STEPHENVILLE, Texas—A ribbon cutting and grand opening for Tarleton State University’s new Agricultural Field Machinery and Fabrication Laboratory was held today and continues the school’s yearlong 2017 centennial celebration as a founding member of The Texas A&M University System.
Located on property originally donated to establish the school as part of the A&M System at the intersection of FM 8 and College Farm Road (County Road 518), the $3.8 million facility is part of the university’s Agricultural Center. Ceremonies were held this afternoon, followed by tours.
“This new laboratory puts Tarleton’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the forefront of educational delivery for this discipline,” said Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp. “Tarleton is committed to providing students with authentic hands-on learning experiences. This new facility takes that commitment to the next level.”
Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio said that the grand opening is significant to the university’s centennial celebration, recognizing its time-honored success in teaching agriculture and mechanics.
“Dedicating this new building on the land that the citizens of Stephenville purchased in 1917 to make it possible for Tarleton to join with Texas A&M reflects the university’s substantial growth and development from modest beginnings,” he said.
The 24,000-square foot facility includes three laboratories—one each for metal fabrication, agricultural power and agricultural structures—as well as classrooms, computer lab, events kitchen, faculty offices and meeting spaces.
“For the first time since 1959, all of Tarleton’s agricultural mechanics classes will be under one roof,” said Dr. Steve Damron, dean of the university’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, “allowing for more efficient operations and effective instruction.
“This modern, well-equipped laboratory—one of the best in the nation—will allow us to develop new courses and programs to meet the ever-increasing workforce needs of agricultural industries in Texas and beyond,” he explained.
Funding for the project was provided by The Texas A&M University System and from private donations—predominantly from the Pevehouse Family Foundation.
For more centennial happenings—including an international rocket competition this summer, a birthday party in September and a concert in November at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth—watch Tarleton’s calendar of events at www.tarleton.edu/calendar.
To learn about Tarleton’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, visit www.tarleton.edu/COAHSWEB/coahs/index.html.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.