Texas A&M University Breaks Ground On McAllen Expansion Project

Leaders from The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M University and the community broke ground on the Texas A&M Health Nursing Education and Research Building in McAllen, Texas, on Jan. 25, 2024.

Texas A&M University’s expansion in the Rio Grande Valley hit another milestone today with the 

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groundbreaking of the Texas A&M Health Nursing Education and Research Building at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen. The facility will be home to Texas A&M School of Nursing programs and Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences research and outreach.

Community leaders, lawmakers and clinical partners joined representatives from The Texas A&M University System and Texas A&M University to celebrate the start of construction.

The Texas A&M System Board of Regents authorized construction of the $49.9 million facility in 

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November 2023. The growth is part of a broad commitment made by the regents and Chancellor John Sharp to provide additional pathways for Rio Grande Valley students to earn a Texas A&M degree while staying close to home.

“We at the Texas A&M System are dedicated to the people of South Texas and Rio Grande Valley,” Sharp said. “And that is why we are investing in the region—and its health—with a new facility for nursing and health-related research.”

We at the Texas A&M System are dedicated to the people of South Texas and Rio Grande Valley,” Sharp said. “And that is why we are investing in the region—and its health—with a new facility for nursing and health-related research.”

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The Texas Legislature in 2021 approved $29.9 million for the Texas A&M Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) to support growth in student enrollment for in-demand fields like nursing. Texas A&M leadership earmarked $20 million for the project.

The nearly 61,000-square-foot building will be constructed on the west side of the Higher Education Center campus and includes four nursing classrooms, student study areas, a 10,000-square-foot clinical simulation center and space for a veterinary clinic and research laboratory.