News from The Association
Association Staff Relocating During Building Enhancement Project
All staff and events at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center will temporarily relocate to facilitate
a construction project that will provide numerous enhancements to the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni
Center.
All staff will be out of the building by the end of February; construction will begin in early
March and is planned to last for six to nine months. The building will be vacated and most of The Association’s
staff will move to temporary quarters at the Crystal Park Plaza office building, located at 2700 Earl
Rudder Freeway in College Station (at the corner of Earl Rudder, also known as the Highway 6 Bypass,
and Emerald Parkway). Campus Programs and the Aggie Ring office will move to a temporary location on
the Texas A&M campus in the Grove, just south of the Albritton Tower.
There will be no changes to The Association’s phone number or mailing address. The phone number will
remain (979) 845-7514, and mail can still be sent to 505 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX, 77840.
The Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center has served The Association well for the past 20 years; however,
the facility needs updating to better serve a former student base that is twice the size it was when
the building opened. When this enhancement project is complete, the building will provide a welcoming
and engaging environment for prospective, current, and former students and their families:
* The proud history of Texas A&M will come to life in blazing video with the installation of a state-of-the-art
video wall in the Great Hall.
* Aggies will be excited to see the core values of Texas A&M come to life through precious artifacts
that will rotate on display in a new mezzanine area on the second floor.
* Due to the generosity of Harold J. ’46 and Reta K. Haynes, the exterior will feature a magnificent
new Ring Plaza on the campus side of the building, which will contain a larger-than-life bronze sculpture
of an Aggie Ring, big enough to walk through, and sure to become a gathering place for Aggies of all
ages.
Porter S. Garner III ’79, Executive Director of The Association, said the enhancement of the facility
will provide improved efficiency and “will allow us to tell the story of Texas A&M and The Association
in an interesting and powerful way. When we move back into an exciting new facility in the fall of 2008,
The Association of Former Students will be one step closer to achieving our vision of being the premier
alumni organization in the country.”
More information about the building enhancement project will be distributed in future editions of this
newsletter and Texas Aggie magazine. For more information now, visit
AggieNetwork.com/Building.
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Nominations Open For 2008 “Aggie 100”
Could you be one of the 2008 Aggie 100? Nominations are now open and the 2008 Aggie 100 program is looking
for a few great companies -- 100 to be exact. Are you one of the fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led
businesses in the world? The Aggie 100 not only celebrates business success, it provides a forum to
pass lessons to the next generation of Aggie entrepreneurs. Your company may be eligible for the 2008
Aggie 100. Visit
www.aggie100.com to read about the program, the criteria, and see last year’s Aggie 100 honorees.
Nominate your company for the 2008 Aggie 100!
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Texas A&M's Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship will host Envision '08 in San Antonio April
23-25. The two-day conference includes workshops and seminars taught by successful entrepreneurs, authors,
educators and service providers on how to drive your company to the next level. Macro trends, funding
issues, marketing and sales strategies, leadership, and productivity will also be discussed. Learn more
about Envision '08 at
www.envision08.com. All sessions, meals and networking events are included in the cost. For
a $100 discount, enter "INVEST" as the promotional pricing code on the Web site, and enter "AGGIES"
when you are asked for a referral source.
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Join the Traveling Aggies on an Upcoming Trip
Join the Traveling Aggies on their many journeys around the world, including the following:
Italian Riviera; May 31-June 8
Relish the splendor of the Italian Riviera. Embrace a colorful painter’s paradise among the winding
streets of the charming seaside village of Sestri Levante. Lose yourself in the stunning coastal scenery
leading en route to Santa Margherita, and cruise the placid waters of Portofino and its awe-inspiring
Punta Del Capo lighthouse.
Galapagos Islands Expedition; June 6-15
Straddling the equator in the Pacific Ocean, these islands are home to some of the most interesting
and accessible wildlife anywhere. There is ample time to explore the islands’ diverse terrain and even
snorkel alongside sea lions.
Normandy & Brittany; June 14-25
Discover the stunning seascapes, riveting histories and glorious countryside of the Normandy and Brittany
regions. Normandy bursts with history, but it doesn’t take all of the glory as Brittany has one of the
world’s most amazing prehistoric sites.
So, where do you want to go? To pick your destination or for more information, call (800) 633-7514 or
visit AggieNetwork.com/Travel/.
Aggie Ring Orders And Repairs
The Aggie Ring Program is accepting Ring orders for qualified current and former students until February
8. Aggie Rings ordered by this deadline will be delivered April 4 at G. Rollie White Coliseum. Aggie
Rings may be ordered in person, by mail or fax. The Aggie Ring Program can assist you with your Aggie
Ring if it needs to be resized or repaired. You may stop by the Ring office or mail your Ring directly
to Balfour. Visit
AggieNetwork.com/Ring for full details.
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News from Texas A&M University
Finalist Chosen For Texas A&M University President
Dr. Elsa Murano was named the 23rd president of Texas A&M University Jan. 3. She is the first woman
and first Hispanic-American to ever serve in the position. In late January, she met with faculty, staff
and student groups about continuing Vision 2020 and improving the university. To read more about what
she is already doing as president, click
here Also, make sure to pick up the March/April Texas Aggie with Dr. Murano as the cover
story.
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Texas A&M Ranks 10th In Enrollment For National Merit Scholars
More National Merit Scholars are choosing to study at Texas A&M than in the past. This year Texas
A&M was ranked 10th in the nation in college enrollment of new National Merit Scholars with 173
National Merit Scholars entering the university as freshman last fall. Not only was the enrollment number
an increase for A&M’s records, it represented the second-largest increase for schools nation-wide.
Officials have attributed the enrollment increase to recruitment activities like the “Summer Honors
Invitational Program,” which is supported in part by The Association of Former Students, and staff who
demonstrate the quality of opportunities that Texas A&M offers. For more information on A&M’s
National Merit Scholars enrollment, click
here.
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Man Credits TTI-Designed Guardrail With Saving Life
After crashing his truck into a guardrail, Garrett Plake, 23, says he owes the rest of his life to Texas
Transportation Institute, part of the Texas A&M University System. While driving on a wet road,
his truck hydroplaned at 65-miles per hour. Plake said he was expecting a “really big slam,” but instead
the truck stopped quickly. He ran into a guardrail designed by TTI called an ET-PLUS. It absorbed the
truck’s impact and kept it from tumbling down a steep embankment and into a creek. There are about 30,000
TTI-designed end terminals installed around the world. For more on Plake’s story, visit TTI online at
tti.tamu.edu/infofor/media/news.htm?news_id=4567.
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Radiogenic Isotope Lab Nears Completion
After four years of planning and construction, Texas A&M’s Radiogenic Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory
is almost complete. Part of the College of Geosciences, the lab cost $1.9 million and broke ground in
October. It will be used for research and teaching in marine geology and global tectonics. The lab will
house several other new tools for tectonics, geochronology, paleoceanography, climate change and environmental
geochemistry. It will be housed in the Michael T. Halbouty Geosciences Building. For more information
on the lab and College of Geosciences click
here.
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Catching “The Aggie Spirit”
Texas A&M has a new bus fleet. “The Aggie Spirit” was revealed Jan. 16 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony
outside the Memorial Student Center. Already in service, the new busses can hold 15 more passengers
and are 6 feet longer than most of the standard Aggie busses. Texas A&M has the largest university-owned
fleet in the nation. For a photo of the unveiling, visit
www.theeagle.com/local/CatchingtheAggieSpirit.
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Aggie Calendar
Feb. 2: Women’s Swimming and Diving @ Texas
Austin, 1 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WSW
Feb. 2: Men’s Basketball vs. Oklahoma
Reed Arena, 3 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBB
Feb: 3: Men’s Tennis vs. Washington
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, 1:30 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MTE
Feb. 4: Buck Weirus Spirit Award Applications Due
Feb. 5: Silver Taps (if needed)
Feb: 6: Women’s Tennis @ Rice
Houston, 1:30 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WTE
Feb. 8: Equestrian @ Baylor
Waco, 1:45 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WEQ
Feb. 9: Women’s Basketball vs. Texas
Reed Arena, 11 a.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WBB
Feb. 9: Men’s Basketball @ Missouri
Columbia, Mo., 12:30 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBB
Feb. 11-13: Women’s Golf @ Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes, Calif., All Day
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WGO
Feb. 15: Softball vs. Nevada
Tempe, Ariz., 2 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WSB
Feb. 16: Soccer, A&M 7v7 Tourney
Aggie Soccer Stadium, All Day
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WSO
Feb. 21: MSC OPAS, Movin’ Out
Memorial Student Center
http://opas.tamu.edu/moving_out.htm
Feb. 22: Softball vs. Sam Houston State
Aggie Softball Complex, 5:15 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=WSB
Feb. 23: Men’s Basketball vs. Nebraska
Reed Arena, 3 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBB
Feb. 23: Men’s Baseball vs. Northern Colorado
Olsen Field, 1 p.m.
http://www.aggieathletics.com/index.php?SID=MBA
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Aggie Links
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Subscription Information
To read this E-Newsletter online, go to AggieNetwork.com/HTMLEmails/ENewsletter/2008/January/default.htm.
This monthly electronic newsletter from The Association of Former Students keeps you informed and up-to-date
on happenings at Texas A&M University and throughout the Aggie Network. If you received this as
a forward, visit AggieNetwork.com/Login.aspx to update your information with The Association
and to receive your own copy in the future.
505 George Bush Drive
College Station, Texas 77840
(979) 845-7514
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