Texas A&M’s leadership, contributions to the American Dream highlighted as part of America 250 Anniversary series

Texas A&M University’s commitment to the American Dream is being highlighted as part of a documentary-style series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States.

A seven-minute video, “Legacy of Leadership,” explores Texas A&M’s commitment to leadership and service to the nation, from the university’s founding 150 years ago as a land-grant institution with six students to today’s research powerhouse with more than 80,000 students. The video explains the key role Texas A&M has played in the American Dream: bringing the chance for a quality, life-changing education to anyone, regardless of background, thereby serving as one of the nation’s widest doorways to opportunity. The university’s students and faculty also strengthen the nation by finding solutions that matter to some of the world’s most pressing issues, from hunger to space exploration.

The video and accompanying article were produced and distributed in partnership with Acumen Media and are featured on USA Today.

To view the video, visit USATODAY.com or watch below:

“This is a hallmark year for Texas A&M, celebrating the university’s 150th anniversary in the same year as America’s 250th,” Texas A&M University President Susan Ballabina said. “Sharing our story and offering a glimpse into how Texas A&M’s service to our state, nation and world is fueling opportunity with a lasting impact, showcases the very foundation of Texas A&M’s success: our people. They work tirelessly, standing together as a force for good to serve and to fulfill our mission as the state’s first land-grant institution.”

Texas A&M was established through the Morrill Land-Grant Act. The federal law deeded land to states to fund public universities committed to teaching practical sciences, particularly agriculture, military tactics and engineering (then called mechanical arts) to the working class. Land-grant universities helped fulfill a promise central to the American identity by providing an opportunity for higher education to the citizenry, who could acquire a mix of practical skills and classical knowledge to improve their lives. The Morrill Act led to the creation of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, which opened in 1876.

Texas A&M, having gone through several rounds of expansion and evolution, is now in its 150th year, making it the oldest public university in the Lone Star State. It remains committed to its original land-grant mandate: The university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the largest in the country, its College of Engineering leads the nation in engineering research expenditures, and the Corps of Cadets consistently commissions more military officers than any academic institution outside of the three federal military service academies.

The university, which now also has sea-grant and space-grant status, conducted more than $1.4 billion in research in the 2025 fiscal year.

The Texas A&M ethos — Together, We Stand as a Force for Good — reflects the ongoing commitment to producing leaders of character to help build a better, safer world. Those leaders include innovators such as Roku CEO Anthony Wood; public servants such as James Earl Rudder, who played a key role in the legendary U.S. D-Day assault during World War II and later modernized Texas A&M as its president; and world-changing researchers such as Dr. Norman Borlaug, widely considered to have saved more lives than anyone in history by transforming wheat production, helping launch the Green Revolution and thereby reducing worldwide starvation on a stunning scale. His numerous accolades include the Congressional Gold Medal, National Medal of Science and the Nobel Peace Prize.

At a time when higher education is facing a crisis of confidence, Texas A&M leaders remain steadfast in their belief that the university stands as a force for good in the lives of millions of people: through the education it provides, the service it performs across society and the contributions of its former students.

“Service defines Texas A&M,” Ballabina said. “Service is one of our core values, but it is the one that underpins everything that we do. For 150 years, this university has prepared men and women to go into communities and lead, and we’re incredibly proud of that.”