TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) – Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar joined university leaders on the Texas A&M-Texarkana campus Friday to cut the ribbon on the new James C. Morris Business, Engineering, and Technology Building.
“This facility is first and foremost about our students,” Hegar said. “This facility is about giving people economic opportunities for them and future generations.”
University leaders said the facility goes beyond brick and mortar.
“It is an investment in our students; it is an investment in our region, and it is an investment in the future workforce in Northeast Texas and the greater Texarkana region,” said Dr. Ross Alexander, president of Texas A&M-Texarkana.
$45 million investment
The building represents a $45 million investment by the state of Texas, along with a major gift from the James C. Morris family.
Morris, an engineer who died in 1996, founded multiple Texarkana businesses, including Smith-Blair and JCM Industries.
His daughter, Cynthia Goerke, saw her family’s legacy etched in stone.
“I’m proud to see his name on this building,” Goerke said. “When I donated the money for the building, I did it with a deep and honest belief that both my father’s and my mother’s interest in education—and my father’s interest in engineering education—would be further met within its halls by the educators of Texas A&M-Texarkana.”
Fastest-growing campus
Officials said A&M-Texarkana is currently the fastest-growing campus in the Texas A&M System. Leaders expect the new technology hub to drive more regional talent through its doors.
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