Leading with Trust: How Dylan Murray Connects with Aggies

Dylan Murray ’16 fondly dubs his first introduction of Texas A&M as the “world’s worst tour.” His older brother, also a former student, took him around while sharing campus facts that Murray would later discover were almost all wrong. Nonetheless, his brother’s excitement for Texas A&M shined through, convincing Murray that he wanted to become an Aggie, too.

Murray arrived at Texas A&M to pursue his bachelor’s degree in English with the dream of becoming a high school teacher — in his words — like Robin Williams in “Dead Poets Society.” However, these plans changed when he was serving as a counselor for Fish Camp and met his camp’s namesake, Erin Williamson.

An advisor in MSC Programs, Williamson introduced Murray to how staff support students in finding belonging and purpose in their student organizations. After that two-hour conversation, Murray walked away knowing he also wanted to work with college students to help develop their passions in ways outside the classroom.

A Decade-Long Student Affairs Journey

In 2017, Murray got his start in student affairs as an administrative coordinator in the Department of Student Activities to support the director’s office. The next year, he started his master’s degree in student affairs administration in higher education (SAAHE) at Texas A&M, which gave him additional knowledge on how to work with students. From there, he moved to a more student-facing role in 2019 to the Campus Engagement & Traditions office, advising leaders in the Student Government Association (SGA).

“I remember calling my best friend at the time and telling her that I was going to be meeting with students for 15 hours that week, and I could barely control the smile on my face because I was so excited,” he recalled.

During his first year working with the SGA, Murray was blown away by how student leaders were willing to stand up for their peers. To him, this was selfless service in action as student government representatives advocated for every student, even if they themselves weren’t directly impacted by an issue. He was impressed to see how student leaders were always energized to ensure all Aggies were heard.

He continued to grow in the office, where he eventually became assistant director and advised students who organize Texas A&M traditions, including Aggie Muster. He explained how eye-opening it was to see current and former students come together for the common purpose to remember their fellow Aggies.

“Working with the Aggie Muster Committee taught me a lot about what it truly means to be an Aggie. It also taught me more as a human being on how I can support my friends and how I can process grief within my own life,” he said.

After eight years of working directly with students, Murray felt ready to scale his impact by supporting student development from a more administrative role. In June 2025, he began as an associate director in MSC Programs to holistically manage the department’s operations across staff development, HR, marketing, risk management, assessment and former student engagement.

“What I love about being a part of MSC Programs is that I’m able to help support incredible staff who develop large-scale programs with their students,” Murray said. “Programs, including the SCONA Conference, MSC Lost and Found Sale and the Howdywood Film Festival are all events that reach and impact students from across campus.”

To support the department’s diverse programming, Murray often wears different hats. One day, he’s planning a staff training session and the next, he’s attending a social hour for former students in Austin. Through it all, what remains the same is his dedication and effort to pitch in and help his colleagues.

Mentorship Forged in Trust

In addition to the Aggie Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect and Selfless Service, Murray emphasizes an additional value that has guided his career.

“If there’s one more value that I live by in addition to the Core Values, it’s trust,” he said. “One of the first things I said to every student I advised was that ‘Everyone, including myself, needs to work on earning your trust.’”

For Murray, trust is foundational to building meaningful partnerships with students that celebrate the wins and allows for honesty when times get tough. This golden standard applied to everyone he advised, regardless of their role within their respective organizations.

By developing mutual trust and being consistent in providing the programmatic context, Murray mentioned how he was able to leave space so that students could clearly communicate their needs. From there, he would do his best so that students could go out to achieve and grow in the ways they envisioned for themselves.

With one look around Murray’s office, it’s easy to notice the results of that trust-building. Letters, pictures and wedding invitations decorate his office from students who continue to keep in touch.

“Getting a chance to be with students through their highs and lows and being a part of their journey at Texas A&M, and in their life overall, is incredibly fulfilling and exactly what I wanted to do.”

Get to know Dylan Murray

You were in different student advising roles during your time in Student Activities. What was your motivation that informed your approach with students?

First and foremost, the most important thing was to connect with students and just learn from them. From day one, I told my students, “I’m obviously here to give you advice, but I’m also here to learn from you because I don’t have your unique experience and your viewpoint on what Texas A&M students need.” Based on that, every meeting was an opportunity to learn from students what they needed.

By being open, I was able to have moments where students could sit down with me for vulnerable conversations because they trusted me. And I would like to be clear that trust doesn’t always come with being that person’s friend. Of course, it comes with kind intent, but that doesn’t mean only having positive interactions. It’s navigating the hard conversations, too, which comes from a place of established trust.

You’re coming up on a year in MSC Programs. What is something new that you have discovered being a part of the department?

One thing I have come to absolutely love about MSC Programs is seeing the advisors work intentionally with students to put on programming that supports the Texas A&M campus as a whole. While I don’t directly work with student leaders anymore, the role has brought a new appreciation for MSC Programs advisors and the hard work they put in every day to make fantastic programs succeed for large audiences.

Do you have a standout MSC Programs memory?

Recently, I staffed the Stark Northeast trip. From the beginning, it was memorable because we were stuck in the Dallas airport from 7 a.m. on Saturday for almost 25 hours. We had to pivot like crazy, scribbling on a piece of paper overnight to make alternative plans. One support staff member was in Omaha, and I was in New Orleans — the students had no idea this was going on. In the end, we were all able to make it to the first reception the next day, and the trip went back on schedule.

In terms of the trip itself, we took 22 students to New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Boston so they could meet former students and explore cities they’d never experienced before. The best part of the trip was talking to the students while on the Metro or Amtrak and hearing their reflections about the trip. Their faces would light up and some of them were already looking for apartments in Boston when they had never considered that as an option before visiting. This goes back to the mission of J. Wayne Stark himself, who had wanted to expand students’ horizons by providing opportunities for travel outside of Texas.

Is there a passion you have outside of work that your coworkers may not know about?

I’m on a journey to check off and visit all the national parks! Right now, I’m at 11 out of 63. My friend group has bought in, and they’re really excited about this as well. This fall, I’ll be traveling to Washington state to knock off the parks there from my list.