Located on the second floor of the Bright Football Complex on the south end of Kyle Field, the 24,550-square foot The Alice and Erle Nye '59 Academic Center is the premier center of its kind in the country.

The center serves all student-athletes, providing them with the competitive edge necessary to excel in their scholastic and career pursuits as they work toward their athletics goals. In fact, the size of the center allows for every one of Texas A&M's over 600 student-athletes to utilize the facility simultaneously.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology designed to meet the current and future academic needs of Aggie student-athletes, and conveniently located on campus for use throughout the day and night, the center is an outstanding facility available to all student-athletes at Texas A&M.

When people first walk into the Center they are greeted in the reception area. Student-athletes can check in through a computer system that records their daily activity in the Center. Coaches receive daily reports indicating the time each of their student-athletes spent in quiet study, tutor groups, computer lab, etc. The reception area also has nice display cases that show student-athlete academic achievements at Texas A&M (Scholar-Athletes, Academic All-Americans, etc.).

The classroom space, learning labs and large tutor rooms enable the staff to conduct classes, supplemental instruction sessions and TASP labs where student-athletes and non-athletes are involved in effective group learning.

The center contains 29 tutor rooms that are designed to eliminate distractions. There are four rooms for quiet study, and within each are 10 study carrels and four tables accommodating four students each. Students are able to study effectively and without distractions. Other rooms in the area allow students to meet together to work on a project.

In the center of the facility is a 50-station computer lab, which is connected to the mainframe of the University. Student-athletes are able to have all of their computer needs met in one location with state-of-the-art equipment. In addition, there are 10 laptop computers available for check out for team travel or to use in other parts of the Center.

Another very special feature of the Center for Athletics Academic Services is the Learning Laboratory. This room has six study carrels with computers and 15 small tables that sit two students each. A Learning Specialist is able to work effectively with the most at-risk student-athletes in a self-contained classroom. The lab is designed to accommodate individual and small-group learning activities. Plus, the students are able to go down the hall to meet with other tutors as needed.

A Math Laboratory and a Writing Laboratory are contained in the building and are designed much like the Learning Lab. Each lab has excellent staff and educational resources to address the academic needs of our student-athletes, all of which are used to help student-athletes develop the skills necessary to pass the TASP and to succeed at Texas A&M University.

The center features two large classrooms that can accommodate up to 60 students each. The classrooms are equipped with partitions that can create four classrooms if necessary and are used for Life Skills programs, Supplemental Instruction sessions and classes such as CAEN 101 (Study Skills) and CAEN 202 (Career Development).

In addition to the tutoring and classroom space, the new Center for Athletics Academic Services is designed with enough space to effectively meet the staff's current needs plus any future additions. There are individual offices for the director, associate director, learning specialist, four athletics academic advisors, four lab managers, a life skills coordinator, a secretary, student workers and eight graduate assistants. The offices are located in one section of the Center to create easy access for staff, student-athletes and visitors. The office area can also be closed off in the evenings so that people can still access the remainder of the Center. There is a conference room that will accommodate 20 people for staff meetings and a work area/kitchen for staff to take breaks.

In addition to all of these wonderful features, the Center for Athletics Academic Services is designed exclusively for academics and student development. The staff is able to address the student-athlete's needs from the time they arrive on campus for official visits through their graduation from Texas A&M and into their early careers.