Texas
25 By 25 Goal Achieved In Fall 2023
Students walk through the Zachry Engineering Education Complex on the Texas A&M University campus.
Texas A&M Engineering
Texas A&M University’s College of Engineering has achieved a milestone by surpassing its 25 by 25 initiative. As of last Fall 2023, the college has enrolled 25,132 students across its various campuses and engineering programs.
The initiative, launched in 2013, set out to increase the enrollment of engineering students to 25,000 by 2025 in response to the critical demand for engineers in Texas and across the nation. At that time, enrollment was about 11,000 engineering students on campus, including 8,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduates.
Aimed to provide greater access to high-quality engineering education for qualified students who might otherwise be denied due to limited enrollment capacity, 25 by 25 focused on increasing enrollment without compromising the quality of education and maintaining rigorous academic standards. It ensured talented students had access to an outstanding public education leading to high-demand engineering professions and pursuits.
“The success of the 25 by 25 initiative exemplifies our commitment to addressing the critical demand for engineers in Texas and beyond,” said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “By expanding access and maintaining excellence, we are preparing our students to tackle the challenges of the future.”
The college’s success in exceeding its enrollment goals was achieved through a multifaceted approach. The initiative had three guiding principles: increase accessibility to engineering education at all levels; transform the educational experience to better prepare students to engage in and meet the future needs of the engineering marketplace; and deliver engineering education in a cost-effective and affordable manner.
“This milestone is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our land-grant mission,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M. “The College of Engineering’s dedication to excellence ensures that the university remains at the forefront of engineering education, equipping our students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in a competitive global economy.”
Sofi English ’25 is a senior aerospace engineering student who began pursuing her degree at the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Austin Community College. The Engineering Academy program was developed during the 25 by 25 initiative to help increase the accessibility and affordability of an engineering degree. Students are co-enrolled in Texas A&M and one of 10 affiliated partner colleges. They take core curriculum courses from the partner college while taking all engineering courses from Texas A&M faculty who teach on the partner college campus.
“When I graduated from high school, I was already taking courses through Austin Community College and learned about the Texas A&M Engineering Academy,” said English. “I am fully funding my own education, so the financial advantages of living at home and working a full-time job my first year while co-enrolled was a no-brainer.”
English has benefited from multiple internships that include NASA, the SETI institute and most recently, Collins Aerospace, where she was involved with space suit systems engineering and bioastronautics.
“The high-quality classes at Texas A&M prepared me well for each of my internships,” English said. “I will graduate in May and feel absolutely ready to begin a career in aerospace engineering.”
Dr. Robert H. Bishop ’79, who was named the vice chancellor and dean of engineering in April and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering at Texas A&M, is committed to leading a college that will always be intent on student success and positive societal impact.
“Students like Sofi English will drive progress and address the complex challenges facing our state and nation,” said Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of engineering. “By investing in cutting-edge facilities, attracting world-class faculty and fostering innovative research, we are preparing the next generation of Aggie engineering leaders. I want to thank Dr. Kathy Banks, former dean of engineering, for launching 25 by 25. And — together with our students, faculty, staff and stakeholders — I am excited about the opportunity to redefine engineering education at scale and meet the complex challenges of tomorrow.”
As the college continues to build on the success of the 25 by 25 initiative, it remains committed to providing students with a world-class education and the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research and hands-on learning experiences as we launch new initiatives in technology, computing, and space exploration, while maintaining leadership in energy, health, sustainability, and national security. The college’s dedication to innovation and a global perspective ensures that its graduates are well prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.
“Radical Islamist terrorist groups are anti-American, and the infiltration of these dangerous individuals into Texas must be stopped,” said Texas A-G regarding terrorist org. CAIR.
Air traffic controllers lost communication for about 10 minutes with a small Mexican Navy plane carrying a young medical patient and seven others before it crashed off the Texas coast, killing at least five people, Mexico’s president said Tuesday.
Authorities initially believed the plane had landed safely at its destination in Galveston, near Houston, before learning it had gone down Monday afternoon, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. A search-and-resuce operation in waters near Galveston pulled two survivors from the plane’s wreckage, Mexico’s Navy said, while one remained missing.
Four of the eight people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said. Two of the passengers were affiliated with a nonprofit that helps transport Mexican children with severe burns to a hospital in Galveston.
“My condolences to the families of the sailors who unfortunately died in this accident and to the people who were traveling on board,” Sheinbaum said in her morning press briefing, without elaborating on a possible cause. “What happened is very tragic.”
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five aboard had died but did not identify which passengers.
The plane crashed Monday afternoon in a bay near the base of the causeway connecting Galveston Island to the mainland. Emergency responders rushed to the scene near the popular beach destination about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Houston.
Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He picked up two police officers who guided him through thick fog to a nearly submerged plane. Decker jumped into the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.
“I couldn’t believe. She had maybe 3 inches of air gap to breathe in,” he said. “And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”
He said he also pulled out a man seated in front of her who had already died. Both were wearing civilian clothes.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility.
Mexico’s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation. In a social media post, the foundation said: “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.”
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were at the crash site Monday, the Texas Department of Public Safety said, and a spokesperson for the NTSB said the agency was gathering information about the crash. The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol responded the crash.
A small Mexican Navy plane transporting a 1-year-old medical patient along with seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least two people, officials said.
Emergency officials rescued four people and were searching for two that were inside the aircraft, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, according to the Navy. It was not immediately clear which ones were missing and which had been killed.
Two of the people aboard were members from the Michou and Mau Foundation, which is a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children who have suffered severe burns.
The crash took place Monday near the base of a causeway near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles southeast of Houston.
Mexico’s Navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an “accident.” It promised to investigate the cause of the crash.
The Navy is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation, it said in a post on the social media platform X.
Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.
“The incident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook, adding that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely.
Galveston is an island that is a popular beach destination.
It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. However, the area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility. The foggy conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday morning.
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