Texas A&M's enrollment has soared, but the Corps of Cadets hasn't kept pace. Leaders want to change that.

Students in uniform stand stock still, ramrod straight and 2,100 strong, covering the back of Simpson Drill Field at Texas A&M University. Fans toe the wet grass to watch the Veteran’s Review ceremony ahead of a mid-November football game, braving the 40-degree cold as rain drips off their jackets and noses. They wouldn’t dare miss it: At a university famous for its many traditions, the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets is sometimes referred to as “the” tradition, a storied group so integral to the campus' identity that it is known as the keeper of all Aggie spirit. fu While the Corps of Cadets is already the largest uniformed student organization outside of the military academies, participation has flatlined even as university enrollment has boomed. By 2030, A&M leaders now hope to reach 3,000 members, an expansion that will also aim to add more women and students of color to the ranks.

“The Corps, I think it’s a national treasure," said Bruce Hamilton, president and CEO of the Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association. "I know in my heart that it needs to grow and become more viable for the 21st century." The push comes from the highest levels of Texas A&M University, with President M. Katherine Banks announcing the “March to 3,000” last spring and designating millions of dollars so far to support the effort through scholarships and building space. In July, she named Brigadier General Patrick R. Michaelis as the Corps’ new commandant, just in time to lead the growth initiative, one of several meant to strengthen tradition in the face of massive enrollment gains at the university. Some growing pains are expected as the Corps increases its size nearly 50% so rapidly, and some cadets are concerned about maintaining high standards for new members. As a senior military college, A&M's Corps of Cadets provides ROTC military training, making it an attractive option to help develop students’ leadership skills for postgraduate life, Michaelis said. It's instead a tough sell because potential recruits need to buy into a more disciplined lifestyle than the average student experiences. While thousands of fans still arrive early enough on game days to see the band step off the quad to the tune of the Aggie War Hymn, Aggieland isn’t the same as it was 100 or even 10 years ago. With enrollment now at almost 75,000. the Corps makes up a smaller percentage of the student body than it used to, Michaelis said. Corps membership of about 2,100 is roughly the same as it was a decade ago – a period that saw the university grow by more than 20,000 students.