officials in 2007. 21st century With strong support from Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin, the Association of American Universities inducted Texas A&M in May 2001, based on the depth of the university's research and academic programs. Furthermore, in 2004, the honors organization Phi Beta Kappa opened its 265th chapter at Texas A&M. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Texas A&M opened Reed Arena as a temporary shelter to house over from New Orleans. Although school was barely in session and there was minimal notice, the students and staff of A&M prepared the facility, setting up several hundred beds on the arena floor and making arrangements for the evacuees to get new clothes and have medical checks. Aggie students organized a child care facility, and Aggie athletes escorted teenagers to the Aggie Rec Center to play basketball. Less than three weeks later, Reed Arena was again opened as a temporary shelter for people fleeing Hurricane Rita. On December 18, 2006, former Texas A&M University president Robert M. Gates was sworn in as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense. Gates's successor, Elsa Murano, on January 3, 2008, became both the university's first female and first Hispanic president. As of 2012, the university had an enrollment of more than 50,000, making the school the largest university in Texas. By 2020, this number swelled even further to over 71,000 students enrolled making it the largest public university in the nation. Branch Campuses Texas A&M has several branch campuses. Texas A&M University at Galveston was formed in 1962, in Galveston, Texas. This campus is home to the Texas A&M Maritime Academy and focuses on marine biology, marine sciences and oceanography. In 2003, the university opened an international branch in the West Asian country of Qatar. Texas A&M University at Qatar had the distinction in 2011 of being the first school outside the U.S recognizing engineers as members of Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society. The university opened a higher education center in 2018 in McAllen, Texas. In 2013, Texas A&M Health Science Center was formally merged into the university. While the bulk of the health science center is located on main campus the health science center maintains campuses in Dallas, Houston, Round Rock and Temple. Of note is the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry. This campus, formerly the Baylor University School of Dentistry, was added to the health science center