Message from the Dean: Spring 2013

Welcome to the New Home of Liberal Arts

The new College of Liberal Arts Building is a significant milestone in the history of this college and The University of Texas at Austin. It marks the beginning of a new era in teaching, research and service made possible by the generous support of our donors—alumni and friends who believe in the mission of liberal arts to transform lives and advance human civilization.

Many new buildings today are described as innovative, but this building truly stands out as a model for cost-effective planning and design in the 21st century. We are the first college on campus to fund a building of its own; because we have such a large stake in this building, our skillful staff have worked hard to keep costs down, design flexible spaces for changing needs, maximize energy efficiencies and ensure long-term environmental sustainability. This space will be vital in our ongoing efforts to attract and recruit the highest-quality faculty and students.

None of this would have been possible without the vision, encouragement and generosity of our donors. It is their support that made it possible for our talented building team to think differently about spaces for teaching and research, to create environments specifically designed to facilitate collaboration and innovation among faculty and students.

Now more than 10,000 liberal arts students finally have a place to call home. With its central location and proximity to the Student Activity Center, Gregory Plaza, the East Mall and Waller Creek, our building serves as a new and prominent campus crossroads. Every student at this university will take a liberal arts course sometime during his or her college career. Even those not enrolled in a liberal arts class will likely use one of our state- of-the-art classrooms, or traverse the hallways en route to other campus destinations.

It is fitting that this building invites traffic from all corners of campus and encourages mingling of faculty, students, staff and visitors in an atmosphere of both serendipity and purpose. Many thanks to our community of alumni and friends for helping us make this dream a reality, and for helping us create this new marketplace of ideas that will inspire generations to come.

Best wishes,