Texas A&M Breaks Ground on Campus Visitor Center
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.
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Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].