Since Dr. John Koldus, III was named the first Vice President of the Division for Student Services in 1973, the Division of Student Affairs has provided opportunities for students to learn life lessons that can’t be taught in the classroom.  

Throughout the last 50 years, the division has experienced a lot of growth and change to keep up with the student body it serves. Since 1973, the division has changed its name, added new departments, recognized 1,300 student organizations and seen Texas A&M’s enrollment grow to over 75,000 students.  

The division’s success and the support it has offered to students since its inception would not be possible without the individuals dedicated to student success. 

Forging Memories

As the former voice of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band and Senior Associate Director of Bands, Col. Jay Brewer ‘81 spent 40 years with the Division of Student Affairs. In his role, he saw firsthand how extracurricular activities impact students.  

When recounting his favorite memories from his time at Texas A&M, Brewer never mentioned a classroom lecture or a final exam grade. Instead, he fondly remembers the sounds and feelings of his favorite tradition – Silver Taps.  

“Aggieland at night is a very different place,” he said. 

When Brewer passes Academic Plaza, he can still recall how he felt on those nights as a student. “I remember feeling those birds flutter at that first volley of the rifles,” he recounted. “I remember feeling my heart race at the last and then hearing silver taps in complete silence.” 

Brewer urges every current and prospective student to get involved in things beyond the classroom or the lab – and that’s what the Division of Student Affairs is all about. “When you graduate, making straight A's is not going to carry you near as far as being a leader in whatever you're involved in.” 

Brewer believes the learning experiences that the Division of Student Affairs provides ultimately brings Aggies together. Student organizations and traditions give every Aggie an opportunity to find a place where they belong. 

“Texas Aggies are about all for one, one for all,” he said. “No matter how rich or poor or whatever – it doesn’t matter. What matters is we're in this thing together to build each other up.” 

Building Community

Evelyn Dorsey is on her way to 51 years on staff at Texas A&M. Dorsey moved to Bryan-College Station in 1972 and started her Texas A&M career at the bookstore, which was then called the Exchange store. After 19 years, she started working with the Department of Recreational Sports and she has been there ever since.  

In Dorsey’s time with the Division of Student Affairs, she has managed to build a community around her and helped countless students feel at home. Dorsey has made a habit of inviting 10 to 15 students to potluck Sunday at her church to make sure they get a good home cooked meal. As a result of these connections, Dorsey estimates that she has attended at least 70 weddings of former students.  

She even recalls one couple who got married thanks to her. “They said their first date was when they went to church with me,” she said.   

Dorsey said her students have helped her just as much as she has helped them. “It's like we're family,” she said. “I’ve gone through some tragedies in my life, and they’ve always been there for me.” 

Over the past 50 years, Dorsey has watched as the division and the resources it provides to her community grow. “With student affairs there’s a resource for any type of problem students are having,” she said.  

Having those resources to point her students to has allowed her to serve them well and brought them even closer. Throughout her career, Dorsey has been able to impact generations of Aggies. 

“There's so many students I still keep in contact with,” Dorsey said. “I have students that worked with me and now their kids work with me.” 

Instilling the Core Values

Former Dean of Student Life and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Anne Reber, spent 30 years serving the Division of Student Affairs. Whether it was working with Disability Resources or Student Life, she witnessed firsthand how the division instills the Aggie core values in the students it reaches. “Once an Aggie always an Aggie,” she said. “Once you embrace those core values, they stay with you the rest of your life.” 

Reber also reflected on how the division has managed to change and adapt over the last 50 years, all  while maintaining the traditions that make campus unique. “We have traditions that have not changed over the years, but the division has, and it had to because our students changed over the years with each generation of Aggies.” 

Seeing students grow through the opportunities and resources the division offers is where Reber’s favorite Texas A&M memories come from. She specifically remembers a student she worked with that lost his hearing during college and, after he graduated, was able to regain it thanks to cochlear implants. He and Reber stayed in touch and a few years later the two reunited and he thanked her for all she had done for him.  

“It wasn't about making an impact on that young man's life,” she said. “I just wanted to help him succeed. I didn't even realize how much I helped him until he came back and told me.” 

Reber thinks the reason the division has been so successful over the past 50 years is because everyone involved has one common goal – student success.  

Looking Forward

Current Vice President for Student Affairs BG Joe E. Ramirez, Jr. '79, USA (Ret.) has seen the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M through a variety of different lenses. First as a student, then as the 45^th commandant of the Corps of Cadets and now as the sixth vice president for student affairs.

As the division looks forward to the next half century, Ramirez says that being agile and willing to adapt to the ever-changing student body will remain imperative. “Our young people are changing virtually every single year,” he said. “We have to anticipate what our students are going to want and need to get that holistic educational experience we all want for them.”

The Division of Student Affairs has always and will always play a key role in the education students receive at Texas A&M. When Ramirez looks back on his time as a student, he recalls fondly lessons learned as a member of the Fighting Texas Aggie Band, MSC Town Hall, MSC OPAS and Fish Camp. Those experiences, alongside what he learned in the classroom, helped prepare him for the role he is in today.

As for as the here and now, Ramirez wants to keep the division focused on what its goal has always been — the students. “I tell my staff every day to never lose sight of our mission,” he said. “And our mission is our students. We are their voice.”