Applications for the fall 2017 academy class will be accepted January through April 2017. View the Texas A&M – Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC webpage for more information, or contact Dr. David Fonken, dean of math and science, at [email protected].

l-r: ACC Provost Dr. Charles Cook; Dr. Glenn Weckerlin, Chevron director of university partnerships and association relations; Student Quintin Williams; ACC President Dr. Richard Rhodes; Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp; Texas A&M Vice Chancellor for Engineering Dr. Katherine Banks; State Senator Charles Schwertner; State Senator Kirk Watson.

Austin Community College is partnering with Texas A&M University and Chevron Corp. to offer a new pathway for area students to earn a degree from Texas A&M’s highly ranked engineering program.

The Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy at ACC allows students to take their first two years of coursework at an ACC campus while pursuing one of 18 majors within the Texas A&M College of Engineering.

“This academy makes it possible for more students to pursue their dreams by starting at ACC and finishing at one of the most prestigious engineering schools in the nation,” said ACC President/CEO Dr. Richard Rhodes. “This is really about opening the doors of opportunity to students to an affordable, accessible, accelerated education.”

Rhodes joined Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, state legislators, and representatives from each school to formally announce the partnership September 12 at ACC’s Highland Campus.

“Texas A&M and Austin Community College will be a good fit for one another. Together, they’re going to make a big difference in a lot of students’ lives,” Sharp said. “When you mix well-prepared community college students with some Aggie ingenuity, all of a sudden you start to address your country’s technological needs.”

The co-enrollment program addresses the growing need for engineers. According to the President’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology, an additional 1 million graduates with STEM degrees will be needed nationwide in the next decade. A projected 62,000 engineers will be needed in Central Texas alone.

The program is supported by Chevron, which has donated $5 million for five academies across the state. Other academies are located at Houston Community College, Texas Southmost College in Brownsville, El Centro College in Dallas, and Alamo Colleges in San Antonio.

ACC student Quintin Williams shared his gratitude with Academy institutions and introduced a new term to the ACC-Texas A&M lexicon — Aggiebat.

Qualified students (up to 100 each year) will be enrolled in the Texas A&M College of Engineering. They will complete the first two years of coursework at ACC — including engineering classes taught by A&M faculty at Highland Campus — then finish their degrees in College Station. Academy students will be able to take part in activities and organizations at both institutions.

See photos from the event below:

Tags: Texas A&M, Texas A&M-Chevron Engineering Academy