{"id":902174,"date":"2026-06-30T03:11:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T03:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/902174\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T03:11:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T03:11:31","slug":"who-will-texas-am-fort-worth-serve-year-1-of-downtown-campus-may-offer-answers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/902174\/","title":{"rendered":"Who will Texas A&#038;M-Fort Worth serve? Year 1 of downtown campus may offer answers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"&quot;byline&quot;\">by Dang Le, Fort Worth Report <br \/>June 29, 2026<\/p>\n<p>This story is the second in a two-part series examining Texas A&amp;M\u2019s growth in Fort Worth, looking at what job and workforce opportunities the campus could bring to Fort Worth and Tarrant County. <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/29\/texas-am-law-rose-fast-now-its-dean-wants-to-reshape-downtown-fort-worth\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Part 1<\/a> explored how A&amp;M Law\u2019s rise helped shape the new downtown building.<\/p>\n<p>Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth\u2019s new Law and Education Building will not open this fall with just one type of student in mind.<\/p>\n<p>The downtown campus\u2019s first academic building, set to open its doors Aug. 5, is expected to serve aspiring lawyers, health sciences students from A&amp;M System member Tarleton State University, working professionals and even undergraduates who may complete Texas A&amp;M coursework in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n<p>So, who is Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth built to serve?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would very specifically say, \u2018All of the above,\u2019\u201d said Rachael Capua, vice president for external operations and dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth.<\/p>\n<p>That answer captures the promise \u2014 and the challenge \u2014 facing Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth\u2019s downtown campus when it opens in August. City and university leaders have pitched the downtown campus as a place where research, employers and students connect to support Fort Worth\u2019s economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The startup year will be smaller than that vision.<\/p>\n<p>The building will open with Texas A&amp;M University School of Law as its anchor, alongside Tarleton State, which will occupy three floors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"XaoX59eNAK\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/29\/texas-am-decides-fall-degree-offerings-for-fort-worth-campus-plans-future-semesters\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas A&amp;M decides fall degree offerings for Fort Worth campus, plans future semesters<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cTexas A&amp;M decides fall degree offerings for Fort Worth campus, plans future semesters\u201d \u2014 Fort Worth Report\" src=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/01\/29\/texas-am-decides-fall-degree-offerings-for-fort-worth-campus-plans-future-semesters\/embed\/#?secret=k9FAs3on1N#?secret=XaoX59eNAK\" data-secret=\"XaoX59eNAK\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/p>\n<p>Tarleton State expects to serve about 150 students in the building during year one, Capua said, with up to 40 faculty and staff members working there.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Its established medical laboratory science program will be in the downtown campus. Newer programs, such as biotechnology and biomedical sciences, will start smaller. Over time, Tarleton State\u2019s presence could grow to about 250 or 300 students in the building, Capua said.<\/p>\n<p>Robert Ahdieh, dean of Texas A&amp;M Law and chief operating officer of Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth, said that gradual rollout is intentional. The campus will likely begin with a modest number of nonlaw students, then grow in later semesters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy guess is that this is going to launch slowly,\u201d Ahdieh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth is still testing which group of students will shape the downtown campus, Ahdieh said. Future growth vision could depend on whether demand comes from undergraduates, graduate students, working adults, transfer students or some mix of all four.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1780072137522-2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-625264\"\/>A rendering of the Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth Research and Innovation Building, expected to break ground this summer. (Courtesy | Texas A&amp;M University System) <\/p>\n<p>The Law and Education Building is the first academic facility in a broader downtown campus vision. Long-term plans include a <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/22\/fort-worth-tarrant-county-innovation-partnership-names-new-leader\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Research and Innovation Building<\/a>, expected to house research in engineering, aerospace, agriculture, health sciences and emergency response.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One uncertainty is student housing. Current plans do not include university-built student housing, which could matter if the campus draws more undergraduates.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Urban campuses often work differently than traditional ones, Ahdieh said, and student housing is difficult to plan before leaders determine demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we get to the undergrad, it\u2019ll get more interesting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Tarleton lane<\/p>\n<p>For now, Tarleton State\u2019s lane is clearer: health sciences, STEM and workforce training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Capua said the Fort Worth campus is an A&amp;M System project, with Texas A&amp;M, Texas A&amp;M Law and Tarleton State and other system partners collaborating rather than competing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tarleton State\u2019s focus is tied to its Fort Worth history and the building\u2019s downtown location. The university\u2019s Fort Worth presence dates to 1978, when its medical laboratory science program began offering classes on West Myrtle Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The program later moved through several Fort Worth locations, including the Richard C. Schaffer Building in the 1990s and the Hickman Building on Camp Bowie Boulevard in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the Law and Education Building places Tarleton State students closer to the city\u2019s medical district and healthcare partners.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tarleton-State_Oct22_CamiloDiaz0131-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-169880\"\/>Medical training mannequins lay on hospital beds inside the Skills Lab in the new Interprofessional Education Building at Tarleton State University\u2019s Fort Worth campus on Oct. 22, 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>The downtown expansion is not meant to duplicate Tarleton State\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TarletonStateFortWorth_MasterPlan2026_FINAL.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">own Fort Worth campus along Chisholm Trail Parkway<\/a>. Instead, Capua said, the goal is to place programs where they make the most sense for students, faculty and workforce needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One example is Tarleton State\u2019s associate degree in histotechnology, the discipline that helps detect tissue abnormalities to diagnose and treat diseases.<\/p>\n<p>Nearby institutions do not offer an associate degree in the field, Capua said, even though health systems such as Baylor Scott &amp; White Health, Texas Health Resources and JPS Health Network need workers trained for that path.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Medical laboratory science is another example. The program dates to 1978 and enrolls about 40 students per year, Capua said. Its bachelor\u2019s degree <a href=\"https:\/\/programs.tarleton.edu\/medical-laboratory-science-bs\/#:~:text=One%20of%20the,laboratory%20science%20training.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">follows a 3+1 model<\/a>, with students completing three years of undergraduate coursework elsewhere before transferring to Tarleton State Fort Worth for a professional year of training.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The health focus reflects workforce pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/healthcare\/clinical-laboratory-technologists-and-technicians.htm#:~:text=Employment%20of%20clinical,as%20to%20retire.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">projects about 22,600 openings each year <\/a>for clinical laboratory technologies and technicians from 2024 to 2034, largely due to workers leaving the field or retiring. The broader healthcare workforce is expected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/healthcare\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">to see about 1.9 million openings<\/a> each year because of growth and replacement needs.<\/p>\n<p>Partnerships<\/p>\n<p>Tarleton State\u2019s Office of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/extendeded\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Extended Education and Workforce Development<\/a> will be located in the Law and Education Building, where it will focus short-term, noncredit training shaped by employer needs, Capua said. That could include one- or two-day classes on trusts, wills and estate planning, continuing education for real estate professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Tarleton State is also discussing how to work with Texas A&amp;M, the A&amp;M System and Tarrant County College to create an inventory of professional and continuing education offerings, making it easier for local employers to see what training options are available.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we become a true ecosystem builder,\u201d Capua said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Innovative-Educations-panel-SMU-2-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-270891\"\/>Rachael Capua, dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth, speaks on a panel about design innovations for college buildings at a panel at SMU\u2019s Hughes-Trigg Student Center on April 17, 2025. (Courtesy | Eric Childs)<\/p>\n<p>The role of matching course offerings to employer needs is central to the larger promise that Texas A&amp;M and city leaders have made about the downtown campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Fort Worth city leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2023\/01\/10\/texas-am-fort-worth-approve-agreement-to-fund-downtown-campus\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">approved a financing plan in 2023<\/a> to help make the campus a reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In April, Fort Worth City Council <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/04\/02\/fort-worth-city-council-waives-fees-for-all-phases-of-texas-am-downtown-campus-development\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">waived development fees for all phases of campus construction<\/a>, such as for building permits and temporary street closures. Total building costs for the campus\u2019s first two buildings will exceed $500 million.<\/p>\n<p>Mayor Mattie Parker said a Texas A&amp;M economic analysis estimates the campus could generate about 25,000 jobs and about $3 billion annually for the local economy. The campus is aligned with industries already important to Fort Worth, such as healthcare, aerospace and aviation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s also this development opportunity surrounding that quadrant of downtown because of the campus,\u201d Parker said.<\/p>\n<p>Brian Newby, managing partner at Cantey Hanger LLP, said the campus\u2019s larger opportunity is to become an innovation hub, research hub and talent incubator for downtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose folks getting their education in downtown Fort Worth, if they are able to work in downtown Fort Worth, then they\u2019re going to live in downtown Fort Worth, and that is a positive overall for the community,\u201d Newby said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The challenge will be in turning those promises into visible outcomes. Partnerships will be one way to do that, Ahdieh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Goss-CandidConvo-10-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-296372\"\/>From left: James Hurley, Tarleton State University president; Robert Ahdieh, Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth chief operating officer and dean of A&amp;M Law; and Jennifer Cowley, University of Texas at Arlington president, banter during a Candid Conversation event on Aug. 19, 2025, at Tarleton State Fort Worth\u2019s campus. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n<p>Texas A&amp;M already works with TCC through the community college\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tccd.edu\/academics\/courses-and-programs\/partner-programs\/tamu-engineering-academy-at-tcc\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Engineering Academy<\/a>, where students begin foundational engineering coursework before transferring to College Station. With the new campus, students could eventually complete upper-level engineering coursework in Fort Worth, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Texas A&amp;M has also talked with other local higher education institutions about potential collaboration. Industry partnerships could shape workforce training, student hiring and research-and-development projects, Ahdieh said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Year 1 success<\/p>\n<p>Capua\u2019s list of measures of success for Tarleton State downtown included enrollment, employer partnerships and workforce outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More basic than those things, however, may be making sure that the downtown campus can handle students arriving from all over, studying in different ways and with different needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That work is less visible than a new building or an economic impact projection, but it may determine whether Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth can become what its leaders say it should be: a campus flexible enough for students who do not arrive from the same place, study the same way or need the same thing.<\/p>\n<p>For now, Capua said, the first goal is even simpler.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur first outcome, and target for success, is getting there and opening,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Dang Le is the higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/29\/who-will-texas-am-fort-worth-serve-year-1-of-downtown-campus-may-offer-answers\/mailto:dang.le@fortworthreport.org\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dang.le@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Fort Worth Report partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.<\/p>\n<p>The Report\u2019s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&amp;M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy <a href=\"https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/about\/fort-worth-report-editorial-independence-policy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/29\/who-will-texas-am-fort-worth-serve-year-1-of-downtown-campus-may-offer-answers\/&#8221;&gt;article&lt;\/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org&#8221;&gt;Fort Worth Report&lt;\/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&#8221;_blank&#8221; href=&#8221;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/&#8221;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;\/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&#8221;https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&#8221;&gt;<\/p>\n<p>&lt;img id=&#8221;republication-tracker-tool-source&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=638382&amp;amp;ga4=2820184429&#8243; style=&#8221;width:1px;height:1px;&#8221;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &#8220;https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/29\/who-will-texas-am-fort-worth-serve-year-1-of-downtown-campus-may-offer-answers\/&#8221;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;\/script&gt; &lt;script id=&#8221;parsely-cfg&#8221; src=&#8221;\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js&#8221;&gt;&lt;\/script&gt;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"by Dang Le, Fort Worth Report June 29, 2026 This story is the second in a two-part series&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":902175,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,211739,358,10078,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-902174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-america","tag-fort-worth","tag-fortworth","tag-tarleton-state-fort-worth","tag-texas","tag-texas-am-fort-worth","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116836872558361958","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902174"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902174\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}