THE ASSOCIATION
The Association of Former Students is Texas A&M’s alumni organization, but unlike the alumni organizations of most universities, the Association is separate from the university, functioning as a non-profit organization that is funded entirely through the donations of students past and present.
Kathryn Greenwade, vice president at the Association, said the history of the Association goes back almost as far as Texas A&M itself.
“We trace our roots back to 1879, with the founding of the ex-Cadets Association,” Greenwade said. “And that organization was founded by a small group of former students who already wanted to remain connected to the school.”
As its name suggests, the Association of Former Students is geared toward helping graduates of A&M stay connected with the university. Former students can donate $100 annually and current students can donate $50 annually to maintain membership in the Century Club, a club that exists to encourage donations to the school. For many people, this is a way to give back to the university that has given so much to them.
“[The Century Club] was an effort to encourage
graduates to make a small donation every year,” said Bill Huffman, one of Texas A&M’s Distinguished Alumni. “I became a Century Club member in the first year they started it. I wanted to give something back to the university and that was an easy way to do it.”
However, while the Association may seem to only affect graduates on the surface, it also has a significant influence on current students in more ways than they often realize. Any student who is enrolled at Texas A&M for at least one academic semester is a member of the Association.
“If you survive one semester here, you’re automatically a member,” Huffman said. “It’s involuntary membership. And everything the Association does is aimed at helping current
students as well as former students.”
In the 2016-2017 school year, the Association’s net impact on the school will total upward of $11 million.
“In 2017, we will provide $5.9 million in cash support for academic programs and scholarships, for student activities, for faculty, staff and student recognition,” Greenwade said.
Money from the Association, donated by Aggies, goes toward funding several aspects of the
university such as student groups, supplemental
instruction sessions, academic scholarships, Aggie
Ring scholarships, and security at Midnight Yell Practice, just to name a few. Hannah Wimberly, 2016-2017 student body president, said the Association exists to serve the university.
“The Association funds scholarships and Aggie Ring scholarships for students,” Wimberly said. “Their campus programs office assists hundreds and hundreds of student organization with funding, with advertising, with marketing. They are hugely supportive of student organizations and of tradition in general.”
One of the newer ways the Association is reaching out to students is through a program called Aggie Network Student Ambassadors, which trains students to inform their peers about the Association and all it does for the school. The Association also has many online resources available to students to assist them in different ways.
“Find an Aggie is incredible,” Wimberly said. “Every current student and everyone with a TAMU ID can have an Aggie Network account, which I would encourage students to get, because you can use Find an Aggie. You can look for former students that maybe are living in the place where you’re going to live when you graduate and then connect with them. You can look for former students that are in a field of work that you want to go into and
contact them.”
The Association helps students connect after graduation through Class Agents, which are elected during the student body elections of each class’s junior year. Class Agents serve from the time of their election until the first official reunion for their class, working closely with the Association. They are largely responsible for ensuring that their class gift is enacted or put into place.
“I think something that’s really cool is that Class Agents exist for your class for forever,” Wimberly said. “So at Muster this year, when the ceremony is closed, one of the Class Agents from the 50-year reunion class will stand up and read the closing statement.”
Aggie Muster is one of A&M’s most valued traditions, and the Association helps to support nearly 250 A&M Clubs across the world. Each year, on April 21, Muster is held to remember the Aggies who died during that year. Muster is one of the many ways that the Association connects graduates back to A&M.
“We help coordinate over 300 Musters around the world,” Greenwade said. “We’re going to help coordinate and facilitate class reunions. And we’re going to keep you informed about what’s going on at A&M through Texas Aggie Magazine and through our social network. And we’re going to give you a chance to return to Texas A&M.