Texas A&M System
Artist's rendering of the Law & Education Building.
The Sid W. Richardson Foundation has committed a $2.5 million grant to support engineering programs at Texas A&M-Fort Worth, officials with the foundation announced on Monday, building on support in the transformative public-private partnership.
“The establishment of Texas A&M-Fort Worth and the expansion of Tarleton State University’s presence are giant steps forward across so many fronts for our city and all of North Texas,” said Pete Geren, president of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. “After considering the opportunities for investment across several academic disciplines, the Richardson Foundation chose to invest in the facility that will support the engineering curriculum that will be offered at A&M-Fort Worth.”
Texas A&M-Fort Worth will be a Tier 1 research campus, positioned to be a major hub for education, research, and innovation.
The Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus will be constructed in downtown’s southeast quadrant, where Texas A&M School of Law currently stands. The eight-story, $150 million Law & Education Building is currently under construction.
The partnership with the Texas A&M University System, the city of Fort Worth, and Tarrant County will feature innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology at its core, offer a home for academic programs across multiple disciplines, and create concentric circles of industry co-location and collaboration.
“Texas — and Fort Worth — will rise or fall on what we do today in education, research and service to our state and community,” said John Sharp, A&M System chancellor. “The Sid W. Richardson Foundation understands that and is willing to commit to the future of Texas A&M-Fort Worth.”
Construction on the Law & Education Building is scheduled to be completed by late 2025. It will serve as an academic training facility for undergraduate and graduate students and will house programs in biotechnology, engineering, health sciences, and more.
It will also offer state-of-the-art classrooms, lab space, and additional academic facilities to support the expansion of the law school and new educational programs in engineering and health sciences offered by both Texas A&M and Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University System since 1917.
Said Dr. Joe Elabd, vice chancellor of research and interim dean of Texas A&M Engineering: “Gifts like this help prepare the next generation of engineers in high demand across the state and nation.”
“The mission set by the Texas A&M System was to build something that would shape the future of Fort Worth — and by extension — the state of Texas. The generosity shown by the Sid W. Richardson Foundation further reinforces that mission,” said Bobby Ahdieh, dean of the law school and vice president for Professional Schools & Programs, who is helping to lead fundraising and the development of new academic programs for the campus. “Ultimately, this campus will elevate how we develop future generations of professionals in some of the most dynamic sectors of our economy.”
The Research and Innovation Building, the campus’ second building, is currently in the planning and design stages. It will house graduate studies, research, and workforce development programs that include aerospace, agriculture, computer-based visualization technologies, defense, energy, engineering, health sciences, and telecommunications. This state-of-the-art facility will provide opportunities for North Texas’ most innovative companies to partner with Texas A&M in specialized R&D facilities and offer “front door” office space to better connect local industry partners with Texas A&M’s top talent pool.
Regional offices of several Texas A&M System agencies will also be housed in the facility, including the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Engineering Extension Service, and Transportation Institute.
“As Fort Worth continues to grow and develop,” Ahdieh said, “so will the need for collaboration between academic, industry, and community innovators and entrepreneurs. The partnerships we build at Texas A&M-Fort Worth will create generational opportunities that will re-shape the future of Fort Worth and the entire region.”
