Texas A&M is proud to announce the launch of the Graduate Recruitment, Enhancement, and Travel (GREAT) Program. The GREAT Program provides supplemental funding to eligible: (i) nationally competitive external fellowships awarded to students, (ii) federal training grant fellowships awarded to faculty or departments, and (iii) federal research grant supplements awarded to faculty. Also, the GREAT program provides travel awards for faculty to bring high-achieving prospective doctoral students to campus who may have received or would be competitive for nationally competitive external fellowships. The goal of this program is to make Texas A&M’s more competitive in attracting high achieving students to our graduate programs.

The GREAT Program was inspired by Texas A&M’s Council of Principal Investigators (CPI). Seeking a way to elevate graduate and professional education at Texas A&M by recruiting more high achieving students, the CPI proposed supplemental funding for external fellowships, federal training grants, and federal research grant supplements promoting diversity so that doctoral students who would be good candidates for external funding would receive financial packages comparable to the nation’s top universities. 

The CPI worked with the University Administration to garner the required resources and shape the program. This collaboration exemplifies the kind of innovative and collaborative thinking we need to continue improving graduate and professional programs at Texas A&M. 

As the unit administering the program, the Graduate and Professional School thanks the CPI, the President, and the Vice President for Research for their important work on this initiative. We look forward to the positive impact the GREAT Program will undoubtedly make on recruiting and will continue to seek ways to work with the CPI and other stakeholders to elevate graduate and professional education at Texas A&M and keep the university on an upward trajectory in building its global reputation.