December 2003
   News from Texas A&M University
     » Her Highness to Speak at Commencement
     » Provost Accepts New Academic Proposals for Journalism
     » Two Seniors Selected As Marshall Scholars
     » More...
   News from The Association
     » Annual Fund Reaches $5.4 Million
     » Special Section: Support our Troops!
     » Aggies and Longhorns Join Together to Save Lives
     » More...

   College Links
   Subscription Information

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   www.AggieNetwork.com/HTMLEmails/DecemberENewsletter/Newsletter.html
News from Texas A&M University
Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned to Speak at Commencement
More than 3,600 Texas A&M University students are scheduled to receive degrees during four commencement exercises Dec. 19-20. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al- Missned, Consort to the Emir of the State of Qatar, will speak at 2 p.m. Friday during ceremonies at which degrees will be presented to students from the Dwight Look College of Engineering and the College of Architecture. She chairs the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, which is responsible for the creation of Qatar's Education City that includes a branch campus of Texas A&M.

Provost Accepts New Academic Proposals for Journalism
Texas A&M University Executive Vice President and Provost David B. Prior has accepted, in principle, the proposals for new academic pathways for journalism education. The new program in the College of Liberal Arts will offer a new journalism minor and certificate program as well as an interdisciplinary journalism major. For the full story, please visit: http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/03/112403-10.html

Two Seniors Selected As Marshall Scholars
Texas A&M University seniors Maya Weilundemo, an English major from Jackson, Mississippi, and Josh Siepel, a genetics major from Carlsbad, New Mexico, have been selected to receive Marshall Scholarships - marking the first time Texas A&M has had two students selected for the prestigious award in the same year. The Marshall Scholarship is considered alongside the Rhodes Scholarship in prestige and competitiveness across the country. For the full story, please go to: http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/03/120203-8.html

International Nautical Expedition Reveals Ancient Artifacts
Recovery of a small metal object believed to be part of a spear has raised the hopes of underwater researchers that they are on course to find a Persian fleet of warships that sank off the coast of the Aegean Sea about 492 B.C. during Darius' first attempt to invade Greece. Shelly Wachsmann of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA) at Texas A&M University is a member of the team of researchers that has completed an initial survey of the seas off the Mt. Athos peninsula. For the full story, please visit: http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/aggiedaily/news/stories/03/120303-6.html

Tee It Up 2004 Golf Tournament
On Monday, March 1, 2004, The Aaron Glenn Foundation and Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Family Alliance will present Tee It Up 2004 golf tournament at Kingwood Country Club in Houston, Texas. Candlelighters provides emotional, educational, and practical support to children with cancer and their families in the 13 counties of the greater Houston area. To learn more visit: http://www.candle.org/upevents.html

News from The Association
What is the Aggie Spirit? Share Your Story
The Aggie Spirit is many things to many people, but what does "Aggie Spirit" mean to you? Do you have a special story that illustrates the power of Aggie Spirit? If your story is selected, you might be featured in Texas Aggie magazine! Please send submissions to Amy Glass '92 c/o The Association of Former Students, 505 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840, or e-mail AGlass92@AggieNetwork.com.

Special Section: Support our Troops!

A Message from your 12th Man in Afghanistan
Enjoy this special "howdy" from LTC Steve Sanchez '81, LTCOL David Spencer '80, CPT Robert Schultz '93, Maj. Michael Mantey '83, CPT Lee Knight '78, and SPC Joe Gonzalez '06

Watch the video from the troops! (Click Here)

Aggie Commander in Need
This month, The Association received the following message from CPT Marshall Tway '95, and we knew the Aggie Network would want to help. Please forward or post this e-mail message and let's help CPT Tway share some holiday cheer with his troopers. Knowing help is on the way will make all the difference!

Fellow Ags, My name is CPT Marshall Tway (L-1 '95) I am the commanding officer of Desperado Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st United States Cavalry currently deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. On the 20th of November, our Hangar on BIAP burned to the ground taking everything we own with it. My two sister troops were also affected in the same manner. All in all 85 Cavalry Officers, and Troopers lost everything they owned. The real hurt came with the loss of all our flight gear. We are currently still in the fight but only just. We cannot stand up combat operations to 100% until we get some cold weather gear we can fly in. This means 100% cotton long john underwear. As Christmas approaches my Troopers have virtually nothing but Army issued items. I am humbly asking the Extended Aggie Family that has given so much to me, to give a little more. I would like to provide the best Christmas to my Troopers who have given so much to the Country for the last 7 months. Any small donations of stocking stuffer type presents would be greatly appreciated. I need things like, CDs, DVDs, Sports equipment, thermos's, travel coffee mugs (their rugged), and like items. T-shirts, sweat shirts, and such would also be appreciated. My Unit Mailing Address is: CPT Marshall Tway (or Any Trooper) D/1-1 Cavalry Regt Unit# 92838 APO AE 09324-2838 Any and all donations will be accepted. I can be reached via email at marshall.tway@us.army.mil. I will respond to all emails (be patient the service is flaky)
Thank you and GIG 'EM,
CPT Marshall Tway


You can send your messages of support to all our Aggie Troops and read about Aggies serving our country at www.AggieNetwork.com/troopsupport

Aggies and Longhorns Join Together to Save Lives
The 2003 Colors of Commitment A&M /UT Blood Drive held Nov. 17-24 was a huge success! The blood drive is held as a collaborative effort between Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center along with local A&M and Longhorn clubs. The event is an extension of the Everyone Bleeds Maroon Bonfire Memorial Blood Drive held to remember those victims of the 1999 Bonfire collapse, as well as to help those currently in need. In true holiday spirit, Aggies and Longhorns alike flocked to one of several Gulf Coast Regional Blood Centers in order to give of themselves to help others. For more information on how you can donate blood to save a life, please visit http://www.giveblood.org. The following is the breakdown of donations received this year at the A&M/UT Blood Drive:

A&M donors: 794 -- 2382 lives saved
UT donors: 254 -- 762 lives saved
Total Donors: 1,048 -- 3144 lives saved


The Association Needs Your Help!
In 2003, your Association of Former Students set forth to achieve an unprecedented goal of raising $6.2 million. We have raised $5.4 million. For those who have already given to The Association in 2003, we would like to say an emphatic thank you! However, if you have not yet sent in your 2003 gift, The Association needs your help to defy the odds and reach our goal. Your membership will have a real impact in Aggieland. For more information on how gifts to The Association make a difference at Texas A&M and to make your gift online, please visit www.AggieNetwork.com. If you choose to send your contribution through the mail, please make sure your gift is postmarked by no later than December 31st. Only those gifts given before that time will count towards our 2003 goal.

Join the Traveling Aggies on an Upcoming Adventure!

La Jolla Tennis Trip March 3 - 7, 2004

Travel with the Texas A&M Men's Tennis team as they compete in the elite Pacific Coast Doubles Championship. The package includes roundtrip air from Houston, 6 nights stay at the La Jolla Shores Resort, breakfast each morning, a private Aggie reception, all taxes and fees, and a Texas A&M souvenir. Space is limited, reserve before December 30, 2003.

Springtime in New York April 22 - 26, 2004

Back by popular demand, this springtime tour of New York City offers the best of theater and restaurants during this long weekend. Enjoy four night's city-view accommodations at the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel, located across from Central Park just off of Fifth Avenue. Enjoy three included Broadway shows with a fourth show offered as an option. Welcome reception and dinner included the first evening at a top restaurant or private club. A customized sightseeing excursion will be included on Friday.

Napa Valley Wine Tour April 1 - 5, 2004

This fabulous excursion to San Francisco & The Napa Valley includes two nights at the Pan Pacific Hotel in the heart of San Francisco, one block from Union Square and two nights in the Napa Valley at the Napa Valley Lodge, located in the charming wine country village of Yountville. Enjoy a welcome dinner in San Francisco, a Private Cable Car tour from Union Square to Fisherman's Wharf, and an evening performance of Beach Blanket Babylon, a zany musical spoof of pop culture with extravagant costumes and outrageous hats. Feast on a gourmet lunch excursion aboard the Napa Valley Wine Train and dinner at the Wine Spectacular Greystone Restaurant, located in the West Coast Campus of the Culinary Institute of America. Come with us to visit several wineries including a private tour and tasting at Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery.

For reservations or questions about these or any of the other Traveling Aggies programs, please contact us at (979) 845-7514 or go to www.AggieNetwork.com/Travel.

Houston A&M Club Donates toward New Aggie Band Hall
The Houston A&M Club has given a $25,000 gift to the Texas A&M Foundation to establish the Aggie Band/University Bands Building fund for students of Texas A&M University. The current band hall was built in 1970 and has become obsolete and can no longer support the Aggie Band, which has become one of the largest collegiate band programs in the nation. The Houston A&M Club's gift counts in the One Spirit One Vision Campaign, a $1 billion fund-raising campaign aimed at helping Texas A&M attain national top 10 status. For more information, please go to: http://rev.tamu.edu/stories/03/112503-6.html

Aggies in Reality TV
Two former students will be featured in the upcoming reality TV series "The Apprentice," a 13-episode series in which candidates vie for the chance to become an "apprentice" to Donald Trump. Bowie Hogg '01 and Amelia "Amy" Henry '95 make their reality TV debut Thursday, January 8th on NBC. Another set of Aggies are just wrapping up their reality TV experience. Catch the Aggie couple, Adam Wells '02 and Katie Rogers Wells '02, on TBS this Friday, December 19 to find our how they fared on "House Rules." If you know of other Aggies in reality TV, please email TexasAggie@aggienetwork.com with all the details.

College Links


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