Texas A&M University and We Teach Texas exhibited and hosted a networking event at SXSW EDU to celebrate and connect with the teachers, administrators, counselors and alumni of system institutions who are educating the leaders of tomorrow, as well as others interested in furthering their education through programs at the university.
The Texas A&M School of Education and Human Development and Division of Academic and Strategic Collaborations joined with representatives of The Texas A&M University System and member institutions including Texas A&M-Central Texas, Commerce, Corpus Christi, International, Kingsville and San Antonio, as well as Prairie View A&M.
“We were thrilled to make contact with many teachers and educational leaders from Texas and beyond, as well as many youth from the Austin area,” said Stephanie Burns, director of the Office for Youth Engagement. She said around 150 people attended the networking event, and the A&M booth — complete with a 5-foot-tall inflatable Reveille — was one of the most interactive on the conference floor, which had nearly 100 exhibitors
SXSW EDU, a component of the South by Southwest family of conferences and festivals, is focused on innovation and learning in the education industry, which aligns with the goals of We Teach Texas, said Dr. Shonda Gibson, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs at the Texas A&M System.
“Our quality approach is to recruit, educate, train and support teachers who meet or exceed the needs and expectations of the state and local school districts,” Gibson said. “In order to do this, we have implemented quality systems and processes that are continually being improved to satisfy the changing needs of our state and region.”
Gibson added she and her team were excited to be part of this year’s SXSW EDU, which is estimated to have drawn a crowd of over 7,000.
“All the A&M System universities were invited to participate, and the College Station team coordinated everything beautifully,” she said. “We are proud to support the work of our exceptional teacher and leader preparation programs at SXSW.”
The 11 universities of the Texas A&M System produce more fully certified teachers than any other university system in Texas, and have the highest number of teachers remaining in the profession for the first five years of their careers.