms left -- and the school had to put incoming students up elsewhere. Enrollment had risen since it hit a modern low in the mid-to-late 1980s. By the 2000s (while I was enrolled), enrollment was increasing every year. I worked at the South Texas Archives while it was still in Baugh Hall (behind Cousins Hall just before it was razed). I remember walking from my dorm in Lewis Hall and passing college students housed in old dorm rooms at Poteet Hall (which was already being used by Academy High School for quite some time).

Official enrollment only counts full and part-time students (and part-time includes only students enrolled for six hours per semester or more). This is true at EVERY college and university -- including regional universities throughout the Lone Star Conference. It was true back when schools were starting concurrent enrollment trends as far back as the 1980s. If anything, Texas A&M University-Kingsville might have been late to that trend.

According to KIII-TV, in 2018-2019, international students accounted for 245 of those and dual-credit students accounted for 170. That's a total of 415 students. Yet, according to the university, enrollment purportedly fell 10%. I do think that it might have something to do with the rising cost of tuition and fees, housing and other costs that have pushed the cost of attendance above a threshold that let's prospective students see the university as a "value" option. Why attend Texas A&M University-Kingsville if A&M-Corpus Christi is nearly the same cost or you could save money by staying home and attending school in the Valley, Laredo or San Antonio?

You're correct about the marketing. The school needs to be aggressive with its marketing strategies. Focusing solely upon the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and the Coastal Bend and using old techniques to do so is not enough. I would focus on target majors (e.g., engineering, agriculture, education, etc.) in areas where people are going to have to move away for college anyway. Texas is a huge state and there are millions of people living in those "gap" regions.

My brother-in-law graduated from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2012. Both he and the woman he married graduated with degrees in Architectural Engineering. They chose the school because of that particular major. At the time (and I believe still today), it was one of only two universities in Texas to offer this degree (the other being UT-Austin). My brother-in-law was a top high school student with high standardized test scores. Instead of going to one of the top-tier schools (where he would have undoubtedly been accepted), he chose Texas A&M University-Kingsville due to the availability of this major, cost and proximity to the Rio Grande Valley. They quickly found jobs right after graduation.

I think that this is what the university should focus upon. Texas A&M University-Kingsville doesn't just offer an education. Graduates find great jobs in many industries. My brother-in-law is working in an architectural firm in San Antonio (and he has flown out for projects in California and around the United States). The best man at my wedding played football for the Javelinas while earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is now married to a girl he met at the university. He works for a research company and defense contractor and she is a physical therapist in San Antonio. I have friends and family members who work in the tech industry, education, agriculture, law and even politics. Not long ago, I was driving and saw a car in front of me with a "Javelina Engineering" bumper sticker leaving HP headquarters less than two miles from my house.

The school has a reputation for developing and preparing students for the real world. This should be a part of their aggressive marketing campaign.

Good Stuff. One of my boys goes to A&M Corpus Christi and he told me in one of his classes, he's the only one from Corpus and most are from out of the area and it's not even a class that is deep into his major. This tells me they are doing a great job outside of the area marketing the school. Even UTRGV is attracting more out of the RGV students where once upon a time it was almost exclusively a commuter school. I grew up down there and back in the 80's the only out of area students they had on campus for the most part were the athletes.

[WT_ALUM08]

I agree.

I sent an email to President Tallant a few years ago. I mentioned that I felt that Texas A&M University-Kingsville should have a school motto. Most reputable schools have a motto. Harvard's is "Veritas" ("Truth"). The University of Texas motto is "Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis" ( "The Instruction and Protection of the State"). Most mottos are in Latin. Others are in Greek. Stanford's motto is in German ("Die Luft der Freiheit weht" or "The Wind of Freedom Blows").

WT's is Visio Veritas Valor - Vision. Truth. Valor.