Texas A&M University gave former Vice President Mike Pence a $150,000 “honorarium” to speak at a Civil Discourse Symposium sponsored by the Bush School of Government and Public Service.
TAMU also spent almost $30,000 on planes for the former Vice President.
Records were obtained from Texas A&M via an open records request after a university spokesperson declined to provide the costs.
Local media reported in January that Bush School Dean John Sherman told the Board of Regents in January that they intended to spend between $400,000 and $800,000 on the event. A large portion of those expenses were to compensate the former vice president and to pay for his travel.
“Speaker’s fees are not cheap,” Sherman told the board.
While the records indicate that press reports for Pence’s compensation were accurate, total costs for the event appear to fall short of the $400,000 figure.
Other large expense categories for the event include $42,406 for the rental of Rudder Theater Complex, approximately $13,000 in catering expenses, and $9,000 for “rally towels.”
Records did not indicate the funding source for this event.
Texas A&M University did not respond to a request for comment, including a request for clarification about the funding source for this event, prior to publication.
Texas A&M University is a component of the Texas A&M University System. The Texas A&M System is overseen by a Board of Regents appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Robert Albritton of Fort Worth is the current board chairman.
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