Former Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Jeb Bush at the GOP debate in Greenville, South Carolina on Feb. 13, 2016.
Former Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Jeb Bush at the GOP debate in Greenville, South Carolina on Feb. 13, 2016. CBSN screenshot

*Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout.

Jeb Bush is a University of Texas at Austin graduate, but he chose family ties over school loyalty when choosing a school in his home state to teach at this winter.

The former Florida governor and presidential candidate is coming to Texas A&M University to teach a short course at A&Mโ€™s school of public affairs, which is named after his father, former President George H.W. Bush.

In a Facebook video announcing the move, he said he couldnโ€™t help but flash the โ€œhook โ€˜em, Hornsโ€ sign and proclaim his loyalty to his alma mater.

โ€œBut you know whatโ€™s more important to me? That I am the son of the greatest man alive, George H.W. Bush, the founder of the Bush School for Public Service,โ€ he said.

The course will be 10 days long, and will be taught in January before the spring semester. Its focus will be on “the role of gubernatorial leadership and its impact on government at all levels,” according to the university. Sixty-five students have already signed up.

The Bush Schoolโ€™s dean, Mark Welsh, said in a statement that he is proud to be bringing the governorโ€™s insight and experience to the school.

โ€œGovernor Bush is a dedicated and accomplished public servant who will provide our students โ€” future leaders in public life โ€” with a vivid perspective of the challenges facing state officials,โ€ Welsh said. โ€œWe are very pleased to offer a course of this nature and look forward to Governor Bushโ€™s arrival on campus.”

Welsh said the course will draw on Bush’s personal experience, as well as research on state government. It will be co-taught by a full-time Bush school professor,ย Blease Graham.

George H.W. Bush’s presidential library is also located on the A&M campus. The elder Bush has been a regular presence on campus since the library was dedicated in 1997.ย 

Read more:

  • Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a native Texan, suspended his presidential campaign after a disappointing finish behind the top three contenders in the GOP South Carolina primary.
  • As Jeb Bush geared up for a presidential run, longtime friends and colleagues said the native Texan always had the aura of political potential hanging over him.

Disclosure: Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewedย here.

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Matthew Watkins began serving as editor in chief of the Tribune in September 2024. He is a Texas native, born in Houston and raised in Austin. He attended Texas A&M University and has spent his entire...