Continuing its expansion in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas A&M University recently broke ground on the Texas A&M Health Nursing Education and Research Building at the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center in McAllen, for which Vaughn serves as construction manager-at-risk. The 61,000 SF 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.
“We at the Texas A&M System are dedicated to the people of South Texas and Rio Grande Valley,” John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System, said. “And that is why we are investing in the region – and its health – with a new facility for nursing and health-related research.”
The School of Nursing will first focus on offering its traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. The two-year, five-semester program has approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to be delivered entirely in McAllen. The school expects to eventually enroll approximately 50 students per semester, helping the valley and state address a critical shortage of nurses.
The School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS ) unit will serve as an important resource for VMBS faculty and students researching transboundary infectious diseases, large animal biosecurity, zoonotic diseases, veterinary public health, and bilingual public outreach in South Texas.
The Nursing Education and Research Building is slated to open in time for the spring 2026 semester.