Texas A&M to Open 'Peace Campus' in Israel

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Friday, October 25, 2013

A major academic institution based in the Lone Star State has reached an agreement to open up a campus in the nation of Israel.

Texas A&M recently reached an agreement with the Israeli government for the creation of a satellite campus known as "Texas A&M University at Nazareth – Peace Campus."

Steven B. Moore, vice chancellor of the Office of Marketing and Communications at Texas A&M, told The Christian Post that the vision of the new campus was shared by many.

"Building on a vision expressed by Shimon Peres (President of the State of Israel) and Shay Piron (Minister of Education), John Sharp (Chancellor of the Texas A&M University), supported by the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and Rick Perry (Governor of Texas)," said Moore.

"[They have] communicated a desire to pursue establishing a first class university in Nazareth dedicated to enhancing education access in a common learning environment."

Moore explained that the announcement, made Wednesday, was just the beginning of the process of creating the facilities and enrolling students from the troubled region.

"We will follow the advice of our partners in Israel to develop a safe and secure campus in Nazareth," said Moore.

"The signing ceremony signaled the official approval of the project and we will now begin developing a master plan for the campus and the private fund raising campaign."

Held at the residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres, the signed agreement called for a campus that enrolls a mixture of Jewish, Arab and international students.

"This is a proud accomplishment that has been years in the making," said Texas A&M Chancellor Sharp in a statement.

"We are absolutely dedicated to making this one of the finest international universities in the world and open to all."

The announcement quickly garnered attention from many in the United States, including Pro-Israel pastor and author Chuck Hagee, who helped make the agreement possible.

"Sharp asked me to facilitate their efforts to develop a campus in Israel. Since then, I have worked to build the relationships between the university's leadership and the officials in Israel," stated Hagee in a YouTube video.

"As a Christian, as a Texan, and as a supporter of the State of Israel, I eagerly look forward to the day when Texas A&M Peace University opens its doors."