COLLEGE STATION - An agreement intended to help educate traditionally underrepresented students was signed today by leaders of Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University-Commerce.
The Northeast Texas Joint Enrollment Program specifically targets agriculture majors. It was signed into being by Texas A&M University president Dr. Robert Gates, vice chancellor and dean of agriculture and life sciences Dr. Ed Hiler, and Commerce’s provost and vice president for academic and student affairs Joyce Scott.
“This partnership effort will extend the capabilities of both institutions to cooperatively deliver exceptional educational programs and to create stronger partnerships in agricultural sciences, natural resources and life sciences,” Hiler said.
The agreement provisions allow freshmen and sophomores to enroll at Texas A&M University-Commerce and to be jointly admitted to Texas A&M’s main campus in College Station. After completing 60 hours with a grade point average of 3.0 at Commerce, students will have the option of moving to the College Station campus to complete their degrees.
Without this agreement, a student would have to request a transfer and be subject to admission acceptance from a large pool of people wanting to complete a degree at the College Station campus.
The agreement does allow for a student in the Northeast Texas Joint Enrollment Program to elect to remain in Commerce for the completion of a degree, however.
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M in College Station has been a leader in establishing such agreements with other system universities. A similar agreement for agriculture majors was established with Texas A&M University-Kingsville in June 2003.
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