About Us
DMS located in the Memorial Student Center (MSC), is dedicated to connecting and engaging students in ways that enhance their overall educational experience. Programming supports students as they navigate their transition into Aggieland, and helps them persist to graduation and thrive beyond. Our work is rooted in guidance, resources, and collaboration to ensure Aggies have the opportunities and support they need to succeed.
Every student brings their own experiences, values, and goals to Texas A&M. DMS recognizes the whole student, providing programs that help them become and remain fully connected to the intellectual and social life of the university. This approach helps students thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Research shows that students stay enrolled when they are integrated into both academic systems (such as coursework and faculty interaction) and social systems (such as peer networks, mentoring, and co-curricular involvement). DMS programs are intentionally designed with this in mind — combining co-curricular learning and peer interaction to foster the kind of meaningful engagement that strengthens confidence, purpose, and success.
Our Impact
DMS initiatives directly contribute to the university’s undergraduate learning outcomes by providing opportunities to:
- Strengthen critical thinking and reflection skills.
- Practice effective communication in both personal and professional settings.
- Grow through teamwork and collaboration with peers and mentors.
- Engage in intentional learning experiences that connect academic growth to real-world applications.
While Texas A&M offers over 1,000 student organizations, DMS provides uniquely integrated opportunities that help students connect their passions to purposeful involvement. Students are encouraged to explore, lead, and learn together in ways that support both their personal goals and their persistence to graduation.
Students arrive at Texas A&M with different goals, backgrounds, and needs. DMS helps them get connected and engaged through intentional programming:
- Freshman students seeking support in navigating campus, managing expectations, building routines, making connections, and finding resources can attend DMS Welcome Socials and Backyard Explorations trips to build early connections, engage in programming focused on self-management and personal responsibility, learn about and engage in campus traditions through Aggie Spirit Tours, and participate in Monthly Chronicles for informal engagement with campus resources.
- Transfer students seeking to understand campus systems quickly, navigate college transitions, and connect socially without feeling like they are starting over can engage in tailored check-ins with staff to identify gaps, personalized support to translate previous experiences into opportunities on campus, efforts to align co-curricular experiences with remaining academic journey, and making their new campus their own through connections built through DMS Welcome Social and Aggie Spirit Tours.
- First generation students who are looking to navigate unwritten college norms, build confidence in asking for help, and balance academic and personal roles can take part in one-on-one coaching to develop personal skills, learn about pathways to campus services and how to use them, decrease the potential of falling behind or feeling isolated through several program series, and access professional development through the Level-Up to Lead initiative.
- Students from rural, small-town, small high schools, or remote areas seeking help with acclimating to a large campus, feeling overwhelmed by pace or scale, and social readjustment and feel supported through structured programs like DMS Explorations to make Texas feel more connected, peer engagement in smaller settings to reduce social anxiety and build community, opportunities to explore leadership development and tools for managing their independence without pressure through our monthly programming series.
- Any student just seeking structure, grounding, direction, or meaningful connection could benefit from developmental and holistic practices to make the most of their experience can be supported through personalized engagement focused on growth, reflection, and self-management, workshops on marketable competencies with digital credentials, coaching to build effectiveness around group dynamics and building networks, programming that cultivates community and supports positive relationships, engaging in our open and welcoming office environment and student spaces, and fostering feelings of stability through Empower Hours.
What We Provide
- Developing Competencies – We help students grow the personal and interpersonal skills they need to succeed—now and in the future. Through co-curricular learning, peer engagement, and collaborative experiences, students gain competencies essential to navigating college, building relationships, and preparing for life beyond Texas A&M.
- Fostering Meaningful Connections – Students succeed when they feel they belong. Our programs are designed to help students form authentic, lasting connections with peers, mentors, and the campus community. We create spaces where students feel visible, valued, and supported — building wellbeing and persistence alongside involvement.
- Advancing Student Success – We support students not only in staying enrolled but in achieving their academic, personal, and professional goals. DMS initiatives help students navigate their transition into college life with confidence, strengthen persistence through community, coaching, and skill-building, and prepare for post-graduation outcomes through reflection and applied learning.
Every student benefits from DMS’s intentional approach to engagement. Whether they are seeking grounding, direction, or meaningful connection, DMS provides holistic practices to help them thrive academically, socially, and personally.
