As of September 1, 2012, the University Transportation Center for Mobility (UTCM) is no longer an active center of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The archived UTCM website remains available here.

Strategic Plan FY06 - FY09

Strategic Plan Contents

Strategic Plan Home

III. Management Approach

   A. Institutional Resources

   B. Center Director

   C. Center Faculty and Staff

   D. Multiparty Arrangements

   E. Matching Funds

III. MANAGEMENT
     APPROACH

A. Institutional Resources

TAMU/TTI has significant facilities and resources that will be used in UTCM activities, including a presidential library, state-of-the-art computer facilities (including supercomputers), cutting edge labs, office space, and classrooms, and myriad support services available for use by the UTCM.

Overview of the Texas Transportation Institute

Established in 1950, TTI maintains research divisions, regional divisions, research centers, and six field offices.  Major research areas include:  Materials and Pavements; Safety; Transportation Systems; Structural Systems; Systems Policy, Planning and Environment; Traffic Operations; and Multimodal Systems.  More than 600 people work in these divisions and centers.  Expert personnel from appropriate areas‑‑either a single division or an interdisciplinary project team‑‑may join to make a uniquely specialized team.  Faculty members from academic departments of TAMU University frequently collaborate with TTI researchers.  With its long history and breadth of research, TTI has become home to over 100 senior transportation researchers‑‑people who have "written the book" on the principles of safety, corridors, ITS, economics, asphalt, traffic engineering, HOV, planning and other topics.  In addition, they have put principles to practice through inventions, procedures and patents that have saved thousands of lives, and strengthened the economy by reducing congestion and other waste, analyzing effective use of state resources, bringing 20 dollars in benefits to the state for every dollar spent on research, and reducing the loss and liability of traffic fatalities.  These Principal Investigators (Project Supervisors) have personal and professional responsibility for the research project.  TTI also maintains high‑quality support services, including proposal and project administration, accounting and financial services, report/manual editing and reproduction, literature searching, and broadcast quality video/CD ROM production, web-based data and report files, which assure responsible project management and high quality deliverables.

TTI is also home to SWUTC, the UTC for Region 6, which is one of the prized activities within TTI, and has been operating since the inauguration of the UTCP in 1998.  SWUTC will serve as a mentoring institution for UTCM, providing a synergetic relationship and opportunities for collaboration.  SWUTC’s structure, administration, programs, and outputs are widely known to be great examples of "how to do a UTC," and have been adopted by other UTCs in setting up their programs.  There are differences, however, in how the programs of SWUTC and UTCM will operate. UTCM is not a consortium, and does not have a structure requiring 100% non-federal match for the UTC grant. Therefore, it is anticipated that UTCM will pursue other sources of federal funding to enhance the programs of the center without the constraint of commitments to and geographical constraints of traditional match sources. Some UTCM research will be more global in nature than most SWUTC research. It is anticipated, however, that there will be some overlap in research interests and types of programs (especially in education and technology transfer), in which case the two centers may work together. 

[ Top ]

Overview of Texas A&M University

Established in 1876 as the first public college in the state, TAMU has become a world leader in teaching, research and public service. Located in College Station in the heart of Texas, it is centrally located among three of the country's 10 largest cities ‑‑ Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

TAMU is the only university to be ranked nationally among the top 10 in all three areas listed below: 

Other national highlights include: 

TAMU's research budget for fiscal year 2004 (the most current period for which comparable figures are available) was $400 million. On that basis, National Science Foundation tabulations place TAMU in the top tier nationally ‑‑ and first in the South and Southwest. 

TAMU University has been a national leader in engineering education throughout its history.  From its beginning in 1876, the mechanical arts have held a prominent place in the curriculum, and for several decades, the College of Engineering has enjoyed excellent ratings.  Thousands of graduates hold high‑level positions in the leading industries in the region and Nation, and TAMU engineering graduates are highly recruited nationwide.  Over 6,630 undergraduates (including over 1,260 women), and over 2,150 graduate students are currently enrolled. 

The Transportation and Materials Engineering areas at TAMU University prepare engineers for professional careers in industry, government, academia, and research.  Advanced study in transportation engineering offers a practical balance between scientific theory and engineering practice, while allowing students the opportunity to specialize in one or more areas of interest.  Graduate degrees in transportation include the Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Engineering (non‑thesis option) in Civil Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, and Doctor of Engineering.

TAMU University is also home to the Bush Presidential Library and the Bush School of Government and Public Service whose mission is to educate and prepare students for careers in public service spanning the public, not-for-profit and private sectors both domestically and internationally.

TTI also utilizes the services of the TAMU Research Foundation (TAMRF) to provide supplementary managerial support, particularly in the administration and financial control of contracts with USDOT as well as sub-contracts with TSU and UT-Austin.  The TAMRF is a non-profit scientific research corporation organized under the laws of the State of Texas and governed by a board of trustees.  It is not a state agency, so it can extend credit and offer indemnification.  TAMRF submits proposals, administers contracts, and has the authority to sign contracts, liability statements, representations and certifications, and other administrative documents.

[ Top ]