Young On A&M’s “Extraordinary Culture” And His “Listening Tour”

Michael K. Young was named the 25th president of Texas A&M University on May 1. Shortly after, he invited Texas Aggie to visit him in his office to introduce himself to the Aggie Network, a group of people he calls “one of our great resources and our great assets.” Texas A&M has given him the warmest welcome he and his wife, Marti, have ever had, he said—and they are both excited to be part of the Spirit of Aggieland. As he begins his role as president, Young said he has been doing a lot of listening, and he’s energized by what he’s heard.

Texas Aggie: Howdy and welcome to Aggieland! What do you think so far? 

President Michael Young: It’s been terrific. I will say it’s the warmest welcome we’ve ever had anywhere we’ve ever been. And it’s an enormously exciting university with just a lot of energy—I don’t know if I’d say pent up energy exactly, just a lot of excitement about moving forward. That makes it very nice to be here.

TA: A lot of that excitement is for you—we’re glad you’re here.

Young: Thank you.

TA: You have both commented that the students at Texas A&M won you over and influenced your decision to come to Texas A&M. What was it about our students and our culture that appealed to you and your wife, Marti?

Young: It was clear to us as newcomers—and to anyone who spends even a short time on campus—that Aggies have this deep understanding of their responsibility to society in the coming world. For example, they’re committed to finding solutions to the great global challenges because they know they can make an impact, often in ways that could literally change the world. Texas A&M’s land-grant mission of service and improving lives, along with the enthusiasm and dedication of our students and faculty, create an atmosphere of excitement—of virtually unlimited potential—that we found irresistible. Beyond that, Texas is a state that understands the importance of higher education and investing in our shared future through an educated population. All the factors that could propel us to the next level of prestige and visibility are in place, and that is tremendously appealing.

TA: The two of you went through a whirlwind of welcome dinners and receptions in May, including a dinner with The Association’s Board. What have been your impressions of the Aggie Network so far?

Young: My overall impression is that that they are grateful to be part of it. And that they are eager and willing to embrace newcomers like Marti and me and to offer assistance in any way they can. I think the Aggie Network is one of our great resources and our great assets. And the assistance they can and do provide the university takes a lot of forms. I think it’s wonderful when Aggies help our students get internships for example, or find jobs. Things like that can be extraordinarily valuable. When they see opportunities out in the world that they think might be beneficial to us. When they see their company, for example, doing research in an area where collaboration with the university might be useful and powerful, that can be extraordinarily helpful. There are so many ways the Aggie Network can continue to provide assistance. They can help prospective students understand what kind of experience you can have here at Texas A&M—how unusual and how transformative and how powerful that experience can be. Nobody can tell that story better than someone who’s been through it. So from that perspective, the Aggie Network can be just terrifically powerful in lots of different ways. And I would probably say, most importantly, they’re out in their communities, they’re doing good things with the education they received, they are really leading by example.

TA: I know you’ve been here just a few weeks, but what is your vision for Texas A&M as we walk forward?

Young: I think, at the moment, I’m doing an enormous amount of listening. I want to make sure I understand what our strengths are and what our real opportunities look like. I’m doing a lot of analysis of that. I think some things are clear: we are a university that is already addressing, and is exceptionally well-positioned to address even better, the great global challenges. The things that matter to the world in the most fundamental sense: security of food supply, food safety, energy, the marine environment, the fundamentals of animal and human health and, indeed, the connection between animal and human health. All of those sorts of things that are the essence of stable societies. We are a real leader in this. I certainly see us expanding our capacity to address these challenges and do that exceptionally well, and taking what we do out into the world to really have a transformative impact.

TA: And you see that happening to a great extent in years to come?

Young: Well, I truly see everything happening to a greater extent than it is now. That’s the continuation of the arc of progress this university has made over a 100-plus years. We will continue to do that.

TA: As you continue to get situated, and get to learn Aggieland and have Aggieland start to learn about you, what is on your to-do list?

Young: Oh, there are lots of things on the to-do list. Certainly, I’m really excited about all the opportunities and events this university provides. I mean, everything from attending great athletic events to enjoying the art and cultural events on campus, the live performances, lectures and eminent speakers they attract here. And then there are the traditions; all the ones I’ve heard about but haven’t had the opportunity yet to experience: Midnight Yell, the 12th Man, Silver Taps. I mean, I really love the life of the university and this university has a very robust life, so that’s high on the to-do list.

TA: For you and your wife, Marti, was Muster your first tradition?

Young: Yes, it was. In fact we came here a couple weeks early just so we would have the chance to attend Muster. People told us so much about it. We just really wanted to be there.
TA: Can you share your thoughts on that experience?

Young: We thought Muster was very moving. We thought it was a wonderful example of a tradition in the very best sense of that word, reaching across generations of Aggies, across the miles where Aggies are found, to bring people together in both solemn remembrance of the past and excitement about what’s going on around campus and things still to come. This, to us, is the essence of the “spirit that can ne’er be told.” It conveyed the core values, but connected those values through generations of Aggies—running right up to the present—with a kind of respect and reverence for those values and the people who embody them. There was a sense that the impact of people who embody those values and carry them out in their lives won’t ever be forgotten. It was a very powerful ceremony.

TA: What do you think will be some of Texas A&M’s biggest challenges over the next 10 years or so?

Young: I think Texas A&M will face many of the same challenges that public higher education is facing across the country. I think we’re well-positioned, better positioned than a vast majority of universities, to respond to that. But there will be challenges. I think we’re seeing different funding streams for our public higher education than we’ve seen in the past. Sometimes where the money comes from helps determine the direction, and I think we need to be very clear about what our core missions and objectives and values are, and how to advance those through whatever funding stream we face.

I think technology presents both tremendous opportunities but also tremendous challenges, as well. Our students come in having acquired and processed and learned information very differently than students in the past. But, we also have an opportunity to use technology in a way that can fundamentally deepen and expand the educational experience. Now it can also trivialize the educational experience, and that’s the challenge—to use the technology right.

I think we’re seeing big changes in the demographics of our student body. Students come to Texas A&M with very different learning backgrounds, and how we respond to make sure we have provided an educational environment in which everybody can realize their full potential is going to be absolutely critical. We live in a global world where everything passes seamlessly across borders: people, money, germs, ideas, products—you name it. Everything crosses the border seamlessly. We’re sending our students into an environment where that’s the case. To prepare them adequately for that is a formidable challenge.

TA: Someday when you’ve served Texas A&M for many years, what do you hope Aggies remember about you?

Young: Well, I think it’s too early to say because, as I’ve said, we’re still to some degree on this listening tour, discovering what we want to do. But I hope they will say that we were true to the core mission of the institution and did it better.

TA: I like that you called it a listening tour. Tell me more about that tour.

Young: I am a believer in lots of voices and ideas and minds being better than one. I want to know, from the deans and professors and students; what are our strengths? What are our opportunities? Where can we most profitably build? And we’re listening to those outside the university telling us what the world looks like and what it needs the university to do to really make the world a better place. So listening to those from inside and outside the university is a big part of what I’m doing.

TA: So, on your listening tour, have there been any real gems that you’ve been able to grab onto?

Young: Oh, they’re all gems. I don’t think I’ve had a conversation where I didn’t come away more impressed than I was before I started the conversation. There is an extraordinary amount of really world-class work going on here. And outside the university, I’ve been tremendously impressed with the loyalty and affection and the appreciation people have. And the understanding they have for what they got out of this institution. It’s not just a warm, fuzzy feeling about the place, it’s that they really have an appreciation for what happened to them while they were here and why that mattered, what difference that made.

TA: As you have no doubt been told, football game days in Aggieland are a special experience. What do you look forward to experiencing this football season?

Young: Like everyone else, we are really excited about being Aggie fans in the newly renovated, bigger and better Kyle Field. Football at Kyle Field has long been known as the best game day experience anywhere and we are definitely looking forward to that. But facilities are only part of the equation. The fact is, the people here are what make game day at Texas A&M so special. c—eager to help visitors and showcase the things that make Texas A&M and Bryan/College Station great. We’ve heard of visitors wearing T-shirts from opposing teams whose meals in local restaurants were paid for by anonymous Aggies. We’ve read through countless letters and emails sent to the office of the president or the athletic director praising the Aggie fans for their hospitality and kindness; it’s been amazing to see how many visitors felt moved enough to write about their great experiences in Aggieland. Marti and I look forward to being part of this extraordinary culture—getting to know Aggies who have made such a difference here, and representing Texas A&M to those who might not know much about us.

TA: Is there anything that has surprised you about Texas A&M?

Young: I think the only surprise is that we like it even more than we imagined we would, and we had pretty high hopes. That’s been a nice surprise.

TA: You mentioned warmest welcome. Can you give me an example of that?

Young: Pretty much across the board everybody has been extraordinarily generous in offering to help, offering advice and counsel, and in a very solicitous way, not by saying, ‘gee, I want to tell you how to run the university,’ but by saying, ‘this is what I do at this university. Is there any way I can help you? Anybody I can introduce to you? Anything I can do for you?’ and that’s just been remarkably generous. I realize Texans are just fundamentally nice. We even went to the DMV and they were extraordinarily helpful, which I’ve never had happen in my life. 

TA: You shook the hands of graduates at the May commencement. You were able to be part of the last tradition a student has at Texas A&M. In just a few weeks, school will start again. Do you have any first-day-of-school plans as the new president?

Young: I look forward to welcoming the new students and the returning students back onto campus in all the usual ways. That’s a very exciting time. Summer is a nice time to kind of catch our breath and plan for the future, and we’ve been doing a lot of that, but we’ll all be excited when the students come back to campus.

TA: You were a part of Texas A&M’s largest commencement weekend to-date in May. Were there any memorable moments or lasting impressions from that experience?

Young: Well, the sheer numbers of students who graduate from Texas A&M each semester, and their families and friends who are here, perhaps for the first time, certainly made my first commencement in Aggieland extremely memorable. On a more serious note, commencement represents the fulfillment of potential—for students who have earned their credentials and are ready for the next stage of life; for parents who have sacrificed and given so much to help their children become responsible, capable adults; and for us faculty and staff, who see the rewards of years of effort in helping young people shape their futures. It’s exciting to see them graduate, and exciting to hear about their achievements in the years that follow.

TA: Do you have any more moving in to do, or are you set for the new school year?

Young: I’m still very much in the learning mode. I mean, I’m physically settled. We have a house and an office, and the books are unpacked, so I think that’s all fine. But, I’m still learning a great deal about the university.

TA: What has been the best part of your Aggie experience so far?

Young: Before we arrived, so many Aggies and others reached out to us to offer advice and let us know about what a great place this is. You expect that when you’re new in a place. But we have found that this wasn’t a one-time thing, something that tapered off as time went by. Wherever we go, even when we stop to chat with students or faculty more or less randomly, we find the same level of enthusiasm and the famous can-do attitude for which Aggies have long been known. So the best part of our time here so far is perhaps finding out that our experience has not only been a true reflection what we’d been told, but also an indication of what anybody would find here at any time—not because we are Mike and Marti Young, but because that’s just what Aggies do; they make you feel welcome.

More On Incoming President Young:

Young is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and on the American Council on Education Commission on International Initiatives.

Young has served on:
* The Committee on International Judicial Relations for the Judicial Conference of the United States
* The Brown v. Board of Education 50thAnniversary Commission
* The U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors
* As Counsel on the Select Subcommittee on Transfers of Iranian Arms to Bosnian Muslims.

His long list of awards and honors include: Distinguished Service Award, L.D.S. International Association; International Leader of the Year, World Trade Association of Utah; U.S.-China Educational Collaboration Leadership Award, Chinese Association for Science and Technology – USA; Helping Hands Award, Utah Youth Village; Award in Recognition of Excellence in the Promotion of International Religious Freedom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Award for Distinguished Service in Promoting Religious Freedom, The International Center for Law Religious Studies at Brigham Young University; Award of Excellence in Education, Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Award for Excellence in Ethics, Utah Valley State University; and Honored Alumni of the Year, College of Humanities, Brigham Young University.

Read his introduction letters to students, faculty and staff at tamu.edu.