After settling in, A&M AD Ross Bjork focused on making connections

Key notes from Ross Bjork interview

• Settling into College Station went great. It feels like home now. We were able to move right in this July and get our feet underneath us. It was a great move, and the A&M community has been excellent. Today is Day 143 on the job.
   
• I was surprised by the size of the university. There are so many people, former students, and supporters. College Station is an hour and a half away from the fourth largest city. Even though it's big, it's still about relationships and making an impact on students. You can't have that at every place. It's really cool and solidifies why A&M is special.
   
• You have to bring in revenue, no matter how great the program already is. It has to be about the personal relationships we can build. I've been impressed with the personal connections. I try to go to all events and be visible and interact, whether it is walking the upper deck or just going up to people. Those are the connections we have to make.
   
• Competition is good, and here, we have a lot to be thankful for. The 12th Man Foundation is the best fundraising organization in college sports and looked at as a model. Our staff is trying to reach out to more Former Students. We want to BTHOlsu by getting more donors this week. I donated yesterday. The message is ‘give what you can’ because it all adds up and makes our student-athletes and our athletics program better. I wonder if Scott Woodward gave some yesterday. It's fun to have a competition.
   
• To participate in the competition with the Tiger Athletic Foundation, CLICK HERE.
   
• We give because fans expect us to perform at the highest level, and to do that, we have to give student-athletes resources. Athletics aren't the most important thing on campus, but it is the most visible.
   
• It's a good thing playing three number one teams. There's no tougher environment in the SEC than Baton Rouge. They have the visiting team’s buses pull in to the worst tailgate spot. It's fun, though, at a loud place for a night game. It's a great opportunity to take the team into a hostile environment.
   
• We heard Ed Orgeron say they're gunning for us. Jimbo will have the guys ready and focused. They're showing progress and continue to build the right way. LSU is our number one rival, just because it's the closest SEC location, the last game of the year, and for the battle for recruits.
   
• I sit with Jimbo once a week, and we talk big picture and also about small issues. We look at officiating and sending messages the right way, especially after this week’s game. I see why he was hired. I see building blocks put in place.
   
• I'm in favor of more schedule variety within the SEC, but we have to wait for the current cycle to play out. There are plans for a home and home with Arkansas after 2024. I've had a dialogue with the Arkansas AD, and we want that game on campus. That opens a possibility for eight home games, so we're mapping that out after 2025 and beyond.
   
• Reed Arena is a University facility and campus venue, so it needs university conversation, but we have ideas. That conversation will have multiple parties involved. 
   
• Beer at Kyle Field showed no noticeable increase in arrests or incidents; it was a good experience for most fans. 40% of fans polled said they bought beer, indicating that it's pretty balanced. It generated over $1.3 million, so revenue-wise, it did well.