Texas A&M President R. Bowen tackles Twitter

Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin knows he's "liked." Now, he wants to be "followed."

Already a social media giant in Aggieland, Loftin -- who long ago hit his 5,000 Facebook friend limit -- unrolled his Twitter account to the masses this week.

This realm has no limit on followers. Lady Gaga has more than 19 million, after all. Though there's a 140-character message limit. (Perhaps 133 characters after "Howdy!" and a blank space).

"I've been at my [Facebook friend] limit for quite some time, so that's been a challenge," Loftin said.

After including a note about his new Twitter account in a mass email to campus Wednesday, he had some 1,500 followers by Friday.

Other higher education chiefs also use social media. University of Houston President Renu Khator has fired off some 1,200 tweets -- what Twitter messages are called -- and has 5,300 followers. University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers started a Facebook page in May, mostly using it to direct friends to his blog, "Tower Talk."

But while some simply adapt to social media, Loftin has embraced it with Gig 'em thumbs extended. "It gives me direct interaction with students. I can chat with them," he said.

During spring break last year, Texas A&M chemistry major Brennon Sessions decided he'd Facebook message Loftin. He wasn't expecting a reply, but got one instantly, which led to a lengthy online conversation, "a good 25 to 30 messages each way," Sessions said.

He snapped a screen shot of the discussion to commemorate the "kind of weird" but "really cool" experience.

"He was just doing Facebook like a college student would," Sessions said.

Later, when a student group Sessions was part of, Freshmen Aggies Spreading Traditions, needed a speaker for a meeting, he messaged his Facebook buddy, Loftin, who agreed. The talk provided insight about Loftin's embrace of social media.

"He said his favorite part about being president is his ability to interact with the students," Sessions said. "That's what separates him from a lot of presidents of other universities."

Loftin also has a Facebook "fan page," which has nearly 14,000 fans. "We think it's the largest fan page for a university president," said Texas A&M spokesman Jason Cook.

Loftin said he saw the importance of Facebook to students when he arrived to College Station as interim president in 2009. But his friend pool surged amid talk of athletics conference alignment in the summer of 2010. Even now, many student Facebook queries are football related.

One typical posting this month was from Timothy Pepper, a senior agronomy major who asked at 8:40 p.m., "Where we stand on the renovation plans for Kyle Field?"

Loftin -- an early sleeper and early riser -- responded at 6:13 a.m. the next day: "Timothy, we are reviewing a wide array of options. We view this, like our decision to join the SEC, as a 100-year decision, and it is important to take the time needed to get the best outcome possible."

An answer, yes, but at around 200 characters, he'll have to tighten his messaging for Twitter.

To follow Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin on Twitter: @aggieprez