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Texas A&M began as a small military college in 1876 and has evolved into one of the top universities in the world. Civil Engineering courses were first introduced into the curriculum of Texas A&M College through the Department of Mathematics. The first Civil Engineering degree was awarded in 1880 and was conferred upon all who graduated from the departments of pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, the English Language, one Modern Language, General Chemistry, and Geology. However, the word Civil Engineer did not appear in any catalogue until 1883 and it was not until 1887, eleven years after the opening of TAMC, that a separate Department of Civil Engineering was established. Interestingly, at this time the recommendation was made to establish a curriculum for postgraduate courses in Civil Engineering and in the year 1905 the first M. S. was awarded. By the year 1920, 501 young men, as well as two women, had completed the courses necessary to be awarded the C. E. degree. Both of the women were daughters of an acting history professor. In addition, 12 men had completed the graduate curriculum and were awarded the M. S. degree. Through its early beginnings, the Civil Engineering Department changed names, descriptions, and missions several times to reflect it's continued growth and success, all the while keeping in focus its ultimate goal…to provide a solid educational experience that prepares its students to be leaders in the profession of Civil Engineering.
In 1920, the Civil Engineering Department contained the following divisions: Structural Engineering, Highway Engineering, which was believed to have the best equipped laboratory in the United States, Railway Engineering, and Hydraulics and Sanitary Engineering. At that time the department owned more than forty transits, levels and compasses, several plane tables and other general field engineering equipment. In conjunction with the academic developments, two additional assets to the engineering programs were the organization of the Texas Engineering Experiment Station, in 1914, and later the development of the Texas Transportation Institute, in 1955.
From the first class days at Texas A&M College, constant changes were being made to keep the curriculum and facilities abreast of the changing times and capable of handling the ever growing number of students interested in the intriguing nature of applied science and engineering. The laboratory facilities in 1920 occupied only two rooms in the basement of Nagel Hall, but by 1957 the Civil Engineering Department grew from one building to five and occupied facilities vacated by the School of Veterinary Medicine. In 1968 the first phase of a facility to be used primarily for research and graduate study in materials and structural mechanics was completed and occupied. Between 1964 and 1975, the Civil Engineering Department increased from 403 to 1,062 students and from 28 to 68 faculty members, and necessary expansion of the facilities was anticipated in the near future.
By 1976, the Department had revised and restructured itself to encompass the following five divisions: Coastal, Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering; Environmental Engineering; Construction, Materials and Structural Engineering; Geoengineering and Civil Systems Engineering. Today the Department has four divisions, Coastal and Ocean Engineering; Environmental and Water Resources Engineering; Construction, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering; and Transportation and Materials Engineering.
During the formation of the Civil Engineering Department, several key individuals contributed much time, effort, talent, and knowledge to the successful development of the curriculum, administration and faculty. Mr. Charles Puryear was the first Head of the Civil Engineering and Physics Department at Texas A&M College in 1889 and held this position of one year. Following which, Mr. Puyear held the position of Head of Mathematics for forty-two years, was Dean of the College for twenty-five years and acting President for one year. Mr. James C. Nagel, one of the most influential and dynamic figures in the engineering history of Texas A&M College, began his connection with TAMC in 1882, as an assistant professor and was eventually named the first Dean of Engineering, when the position was created in 1911. Mr. Nagel continued his career as a professor and administrator until 1913, when he retired and became the first Chairman of the Texas Board of Water Engineers. He returned to A&M in 1917, as Head of the School of Engineering, but once again resigned in 1922 and entered private practice. Another significant figure in Civil Engineering history is David Wendel Spence. Mr. Spence followed in the footsteps of Mr. Nagel as Dean and Head of the Department of Civil Engineering. He served TAMC for eighteen years as a professor, Dean and Department Head until he resigned in 1913 to become a member of the Texas State Board of Water Engineers, which he served as Chairman until 1917. He, once again, returned to teach at TAMC until 1922, when he resigned and began his career in private practice.
Others with outstanding influence on and dedication to TAMC and the engineering sciences are individuals such as John J. Richey, whose career at Texas A&M lasted from 1912 to 1941. John Thomas Lamar McNew, who began his employment at TAMC in 1920, remained an innovative part of the institution until 1945. Mr. McNew had a brief interruption in 1943, when he served the nation in WWII, but returned to continue his career with TAMU in 1945. During his absence Mr. Sandstedt served as Head of the Department for three years. Another important historical figure for the Department is Samuel Robert Wright whose career at Texas A&M University spanned more than four decades, from 1923 to 1964. All of these remarkable individuals are remembered on the Texas A&M University Campus by the dedication of buildings and streets with their honorable names.
A more recent accomplishment was the timely establishment of the Ocean Engineering program in 1972. Dr. John B. Herbich, who became the first head of the program, was the faculty leader who orchestrated its development. The Ocean Engineering program is administered through the Department of Civil Engineering and the range of degrees offered to our students includes the B.S., M.S., M.E., Ph.D., or D.Eng. degrees in both Civil and Ocean Engineering.
A brief summary of those faculty who have led the Department of Civil Engineering from its early beginnings to the present day is given. It becomes quite evident that the Department has a tradition of its leaders contributing much time and talent to strengthening the department, the college and the university.
Name |
Position |
Date/Years |
|---|---|---|
| Puryear | Head, Depts. Civil Engineering & Physics Head of Mathematics Dean of College Acting President of College |
1889-1890 / 1 1890-1932 / 42 1907-1932 / 25 1913-1914 / 1 |
| Nagel | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering Dean of Engineering Head of School of Engineering |
1894-1910 / 16 1911-1913 / 2 1917-1922 / 5 |
| Spence | Head, Dept. Physics Dean of School of Civil Engineering Director of Texas Engineering Experiment Station |
1899-1903 / 4 1913-1917 / 4 1914-1917 / 3 |
| Richey | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1922-1941 / 19 |
| McNew | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering Vice President for Engineering |
1941-1943 / 2 1945-1946 / 1 |
| Sandstedt | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1943-1946 / 3 |
| Wright | Head, Dept. Municipal and Sanitary Engineering Head, Dept. Civil Engineering |
1932-1946 / 14 1946-1964 / 18 |
| Samson | Head, Dept Civil Engineering Ocean Engineering Program Established Acting President Vice President for Planning, TAMU Engineering Programs Planning Officer |
1964-1979 / 15 - 1972 - 1980-1981 / 1 1981-1982 / 1 1985-1988 / 3 |
| McDonald | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering Interim Dean of Engineering and Associate Deputy Chancellor Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs |
1979-1986 / 7 1983-1984 / 1 1986-1990 / 4 |
| Hirsch | Interim Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1983-1985 / 2 |
| Maxwell | Interim Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1986-1988 / 2 |
| Yao | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1988-1993 / 5 |
| Rodriguez-Iturbe | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 1993-1997 / 4 |
| Niedzwecki | Interim Head, Dept Civil Engineering Head, Dept. Civil Engineering Interim Head, Offshore Technology Research Center |
1997-1998 / 1 1998-2002 / 4 2000-2002 |
| Roschke | Interim Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 2002-2004 / 2 |
| Rosowsky | Head, Dept. Civil Engineering | 2004-Present |
