20th Anniversary Brings Former Students Back to Bush School

Former students of the Bush School of Government and Public Service are heading back to Aggieland this weekend to help celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary.

The Bush School Former Student Network will attend a number of events celebrating the school and its impact on students. These events lead up to an alumni reunion tailgate with faculty and staff at the Student Recreation Center, overlooking Olsen Field as the Aggies face off against Ole Miss, said Matthew Upton ’95, assistant dean of career and student services and liaison to the former student network at the Bush School.

“We hope [our alumni] see although the school has grown in our 20 years, we still know our students personally,” Upton said. “We’ve grown from 20 admitted a year to 180 admitted [but] we still try to maintain that family atmosphere.

“This is both a celebration of where we’ve been and where we are and an opportunity for former students to meet current students and to build the Bush School and the Aggie Network,” he said.

Before the tailgate, alumni will have an opportunity to attend a luncheon on Friday with current students, hear a briefing from Bush School Dean Mark A. Welsh III and attend an afternoon reception with faculty and staff.

Additionally, the former student network is working on a few ways to honor the school and its impact in honor of the anniversary, said network President Shannon M. Dubberly, who graduated from Texas A&M in 2004 and from the Bush School in 2007.

“We are doing a video for President [George H.W.] Bush with pictures from the students and a book with letters from the students,” Dubberly said. “Faculty, former students and staff who had good stories or interactions with President Bush or anyone who has stories of how the school has helped them in their career in public service [are encouraged to submit something for the book].”

Dubberly said the network hopes to have the book finished by the beginning of the fall semester.

“The goal of the book is to show the effect the Bush School has had on public policy and the world,” he said. “The former student network focuses more on prospective students than itself because a lot of our former students who go out into the world do classified work and don’t seek credit. Everyone who goes to Bush School puts investment into the future of this country.

“If any alumni are interested in contributing to the book, if someone had any interaction with the Bush School or it has affected their life, they can email lettersto41@gmail.com,” he said.

The network is also working to fund a scholarship for prospective students.

Bush School alumni who have not already RSVP'd may do so by emailing bushschoolevents@tamu.edu.

Members of the Bush School Former Student Network pose at The Corner Bar during a reunion event in 2017.

To learn more about chartered Constituent Networks, click here; for more on the Bush School Former Student Network, click here.

The Association organizes and facilitates a bevy of events and programs for former students to keep Aggies engaged after they've graduated, including Class programs, Reunions, Clubs and Constituent Networks. This is only possible with the support of the Aggie Network. Visit tx.ag/give to make a gift.