In the spring of 1999, the President's Advisory Committee on Black Issues met to discuss Texas A&M and its African-American constituency. The meeting was an annual dialogue that took place with President William Mobley of Texas A&M University. As a result of these informal conversations the need for a more formal organization arose, as a result in the summer of 1999, the BFSN was formed. One of our first objectives was to officially affiliate ourselves with Texas A&M University. We explored The Association of Former Students, but at the time it only recognized Classes and Regions. Paul Stafford, one of our founders was serving on the Board of The Association at the time. Through Paul's tireless efforts, Porter Garner (President of The Association), and several others, The Association amended its By-Laws to recognize "Constituent or Affinity Networks". The Texas A&M Black Former Network became the first chartered Constituent Network of The Association of Former Students in 2001.