Texas A&M University and historically Black Prairie View A&M University have announced new and expanded partnerships to increase opportunities for students and faculty at both campuses, as well as collaborative community outreach programs to capitalize on each school’s resources as the state’s only two land-grant universities.
The partnership will be focused on four key areas: faculty exchange, student programs, scholar exchange/support and community outreach. The partnership will engage students, faculty and researchers in socially responsible activities that address local, national or global problems. Among the new initiatives in planning will be a faculty exchange incentive program to encourage participation to teach on both campuses; shared courses, education abroad and internship opportunities for students; and a central fund to share notable scholars who attend both campuses. Another facet of the agreement will be shared community outreach, whereby research and service at both campuses can benefit local communities and the state at large.
Overseeing the project on behalf of PVAMU is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs James Palmer. “We are weaving ourselves together, more so than in the past, and doing so with hope and optimism,” Dr. Palmer said. “The differences between our universities offer opportunities for faculty and students from both institutions to learn about each other’s culture through the lenses of teaching and research, areas of mutual institutional importance. Our faculty have many similar academic interests, so our endeavors are promising, particularly in the areas of student learning and faculty collaborations.”
“The opportunity afforded by the physical proximity of these two research universities speaks for itself,” added Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University. “Each has a historic mission that is amplified greatly by cooperative exchange with the other institution. This partnership between a leading AAU institution and a leading HBCU is without doubt one of the most promising in the nation.”
