From the Classroom to the Valley Workforce

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When Will Wynn became executive director of the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen, he was no stranger to either the university or the Rio Grande Valley.

A Texas A&M graduate, Wynn and his wife made McAllen their permanent home after maintaining a residence in the area for several years. His family’s roots in the region have deepened as well. His grandson was born in McAllen, and his mother-in-law has since moved nearby.

“McAllen is now home,” Wynn said.

Wynn’s longstanding connection to Texas A&M also played a significant role in his decision to pursue the executive director position.

“I’m a very proud Aggie,” Wynn said. “I’ve always, in different parts of my career, had a chance to sort of give back to A&M. I think of this as that.”

Wynn steps into the role as the center prepares for a significant physical expansion while strengthening connections among students, employers and organizations across the Rio Grande Valley.

The center operates as a direct extension of Texas A&M University in College Station, Wynn said. Students in McAllen meet the same admission requirements as those in College Station, earn a Texas A&M diploma and are eligible to receive the Aggie Ring.

For students in South Texas, the center provides access to a Texas A&M education without requiring them to move several hours away from home.

“It brings the Texas A&M academic prowess much closer to home for so many of these kids,” he said.

The center currently offers 10 majors, a number Wynn mentioned is intentionally limited. Programs are selected in response to regional workforce needs identified through conversations with local businesses and community partners.

Nursing, public health and biomedical sciences are among the programs that address the region’s health care needs. Engineering and construction science programs similarly reflect continued growth and development across the Valley.

Those connections extend beyond the classroom. Partnerships with employers and public organizations provide students with internships, financial support and opportunities to gain professional experience before graduation.

Health care partners, for example, support students pursuing degrees in nursing, public health and biomedical sciences while providing hands-on internship opportunities. The city of Pharr has also hosted Texas A&M students as interns across various municipal departments.

These employer relationships also create opportunities for graduates who want to build their careers in the Rio Grande Valley.

Wynn said the center’s data shows its graduates remain in the Valley at a disproportionate rate. He attributed that in part to aligning academic programs with industries that offer employment opportunities in the region.

“If they want to stay in the Valley, we’ve probably educated them in the right silo, the right path to launch a successful career here in the Valley,” Wynn said.

The center also maintains relationships with economic development corporations, chambers of commerce and the RGV Partnership. Wynn said these organizations provide insight into companies considering expansion or relocation to the region, helping Texas A&M evaluate how its academic offerings can respond to changing workforce demands.

Wynn identified artificial intelligence and interdisciplinary engineering as areas that could become increasingly relevant. He said the center’s size gives it the flexibility to adapt as industries evolve and new workforce needs emerge.

That growth is also taking shape on campus.

The city of McAllen provided 100 acres for the campus, and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved a master plan for the property. Wynn said the long-term plan allows for additional buildings and a student population that could eventually approach 5,000.

For Wynn, however, the center’s future is about more than its physical growth.

He envisions a continuous pipeline of students graduating from Rio Grande Valley high schools, attending Texas A&M in McAllen and entering the regional workforce with the skills employers need.

Wynn described the goal as creating a “seamless, symbiotic relationship” among students, families, the university and the broader community.

As the campus expands, maintaining those connections will remain central to its development. By aligning academic programs with regional industries, expanding internship opportunities and responding to changing workforce needs, the center aims to provide Valley students with another pathway to higher education while giving local employers greater access to graduates educated close to home.

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