May 18, 2026 Marketing and Communications Update

Howdy, University MarComm Community,

We have our MarComm Summit in two weeks, and we look forward to connecting with all of you during this fun and important community gathering. This is our terrific opportunity to evaluate and strengthen our alignment in our efforts to use the brand platform. In our messaging, we want to honor our past while we communicate our bright future. We will continue evolving and activating the brand with clarity and consistency, ensuring that wherever Texas A&M University shows up, we do so with purpose and as a force for good.

Review Materials for Office of the President References

With the announcement of Dr. Susan Ballabina as Texas A&M’s 28th president, please take a moment to review websites, digital copy, brochures and any other materials that may reference the Office of the President. It is also important to review links that direct readers to the president’s website. Redirects were put in place; however, this quick double check will help ensure all backlinking is up to date. President Ballabina’s full bio is available online, and there is a new form available where you may invite her to participate in or attend an event.

Texas A&M 150th Celebration Campaign

The 150th Celebration Campaign will reinforce how Aggies have always stood together as a force for good. For our 150th anniversary, we will celebrate in a way that honors our legacy and anticipates our future, while reinforcing our larger universitywide Force for Good Brand Platform. The predesigned campaign assets should complement, not replace, brand platform messaging, tone and visual style. Access to 150th marks and editable templates requires a university login.

At the upcoming MarComm Summit, we will discuss how the campaign objectives, audiences, messaging and visual assets can complement and reinforce the brand platform.

View the 150th Celebration Campaign Content Package

The MarComm Summit

Texas A&M marketing and communications professionals are invited to the 2026 Marketing and Communications Summit taking place June 1-2.

Summit at a glance

• June 1, noon-5 p.m.
• June 2, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., plus optional happy hour
• Memorial Student Center, College Station, Texas
• Lunch will be provided both days.

RSVPs were due by Thursday, May 14, to help us plan for space, catering and name tags. If you haven’t registered or if you have questions about the summit, please contact Hallie Jamison, Brand Manager, via email at hajamison@tamu.edu.

Texas America250

In celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, The Texas A&M University System has been directed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to conspicuously display the Texas America250 logo on each university, institute and agency homepage; link to the Texas America250 Commission’s website on each university, institute and agency homepage; and include the Texas America250 logo on each university, institute and agency press release through July 4, 2026.

This has been implemented on the university’s main webpage and by many fellow Texas A&M System member institutions and agencies. For additional examples, please consider referencing the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas A&M-Fort Worth and Texas A&M-RELLIS.

The logo options are available through the A&M System’s photoshelter using TxAM250 as the login password.

Special Recognition

Please join the College of Arts and Sciences in honoring Pam Green, Associate Vice President for Executive Communications, and in celebrating her 24 years of dedicated service to Texas A&M as she enters retirement. Pam’s leadership has left a lasting legacy of excellence, and we are deeply grateful for her contributions. The event is set for May 21 at 2 p.m. on the first floor of Rudder Tower, in the exhibit hall.

RSVP to Pam Green’s Retirement Reception

Digital Content Accessibility Deadline Extended to April 2027

Today, the U.S. Department of Justice published an interim final rule extending the compliance deadline for digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For institutions the size of Texas A&M, the original April 2026 deadline has been extended to April 26, 2027. While this additional time provides some welcome flexibility, it is important that the university sustains its current momentum in improving digital accessibility. In particular, federally funded grants and programs remain subject to a May 11, 2026, compliance deadline under Section 504. Previously, this date was not emphasized because it aligned closely with the ADA Title II timeline.

As the university community continues to make meaningful progress toward accessible digital documents and platforms, employees are encouraged to continue using the resources available through the Digital Accessibility website to ensure digital content is accessible to all. By incorporating accessibility into everyday practices, the university ensures that the knowledge gained through teaching, learning and discovery is available to the widest possible audience. Questions regarding digital accessibility and related federal requirements may be directed to the IT Accessibility team.

As a reminder, digital content includes websites, online services, PDFs, social media graphics, videos and any other digital content your unit produces or publishes. We encourage you to review the information shared in the Feb. 9 newsletter about these requirements and to learn how Aggie UX 2.0 can help you and your teams produce responsive, regulation-compliant websites and online services as you move forward. Additional how-tos and step-by-step guides are available through itaccessibility.tamu.edu.

Community Resources Available to You

Design Counsel

Design Counsel is a creative space for Texas A&M’s visual storytellers — a place to share ideas, spark inspiration and help shape what’s next for creativity and collaboration across the university. Each meeting dives into a new topic in marketing and communications, with lots of room to learn from one another and offer support.

The next meeting will be part of the MarComm Summit (June 1-2).

For more information, please contact Melissa Loudermilk, Designer for Brand Services, at mloudermilk@tamu.edu or via Slack or Teams.

Register for upcoming meetings

Internal Communications Community of Practice

You’re invited to join the Enterprise Communications team on Wednesday, May 20, from 10 to 11 a.m. via Zoom to learn more about internal communications and the platforms available to support your efforts in sharing important updates with our faculty, staff, students and external affiliates. Each month, we will rotate key topics and offer flexibility in the second half hour to troubleshoot, answer questions and identify ways to support your needs, including an opportunity to bring forward ideas to bolster our university community’s tool kit for communicating with our internal audiences.

Join the may 20 Internal Communications Office Hours

Aggie UX Training and Support

The Division of Marketing and Communications Web team hosts virtual office hours every third Thursday from 10 to 11 a.m. These sessions include a different demo every month for using Aggie UX in Cascade, WordPress and Figma. Other practical advice for creating web content, applying best practices and using the Aggie UX design system is available on the MarComm site, including a list of on-demand online trainings. Be sure to sign up for Aggie UX-specific communications by joining the Aggie UX email list.

View Aggie UX Office Hours

Research Communicators Network

The Divisions of Research and Marketing and Communications cohost a biweekly meeting for communicators to connect, share updates and collaborate around promoting Texas A&M’s research enterprise. These meetings are a valuable opportunity for everyone who attends, and we encourage you to send a representative if you do not have someone already participating from your unit, college or school.

When: Every other Tuesday, 10 a.m.

This informal virtual gathering is open to all communicators supporting research initiatives and researchers themselves. It’s a chance to ask questions, get feedback and align on research messaging across the university.

Contact Tim Doty, Assistant Vice President for National Media and Public Relations, or Rusty Cawley, Director of Research Communications, to be added to the calendar invitation.