On the evening of Aug. 12, 2013, the doors to Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in downtown Fort Worth closed for a final time. The following morning, those same doors opened, and Texas A&M University School of Law began operations. During the next week, the school welcomed 250 1Ls to orientation, and fall classes began for all 770 students.

For Aggies, this transition in ownership capped a decades-long effort to bring a law school to Texas A&M University. For those of us at the law school, Aug. 13 concluded a busy and challenging year laying the foundation for our transition. More importantly, it marked a historic beginning. With the opening of Texas A&M University School of Law, the state welcomed its first fully accredited public law school in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. This new chapter for the law school, we believe, will result in great benefits for our students, legal employers, and the citizens of Texas.