Howdy, University MarComm Community,

In this newsletter, we have a new content package on global university visibility rankings for 2026-27. Also, we will continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country for the next several weeks. And we have a notice on moving from LiveWhale to a new calendaring solution.

American Caldwell Global University Visibility Rankings

The American Caldwell Global University Visibility Rankings for 2026-27 are here. Based in Washington, D.C., the Global University Visibility (GUV) rankings measure the visibility of universities in every country. The GUV rankings are a comparative measure of university brand visibility in a 12-month period.

Texas A&M University ranks No. 6 in the world in American Caldwell’s latest GUV rankings, continuing a rapid rise among the world’s most visible universities.

Texas A&M ranks No. 5 among all U.S. universities, No. 2 among U.S. public universities and No. 1 overall in Texas in the 2026-27 rankings, placing Texas A&M among the world’s most talked-about, searched, visited, followed and watched institutions of higher education. The two-year trajectory is especially notable. Since 2024, Texas A&M has climbed from No. 21 to No. 6 globally, a gain of 15 spots; from No. 14 to No. 5 among U.S. universities, a gain of nine spots; and from No. 3 to No. 2 among U.S. public universities. Texas A&M has now held the No. 2 position among public universities for two consecutive years.

American Caldwell noted that Texas A&M “increased its visibility considerably,” citing significant increases in news mentions and video views. The methodology is based on third-party, publicly available indicators, including news mentions, search interest, social media following, website visitors, web references, online footprint and video views.

View the American Caldwell content package

America 250

The 250th anniversary of the United States provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the ideals that have shaped both our nation and Texas A&M. As Texas A&M celebrates its own 150th anniversary in this historic year, we will use this milestone to tell the story of our enduring land-grant mission — expanding opportunity through education, developing leaders of character and advancing research that improves lives. In this content package, you will find a mix of resources, planning and details that will help us continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States for the rest of this anniversary year.

View the U.S. 250th Content Package

America 250 Anniversary Series

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Texas A&M is featured in the America 250 Anniversary documentary-style series highlighting organizations whose leadership, innovation and service have helped shape the American story. Texas A&M is included in the series because of its 150-year legacy of expanding opportunity, developing leaders and solving challenges that matter.

The America 250 series video and accompanying article showcase how the university continues to create opportunity, improve lives and help build a brighter future for Texas and the nation. Texas A&M was founded as a land-grant institution with a mandate to expand access to education. In keeping with that mission, the university continues to prepare leaders of character and advance research that makes a lasting difference in the world. The series was produced and distributed in partnership with Acumen Media and is featured on the USA Today website.

In this content package, you will find resources to share Texas A&M’s inclusion in the America 250 series.

View the America 250 series content package

LiveWhale Calendar Transition

Texas A&M is transitioning from the LiveWhale calendar platform to a new calendaring solution, Localist. The anticipated completion of this transition will be before the start of the spring 2027 semester. The university is no longer providing new calendar groups or LiveWhale training for new users. More information about training and the use of the new calendar platform will be coming soon. If you have calendar feeds on your websites, please take an inventory and let the Enterprise Communications team know by emailing calendar@tamu.edu.

New Campus Aerial and Brand Visual Media Assets

Over the last year, we have been adding to our library of photos that we share with the university community. Linked below, you will find hundreds of new photos and melt reels for all of our brand photography and video styles on campus. This also includes new aerial photos of the main campus taken last month! Thank you to the teams that make these photos and videos!

Texas A&M Photo Library

Texas A&M Brand Video

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.

View the 150th Celebration Campaign Content Package

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.

We will take a break in July and resume regular meetings in August. Be on the lookout for an RSVP form in the upcoming weeks.

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

Internal communications covers a wide array of responsibilities and expectations among our faculty, staff, students and even external affiliates, and we are here to help! Join us on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 10 to 11 a.m., as we rotate to our next key topic and offer flexibility in the second half hour to troubleshoot, answer questions and identify ways to support your needs.

Join the Aug. 19 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.

Introduction

The American Caldwell Global University Visibility Rankings for 2026-27 are here. Based in Washington, D.C., the Global University Visibility (GUV) rankings measure the visibility of universities in every country. The GUV rankings are a comparative measure of university brand visibility in a 12-month period.

Texas A&M University ranks No. 6 in the world in American Caldwell’s latest GUV rankings, continuing a rapid rise among the world’s most visible universities.

Texas A&M ranks No. 5 among all U.S. universities, No. 2 among U.S. public universities and No. 1 overall in Texas in the 2026-27 rankings, placing Texas A&M among the world’s most talked about, searched, visited, followed and watched institutions of higher education.

The two-year trajectory is especially notable. Since 2024, Texas A&M has climbed from No. 21 to No. 6 globally, a gain of 15 spots; from No. 14 to No. 5 among U.S. universities, a gain of nine spots; and from No. 3 to No. 2 among U.S. public universities. Texas A&M has now held the No. 2 position among public universities for two consecutive years.

American Caldwell noted that Texas A&M “increased its visibility considerably,” citing significant increases in news mentions and video views. The methodology is based on third-party, publicly available indicators, including news mentions, search interest, social media following, website visitors, web references, online footprint and video views.

Howdy, University MarComm Community,

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend! In this newsletter, we have two new content packages and dynamic new brand assets available for your immediate use.

America 250 Anniversary Series

As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, Texas A&M University is featured in the America 250 Anniversary documentary-style series highlighting organizations whose leadership, innovation and service have helped shape the American story. Texas A&M is included in the series because of its 150-year legacy of expanding opportunity, developing leaders and solving challenges that matter.

The America 250 series video and accompanying article showcase how the university continues to create opportunity, improve lives and help build a brighter future for Texas and the nation. Texas A&M was founded as a land-grant institution with a mandate to expand access to education. In keeping with that mission, the university continues to prepare leaders of character and advance research that makes a lasting difference in the world. The series was produced and distributed in partnership with Acumen Media and is featured on the USA Today website.

In this content package, you will find resources to share Texas A&M’s inclusion in the America 250 series.

View the America 250 series content package

America 250

The 250th anniversary of the United States provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the ideals that have shaped both our nation and Texas A&M. As Texas A&M celebrates its own 150th anniversary in this historic year, we will use this milestone to tell the story of our enduring land-grant mission — expanding opportunity through education, developing leaders of character and advancing research that improves lives. In this content package, you will find a mix of resources, planning and details that will help us continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States for the rest of this anniversary year.

View the U.S. 250th Content Package

New Campus Aerial and Brand Visual Media Assets

Over the last year, we have been adding to our library of photos that we share with the university community. Linked below, you will find hundreds of new photos and melt reels for all of our brand photography and video styles on campus. This also includes new aerial photos of the main campus taken last month! Thank you to the teams that make these photos and videos!

Texas A&M Photo Library

Texas A&M Brand Video

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.

View the 150th Celebration Campaign Content Package

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.

We will take a break in July and resume regular meetings in August. Be on the lookout for an RSVP form in the upcoming weeks.

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

Internal communications covers a wide array of responsibilities and expectations among our faculty, staff, students and even external affiliates, and we are here to help! Join us on Wednesday, July 15, from 10 to 11 a.m., as we rotate to our next key topic and offer flexibility in the second half hour to troubleshoot, answer questions and identify ways to support your needs.

This month, we will highlight the many tools available to campus communicators as you prepare for the upcoming fall semester. Join us to explore digital signage templates, opt-list communication guidance and other helpful resources. The Enterprise Communications team is here to support your content packaging needs and answer questions on the resources available to you.

Join the July 15 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.

Overview

Through storytelling, campus engagement and visible moments of celebration, we will honor the nation’s 250th anniversary together as Aggies. This content package outlines how the university will commemorate this historic occasion while highlighting the shared values that connect America’s story with Texas A&M’s mission and impact.

Overview

The America 250 series video and accompanying article showcase how the university continues to create opportunity, improve lives and help build a brighter future for Texas and the nation. Texas A&M University was founded as a land-grant institution with a mandate to expand access to education. In keeping with that mission, the university continues to prepare leaders of character and advance research that makes a lasting difference in the world. The series was produced and distributed in partnership with Acumen Media and is featured on the USA Today website.

Read more about the series

Howdy, University MarComm Community,

This week, we have two new content packages that showcase how Texas A&M University continues to make an impact through service, innovation and leadership. One highlights a special NASCAR tribute honoring President George H.W. Bush and the enduring values he shared with our university. The other celebrates Texas A&M’s recognition by Fast Company with a World Changing Ideas Award for breakthrough care with the heart patch. If applicable to your audience and area of expertise, we encourage you to publish in your newsletters, on your social channels, on your websites and on any channel that helps tell the Texas A&M story! We are excited to share this content for your use and look forward to engaging with it over the next few weeks.

Honoring the Legacy of President Bush

Texas A&M and Haas Factory Team celebrated the legacy of former President George H.W. Bush this weekend with a tribute car driven by Cole Custer during NASCAR’s celebration of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary. This content package provides the guidance and materials to illustrate Bush’s deep connection to Texas A&M — the university he chose to carry on his legacy through his presidential library and public affairs school. We honored that connection during the Anduril 250 Race the Base NASCAR Cup Series Street race, held at Naval Base Coronado. The specially designed No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 featured imagery honoring Bush’s legacy of selfless service, which began as a young naval aviator during World War II and which continues to inspire Aggies to stand as a force for good.

View the Coronado Race content package

World Changing Idea – Fast Company Award

Texas A&M has been named a 2026 Fast Company World Changing Ideas honoree for its innovative regenerative heart patch, earning recognition among the top 100 projects worldwide addressing society’s most urgent challenges. This content package explores the groundbreaking research led by Texas A&M scientists, how the technology could transform recovery for heart attack patients and what this national recognition says about the university’s commitment to advancing discoveries that improve lives. It also highlights the broader impact of Texas A&M Health, which serves communities across Texas and beyond through research, education and innovative healthcare solutions.

View the World Changing Idea content package

MarComm Summit Assets and Resources

As a reminder, we’re sharing assets and resources highlighted throughout the MarComm Summit event, including materials connected to the brand platform, 150th planning, content strategy alignment and additional tools to support your team’s marketing and communications work. These resources are intended to help campus communicators continue building brand alignment and applying summit takeaways in their day-to-day work.

View the full presentation

New Campus Aerial and Brand Visual Media Assets

Over the last year, we have been adding to our library of photos that we share with the university community. Linked below, you will find hundreds of new photos and melt reels for all of our brand photography and video styles on campus. This also includes new aerial photos of the main campus taken last month! Thank you to the teams that make these photos and videos!

Texas A&M Photo Library

Texas A&M Brand Video

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.

View the 150th Celebration Campaign Content Package

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.

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.

We will take a break in July and resume regular meetings in August. Be on the lookout for an RSVP form in the upcoming weeks.

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

Register for upcoming meetings

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.

Overview

Texas A&M University has been named a 2026 Fast Company World Changing Ideas honoree for its regenerative heart patch technology, recognized as one of the top 100 global innovations transforming society’s most urgent health challenges. This accolade reflects Texas A&M’s leadership in pioneering medical research and advancing solutions that improve lives across Texas, the nation and beyond. The heart patch project, led by Texas A&M Health scientists, embodies the university’s commitment to discovery, service and standing as a force for good through life-changing innovation.

Read the Story

Overview

Texas A&M and Haas Factory Team are honoring former President George H.W. Bush by running a special tribute car during NASCAR’s celebration of the Navy’s 250th anniversary. The tribute, a special paint scheme commemorating the legacy of the 41st president, builds on Texas A&M’s season-long associate sponsorship of the No. 41 Chevrolet Camaro. The race is Sunday, June 21 at 1 p.m. Pacific Time / 3 p.m. Central Time on Prime Video. The venue, Naval Base Coronado, presents a unique opportunity to highlight Bush’s connection to Texas A&M and how his legacy of character, courage, leadership and selfless service is continuing to shape the university and inspire Aggies to stand as a force for good.

Howdy, University MarComm Community,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Marketing and Communications Summit! We appreciate the time and discussion during the event. We appreciate the work all of you do to help us tell the story of Texas A&M University. As we now enter the second year of our brand platform, we hope you feel prepared and ready to align each of your areas with the brand identity and positioning. Together, we will continue to build and strengthen the brand through our consistency and unified voice.

MarComm Summit Assets and Resources

We’re excited to share the assets and resources highlighted throughout the event, including materials connected to the brand platform, 150th planning, content strategy alignment and additional tools to support your team’s marketing and communications work. These resources are intended to help campus communicators continue building brand alignment and applying summit takeaways in their day-to-day work.

MarComm Summit Attendee Survey

If you attended the 2026 MarComm Summit, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to complete our summit attendee survey and share feedback on your attendee experience, programming, logistics and ideas for future summits. Your input will help us better understand what was most useful and guide planning for next year’s event.

Take the MarComm Summit Survey

New Campus Aerial and Brand Visual Media Assets

Over the last year, we have been adding to our library of photos that we share with the university community. Linked below, you will find hundreds of new photos and melt reels for all of our brand photography and video styles on campus. This also includes new aerial photos of the main campus taken last month! Thank you to the teams that make these photos and videos!

Texas A&M Photo Library

Texas A&M Brand Video

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.

View the 150th Celebration Campaign Content

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.

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.

We will take a break in July and resume regular meetings in August. Be on the lookout for an RSVP form in the upcoming weeks.

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

Internal communications covers a wide array of responsibilities and expectations among our faculty, staff, students and even external affiliates, and we are here to help! Join us on Wednesday, June 17, from 10 to 11 a.m. as we rotate to our next key topic and offer flexibility in the second half hour to troubleshoot, answer questions and identify ways to support your needs.

This month, we will explore how the Texas A&M mobile app serves as a versatile communication platform for delivering personalized messages to subscribers. By leveraging opt-in channels, communicators gain greater messaging versatility, allowing users to choose which communications they receive.

Join the June 17 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.

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.