Latest news with #Alberts


USA Today
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Texas A&M Announces LED lighting upgrade at Kyle Field ahead of football season
After years of discussion about adding new lights to Kyle Field, fans finally have an answer. On Thursday, Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts confirmed on the Studio 12 radio show that LED lights will be installed at Kyle Field, along with several other enhancements. With the evolving landscape of college athletics, Alberts emphasized the importance of making the game-day experience more innovative and exciting while preserving the rich traditions that make Aggieland unique. He recognizes the need for upgrades but wants to avoid turning the experience into a spectacle that distracts from the sport itself. 'Then, when you get all that kind of stuff done, you can have some fun with drone shows and you can do lots of different things and fireworks,' he said. 'I don't want to interrupt the football, because people come for football, but I think there are some other things we can integrate – whether it's after the game or between the third and fourth quarter – we can do different things. We're going to continue investing in the technology that brings the fan and game day experience to a level that stays at the leading front in college athletics.' Alberts confirmed that the LED lights will be introduced this year, in a way that aligns with the school's values: 'We're never going to move away from the traditions that make A&M, but how do we integrate new stuff, new experiences in a way that doesn't conflict with that, you know? So, you'll see LED lights this year.' While not everyone may be a fan of the move, it's great to see the University making efforts to turn the game day experience into a major event that can rival those of several other stadiums in the country. For full comments from the entire podcast, you can check it out here. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.


USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Where did Texas A&M finish in this year's Learfield Directors' Cup final standings?
As the final points were tallied up, Texas A&M athletics finished as one of the most highly-rated schools in the country in the 2024-2025 Learfield Directors' Cup standings. The Aggies finished the most recent athletics year in the top 25 for the 19th consecutive year, as Texas A&M earned a No. 15 finish. That mark places the programs in College Station as the No. 7 team in the Southeastern Conference and the sixth time in the last decade that the Aggies finished in the top 15 of the Learfield Directors' Cup. The competition originated in 1993 and was created to rank programs based on the athletic department's overall success competing during the athletic calendar year in national competition. Texas A&M's highest ranking in program history was in 2012-2013, in which the program ranked as No. 5 in the country and recorded 1131.50 points for its performances against other programs across the country. During the 2024-2025 athletics year, the Aggies secured an NCAA Championship in men's outdoor track and field, while also finishing top 20 in men's golf, men's swimming and diving, men's basketball and softball. Texas A&M's equestrian team also advanced to the semifinals of the NCEA Championship. Here are the full standings and results from this year's Learfield Directors' Cup: Following the announcement of Texas A&M's finish in this year's cup, athletic director Trev Alberts expressed his thoughts on where the Aggies' accomplishments and where its programs are headed in the future. "I firmly believe that the future is incredibly bright for Texas A&M as collegiate athletics continues to evolve," Alberts said. "We are dedicated to a culture that is focused on giving our programs all of the resources they need to compete for championships, and I am grateful that here at Texas A&M we are well-positioned moving forward to achieve that goal." The Learfield Directors' Cup was developed by USA TODAY and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). As a new calendar year is due up, starting with soccer and then football, the Aggies will look to secure its 20th season with a top 25 finish in the cup. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.


USA Today
24-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts breaks down NIL revenue Sharing after House Settlement
The House settlement judgment brought some clarity to NIL and revenue sharing, while simultaneously opening a brand-new can of worms that has led to several lawsuits in its wake. Still, it's a positive step toward establishing a more level playing field across the board. Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts took time to discuss the school's plans for navigating this new landscape in college sports. He sees opportunities to capitalize on revenue options to keep Texas A&M competitive within the Power Five conferences. One of the biggest questions: How did they decide which sports would be included in revenue sharing? "Part of that decision-making was in concert with our increase in scholarship, so we didn't look at the investments into individual sports, just from rev share. Some of the sports who didn't get rev share are obviously getting massive increases in scholarship investment...." "....we just try to look at what sports are we driving revenue in. We need to maintain the current revenue, and how do we accelerate and advance it? So difficult decisions and those can be adjusted and altered in the future, but that's how we chose to start can" Alberts also touched on how the university plans to modernize without losing the traditions that make Texas A&M one of the most unique programs in college sports. ".....I'm going to push hard on the modernization, I'm going to push hard on thinking differently, because I think if we don't, we won't have the business success that we need to ultimately fund the support of our programs to win." Even with the House settlement establishing a few guardrails, there's a long way to go. Alberts hopes federal lawmakers will step in to create clear, enforceable rules that everyone can follow—so schools can focus less on litigation and more on supporting student-athletes. "...we all got into this to help young people, and we've spent all of our time playing defense to lawsuits, and that needs to end. It's not in the best interest. College athletics is worth saving. It's really important to the fabric of America, we're better than this, and it's time for leaders to lead." College athletics is slowly emerging from the chaos of the NIL era with early signs of a more unified regulatory structure. But the road ahead is still long. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on X: @whosnextsports1.

Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Roof over people's heads': Proposed cuts to HUD funding could impact local public housing programs
Editor's note: Federal Fallout is a Tribune-Democrat news series addressing the potential local impact of funding cuts. JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – President Donald Trump's proposed broad and historic cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's discretionary funding could, if ultimately enacted, significantly transform the nation's public housing and Section 8 rental voucher programs that approximately 20% of Johnstown residents use. Trump, in his 'skinny' budget, recommended slashing HUD's funding by approximately $33 billion, including $26.7 billion for rental assistance programs, compared to this current fiscal year. For now, it is just an outline of a spending plan that, in its text, refers to the nation's 'dysfunctional rental assistance programs,' he said. 'The skinny budget and what I've seen, it isn't enough for us trying to make any kind of guess of what to expect,' JHA Executive Director Mike Alberts said. 'It's too early. There's been no good numbers coming out of the (U.S.) Senate and House (of Representatives) yet that would give us any kind of idea of where we might see cuts in specific programs. We just haven't seen anything to give us a good idea yet.' Alberts continued: 'Really, the only thing that's going to matter in the end is the budget that they pass that is in effect for Oct. 1, which is the federal government's beginning of fiscal year.' Federal Fallout logo Regardless of what budget changes may occur, Alberts said JHA's mission will continue to be helping people 'with the basic human need of housing.' 'With things being tougher than ever with the cost of living in general, affordable housing is absolutely needed, especially in Johnstown and Cambria County, where the poverty rates are traditionally so high,' Alberts said. 'It's important work, and we really rely on those federal dollars to keep the lights on and keep a safe roof over people's heads.' 'Where things stand' JHA operates 1,504 public housing units – with 1,400 being in the city proper – that are used to assist people in poverty or economically disadvantaged conditions, the elderly, and disabled. The dwellings are almost always filled to capacity. Johnstown Housing Authority | Prospect Homes Blueprints Johnstown Housing Authority executive director Mike Alberts with original blueprints for the Prospect Homes Housing Project. Photo taken at the Johnstown Housing Authority main office in the Cambria City section of Johnstown on Monday, May 8, 2023. Meanwhile, as of the end of May, the authority had 764 of its 960 Section 8 vouchers leased up, as part of the nation's rental assistance program. JHA has left vouchers unused due to funding uncertainties. For example, Alberts pointed out that JHA was told to expect $500,000 for the program in May, but only received $460,000 when the money showed up in its account. 'We've been extremely conservative with those vouchers because we don't know where the money is and what the value is, so we've been extremely conservative,' JHA Chairman Charles Arnone said. 'We probably won't be doing any more during the summer until we know where things stand.' In total, JHA has a total budget of just under $20.3 million for fiscal year 2025. The areas of spending are: • Public housing: $8,642,000 • Section 8 landlord payments: $5,675,903 • Section 8 administration fees: $722,233 • Capital Fund: $4,673,514 • Family self-sufficiency ('On The Rise') program: $72,840 • Choice Neighborhoods grant: $500,000. Alberts said the current situation is 'business as usual' with the next budget being 'a huge question mark.' Last year, JHA was awarded a Choice Neighborhood planning grant to develop an outline for stabilizing and improving Coopersdale Homes. The 30-month process is still ongoing. Alberts said the $500,000 grant is 'completely safe.' 'That (planning grant) money's already obligated to us and that's not in any danger of being taken away,' Alberts said. 'That's not all to us yet, since we have to kind of request it as we need it, but there's no danger of that going away.' 'More state control' The Republican president's plan would transform the funding system 'into a State-based formula grant which would allow States to design their own rental assistance programs based on their unique needs and preferences. 'The Budget would also newly institute a two-year cap on rental assistance for able bodied adults, and would ensure a majority of rental assistance funding through States would go to the elderly and disabled. 'A State-based formula program would also lead to significant terminations of Federal regulations.' 'With respect to cuts to housing, one thing that I would view as a positive is it would put more state control on some of these issues,' said state Senate Majority Whip Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township. 'I know when we exposed some of the issues within HUD in the past with the (Section 8 voucher) porting, with the wait list, with the influx of individuals from Philadelphia that could not get a voucher in that area but were coming here to Johnstown, our hands were kind of tied. 'There wasn't a lot we could do from a state perspective, as it fell on the federal government. So if that does in fact change and come back, it will give our state much more discretion in shaping that policy and ensuring that it is done appropriately, and we would be able to have an impact on a lot of those areas, specifically that porting issue and the loopholes that we exposed for residency requirements.' Langerholc said the situation is currently 'in flux.' 'It's a fluid situation,' Langerholc said. 'I know it's something that we're watching very closely at the state level, what the federal government is doing across the board as well.'


USA Today
30-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Texas A&M athletic director shocks with announcement about future of baseball program
Texas A&M athletic director shocks with announcement about future of baseball program After days of anticipation, Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts has seemingly made his decision regarding the future of the baseball program moving forward. According to The Eagle reporter Alex Miller, Alberts announced on Friday afternoon that head coach Michael Earley will remain with the team after missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021. The Aggies were also the first program in college baseball since 1991 to be ranked as the unanimous No. 1 team and not make postseason play. Here is the statement from Alberts on the state of the position and his discussions with Earley: Earley's first season at the helm was one that most Aggie fans hope to forget. Texas A&M went 30-26 (11-19 SEC) after being ranked as the best team in baseball before the season began. The only hope of the program reaching postseason play diminished after the Aggies fell to the LSU Tigers in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Following the NCAA Tournament Selection Show, and the inevitability of the Aggies missing the tournament was confirmed, the discussions of the program's direction were sparked immediately. Potential head coaches were tossed around on social media, as the fanbase felt that Alberts would move forward following what was a disappointing season, to say the least. However, it seems that Alberts and the Texas A&M baseball program are moving forward with Earley at the helm for the foreseeable future. The former hitting coach and assistant turned head coach looks to be getting an opportunity to rewrite the wrongs that occurred in 2025 and get Texas A&M back to the apex of college baseball. Will Earley turn things around in College Station? Only time will tell. If retaining Earley is truly the final decision, the surprising announcement from Alberts will certainly raise eyebrows if the program is not able to have success in 2026. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.