McALLEN, Texas — Driven by four consecutive years of 25 percent annual student population growth, the Texas A&M University Higher Education Center at McAllen is embarking on a major construction boom, featuring three major capital investments valued between $50 million and $80 million each over the next 12 months.
Will Wynn, executive director of the McAllen campus, detailed the upcoming development projects during a presentation at a recent McAllen Economic Development Corporation (EDC) stakeholders committee meeting.
Wynn told EDC members that rapidly expanding enrollment—including a freshman class that doubled in size this year—has placed intense pressure on the university’s current facilities, requiring aggressive development to keep pace.
"What that means is we need construction projects to not only stay on the curve, but we try to get a little bit ahead," Wynn said.
Two facility projects currently under construction are scheduled for completion in early October. Beyond these immediate additions, the university has outlined a robust multi-year development pipeline:
Wynn emphasized that these multi-million-dollar developments provide both educational and direct economic benefits to the surrounding area.
"Three major investments, $50 million to $80 million each, are coming here in the next 12 months," Wynn noted. "That fundamentally is a way that our universities and colleges give back to the community. Also, these projects hire a lot of people and create more value, but also hopefully continue the growth of the impact of the academic infrastructure here in McAllen and Hidalgo County."
The Texas A&M Higher Education Center sits on a 100-acre site gifted by the City of McAllen in the Tres Lagos master-planned community in North McAllen. While the location was once considered distant, Wynn predicted the surrounding area would undergo radical transformation over the coming decades.
"In 25 years, you won't even recognize it as being North McAllen or North McAllen County," Wynn said, comparing the anticipated growth to that of Central Texas and Travis County. "The growth that we will experience in our careers, let alone our lifetimes here, is going to be pretty remarkable."
Wynn was introduced at the EDC meeting by Brian Lewis, chairman of the McAllen EDC. Lewis highlighted Wynn's unique background, notably his tenure as mayor of Austin, Texas, from 2003 to 2009.
An architect and real estate development expert by training, Wynn graduated from Texas A&M University in 1984. During his introduction, Lewis remarked on the rare distinction of an Aggie serving as mayor in the heart of Longhorn territory.
Wynn reflected on his time in Austin, noting that despite the city's role as the state capital, higher education institutions remained its core driver.
"Fundamentally, your campuses, your universities, your colleges, your community colleges—those were the real assets of your city," Wynn said, drawing a direct parallel to the Rio Grande Valley's higher education ecosystem. "Similarly, now I'm experiencing that the university and college systems that we have here, both in McAllen/Hidalgo County and the broader Rio Grande Valley, are really important to the future of this region."
Wynn also shared a personal connection to his new home in South Texas, revealing that his first grandchild was born in McAllen two months ago.
"My wife and I are here to stay and look forward to spending a lot of time with you all," Wynn told attendees.
Closing the presentation, Lewis praised the addition of Wynn to the region's leadership landscape. "We talk about 'brain drain' here sometimes—losing some good ones," Lewis said. "We picked up a good one in you, and thank you for bringing yourself down here to the Valley to share with us."
