October 6, 2025 Marketing and Communications Update
Our shared mission to be a force for good is what unites and anchors us. We are here to tell the story of a university that is not just the best in the world, but the best for it — a story of character, service and real-world impact...
Howdy,
Our shared mission to be a force for good is what unites and anchors us. We are here to tell the story of a university that is not just the best in the world, but the best for it — a story of character, service and real-world impact.
This responsibility calls for an uncommon commitment. Let us be fueled by an unwavering belief in what’s possible and embrace action as our posture. With the clarity our brand provides, we move with purpose, knowing that our collective work creates boundless hope and endless solutions for the people of Texas, the nation and beyond.
Our greatest strength is in our community. By standing together, we will continue to build a meaningful legacy and demonstrate what it truly means to be a force for good.
New Hires
New Members to the Central MarComm Team
Please join us in welcoming two new Assistant Vice Presidents to the Central MarComm Team.
Michelle Berry, Assistant Vice President of Brand and Marketing Operations, brings decades of experience leading brand strategy, partnerships, campaigns and audience growth at ESPN, having launched and managed the marketing for the SEC Network and the ACC Network, in addition to marketing experiences with College GameDay and NFL Films, among many others. She has built and led high-performing teams in complex organizations, developing bold campaigns and integrated marketing programs that drive measurable results. At Texas A&M University, she will oversee brand partnerships, paid media, advertising and marketing analytics, ensuring we deliver coordinated, high-impact marketing that advances our strategic priorities.
Kristen Gunn, Assistant Vice President of Content and Creative, is a proven creative leader with an unmatched ability to bring ideas to life across mediums — film, photography, design and more. Her teams describe her as a mentor, a motivator and a maker who blends logic and creativity to produce work that connects deeply with audiences. She has built production teams from scratch, transformed brands and delivered national-caliber creative for complex clients. Kristen will lead our creative engine, ensuring everything we create is distinctively and unmistakably Texas A&M.
With Kristen driving our creative excellence and Michelle powering our brand and marketing operations efforts, we’re putting two proven leaders at the heart of our engine and completing our Executive Team. With their peers and all of you, they’ll help us dream bigger, move faster and deliver work that makes Texas A&M impossible to ignore.
Important Updates
Adobe Creative Cloud
Texas A&M is updating its licensing model for Adobe Creative Cloud. Technology Services is managing this transition on behalf of the university.
To ensure a smooth transition, the university’s current Adobe contract has been extended through Nov. 4. After this date, the following changes will be implemented:
- Adobe Creative Cloud: Licenses for the full Creative Cloud suite will be assigned to individual employees based on needs determined by each college and division.
- Continued Universitywide Access: There will be no change in access for Adobe Acrobat Pro, Adobe Acrobat Sign and Adobe Express. These applications will remain available to all employees. Additionally, Adobe Express, an all-in-one design app, will soon be made available to all students.
What You Need to Know:
- College and division leaders are currently finalizing the lists of employees who will be assigned an Adobe Creative Cloud license after Nov. 4. You will be notified directly by your unit if your access is scheduled to continue.
- As a preventative measure, we strongly encourage you to back up your Adobe Creative Cloud storage as soon as possible, even though we do not anticipate any access issues. Instructions for this process are available in the Knowledge Base article on backing up Creative Cloud storage.
If you require assistance or have questions, please contact your unit’s IT support team or reach out to the Adobe team at adobe@tamu.edu.
University Commercial
The new Texas A&M commercial has officially made its debut, premiering nationally during the Notre Dame game and making its Aggieland debut at the Auburn game and Midnight Yell. We are thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response from internal leaders and external audiences alike, who have met it with strong engagement and enthusiastic feedback across all platforms.
To help you amplify this powerful story, we have created a comprehensive content package. This toolkit provides the resources and tools you need — including b-roll, sample social media copy and sharing tips — to share the university commercial on your own channels and with your audiences.
Thank you for your partnership and support as we continue to share the Texas A&M story with the world.
The Wall Street Journal Best College Rankings
Rankings are a powerful tool for shaping perception, and our latest results from The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse provide a critical platform to share the Texas A&M story with the world. Achieving the No. 1 ranking for a public university in Texas, No. 1 in the SEC and No. 12 nationally gives us a credible, third-party proof point that resonates deeply with prospective students, families, employers and policymakers.
We strategically highlight the WSJ rankings because their focus on student outcomes, career preparation and return on investment directly validates our brand promise. It allows us to cut through the noise and communicate our impact with clarity and confidence. For audiences weighing their options, these rankings translate our mission into a tangible measure of value, showing that a Texas A&M education leads to successful careers and meaningful lives.
This recognition, combined with our rise to the No. 2 most visible public university in the nation, amplifies our voice on a national stage. It empowers us to reach new audiences and reinforce a narrative centered on access, excellence and preparing graduates to be a force for good. Ultimately, these rankings are not just accolades; they are assets that help us prove why Texas A&M is one of the best universities for the world.
A comprehensive content package will be coming soon, but in the meantime, please check out the rankings templates for how you can use these for your channels.
Aggie UX
New Icons and Other Updates in Aggie UX
As part of our continuing efforts to improve Aggie UX, we are introducing design enhancements this fall! These design enhancements will bring in some new design elements from the recent Texas A&M brand updates and ensure consistency across components. Highlights include:
A custom icon set (featuring Aggie icons like Revellie and a 12th Man towel)
New background options for internal pages
A “linework” divider component with maroon dotted styling
While we do not expect these changes to have any negative impacts to live or development sites, we will make this change during fall break (Oct. 13-14) in order to minimize potential disruptions.
To receive updates about Aggie UX, please subscribe to our #aggie-ux Slack channel and email list.
Community Resources Available To You
Design Counsel
Design Counsel is a collaborative space for Texas A&M’s visual storytellers to connect, share ideas and shape the future of creativity and collaboration across the university. Each meeting explores a different topic — ranging from the Brand Platform to events, activations, trademarks and licensing. Join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 15.
If you have questions, please contact Melissa Loudermilk at mloudermilk@tamu.edu or via Slack or Teams.
Know someone who should receive this? Share the sign-up link with a colleague.
RSVP for Design Counsel Meeting
Aggie UX Open Office Hours
The Division of Marketing and Communications Web team hosts virtual office hours every Thursday from 10-11 a.m. This is a great opportunity to get support with Aggie UX, AUX Cascade theme or any other web-related questions. Drop in for help, guidance or a quick chat about anything related to web or Aggie UX design system tools.
When: Thursdays, 10-11 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting | Meeting ID: 995 7531 4621| Passcode: 646167
We look forward to seeing you there! Other practical advice for creating web content, applying best practices and using the Aggie UX design system is available on the MarComm site. Be sure to sign up for Aggie UX-specific communications by joining the Aggie UX email list.
Research Communicators Network
The Divisions of Research and Marketing and Communications co-host 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.
Stay Connected
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