Kevin O’Connor Kommentary March 10

Mays Business School Receives $25M Donation from Mays Family Foundation

Texas A&M’s Mays Business School receives its single largest gift. The $25 million donation by the Mays Family Foundation is going towards the construction of the third building in the Mays Business Education Complex. Dr. Nate Sharp, Dean of Mays Business School, says the new building will serve graduate programs. “Our vision as a leadership team from day one is to become the preeminent public business school in the country. When you look at our peer business schools, they have preeminent facilities and buildings, and most of them have a graduate building dedicated to graduate students,” says Dr. Sharp. Kathy Mays Johnson, President of the Mays Family Foundation and one of Lowry Mays’ children, was at Friday’s ceremony with her daughter Paige, a Mays graduate. “My dad is a self-made man, and he attributed everything he learned and his core values to Texas A&M,” says Johnson. Dr. Sharp says the new building will be right on University Drive, which will make the business school more prominent and visible to people who come to campus. Click below to hear more from Dr. Sharp, Kathy Mays Johnson, and Chancellor John Sharp. Listen to “Mays Business School Receives $25M Gift from Mays Family Foundation” on Spreaker. News release from Texas A&M: A $25 million gift from the Mays Family Foundation will support the construction of a new graduate education building in the Mays Business Education Complex (BEC) at Texas A&M University. This gift was announced during a ceremony Friday, April 26. The foundation’s donation is the largest single donation in Mays Business School’s history, and it is one of the largest gifts to an academic program at Texas A&M University. The gift, provided through the Texas A&M Foundation, continues the philanthropic legacy of the Mays family and highlights the powerful commitment of Texas A&M’s former students to their alma mater. “Lowry Mays and his family have been giving back to Texas A&M for a lifetime,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University. “This incredible gift adds another layer to their contributions to Texas A&M and to Aggies who want to follow in Mr. Mays’ remarkable footsteps.” This gift also marks an important milestone in Mays Business School’s drive to become the nation’s preeminent public business school. “This generous investment by the Mays Family Foundation will help us continue to fulfill our vision of building a better future through business,” said Mays Dean Nate Sharp. “Having a building dedicated specifically to excellence in graduate education showcases our school’s commitment to recruiting the best and brightest graduate students and developing leaders of character who exemplify the Aggie Core Values throughout their careers.” Mays continues to make its mark in graduate education. Several of the school’s graduate programs are among the top programs in the nation, such as the M.S. Analytics Program (ranked #1 online program in 2024 by Fortune) and the Executive MBA Program (ranked #1 in Texas in 2024 by Fortune). The new building will support increased enrollments and innovative graduate learning opportunities for current programs as well as new programs designed to meet emerging needs, including a suite of new Mays Flex Online master’s programs and the new Engineering MBA program. Enhancing and expanding graduate programs at Mays Business School will support the school’s drive to preeminence. “Our foundation has a history of using philanthropy as a source of capital to fund projects for all types of nonprofits to generate free cash flow in support of their mission,” Mays Family Foundation Chair Kathy Mays Johnson explained. “This is a perfect example of that strategy, so it is fitting that the Mays name will be associated with this project, which will be a tipping point for the Mays Business Education Complex. We believe Dean Sharp and his leadership team have a compelling vision and plan for Mays Business School, and it is our honor to help facilitate it.” The Mays family’s involvement with Texas A&M began with Lowry Mays ’57, who earned a bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering. “My father credited his time at Texas A&M, which included serving in the Corps of Cadets and his studies in the School of Petroleum Engineering, as being one of the most important influences in his life,” said Johnson. “He was proud to say the lessons he learned at Texas A&M solidified his core values while the education he received enabled him to accomplish the success he had in his life.” After a short period working in petroleum engineering, Mays changed direction to pursue a business career. “Dad earned an MBA from Harvard, so he saw the value of that type of training firsthand,” Johnson said. “He wanted future Aggies to be able to benefit from a similarly top-notch MBA program but one that is steeped in Texas A&M’s Core Values.” Mays initially entered investment banking in San Antonio and eventually formed his own company. He was asked to co-sign a note for the purchase of an FM radio station in the 1970s — and eventually became the station’s owner. His willingness to learn about the media industry, combined with his strong entrepreneurial sense and business acumen, led to the founding of Clear Channel Communications, a market leader in media and advertising. Despite the professional demands of being Clear Channel’s CEO, Mays made time for his alma mater. The San Antonio businessman served two non-consecutive terms (1985-1991 and 2001-2007) on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, including a term as chairman from 2003-2005. Over the years, he also provided significant financial support to the business school. His giving included a $15 million endowment to the school of business in 1996 that resulted in the naming of the school in his honor and another $25 million across multiple gifts to the school in 2017. The new $25 million gift now brings the Mays family’s support for Mays Business School to $72 million. Lowry Mays passed away on September 12, 2022, at 87 years of age. However, his influence lives on […]

College Station City Council Adds A Civil Penalty To Its “No More Than Four Unrelated Occupancy” Ordinance

Five College Station city council members approve adding a civil fine along with continuing the option of criminal prosecution of those found guilty of living in residences that are limited to four unrelated occupants. Councilwoman Elizabeth Cunha did not vote for or against the motion. She abstained, “because I feel like this vote prevents a false dilemma. It asks me which way I would like someone punished for choosing to live.” Cunha referred to the state of Colorado passing a law this week “that prohibits cities from creating or enforcing laws that limit the number of people allowed to live in a home purely based on their relationship with each other.” The council also pledged to apply the civil fine in a housing zone nicknamed ROO (restricted occupancy overlay) where the limit is two unrelated occupants. William Wright was among councilmembers who wanted a separate vote and not delay making changes to the other ordinance. Councilman Mark Smith did not attend the meeting. Approving the motion were councilmembers Wright, Linda Harvell, Dennis Maloney, Bob Yancy, and mayor John Nichols. Click HERE to read and download background information for the College Station council’s April 25, 2024 meeting. Click HERE to read and download presentation materials at the council’s April 25th meeting. Click below to hear comments from the council’s April 25th meeting:  

College Station ISD Issues Statement About Future Staffing Following Public Comments To The School Board

College Station ISD issues a statement about future staffing following public comments during the April school board meeting. Click below to hear comments from David Foley during the April 16, 2024 College Station ISD board meeting:   Click HERE to read and download a statement printed from College Station ISD’s website: Q: Is CSISD laying off employees? A: No. CSISD is reallocating staff within the curriculum and instruction department to best serve student growth and support teachers. All enrichment specialists, instructional coaches and interventionists will have the opportunity to be employed by CSISD in professional positions for the 2024-2025 school year. Q: Will CSISD have interventionists for the 2024-2025 school year? A: Classroom teachers intervene with students on a daily basis. While CSISD will not have the position of interventionists as we have had in the past, students will continue to receive targeted, data-driven intervention by our highly-qualified and dedicated classroom teachers. Professional learning will be provided throughout the school year as we remain committed to teacher development and student growth. Change is often difficult and challenging, but CSISD is confident that this change will better support students and staff. For employees that currently fill an interventionist role, they have the opportunity to serve in a different capacity such as instructional coach, MTSS coordinator or classroom teacher. Q: Will CSISD have enrichment specialists for the 2024-2025 school year? A: Yes. For the 2023-2024 school year, CSISD had 13 enrichment specialists. 10 of these staff members are returning for the 2024-2025 school year and three have retired. Q: How will restructuring serve and support more students and teachers? A: Reallocating staff will provide access to intervention and enrichment opportunities for all students based on individual needs from our classroom teachers. Rather than removing students from classroom instruction for intervention or enrichment, students will spend more time in the classroom receiving high-quality instruction from our certified teachers. When students are removed from classroom instruction for intervention or enrichment, they miss out on initial content instruction from their teacher. Providing intervention or enrichment within the classroom means students will not miss valuable instructional time and the intervention and enrichment will be more aligned with learning targets. Based on individual student data, CSISD will be able to provide a consistent model for student growth and teacher support. Throughout the school year, teachers will receive support through professional development specifically designed to support integrating interventions and enrichment to meet the needs of all students. Q: Why is CSISD making these changes? A: After careful consideration and evaluation of our data and resources, it was identified that CSISD can provide continuous improvement for students and staff through reallocating of resources, adjusting curriculum, and professional development. While this will provide some cost-savings in the midst of a challenging budget situation, this decision was made to best support students and teachers. Q: What is student intervention? A: An intervention is anything a school does, above and beyond what all students receive, that helps certain students succeed in school (Buffum et al., 2012). When students receive a specific service, it is an intervention. Intervention can be individual attention to a student during class time, small group work based on a learning target or any other additional service or instruction outside of initial instruction. In CSISD, teachers already provide high-quality interventions on a daily basis. The district will be providing professional development and resources to teachers to continually improve interventions in the classroom. Q: What is enrichment? A: Enrichment programs, such as Gifted & Talented, are designed to meet the needs of students who have been identified as gifted or talented in one or more areas, such as intellectual ability, creativity or leadership skills. These programs often offer specialized instruction, advanced coursework or enrichment opportunities tailored to the unique strengths and interests of gifted students. The goal is to provide these students with challenging and stimulating educational experiences that help them reach their full potential. (TEA) Q: Will services for GT-identified students be reduced by this change? A: No. Students will continue to receive GT pull-out services. Q: Will special education services be reduced by this change? A: No. CSISD is not reducing special education services or staff. Special education services are individualized based on student need and will not be impacted. All services outlined in the IEP will be provided. Staff are assigned based on student needs. For example, if a large number of students who receive special education services moves from an elementary school to an intermediate school, the amount of staff (teachers and/or paraprofessionals) may need to be adjusted to support students at the next grade level.