Dear Chancellor Sharp ’72,
I’m writing to you to congratulate you on the selection of Michael Young as the next president of our flagship university, and also to protest the recent policy you announced concerning the future of the President’s House on campus. Since the days of General Earl Rudder the House has served as a connection between Texas A&M students and their leaders, and severing this unique symbol of Aggie unity to make raising money easier is a terrible mistake. In the last couple of days I’ve spoken to former and current students, from Bonfire Redpots to current student leaders, who treasure the memories they made while inside the house. Even those who never went inside have spoken of the strong sense of kinship they felt from having their campus leadership live among them. Such a feeling is integral to the development of Aggie unity, and reserving a key position on campus for rich donors is a slap in the face to the community access on which Rudder and the University once prided themselves on.
Your comment this week, that the President’s House is “way more important in terms of fundraising,” and that “these guys could go find another place to live” shows a great misunderstanding of what this House represents to the A&M community, which is embodied in every student just as much as it is in high-powered donors.
If the MSC, Hagler Center and other such buildings do not fit current outreach needs, then I strongly urge you to consider designating the Reed House, present home of the A&M System Chancellor, as an alternative location to house donors and hold fundraising events. Located just across the street from the Bush School, it is close enough to campus to be convenient for visiting VIPs, and could certainly be repurposed for, as you recently said, “a lot of goodwill, fundraising, and things that are far more valuable than having somebody live there.”
Michael Dror
Class of 2014