Texas A&M University–Kingsville is a U.S. national university with a multicultural student body that is 62 percent Hispanic and includes students from 35 states and 43 foreign countries. The university has nationally recognized programs in engineering, agriculture, wildlife, music, and the sciences and is known for developing the nation's first doctoral degree in bilingual education. Texas A&M University–Kingsville is the oldest continuously operating public institution of higher learning in South Texas. The school was chartered as the South Texas Normal School in 1917; however, the opening of the school was delayed due to World War I. Founded in 1925 as South Texas State Teachers College, the university's name changed in 1929 to Texas College of Arts and Industries signaled the broadening of its mission. A 1967 name change to Texas A&I University marked another transition. The university became a member of the Texas A&M University System in 1989 and changed names to Texas A&M University–Kingsville in 1993. The school has been continuously accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) since 1928.