Texas A&M University – Kingsville (TAMUK) stepped up its game and joined Carnegie Classification’s second-highest category of research universities.
Carnegie Classification recognized TAMUK as a Doctoral University with High Research Activity. Only 89 public institutions in the United States qualified for this level of research in 2018.
To qualify for the top two tiers of research, institutions must have awarded at least 20 research/scholarship degrees during the year and $5 million in total research expenditures.
According to carnegieclassifications.iu.edu, the organization’s purpose is “…to assist those conducting research on higher education. Researchers need a way to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and classifications enable them to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions.”
The classification system has been in place since 1973, and Dr. Allen Rasmussen, provost and vice president of academic affairs at TAMUK, spoke on what receiving this honor means for the future.
“The Carnegie Classification is an indicator of research excellence,” Rasmussen said. “This recognition identifies us as a university who will contribute to the future of the region. Students at a Carnegie Doctoral High Research institution will experience cutting-edge research opportunities. The future of South Texas will be tied to that research and will shape the direction we are going.”
While Rasmussen looked to the future, TAMUK President Mark Hussey praised faculty members who helped TAMUK reach this level of research and explored what this means for students.
“Great research leads to meaningful real-world experiences for faculty to talk about in the classroom,” Hussey said. “Faculty who are leading these research efforts are bringing students into the lab and helping prepare them for the next phase of their lives. This is a stamp of approval that we are doing impactful research and that is a very good thing for our students and the region.”