Texas A&M update at the B/CS chamber economic outlook conference

This podcast is a report to those attending the Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference on January 28, 2026 from the interim chief of staff at Texas A&M university, Michael O'Quinn.The annual Bryan/College Station chamber of commerce economic outlook conference includes an update from a representative of Texas A&M.This year's speaker was Michael O'Quinn, the interim chief of staff for A&M's interim president.O'Quinn's report focused on the university's marketing message, which is "A Force For Good".Presentation slides were a collage of photos of A&M efforts involving employees, students, university research, and this October's 150th birthday celebration.Click HERE to read and download presentation materials at the January 28, 2026 B/CS chamber economic outlook conference.Most of A&M's 4,398 faculty positions work in Brazos County. That includes a net increase last year of 241. And O'Quinn said the board of regents recently authorized the hiring of another 167 faculty positions.A&M has more than 9,700 staff position, which O'Quinn said 9,000 are based here and does not include employment of other Texas A&M system agencies.Student enrollment in the fall of 2025 was 80,000 at all A&M locations and 73,000 in College Station. O'Quinn said that represented an increase of "barely" two percent.In the last decade, A&M's enrollment increased 30 percent while other Texas universities grew at an average of 14 percent.This spring, there were 332,617 course registrations. That's among the factors in efforts to lower the ratio of 275 students per academic advisor.O'Quinn said the university is addressing mobility issues in getting students to and from classes and on west campus, studying how to add on-campus housing for 2,000 to 3,000 more freshmen, and adding more dining options.