From the Desk of Ross Bjork

Howdy!

November serves as a time where we reflect on the past year and remember all that we are thankful for. This year has been unlike anything I have ever seen, yet it has reminded me of all the many blessings in my life. This year I am thankful for the unexpected extra time with my family, the incredible staff that makes up Texas A&M Athletics and the greater University, our student-athletes whose leadership and courage continue to impress me and for former students, partners, fans and 12th Man Foundation donors who have consistently supported our program and student-athletes. While many are ready for 2020 to come to an end, we cannot forget the hard work, dedication and flexibility shown by so many people across our department. THANK YOU for your support!

During this time of reflection, I cannot write this without acknowledging November 18, 1999. It was on this day in the early morning hours when 12 Aggies tragically lost their lives during the collapse of Bonfire. It is something that all Aggies will never forget but the inspiration of how Aggies responded to this moment will continue to be emphasized by the core values of Texas A&M for all to see.

I am also thankful that we have made it this far into our fall sports seasons. We have come such a long way in our planning and execution of student-athlete support, COVID protocols around practices and games, and fan experience protocols since our planning began back in March. With the postponement of one of our home football games, we are eager to get back to Kyle Field on November 28th to BTHO LSU. However, we still have a long ways to go in this battle and cannot grow weary of the safety measures that are put in place. All of us must continue wearing our face covering and stay in your assigned seats the entire game.

As we close out the fall sports season, our No. 8 ranked soccer team finished the fall as SEC Champions and made a run to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. Cross Country wrapped up at the SEC Championships and Volleyball also concluded the fall portion of their season last week. Both soccer and volleyball will pick back up in the spring as they look to compete and advance in the NCAA Tournament. We also have both our men's and women's basketball teams tipping off their seasons next week at Reed Arena. It is an exciting time here in Aggieland and I hope to see you at a home sporting event. I'll be wearing my face covering so please say hello when we see each other!

Stay positive and test negative!

Thanks and Gig 'Em!
Ross

Basketball Season Tickets On Sale

After our staff conducted a reduced-capacity designed seat selection process for Reed Arena, we were excited yesterday to be able to put a limited number of season tickets on sale for men's and women's basketball.

It's hard to believe, but basketball seasons are here. Both begin next week--the women host Lamar on Wednesday and the men host New Orleans next Sunday. I know that Coach Buzz and Coach Blair, as well as the entire programs, would love your support. You can get more info or purchase your tickets here.

I would like to once again thank the 12th Man Foundation for the hard work and flexibility in these truly unprecedented times.

Aggies CAN Food Drive

Back for the 20th year, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is spearheading the AGGIES CAN Food Drive throughout the month of November.

AGGIES CAN started in 2000 with a handful of student-athletes wanting to give back to the community that gave so much to them. What started out as an idea to have a collection at one football game, has grown into the largest student-athlete-driven canned food drive in the nation. The collections will help give back and impact the Brazos Valley.

Texas A&M student-athletes are asking for your help in collecting monetary donations to benefit the Brazos Valley Food Bank & The 12th Can. With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, all donations this year will be online and will be accepted throughout the entire month of November.

Fans can text AGGIESCAN to 313131 to make a monetary donation to the Brazos Valley Food Bank on behalf the campaign and $1 is equal to five meals. The goal for this year is to raise $10,000 to support the Brazos Valley Food Bank and H-E-B is matching all donations up to $5000 and Whataburger is making a $1000 donation.

This is just one of the many ways our student-athletes give back to our wonderful community and I appreciate everyone who is able to support a great cause.

Graduation Success Rate

Texas A&M Athletics recorded an 82% Graduation Success Rate, which matches the second-highest GSR ever for Texas A&M since 2002 when the NCAA began tracking the metric.

The GSR is yet another example of how our entire athletics program prioritizes academics in our pursuit of comprehensive excellence. We are currently in the midst of the greatest stretch of academic achievement in the history of our athletics program and we will stay focused not only on maintaining this momentum, but also getting better each and every day.

The historic GSR was highlighted by the volleyball, women's golf and men's swimming & diving programs, which all registered 100% GSRs. This is the third-consecutive year where volleyball and women's golf have locked in perfect GSRs. Men's tennis, men's golf, softball and equestrian all increased their GSR from the last reporting period.

Signing Day

Since last Wednesday, over 80 recruits made a great decision in signing their National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Texas A&M. Our coaching staffs worked diligently to sign top-tier classes despite limitations from the NCAA due to COVID-19.

I look forward to meeting all of our incoming freshmen and watching them compete!

You can check out all of Fall 2020 Signing Classes here.

No Experience Required

Be sure to tune in or set your DVR to SEC Network on Tuesday, Nov. 24 as SEC Storied highlights the history of one of the best traditions in college football, the 12th Man Kickoff Team, in the documentary 'No Experience Required.''

12th Man Green Team

On behalf of the 12th Man Green Team, which strives to implement, maintain and grow efforts to support and inspire sustainable actions within the Athletics Department, I would like to remind our fans on how to create a more environmentally friendly game day.

At all of our athletic facilities, green recycling bins are furnished where you can recycle plastic and aluminum items.

For more information on our sustainability efforts, please visit 12thMan.com/GreenTeam.

Town Hall

Earlier this week, I had the privilege to sit down with Andrew Monaco and Will Johnson and answer your questions in my monthly Aggie Town Hall. We talked over a variety of topics that are impacting our department.

You can watch the Town Hall in its entirety here.