On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 17:55:07 GMT, Elliot Richmond
wrote:

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 12:33:23 GMT, "Alternate Personality"
wrote:

A&M is also an excellent school, and has been rated by Texas Monthly
magazine as the "best value in higher education in Texas."

Yeah. That's why we used to call it "Harvard on the Brazos."

Seriously, it is in every sense of the word a major university with
enrollment and national standing comparable to UT. Many of the
departments, schools, and programs are world class, and not just in
agriculture. We will forgive the maroon carrots.

But not the maroon or Barbara Bush bluebonnets. Other than a few
such abominations A&M's science offerings deserve high regard.

Nearer to home... UT's grad and undergrad programs in botany rank #2
and #3 in the nation respectively (Gourman Report 1997). Always vying
with UC Davis and Cornell, over the years I've seen them as high as
#1, never lower than #3.

The UT herbarium is the 5th largest academic collection in the US
(1,100,000 specimens. A&M claims 50,000).

The Culture Collection of Algae is the largest in the world (these
simple plants are the most critically important organisms for life on
earth life as we know it).

In A&M's Fall 2003 textbook list I find 5 authors from UT Botany:
Mauseth, Simpson, Delevoryas, Alexopoulos, Bold. And Marshall
Johnston's "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" is still the
definitive reference for Texas plants in classrooms and libraries all
over the world.

The UT Life Science Library... anyone with a Texas public library card
can get a "Texshare" card and borrow books from the LSL's 200,000
volumes. Built during the 1930's, done in marble and ornately carved
wood, it's the most beautiful space I've ever seen on the UT campus.
Make sure you ride the stacks elevator. Look here..
http://www.utexas.edu/tours/mainbuil...ry/index.html.

--
Terry
UT '91, Rice '95