Regents greenlight Aplin Center — Aggieland’s new front door and hands-on hub

$250 million experiential learning hub and welcome center will fuel student success

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Regents today approved building the Aplin Center at Texas A&M University — a dynamic, three-story, 211,724-square-foot home for experiential learning in hospitality, retail, and food & nutrition sciences that will double as Aggieland’s new front door for prospective students and visitors.

“This one’s going to be as popular as Beaver Nuggets,” said Robert Albritton, chairman of the Board of Regents. “Arch Aplin helped build a Texas original, and now he’s helping us build an extraordinary facility at Texas A&M. The Aplin Center blends Aggie hospitality with hands-on education, and it will pay dividends for students and our state.”

Chancellor Glenn Hegar also praised Aplin for his generosity.

“This gift is classic Aggie — humble, practical and focused on students,” Hegar said. “Arch Aplin is ‘passing it back’ to help future Aggies learn by doing and to give every guest a first-class welcome to campus.”

Placed on the block bounded by Wellborn Road, John Kimbrough Boulevard and Olsen Boulevard (former Lot 100), the Aplin Center will feature teaching labs and real-world venues for viticulture & enology, fermentation, coffee roasting, product development, sensory evaluation, meat & food science, retail and hospitality operations.

A new Visitor Center — with a 100-seat theater, 70-seat multipurpose room, ambassador support spaces and staff offices — will create a seamless, high-energy campus-visit experience worthy of a top public research university.

Funding & timeline

Today’s action appropriates $225 million for construction and related costs; $25 million was previously appropriated. Funding includes Permanent University Fund debt proceeds, Revenue Financing System debt proceeds, and university investment earnings. Construction starts September 2025 and substantial completion is slated for February 2028.

Texas A&M intends to bring a formal naming item later this fall in recognition of Arch H. Aplin III.

About The Texas A&M University System

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest and most impactful higher education systems in the country, with an annual budget of $7.3 billion. Its statewide network includes 12 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M–Fort Worth and the Texas A&M–RELLIS. The System serves nearly 170,000 students and reaches millions more through service, research and outreach programs each year. With nearly $1.6 billion in annual research expenditures, the System fuels innovation, supports communities and drives Texas’ economy forward.