Gig ’em: Here’s how ambitious plan for Texas A&M research campus can boost Fort Worth

Get ready to see a lot more maroon in downtown Fort Worth. The Texas A&M University System’s announcement, set for Wednesday, that it hopes to create a major research hub around its existing law school is a significant step forward, especially for the southern end of downtown.

The plan is ambitious and loaded with potential for Fort Worth’s economic and educational future. A&M’s proposal would finally give Fort Worth the significant “Tier One” research university it needs to bolster business and help attract, develop and retain top talent.

System Chancellor John Sharp, in a preview provided to the Star-Telegram, outlined a sweeping plan to construct an “Aggieland North.” A&M could tap resources from the law school to Tarleton State University’s new Fort Worth campus and state agencies housed within the system to advance work on emergency responses, legal specialties, manufacturing, defense and even nutrition. A&M, the city and Tarrant County have reached tentative agreements on the idea, with the backing of major local companies, including Lockheed Martin and Alcon. Now comes the hard work of fundraising, planning and coordination.

The university system already owns important property along Commerce and Calhoun streets, including the current law-school building and adjacent parking areas. Nearby city property may come into play as well. Deputy Chancellor Billy Hamilton, the A&M System’s chief financial officer, said that groundbreaking on two new buildings could happen within 18 months. He estimated the project at $250 million, cautioning that many details that would determine the cost remain to be determined.

The system, while reaching for a lofty goal, will be cautious financially, so Fort Worth’s business and philanthropic communities will have an important role in fundraising. John Goff, co-chairman of the group Fort Worth Now, which aims to steer the city’s economic future coming out of the coronavirus pandemic, noted that the area is home to a large number of Aggies who could be tapped as well.

The project would fill a number of long-term needs for Fort Worth’s development. An association with a Tier One university — the small number of research institutions considered among the nation’s best — has long been missing. We’re surrounded by them, including the University of Texas at Dallas, UT-Arlington and the University of North Texas. Having such a campus in Fort Worth will enhance the area’s reputation for innovation and open new paths for growth and improved education and workforce opportunities. Fort Worth’s business leaders are eager to see the area develop workers who are better educated and prepared for the future. Every educational investment along those lines is important, but the A&M plan could also help attract such workers to the city.

Bolstering the southern end of downtown will be an added benefit. The timing syncs with efforts to renovate the Fort Worth Convention Center. If high-speed rail develops in the decades to come, the campus is in a prime location to take advantage.

Goff called the plan a “cornerstone for Fort Worth’s financial future [that] will transform that end of downtown.” And as he noted, a major state institution is a long-term partner with ample resources: “Companies come and go. Universities are forever.”

As plans proceed, the entities must remember the need to invest in Fort Worth’s young, often underserved population. The city needs help improving education and expanding opportunity for historically neglected Black and Hispanic communities. Any chance to improve Fort Worth schools and create pathways to better careers will pay off in the long run. It’s more efficient to develop strong local workers than constantly have to recruit them.

Since A&M acquired the law school from Texas Wesleyan University in 2013, it has steadily improved in rankings. A&M’s investment and the backing of the strong university system demonstrate that the research campus plan can follow the same path.

Put another way, it’s time to paint the town red.