President Messages

Howdy!

 

What a great time to be a Texas Aggie and member of The Rudder Association! If you missed our Annual Members Meeting, we heard about much needed reforms in higher education from Senator Mayes Middleton, exciting initiatives at Texas A&M from Chancellor Glenn Hegar and an encouraging report on the direction of the Aggie Corps from Lt General Chip Bierman. All our speakers took on tough questions from our membership which remains, like TRA leadership, cautiously optimistic and continually engaged.

 

We also awarded grants to deserving student organizations selected on the basis of their commitment to Aggie Core Values and Traditions, to support their future activities. Also, the three essay contest winners were awarded cash prizes and their ideas for promoting ideological diversity in the classroom were provided to the Chancellor. 

 

Lastly we awarded the Michael Begg's '68 Selfless Service Award to a student who championed student safety and the right to possess non-lethal devices. The competition was so strong that we awarded two honorable mentions to a student who researched and displayed the stories of Aggies Missing In Action and one who started an on-line student newspaper to cover stories and perspectives which were not always being included.

 

Promoting Aggie traditions and values is a mission that spans the calendar. Just last week, we provided drinks and refreshments to the cadets returning from March to the Brazos. You can track Good Bull stories like these every day on our Facebook page if you haven't already joined. We will soon be extending our social media reach to new platforms in order to engage with the next generation of Fightin' Texas Aggies.

 

If you live here in the holy lands or will be in town on April 23rd, please join us from 4pm to 5:30 in historic downtown Bryan at the beautifully restored Ice House on Main for The Rudder Association's Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting and happy hour. No, we aren't moving in but we are moving up in the Aggie community. Let us know if you can make it at admin@rudderassociation.org.

 

We continue to maximize your impact by operating with just one part-time employee, home officing, and countless volunteer hours. Help us spread the word and while you're thinking about it, update your membership for 2026 at: Become a TRA Member.

 

Gig 'em!

 

Matt Poling '90

President, The Rudder Association