Last week, the Texas A&M Board of Regents authorized the design of the $260 million Research and Innovation tower for the upcoming Fort Worth campus. The 150,000-sqft building will be the second in the "Aggieland North," which broke ground last June.

Construction on the first building is well underway + work on the second structure could start next summer.

We spoke to Bobby Ahdieh, the dean of Texas A&M Law School + the overall head of the Cowtown campus expansion, about the future of Texas-A&M in Fort Worth and how it will impact both the school and the city.

"A robust story about Fort Worth"

"I look at the expansion sometimes in the context of Boston," Ahdieh said. "Boston's rich university climate helped it to survive de-industrialization. We're creating a hub for higher education here, and that rising tide lifts all boats. It's going to help with corporate relocations, too."

Ahdieh mentioned several potential uses for the various buildings beyond graduate classes, including:

Local companies using Aggie resources for "up-skilling" their employees.
An architecture + design studio
Weekly pitch presentations between local entrepreneurs and area companies

When the full Texas A&M expansion in Fort Worth is finished, potentially around 2032, it should consist of three main buildings and mixed-use development on current surface lots. | Rendering courtesy of Texas A&M University

How Fort Worth benefits College Station

The closest major airport to the university's main campus is George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, which is 74 miles away from College Station. In contrast, DFW Airport is within 20 minutes of the Fort Worth campus.

"We can get more people here, faster. I think the conferences we can host here become bigger," Ahdieh said. "It also puts us closer to ideas, talent, and capital needed for research."

The energy on the south side of downtown

Ahdieh, like many, was excited about the growth of the southeastern part of downtown, noting upgrades to the Convention Center, the expansion of the Omni Hotel, and the arrival of Deco 969.

"There is a definite energy to that section of downtown and that energy will carry for a decade-plus," Ahdieh said. "I'm excited to be a part of it."