Dive Brief:
- Texas Gov. Rick Perry has declined a proposal to name a Texas A&M University building after him.
- The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents canceled a meeting that had been scheduled for Thursday to vote on the proposal, which would have changed the iconic Academic Building’s name to the Governor Rick Perry ’72 Building.
- A petition against the renaming proposal was signed by “thousands” of students, and the university’s student newspaper printed an editorial against the idea, the Texas Tribune reported.
Dive Insight:
The Tribune article includes two interesting photos of Perry from his college days. The Academic Building, 100 years old this year, was formerly the university’s library. Now it houses office space for sociology and modern languages departments. Before the meeting was canceled, the regents board was also scheduled to vote on a resolution praising the governor for his "outstanding dedication and service."