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Texas A&M Breaks Ground on Campus Visitor Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/09/25

Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new campus learning hub and visitor center, according to a news release. The 211,000-square-foot Aplin Center will stand three stories and is scheduled to open to students in 2028. The building is named after Buc-ee’s founder and CEO Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, who donated $60 million toward the project’s construction.

“Beaver Aplin changed the way Americans travel with Buc-ee’s, and now he’s changing how the next generation of Aggies will learn,” said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. “The Aplin Center proves Texas A&M is more than a place for education — it’s a hub of innovation where dreamers and doers will shape the future of Texas and our nation. Congratulations to Beaver Aplin, Chancellor Hegar and Texas A&M on this incredible new facility.”

The facility will play home to immersive learning labs for the Mays Business School and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as a restaurant that will provide practical experience for food service and management. On the hospitality side, it will offer the campus visitor center, a 170-seat theater, and a 70-seat multipurpose room, the news release reports.

“The Aplin Center fits right in with the values of Texas A&M. It is all about innovation, collaboration and a commitment to students,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar. “There is no doubt about it: this facility will be a national model for experiential learning and a proud showcase of Texas-grown timber and Texas-grown talent. The Texas A&M community thanks Beaver Aplin for his vision and his contribution.”

The university partnered with DLR Group and Pickard Chilton for the project’s design.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

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