From the Pigeons’ Perch to the Chancellor’s Suite: Why Students Still Come First

By Glenn Hegar

Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System

I still remember my very first Aggie football game.

Back then, Kyle Field wasn’t the massive stadium it is today. I had a seat way up in the second-to-top row — me and the pigeons, as I like to say. From that high perch, I could see it all: the 12th Man swaying in unison, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band forming precision lines, and the raw energy of tens of thousands of students yelling as one.

Three decades later, my perspective on game day has changed, at least physically. As Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, I now watch from the Chancellor’s Suite. The view is better. The seat is cushioned. The air conditioning helps in September.

But my focus hasn’t changed one bit.

When I look down from the suite, I don’t just see a football field. I see 12 universities, a health science center, and eight state agencies that make up the A&M System. I see more than 175,000 students who carry our mission and our future. I see the same student section I stood in as a young Aggie — because no matter how my vantage point has shifted, I’ve never forgotten that this job is about them.

Being Chancellor means wearing many hats. It means stewarding a $8.1 billion enterprise. It means supporting research that drives the Texas economy, managing agencies that fight wildfires and respond to disasters, and making sure our institutions prepare students for a changing world. But on Saturdays in the fall, when Kyle Field comes alive, my role is simpler: to be an ambassador for Aggie athletics and, more importantly, for the students who fill those seats.

Athletics has always been more than a scoreboard. What excites me most about our athletic department is not just the wins on the field, but the character being built off of it. When I meet with Coach Mike Elko and Athletic Director Trev Alberts, I’m encouraged by their focus on developing young men and women who will carry the Aggie spirit far beyond their playing days. It’s about being an ambassador for Texas A&M — for life.

That idea of “ambassadorship” hits home for me. As a former state legislator and comptroller, I spent more than two decades serving the people of Texas. Now, as Chancellor, I see my mission in much the same way. My job is to represent our students, faculty, and staff. To open doors for them. To share their successes with the world. To make sure every decision we make as a System keeps their interests front and center.

It helps that one of those students is my own daughter, now studying here at Texas A&M. Having a child in the stands reminds me daily of the challenges and opportunities facing this generation. It makes the mission personal. When I talk about affordability, access, or research, I’m not speaking in the abstract. I’m talking about real students — my daughter’s classmates — who will shape the future of Texas.

Game day brings those priorities into sharp focus. The roar of the crowd, the kiss after a touchdown with my wife, Dara, and the sight of thousands of students standing for four straight quarters — it all reinforces why we do this work. Football may be a tradition, but education is the purpose.

From the pigeons’ perch to the Chancellor’s Suite, my perspective has changed, but my focus has not. Students come first. They always have, and they always will.

And as the season begins, I can’t wait to cheer alongside them — for victories on the field, but more importantly, for victories in the classroom and in life. That’s something every Texan can celebrate.