Longhorns and Aggies Unite For Higher Ed at the Capitol

By Danielle Lopez in 40 Acres, Special on February 16, 2017 at 3:31 pm | 1 Comment

“UT-Austin and Texas A&M really are the two premier universities in the state of Texas,” UT System Chancellor William McRaven said to a sea of orange and maroon on Wednesday evening. The unusually united crowd were gathered to celebrate the close of Orange and Maroon Legislative Day, the eighth biennial effort focused on boosting legislative support for the state’s flagship universities.

Alumni volunteers and supporters from UT and A&M spent the day at the Capitol, visiting with lawmakers and staffers about the universities’ legislative priorities. The key issues were restoring formula funding to support the universities’ core academic mission and supporting Texas research initiatives. With horns raised and lots of whooping, resolutions were read on the House and Senate floor by Rep. John Raney (R-College Station), Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin), BA ’96, and Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo), BS ’67, MA ’70, PhD ’78, Life Member, Distinguished Alumna.

Both universities’ presidents and alumni association leaders were present throughout the day, giving statements of support at a press conference outside the Capitol and meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott, BBA ’81, Life Member, Distinguished Alumnus, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. The day’s festivities wrapped up with an evening reception.

Here’s how the rest of OMLD went:

Credit: Anna Donlan

Tags: aggies, capitol, OMLD, OMLD17, orange and maroon legislative day