AgFan1974 said:

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The Collective said:

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Not sure LeTourneau is comparable to Hillsdale at all from an academic perspective. It is closer to home for Texas kids, sure.

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In the context of this discussion it works. LETU is a regional private school, it was not my intention to compare it to Hillsdale, TAMU, tu. or any other tier 1 research institution.

There are examples of higher learning institutions that have success and generate productive, high earning graduates while holding to coservative principles . The idea that gender studies is a pre-requiste for institutional success (and pushing that futher to say the US is doomed without it) is rediculous.

TAMU will be fine without it. The country will be fine without it.

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LeTourneau Is great.

YouBet said:

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shiftyandquick said:

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A&M is on the forefront of being a university that it tailoring itself around MAGA ideology.

There is going to be a price to pay for that reputation.

"You can't teach from this book because it is too woke" is a kind of censorship.

A&M is now rolling the clock back to the time where it wasn't aiming to be world-class. And there will be consequences for that.

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Embarrassing take.

Worst case scenario: Texas A&M becomes one of one public universities that isn't perpetuating far left wing ideology.

Tell me what's wrong with that? We are actually creating diversity in academia by zigging when everyone else is zagging. If you don't want to go to one of the only higher learning institutions that is teaching practical education, then you have literally hundreds to thousands of other options where you can pursue far left wing ideology.

So, bring on rolling back the clock to a time where education actually mattered.

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The Collective said:

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Not sure LeTourneau is comparable to Hillsdale at all from an academic perspective. It is closer to home for Texas kids, sure.

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You'll notice that Hillsdale is almost completely ignored by most college rankings, other than "most conservative colleges". That is because the people doing the rankings are leftists, and they base their rankings heavily upon "reputation" among, you guessed it, other leftists.

BTW everybody should be aware that we have our own budding Hillsdale right here in Texas - unfortunately named University of Austin. Very promising.

milner79 said:

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nortex97 said:

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Buck Turgidson said:

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We are probably going to start dropping in certain rankings purely as punishment for going against the woke tide. IDGAF. I have three kids in high school and I'm much more likely to approve of them attending A&M now than I was before we started fighting back.

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I told my two it was up to them, I just wouldn't pay a dime if they chose one of the two schools in Austin/Waco to attend.

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Might consider adding Fort Worth and Dallas to your no-fly list. The DEI is strong at those former SWC powerhouses.

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Yeah, pay over $250,000 for a crap education. And that's a conservative number.

shiftyandquick said:

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You guys will find out the consequences over time for washing the university in MAGA ideology.

It will become a very, very different university over time. Rolling back the clock.

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You got a ring? Skin on the wall? Or just "interested party?"

This isn't really true, though.
If you read through the about section on their website, you'll see the Texas A&M Institute for Advanced Study was organized and launched in 2011 under the direction of the first and current director, John L. Lunkins. Only in 2017 was it renamed to the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study after a $20 mil endowment from Mr. Hagler. The Institute had already, by that point, attracted many notable fellows.
Mr. Hagler is notable for his generous support of the Institute, but it is clear, from doing a little more research, that he had nothing to do with the creation or the growth and success of said Institute at attracting fellows. With that success, I imagine the institute would have had little difficulty finding funding or donations without Mr. Hagler's generosity, but it likely does help that they do not have to go searching for funding.

Texas voters dictate what they pay for at Texas colleges. People in Massachusetts do not.

shiftyandquick said:

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You guys will find out the consequences over time for washing the university in MAGA ideology.

It will become a very, very different university over time. Rolling back the clock.

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Hallelujah! Let's not wait for time. Let's do now!

shiftyandquick said:

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You guys will find out the consequences over time for washing the university in MAGA ideology.

It will become a very, very different university over time. Rolling back the clock.

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Rolling back clock will mean bringing common sense education and not indoctrination which most if not all of your so called "elite" universities have become.

Rolling back the clock will bring what made A&M the unique school that it was and not the liberal cesspool that it has become.

As a good example is what has happened to MIT, a once greatly respected university where research and education was in the forefront. Now it is just another woke school, embracing liberal ideology.

Jon Hagler is a liberal major donor. He said he feels remaining silent while witnessing undue political influence felt like betraying his commitment to "one of America's genuinely great public universities."

Hagler stresses the differences between the vision university leaders have outlined for decades and where he sees the Texas A&M System headed under its current leadership. He also calls for Texas A&M's next leader to be free from political influence or loyalty to any organization other than the university itself.

"The last thing Texas A&M needs is political obedience," closes Hagler. "It needs courageous governance. It needs a board of regents that obeys the laws of Texas and the policies of the system, a board that recommits to the principles of institutional independence and academic freedom that have enabled Texas A&M's decades of great progress toward excellence."

https://www.kbtx.com/2026/02/04/prominent-am-donor-argues-system-regents-are-failing-their-sworn-duty/

The board of regents is authorized to decide how to operate their state funded schools and their focus. I am glad President Welsh resigned because lessons about sexuality and other woke agenda items should be banned from at least this university. Jon Hagler clearly thinks that university professors should have academic freedom to design their own curriculum, but that is not protected by the first amendment.

The reddit users feel humiliated and alienated by Texas A&M university. For example, one person said, " It's been mind-blowing to me the last week or so to see how many current and former Ags were and are ok with those sorts of politically motivated decisions. There have been so many people that either outright support this or are apathetic to it happening "

https://www.reddit.com/r/aggies/comments/1qvqjts/aggie_donor_jon_hagler_58_speaks_out_regents_have/

45-70Ag said:

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Major donor, pretty sure his name is still on the A&M foundation building

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Proof that he still doesn't mean jack to any of us in reality. I don't know who he is and I don't care what he thinks, even if he's right.

Sims said:

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You'll have to pardon me if I don't put as much emphasis on voters as I do tuition payers and former students.

A baylor/texas/whoever else grad can go pound sand with their opinion about a&m's political leanings for all I care.

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This attitude got A&M where it is with Vision 2020. Who pays the bills? Why was John Sharp left at the controls so long?

That a Longhorn is pointing it out shouldn't be offensive. We should all be demanding accountability from those who are spending our tax dollars.

Mr.Random said:

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This isn't really true, though.
If you read through the about section on their website, you'll see the Texas A&M Institute for Advanced Study was organized and launched in 2011 under the direction of the first and current director, John L. Lunkins. Only in 2017 was it renamed to the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study after a $20 mil endowment from Mr. Hagler. The Institute had already, by that point, attracted many notable fellows.
Mr. Hagler is notable for his generous support of the Institute, but it is clear, from doing a little more research, that he had nothing to do with the creation or the growth and success of said Institute at attracting fellows. With that success, I imagine the institute would have had little difficulty finding funding or donations without Mr. Hagler's generosity, but it likely does help that they do not have to go searching for funding.

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Yes, John Junkins (not Lunkins you lunkhead) deserves massive credit for not only his work initiating the Institute but for one of the most outstanding careers starting from his beginnings in the Aerospace Engineering Department. Yes, the Institute had great success but it great exponentially when Hagler became involved (and yes, Junkins still remained the director). And, btw, I know John Junkins - you won't find a nicer, smarter, and more accomplished person and he will always be in the elite of the elite in the history of A&M.

Now, this entire thread is about Jon Hagler. And Hagler has done massive amounts of great things for A&M. Both Hagler and Junkins being greats can be true.

shifty&quick - putin and satan approve your position. Need to take it to tu.

I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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No one said he can't voice his opinion, but we also can voice ours, and he is a tool.

DrEvazanPhD said:

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shiftyandquick said:

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redcrayon said:

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What is "MAGA ideology?"

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It's the kind of ideology that says "Epstein is a hoax, there is no list, and Plato needs to be banned from our universities."

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As opposed to "men can get pregnant, white people are evil, and those somalians are totes on the up and up."

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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Well, our fathers knew each other. My father was also class of '58 and was good friends with Hagler. My father and Hagler were Ross Volunteers together. He was a company commander when Hagler was Corp Commander. They too agreed to disagree. Nothing wrong with respectful differing views or opinions.

samurai_science said:

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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No one said he can't voice his opinion, but we also can voice ours, and he is a tool.

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You are welcome to call the man names but the list of people that have done more for Texas A&M than Hagler is not long. He also was at A&M when it was all male and virtually all Corps and served. Once again I firmly disagree with him.

samurai_science said:

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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No one said he can't voice his opinion, but we also can voice ours, and he is a tool.

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Old rich guys sometimes just expect to get their way, and people to give fealty to their opinions (this plays out across other forums, fwiw). And leftists/democrats always believe/emote they have the higher moral ground.

So in those respects, this is entirely unsurprising. Can't have those pesky elected officials actually doing things at A&M our tiny rich minority leftist donor class born in the 1930's disapproves of.

infinity ag said:

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What is this about?

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A Talarico voter trolling the board.

aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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Wasn't Ray Bowen also '58?

Burdizzo said:

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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Wasn't Ray Bowen also '58?

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Yes, I think so and he functionally bowed out from his job/role in policy at Aggieland around 2002.

Exactly!!! Not enough blue stars for this.
And those "consequences " will actually be folks ( like former students) willing to be donors again instead of being fed up with the direction the university has been headed and had decided "not another dime".

Yep. Makes you wonder doesn't it? Most are probably no Ag Tag lurkers that never attended our university. They are the same type that can hardly wait to see "bad bunny".

samurai_science said:

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye

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No one said he can't voice his opinion, but we also can voice ours, and he is a tool.

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I agree with this 100%.

I don't have time to review. Too much snow cut into my drive time... Did anyone explain why A&M, or the world in general, is worse off for not having a Women's Studies program? I know the hair dye suppliers and local tattoo/piercing parlors will be affected, but anything else?

The Board of Regents voted to allow member schools to formulate their own general education requirements to comply with state law and shut down financially unsustainable programs: check the 2:31 mark.

Ellis Wyatt said:

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Texas voters dictate what they pay for at Texas colleges. People in Massachusetts do not.

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The public universities in Massachusetts and the state legislature are all naturally aligned on the far left.

Tecolote said:

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murphyag said:

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TAMU1990 said:

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shiftyandquick said:

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I went A&M is on the forefront of being a university that it tailoring itself around MAGA ideology.

There is going to be a price to pay for that reputation.

"You can't teach from this book because it is too woke" is a kind of censorship.

A&M is now rolling the clock back to the time where it wasn't aiming to be world-class. And there will be consequences for that.

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Well, SEC schools have a record number of applications from the "enlightened" areas of the country. A&M seems to have no issue having thousands of American youth in state and out of state who want to be here.

My own kids have met many students who left the NE to go to college.

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Schools like BAMA, Ole Miss, TN, and Auburn are the most popular targets for the out of state kids from the NE part of the country. The popularity of the "Rush Tock" videos was the main driver of the increase in out of state applications to those schools for kids from the NE. The reason seems dumb as hell to me, but social media has created a new level of shallowness among some young people, in my opinion. Other aspects that make the schools I listed above as attractive to students from NE are better winter weather and it being much easier to gain admission to the schools above compared to big universities on the East and West coasts.

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Those are popular and all SEC schools. Another southern school with large out of state students from the NE is Clemson. They have 1/3 of their student body is out of state and they like it and recruit for it. Clemson and A&M have lots of parallels They both started as land grant all military schools. Clemson was originally called Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina but lots referred to it as Clemson A&M.

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I went to Clemson twice for our football games against them. Had fun both times. Lots of good people there. I have liked their alums since they came to College Station for our game in 2004. They were passing out $2 bills at the Chicken.

Burdizzo said:

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aggie93 said:

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I disagree with Hagler but he has done enough and certainly given enough to A&M to be able to voice his opinion. He was Corps Commander in one of the greatest classes ever for Texas A&M in '58 which is the same class as my Dad who knew him well (and also had times they didn't see eye to eye).

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Wasn't Ray Bowen also '58?

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Ray Bowen. John David Crow and a bunch of great football players as they had 4 years of Bear Bryant as coach. A ton of big donors and highly successful folks in the military and in business.

Buck Turgidson said:

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Ellis Wyatt said:

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Texas voters dictate what they pay for at Texas colleges. People in Massachusetts do not.

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The public universities in Massachusetts and the state legislature are all naturally aligned on the far left.

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The difference is when the left is pushing their agenda they don't consider it political. It's a psyop. The reality is you can't separate politics from education but you can make an effort to show both sides. If anyone doesn't think that there are no left wing opinions taught or that students can't be exposed to them at A&M that's beyond laughable. On the other side though they have no qualms in canceling and openly intimidating conservative opinions. Many subjects have 90% of profs that are Democrats and they see no problem with that and still think they are open minded and use critical thinking. Good luck finding a prof in most Liberal Arts majors that's a conservative.