We mean it when we say: The Texas Exes is the most powerful alumni network on the planet.
All over the world, Longhorns are living, working, and leading. They are making the change they want to see and driving innovation across every field.
At your alumni association, we are proud to connect 540,000 Longhorns and help them be a force for good. The following is an overview of the impact the Texas Exes has made over the past year. Even in hard times, our members and friends of the university came together to give back to the place that changed their lives forever and support students, faculty, staff, and alumni of The University of Texas at Austin in bold new ways.
And even though we’ve been at this now for more than 135 years … we like to think we’re just getting started. We've known it since the very beginning, and it's more true every year:
It wouldn’t be Texas without the Exes.
Chuck Harris
BBA ’86, Life Member
Executive Director
Membership powers the programs that strengthen UT, enhance the student experience, and keep alumni connected. Thank you everyone who answered the call by joining the Texas Exes this year or upgrading to Life Membership!
Chapters
Texas Exes chapters are located across the globe and serve the needs of more than 546,000 alumni. Each year, they provide scholarship support to hundreds of the best and brightest students from their local areas.
Networks
Texas Exes networks are made up of Longhorns who share a common bond. These volunteer-led groups create a way for alumni to connect around shared interests, UT experiences, or affiliations. Each year, they provide scholarship support to deserving students who share those same bonds.
Read: The Hispanic Alumni Network Is a Home-Away-From-Home for Texas Exes
In 1889 the Texas Exes awarded the university’s first scholarship of $100. Today, the association awards approximately $4 million annually to more than 700 students.
Class Rings
In 1996 the Texas Exes launched the official University of Texas Class Ring. More than a piece of jewelry, the ring is a physical reminder of a Longhorn’s time on campus, the hard work put into earning a degree, and the indelible impact UT has made on their life. To date more than 55,000 Longhorns have participated in the class ring tradition—making it one of the largest programs in the nation.
Read: Fifty Years Later, Longhorn Siblings Gift Their Mom a Class Ring
Tiles & Plaques
The Etter-Harbin Alumni Center is home on campus for alumni of The University of Texas at Austin. The surrounding tile and plaque pavilion is a picturesque, on-campus testament to the proud legacy of the university’s alumni. In 2020-21, more than 381 alumni and friends took part in the tradition.
In 1917, Governor Jim Ferguson vetoed the university’s appropriation fund, cutting off the very lifeline that funded the young university. The Texas Exes led the charge in opposing the governor and, as a result, Ferguson was impeached. Since then, the association has protected UT’s interests at the state and federal levels through the UT Advocates for Higher Education program. UT Advocates volunteers stay well-informed on higher education issues and work to make sure our alma mater is strongly represented with lawmakers and key decision-makers in Texas and Washington. Key events include Orange and Maroon Legislative Day and Longhorns on the Hill.
Since our founding in 1885, we’ve told the UT story. Today we continue to bring the most compelling news about alumni and the university to an even broader audience through the Alcalde magazine, video storytelling through Alcalde Docs, TexasExes.org, and our social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Camp Texas
Each spring and fall semester, the Texas Exes transforms the lives of incoming students through experiences like Camp Texas, fostering connections with other students, professors, administrators, and UT traditions. August 2020 and January 2021 were the first times Camp Texas was held virtually.
Flying Longhorns
Since 1961, more than 25,000 alumni and friends have traveled with the Flying Longhorns. Our renowned trips set the stage for participants to continue their education, reconnect with UT, deepen their relationship with Texas Exes, and make new like-minded friends. While the pandemic grounded most travel in 2020-21, six Flying Longhorns trips were taken, which made it our 60th consecutive year of travel.
Read: How Tour Directors Stayed Ahead When the Pandemic Threatened the Travel Industry
HookedIn
HookedIn is the official networking platform for UT Austin alumni and students. Texas Exes and Texas Career Engagement partnered with UT Austin colleges and schools to offer alumni, students, faculty, and staff this powerful online networking and career-boosting community. In just one year, the burnt-orange networking platform has grown to 16,745 users in 58 countries.
Read: UT’s 2021 Graduating Class Leaves a Campus that Became Almost Unrecognizable During the Pandemic
Donors
Every year thousands of Exes make an additional contribution beyond membership to the Texas Exes. Their gifts are put to good use and further our efforts to strengthen UT. Together we positively impact the university and its community.
Read: A New Scholarship for Black Students Aims to Help Longhorns in the Business World
Download: Scholarship Donors for the 2020-2021 Academic Year
Longhorn Business Network
To support alumni-run businesses, we launched a new suite of services under the umbrella of the Longhorn Business Network. From a Shop Longhorn business directory and networking events to savings from business service providers and a business membership, the Longhorn faithful can now shop and support one another.
Learn more: Connect with the Longhorn Business Network
More about Texas Exes leadership
Learn more
President and Chair
Patty Huffines
Executive Director
Chuck Harris
Immediate Past President
Robert A. Estrada
President-Elect
Courtney Jeans
Treasurer & Finance Chair
Lee Beckelman
Secretary
J. Coley Clark
Past President
Ricardo Hinojosa
Past President
Del Williams
Audit Committee Chair
Kathleen Farlow
Investments Committee Chair
Brien Smith
Chapters Representative
Christina Woodard
Scholarship Advisory Committee Chair
David Jones
UT Faculty Representative
Jay Bernhardt
UT Executive Officer
Sharon Wood
Directors
Lynn Davis
June Deadrick
Randy Erben
Frank Erwin III
Gay Gaddis
Cynthia Gonzalez
Brian Haley
Arleas Kea
Julie Kleberg
Amy Marcus
Alfie Meyerson
Eduardo Rodriguez
Nancy Seliger
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