The University of Texas at Austin community mourns the loss of former acting university president William S. Livingston, who died Aug. 15 at the age of 93. “Bill Livingston embodied all the best qualities of a university leader: erudition, eloquence, sweeping vision, warmth and good humor,” says President Bill Powers. “The University of Texas is […]
Riding High on Good Looks
Beauty impacts hiring, salaries and profits, economist finds The best looking people earn an extra $250,000, on average, during their careers than the least attractive people and are more likely to remain employed, get promoted and even secure loans, according to a new book by University of Texas at Austin economist Daniel Hamermesh. The most […]
Construction Begins on Liberal Arts Building
On Feb. 3, University of Texas Regent Steve Hicks and University of Texas at Austin President William Powers joined College of Liberal Arts faculty, students and alumni to ceremonially break ground on the new Liberal Arts Building on the East Mall. The building will be finished in late 2012 and will give the college a […]
A Gift to Honor a Life-Changing Education
Stuart Stedman repays “debt” to Plan II Stuart W. Stedman remembers that his grades weren’t all that great when he transferred from Claremont Men’s College in California into The University of Texas at Austin 25 years ago. But Donette Moss, the administrator of the Plan II Honors program, saw something special in him, he says, […]
Jewish Studies Center Meets $6 Million Challenge Grant
The Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies has matched a $6 million grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, ensuring the continued growth of Jewish studies at The University of Texas at Austin. Over the past five years, the center has emerged as a nexus for the study of Jewish thought, culture and history, with […]
Q&A: Premarital Sex in America
Sociologists explore changing sexual landscape among college students While young women’s educational and career opportunities have skyrocketed over the past two decades, their opportunities for stable, long-term relationships have declined, according to the new book “Premarital Sex in America: How Young Americans Meet, Mate and Think About Marrying,” by University of Texas at Austin sociologists […]
No Pain No Gain
Training professors to write grant proposals, win research dollars Like many young faculty members at The University of Texas at Austin, psychologist Paige Harden has big, cutting-edge research ideas. Also like many young faculty, Harden needs federal grants to get started. But she realizes that the average age of scholars who receive certain National Institutes […]
A Presidential Visit
Obama Touts Higher Education at Campus Appearance Flashing a “Hook ‘Em” hand sign and touting the importance of higher education, President Barack Obama spoke to hundreds of students, faculty and guests at Gregory Gymnasium on Aug. 9. The receptive — sometimes raucous — crowd included local and state officeholders, both Democrats and Republicans. Obama reminisced […]
Major Gift Makes Liberal Arts Building a Reality
University of Texas alumnus James Mulva supports ROTC programs More than four decades ago, The University of Texas at Austin and its Naval ROTC program gave James Mulva the education, discipline and support that would help shape his future. Today, he is giving back, helping to shape the future of the university, the College of […]
Government Department Turns 100
In the age of Obama, the Tea Party and global financial uncertainty, the Government Department is helping its students and the rest of the world make sense of the political changes under way. Celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the department has faculty members whose expertise ranges from Texas politics to political theory, from Latin […]
Plan II Graduates Can Do it All Over for 75th Anniversary
The Plan II experience will begin next March, as it has for 75 years, with a course in world literature. That will be followed by philosophy, then the junior seminar and senior thesis. Professors will include world-renowned historians H.W. Brands and David Oshinsky as well as such University of Texas icons as former Plan II […]
Population Research Center Draws from Many Fields
When it opened its doors in 1960, the Population Research Center (PRC) was the exclusive domain of sociologists. Who else, after all, was qualified to research demographics, migration issues and population trends? The answer, it turns out a half-century later, includes the likes of psychologists, economists, anthropologists, geographers and political scientists, all of whom are […]
Border Views
New video series taps university’s expertise on illegal immigration, border violence As Americans continue to debate immigration reform, border enforcement and Arizona’s recent legislation, College of Liberal Arts experts are helping to shape the discussion through a unique online video series. “Border Views,” which debuted this summer, showcases faculty members discussing such topics as the […]
A Veteran’s Dedication
Frank Denius’ commitment helps students understand World War II Each spring, Frank Denius meets with a group of about 20 University of Texas at Austin students who are about to leave for Europe as part of the Normandy Scholar Program. And each fall, Denius — the noted philanthropist, businessman and decorated World War II veteran — meets […]
A Space of Our Own is Closer to Reality
The College of Liberal Arts continues to make great strides in our efforts to construct a new Liberal Arts building on the East Mall. By taking advantage of low interest rates and construction costs, we’ve reduced the project’s cost from $100 million to $95 million. We hope to begin construction next year. The new building will contain […]
Tear Down the Wall
Students re-enact Berlin Wall destruction 20 years later Students from The University of Texas and other local schools came to the South Mall one evening last November carrying cardboard boxes that evoked the wall that once divided East and West Berlin. Like the eastern side of the wall, one side of each box was bare. […]
Texas Politics Project
By the numbers In the run-up to the March gubernatorial primary, the Texas Politics Project at The University of Texas at Austin released a poll that not only predicted decisive victories by Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Bill White, but also examined the voter sentiments that shaped those outcomes. Sponsored jointly by The Texas Tribune, […]
The Environmental Philosopher
Professor brings human values to conservation When Conservation International began working with one of Indonesia’s largest energy companies on an environmentally conscious development plan two years ago, the groups looked to a philosopher for guidance. Sahotra Sarkar, a professor at The University of Texas at Austin and leader in the study of environmental ethics, worked […]
A Major Step Forward
New department focuses on African experience A brand new academic department will focus on the experiences of African Americans, indigenous Africans and people of African descent around the world and, ultimately, will be the only Black Studies department in the South or Southwest that offers Ph.D.s. The Department of African and African Diaspora Studies was […]
Literature Electric
Celebrated poems of Milton, Whitman come alive for students through multimedia teaching tools Poetry is not meant to be read with the eyes alone, but also with the ears. As University of Texas at Austin English professor and Milton scholar John Rumrich explains, the true meaning of verse can’t be divined just by looking at […]
Studying the Brain, Understanding the Mind
Renowned neuroscientist heads up Texas’ brain imaging center More than 2,400 years ago, Socrates pondered the relationship between the human brain and the mind. He asked what role the brain might play not just in how we see, hear and smell, but in how we remember, understand and know. Today, scientists are finally beginning to […]
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas
Program fosters understanding of great books and concepts To understand the challenges we face as Americans and to use the extraordinary freedom and responsibility we have inherited, students must first understand the philosophy, literature, religion and science that shaped our society. That basic notion provides the foundation for the new Thomas Jefferson Center for the […]
Taking on the Space Crunch
New Liberal Arts building will bring together students and faculty When College of Liberal Arts senior Mykel Estes needs a place to hang out and study between classes, he often heads to the atrium in the Red McCombs School of Business. It’s not that Estes isn’t committed to the liberal arts or his school. The […]