Howdy!
This month marks the beginning of my fourth year as the Director of Athletics at Texas A&M, a job I don't take lightly or for granted. To our staff, as you know, we have been sending this email internally to our department for the past two years. Thanks to the hard work of some members of our staff, we have decided to disseminate the AD's Yell to a larger audience. I hope this publication can serve as a window into the happenings of our department and the tremendous successes of our staff, student-athletes and coaches!
Three years ago I came to Aggieland with three primary objectives: Graduate Student Athletes, Provide an Unmatched Student-Athlete Experience and Win Championships with Integrity. As a department we strive each day to achieve those objectives. Recently, I had the privilege of visiting with renowned sports journalist Charean Williams '86, which you can read here, to talk about those objectives, our success during the last three years and to also look forward to our incredible future.
As our progress continues forward, we have so much to look forward competing for SEC and national championships in every sport. I am proud to call College Station my home and I look forward to serving as your Director of Athletics for many years to come!
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Davis Diamond Dedication
Softball opened their season this past weekend as our Aggies claimed four wins in the Aggie Classic at their new home, the beautiful Davis Diamond. In addition to the softball action, Saturday morning we honored our lead donors Becky '77 and Monty '76 Davis at the Davis Diamond Dedication. The weather did not deter our friends and fans, as we had a superb turnout, with Board of Regents Chairman Charles W. Schwartz, Chancellor John Sharp and President Michael Young all there to officially open Davis Diamond. In addition, we had more than 80 Softball Lettermen in attendance celebrating our tremendous softball heritage. None of this would be possible without our partners at the 12th Man Foundation and the wonderful Aggies who always step up to the plate and give back!
If you haven't seen a game at Davis Diamond, I highly encourage you to come see the best stadium in college softball. Season and single game tickets are available for purchase at 12thMan.com/tickets.
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Vs. Cancer
Since 2014, head baseball coach Rob Childress and the baseball team have partnered with the Vs. Cancer Foundation to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer. The team has annually raised more than $18,000, and has already reached this year's goal of $20,000. On Saturday, the fundraiser capped off at the Aggie Leadoff where players and coaches shaved their heads in support of the Vs. Cancer Foundation. This is a prime example of our student-athletes living our Core Values and one of many reasons I am so proud to be an Aggie.
For more information on the Vs. Cancer Foundation, visit www.Vs-cancer.org.
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CFP Playoff Selection Committee
I was very excited to learn that my friend, College Football Hall of Famer and Aggie legend R.C. Slocum, was named to the College Football Playoff Selection Committee. R.C. has a tremendous knowledge about football and is an ardent supporter of all things Texas A&M. This is a tremendous responsibility for R.C. and I could not think of anyone who is more prepared and will represent college football and Texas A&M better. Congratulations to R.C.!
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Diversity and Inclusion
In an effort to increase diversity, inclusion, equity and climate within the Athletics Department, we have created the CARE (Culture, Awareness, Respect, Equity) Committee. The CARE Committee's primary objectives are to improve recruitment and retention for employees within the overall framework of fostering a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accountable climate. The 17-person committee is comprised of a cross section of administrators, staff and coaches who represents 14 units within the Athletics Department. The group is broken down into four subcommittees; Research and Policy, Communications, Education, and Social and Service Outreach. For the second consecutive year, the Committee has been recognized by the President's Council on Climate and Diversity for its diversity-related endeavors.
Recently, the Athletics Department hired an Assistant Athletics Director who is responsible for developing, evaluating, standardizing and implementing the following processes: recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, professional development, and performance evaluations. With the assistance of the CARE Committee, the assistant athletics director is in the process of developing an evaluation process by which the department can begin to align job responsibilities with job descriptions, and develop a new employee/onboarding process focused on inclusion.
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Leading Champions Program - Mays Business School and TAMU Athletics
Texas A&M Athletics has partnered with the Mays Business School to create the Leading Champions Program. We will join the world-class faculty at Mays Business School to put on a 3 day program for senior leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners and those looking for a unique leadership development experience. This project demonstrates the power of an institution like ours -- combining the best in the world from our business school and the best in college athletics with our championship caliber coaches! No one in America has a program like this and we are proud to partner with campus on an initiative like this. We look forward to hosting this year's event and many more to come!
To learn more about Leading Champions, happening March 31-April 3, 2019, click here.
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Esports
With Esports becoming more and more popular, Texas A&M Athletics is hosting two Esport tournaments exclusively to Texas A&M University students. Beginning March 4, we are hosting a Super Mario Brothers tournament and features a 1 v 1 single elimination tournament.
For Texas A&M University students who purchased a Sports Pass in 2018-19, we are hosting a free Rocket League Tournament beginning April 23 where players compete on teams of three players.
Registration links for both tournaments will be sent to students in the coming weeks!
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Academics Update
We are a month into the spring semester and a month away from midterms -- and Spring Break! In the fall, more than 300 student athletes earned Athletic Director Honor Roll recognition, given to those with a 3.0 GPA or higher; 54 of our student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA. Eight earned Distinguished Student recognition and seven earned Dean's Honor Roll recognition. Women's golf to the top spot and held the highest team semester GPA at 3.55. John Bishop of our men's Cross Country team was named the SEC's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year -- what an honor!
Graduating student-athletes is our number one objective. I know these grades do not just happen. They are a direct result countless hours studying on the part of our student-athletes and the unwavering hard work and dedication of our Academic Services staff. I cannot wait to see what we are able to accomplish this semester!
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12th Man Foundation Update
It is a busy time over in the north end zone of Kyle Field as our partners in the 12th Man Foundation are in the midst of the renewal period for football season tickets. The TMF staff has been working hard to make this process as easy and convenient for fans as possible and with the March 1 deadline quickly approaching, fans can renew online by logging onto their account manager at 12thManFoundation.com or by calling the 12th Man Foundation office at 888-992-4443.
Working hand-in-hand with the 12th Man Foundation leadership, we were able to offer 2019 season tickets earlier than ever before with new sales beginning in November. Currently, more than 1,500 new season tickets have been sold!
One of the great initiatives the 12th Man Foundation has created is the 1922 Fund, which represents our desire to endow scholarships for all student-athletes at Texas A&M. The 1922 Fund impacts the long term health of our athletic department. Endowments provide gifts that last in perpetuity.
On January 18, the 12th Man Foundation hosted a dinner and program in honor of the generous support provided by the 1922 Fund donors and John David Crow Legacy Society members. To give you an idea of the impact this has on our department, in 2017, of our 622 student-athletes, 456 received athletic financial aid at a cost of $10.7 million. Since the inception of the 1922 Fund scholarship program three years ago, 100 new 1922 Fund academic endowment gifts have been received totaling $7.5 million. I cannot overstate the value of the 1922 Fund -- and it is a direct result of the efforts and commitment from the 12th Man Foundation.
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National Signing Day
I want to applaud Coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff for their relentless pursuit on the recruiting trail, as they were able to haul in the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, the highest ranking by Texas A&M in the ESPN 300 era. I am excited to see these young men, who you can read all about here, perform at the highest level under the lights at Kyle Field in September!
Football isn't the only sport signing top-level student-athletes for the 2019-2020 season as baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, soccer, softball, men's tennis, women's tennis, track and field and volleyball all signed recruiting classes that will help them compete for championships.
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Ford Ride-A-Long
In a new Ford-sponsored Ride-A-Long, I had the opportunity to be Andrew Monaco's first guest where we rode around campus, talked Aggie Athletics and shared a few laughs. Be on the lookout for future episodes as our coaches take the spotlight!
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SEC Championships
Championship season is just a few short weeks away as our swimming and diving teams travel to Athens, Ga., for the SEC Championships Feb. 19-23. Our track and field teams compete for the SEC Indoor Championships Feb. 22-23 in Fayetteville, Ark.
This spring is sure to be a busy one in College Station as we host the SEC Championships in equestrian (March 29-30), women's tennis (April 17-21) and softball (May 8-11). These championships allow us to show off our amazing facilities and showcase everything that Aggieland has to offer.
Thanks & Gig 'em!
Scott
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To receive the AD's Yell, an internal message shared with Aggies externally, in your inbox each month, click here. |
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