The mission of the Department of Geography at Texas A&M University is to understand and improve the human habitat through our individual and collective research, teaching, and service activities. As a faculty, we strive to discover, interpret, transmit, and apply knowledge concerning the natural and social processes that pattern the earth’s surface. As scientists and scholars, we are committed to conceive and prosecute research programs that improve public welfare, embrace the highest intellectual standards, and advance geographic understanding. As teachers, we are committed to undergraduate curricula that foster awareness of environmental issues and provide the theoretical and technical skills necessary for professional success. Our graduate programs provide students with the foundations for professional success, and prepare them—especially the Ph.D. students—to assume roles as stewards of the discipline of geography. In our service, we are committed to maintaining and enhancing the academic, scientific, and professional enterprises, at all levels, and to educate the public through informal and formal outreach programs.