 "Photo: Jordan Bryan")
"Were we to become a Top 10 university and lose that spirit, those traditions, our culture, we would be nothing more than another giant education factory. A big brain with no heart. Hell, we might as well be in Austin."
That quote was questionably attributed to former Texas A&M President Robert Gates, and resonates with Aggies, encapsulating the University's pride and zeal in its tradition into modernity. There is plenty to be said about maintaining the uniqueness of A&M (you'll never hear me say cultural heterogeneity is bad), but we do have to tread lighter than ever in understanding exactly what we mean when we say tradition, spirit and culture.
A&M is replete with a unique culture and attitude, so much so that the above quote, even without direct citation, could easily be attributed to any member of the Aggie family. Not only does Aggieland value tradition but values that value of tradition. It isn't news that tradition occupies the place generally reserved for progress at other universities. It's what makes A&M so different.
Where we have to be careful is assuming tradition and 21st century progress are opposed to each other. A glance at those Top 10 universities would quickly demonstrate how shortsighted that assumption can be. Far from being polarized in one direction or another, many of this nation's oldest universities are easily on par with A&M in the tradition department. School pride, unique events, involved alumni and sports pride are, sadly, not unique innovations of A&M. Still, they are an integral part of A&M's tradition, as well as the tradition of other top universities.
The point is that a Top 10 attitude can, and should, easily coexist with our traditions. A&M is increasingly shedding its provincial image and beginning to demonstrate itself as a center for scholarship and intellect, which will undoubtedly seem to compromise the foundational principles and values of A&M. As our excellence in science, arts and business increases we will see a shift in public misconceptions of A&M, fortified by our increasingly knowledgeable faculty and research focus. We're steadily gaining the potential to be a national force in academia but will our attitudes facilitate or retard it?
What does Aggie tradition really mean? Is it the school pride that ties the University together or is it the conservative values that seem to pervade the campus? The first can coexist with Texas A&M's rising star status while the latter will find itself at odds with A&M's duty to constantly push the boundaries of thought. Muster, Silver Taps and the Corps can all coexist with tradition as long as we define tradition with a clear head. How we do that is going to determine how A&M is going to handle the future.
In the coming decades we'll find ourselves deeper into the vanguard of science, a place where our definition of tradition will really be tested and we'll be confronted with controversial opportunities.
For example, will A&M's participation in stem cell research be an affront to its tradition? If you define A&M's tradition as wholly steeped in conservatism then yes, we'll have to forsake our brain just to be a big heart. Will we let misconceptions of the theory of evolution get in the way of how we teach biology? Luckily the integrity of science is still strong at A&M, but growing reactionary views can bring even science dangerously close to conservatism's guillotine.
Instead, we should see University tradition as what it is: a bond that brings its students together and not a detrimental adherence to antediluvian views. In our efforts to retain our spirit, traditions and culture we shouldn't be afraid of the excellence that accompanies a devotion to progress because we can readily see instances that have refused to live without all of them.
We don't have to give up our unique view to become the best university that we can be as long as our views and traditions aren't synonymous with conservativism and growing anti-intellectual values. In such case we may very well be better off, as first and foremost a university, becoming that giant education factory, with more brain than heart. Hopefully we, like tradition-laden universities before us, will be able to find that sweet spot and ultimately find ourselves with big brain and heart.
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