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Howdy, Advocates!
Please assist the Texas A&M Advocacy Network by taking a few minutes to complete this brief survey that will ask questions about what issues are important to you, who are the stakeholders within your network, and what level of advocacy you would be willing to undertake on behalf of Texas A&M. Our goal is to understand the network of relationships with elected officials and staff members, so we can build an advocacy program that will truly put the Aggie Network to use!
Continued in this update, you'll learn more about our upcoming virtual event with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, as well as information relating to Texas A&M University's priorities for the upcoming session.
In the Aggie Spirit,
Jordyn '17
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Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar '93 to Speak to Advocacy Network
Join the Texas A&M Advocacy Network on Jan. 5 to listen to Glenn Hegar '93 discuss the upcoming 87th Texas Legislative Session and all it has in store!
This virtual event will provide you with an update on the upcoming session.
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87th Legislative Session Approaching: Priorities for Texas A&M
We are now less than a month from the start of the 87th Legislative Session on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The Texas A&M Office of Government Relations has put together a packet of legislative challenges and priorities at tx.ag/TAMU87TXLEGE that will be updated throughout the session. The packet includes several key items that will be useful for our advocates in understanding Texas A&M's priorities for the session. mong them are: - Continued support of the Texas Research University Fund (TRUF) Created in 2015 by the legislature, this fund provides eligible institutions with funding to support faculty to "ensure excellence in instruction and research." Funding through TRUF allows eligible universities to recruit and attract world-class professors to Texas, who bring with them millions in research funding, along with highly-recruited graduate students, and cutting edge instruction to the classroom for Texas undergraduates.
- Continued support for non-formula items. Formula funding is used as an equitable way to distribute available state funds to higher education institutions in Texas. They can also receive direct appropriations through non-formula items for programs or projects that are specifically identified for support by the Legislature outside of the formula. Going into the 87th Legislative session, Texas A&M is seeking continued support for four critical non-formula items that benefit and serve the citizens of Texas:
- Texas Sea Grant Program - Improves the understanding, wise use, and stewardship of Texas coastal and ocean resources. Every state dollar invested in Texas Sea Grant returns more than $22 to the Texas economy. (Fund at $170,807/YR)
- Cyclotron Institute - Operating for over 50 years, and jointly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of Texas as a major technical and educational resource for the state, nation and world, it generates over $7.5 million in external grants each year. (Fund at $260,314/YR)
- Texas A&M Colonias Program - Since 1991, this program has served nearly one million Texans in over 2,300 colonias. A colonia is an underdeveloped community (usually along the Texas-Mexico border), where American residents lack basic services (drinking water, electricity, sewage, paved roads or internet). This program seeks to improve the lives of colonias residents by training them to be self-sufficient leaders, who identify available resources and connect them to colonias residents and families. (Fund at $356,298/YR)
- Energy Resources Program - In just the last 5 years, ERP funds have been used, in part, to bring almost $400 million in funding to the state of Texas for energy research and education at Texas A&M. (Fund at $262,209/YR)
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The Association of Former Students has a bold vision to engage 100,000 donors annually for Texas A&M by the end of 2020. To learn more, visit tx.ag/100Kby2020. To help us help more Aggies, make a gift at tx.ag/Give.
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