Texas A&M University plans to create an A&M branch in Israel.
The announcement was made Wednesday in Israel at the Jerusalem residence of Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Gov. Rick Perry and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp are traveling in Israel this week. Sharp says that A&M will open a "peace university" in Nazareth, Israel's largest city.
"We want to see the Nazareth branch as a means to preserving peace and building understanding between cultures," Perry, a proud Aggie graduate, said in a news release.
Sharp says the university will foster "understanding and education and unity in Israel."
“We are absolutely dedicated to making this one of the finest international universities in the world and open to all," Sharp said in a news release.
The university will be built in Nazareth and funding for the construction will be provided from private donations secured throughout the world, Texas A&M said.
The campus will feature a combination of Arab, Jewish and international students.
In time, the school will offer undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in a range of academic disciplines.
Perry spoke Tuesday at a conference about how both Israel and Texas face the future challenge of finding fresh water.
