Interim Vice President of Student Affairs, Tom Reber, sent out this letter to Texas A&M employees Tuesday morning:
I’m pleased to announce that a new Texas A&M mascot has been selected to succeed the retiring Reveille VIII. Interim President Mark A. Hussey has accepted and supports the search committee’s recommendation to name a 16-month-old female collie donated by an Ohio couple to serve as the next university mascot. She was selected from a pool of 15 prospects from across the nation, including those from collie breeders and collie rescue shelters.
Members of the search committee as well as several other university representatives, including members of Company E-2, who will be responsible for her daily care, have had an opportunity to engage with Reveille IX. We all agree that she is ideal for the representative and highly public role in which she will be placed for what we hope and trust will be several years. We are confident you will share our enthusiasm when you have the opportunity to meet her.
While Reveille IX won’t officially begin her role until May 9, she will have the opportunity to get accustomed to the campus and get acquainted with Rev VIII. As you may recall, Reveille VIII will retire to the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center operated by Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, where she will continue to be treated with special care.
The soon-to-be Rev IX was donated by Overland Collies, a highly respected kennel in the collie-breeding world, headquartered in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. The establishment’s owners, Marcy and Mike Fine, have been called “pillars of the collie community” and are typically well-represented among finalists at the annual Collie Nationals.
Interim President Hussey and I would like to thank members of the selection committee for their tireless efforts to help identify and select the very best collie to represent Texas A&M and serve as “First Lady of Aggieland.” The search process could not have progressed smoothly without their hard work.
Also, on behalf of Aggies everywhere, we owe a big show of gratitude to the Fine family for their willingness to donate one of their precious collies to Texas A&M — a special dog they describe as “very outgoing and has a positive attitude in every new situation.”
The mascot-to-be will be formally introduced as Reveille IX at the Corps of Cadets “Final Review” May 9. A campus-wide event honoring Rev VIII also is being planned. Details will be announced as plans are finalized.
Tom Reber
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Chair, Reveille IX Search Committee
Press release courtesy of Texas A&M University:
Texas A&M University’s mascot-in-waiting has been selected—a female collie, in keeping with the university’s decades-old tradition—and is scheduled to assume her role May 9 as Reveille IX.
In the meantime, she will have the opportunity to get accustomed to the campus and get acquainted with Rev VIII, who is completing her seventh year at endearing herself to thousands of Aggies and others. Rev VIII is set to retire to the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center operated by Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, where she will continue to receive special care.
The soon-to-be Rev IX has been donated by Overland Collies, a highly respected kennel in the collie-breeding world, headquartered in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. The establishment’s owners, Marcy and Mike Fine, are well-known in the collie community and are typically well-represented among finalists at the annual Collie Nationals.
Selection of the 16-month-old medium-sized collie was recommended by a 12-member committee of students, faculty and staff to Interim President Mark A. Hussey, who concurred. Hussey’s decision concluded a seven-month national search in which more than 15 applications from across the nation, including collie breeders and collie rescue shelters, were considered. The pool was eventually narrowed to four finalists.
Tom Reber, interim vice president for student affairs, chaired the search committee.
“I could not be more pleased that owners Mike and Marcy Fine provided Texas A&M University with their beloved dog Twix to serve as Reveille IX,” said Reber. “They were very helpful in providing us information throughout the search process and were confident that Twix would be an excellent Aggie.”
Marcy Fine describes the future Aggie mascot as “very outgoing and has a positive attitude in every new situation,” adding that she “enjoys crowds” and has been taken to dog shows—“and even won.”
“When my husband Mike and I first became aware of the national search for a new Texas A&M mascot, we both agreed that our beloved ‘Twix’ was the perfect collie for such a highly public role,” said Marcy Fine. “She is beautiful, lovable and has the natural personality that we believe makes her best suited to serve as Reveille IX and we were happy to donate her to Texas A&M.”
Texas A&M’s mascot-to-be will be formally named Reveille IX at the Corps of Cadets “Final Review,” the May 9 ceremony held in conjunction with the university’s spring commencement ceremonies.
Company E-2 in the Corps of Cadets is responsible for caring for Reveille on a 24/7 basis. Wearing five silver diamonds, she will be the highest-ranking member of the Corps. Additionally, she is referred to as “the First Lady of Aggieland.”