Liberal Arts alumnus Wes Anderson (Philosophy ’90) won a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in January and also received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director for “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014). The whimsical and complex comedy earned a total of nine Academy Award nominations and took home four […]
Little Words Can Mean A Lot
The smallest, most forgettable words in admissions essays — such as the, a, to, I and they — can tell us in advance how students will perform in college, according to a new study at UT Austin that included computerized text analysis of 50,000 admissions essays written by prospective college students. How a student uses small words, the study revealed, is related […]
Charles White Collection
Charles W. White (1918-1979) is one of America’s most recognized African American and social realist artists of the 20th century. White worked in a figurative style, championing social justice by portraying the heroism of common people. He produced paintings on canvas, but he is best known for his monumental drawings and printmaking. He mentored numerous artists, […]
2015 Pro Bene Meritis Winners Announced
The College of Liberal Arts is proud to announce the 2015 Pro Bene Meritis Award recipients. Peggy Beckham, Austin Gleeson and President Bill Powers were chosen for their outstanding service to the college. Peggy Beckham is an alumna of the Plan II Honors Program. A lifelong member of the Liberal Arts Advisory Council, she has […]
Regents Honor Outstanding Teaching
Four liberal arts professors received the 2014 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards. They were among the 27 faculty award winners of the UT System Board of Regents’ highest teaching honor, which recognizes extraordinary educators from system institutions. The awards program is one of the nation’s largest monetary teaching recognition programs in higher education, honoring outstanding performance in the […]
NYT Magazine Covers Yeager Research
A May 2014 New York Times Magazine cover story, “Who Gets to Graduate?” examined UT Austin’s efforts to increase student success and graduation and prominently featured the work of David Yeager, a UT assistant professor of psychology who is emerging as one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of education. Yeager’s research and […]
Food for Thought
Government Professor Bartholomew “Bat” Sparrow first got the idea to teach a class about food from his wife, who had worked at Whole Foods for eight years. The result was an undergraduate course—“The Politics of Food in America”—that uses food as a lens through which to view the entire U.S. political system. “The idea was […]
For Women, Job Authority Adds to Depression Symptoms
Job authority increases symptoms of depression among women, but decreases them among men, according to a new study from University of Texas at Austin sociologist Tetyana Pudrovska. “Women with job authority — the ability to hire, fire and influence pay — have significantly more symptoms of depression than women without this power,” said Pudrovska, the […]
Books: Fall 2014
Fall 2014 titles from our college community.
UT Anthropologist Helps Team Unlock Ancient Mammal Mystery
A UT anthropologist and a team of international researchers have announced the discovery of a new, relatively massive fossil mammal that lived among the dinosaurs more than 66 million years ago. Chris Kirk, associate professor of anthropology and an expert in the evolution of primate sensory systems, said Stony Brook University paleontologist David Krause led […]
Bar-Adon Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award
The Council for Hebrew Language and Culture in North America honored Professor Aaron Bar-Adon with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its second annual conference on Nov. 3, 2014, in Newark, New Jersey. Bar-Adon, a professor emeritus at The University of Texas at Austin, was recognized for his invaluable contribution to the study, advancement and dissemination […]
Explore UT’s Caddo Collection
Many Texans know the Caddo Tribe gave the state its name—Tejas is the Spanish spelling of the Caddo word taysha, which means friend or ally. But did you know that The University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Archeological Research Lab (TARL) safeguards one of the most extensive Caddo collections in the world? “The records and collections of […]
Pillow Wins Presidential Early Career Award
Jonathan Pillow was one of three faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin selected to receive the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. Pillow develops mathematical models to study how […]
No More Keeping Up with the Joneses
It has long been assumed that many low- and middle-income Americans over-borrow so they can keep up with wealthier Americans—or “keeping up with the Joneses.” This condition is often blamed for the large rise in household debt that occurred during the 2000s, but a UT Austin economist’s research tells a different story. The study examines […]
Q&A with Beth Mooney
Banking on Liberal Arts Beth Mooney, History ’77, is the chairman and CEO of KeyCorp, making her the first female chief of a top 20 U.S. bank. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, she oversees more than 15,000 employees and $91 billion in assets. She has been named one of the most powerful women in banking by […]
Can You Leave High School Behind?
The quality of a student’s high school is a key predictor of grades earned in college, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Austin. The study examines the relationship between high school quality and student success at college and takes advantage of the unique policy environment provided by Texas’s Top Ten […]
Q&A with Christina Melton Crain
Reducing Recidivism Christina Melton Crain, Government ’88, is president and CEO of DOORS, a reentry advocacy nonprofit based in Dallas that focuses on reducing recidivism (repeat offending). She is the only woman ever to have served as the chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Crain has practiced law for more than 20 years, […]
Walk Like a Texan
Pictured is a child’s sandal from a West Texas dry shelter site, likely 2,500-3,000 years old, that is housed in the collections at the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (TARL). TARL is a nationally recognized archeological research facility and the largest archeological repository in the state. As part of the College of Liberal Arts, its mission is […]
Archiving the Central American Revolutions
The 2014 Lozano Long Conference in February focused on the “revolutionary decades” in Central America (1970 through 1990), bringing together scholars from the United States and Central America. Several speakers and panelists offered first-hand perspectives on revolutions in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. One objective of the conference was the acquisition of documentary materials—personal papers, […]
Books: Spring 2014
Spring 2014 titles from our college community.
Plan II, Philosophy Alumnus nominated for Academy Award
Zachary Heinzerling, Plan II and Philosophy ’06, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary for his film Cutie and the Boxer. It debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where he earned the Best Director Award (U.S. Documentary). The film follows the complicated relationship of husband and wife artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara. Heinzerling […]
$4.3m NSF Grant Supports Amazon Biodiversity Study
A $4.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) will help a UT Austin professor investigate how geology, biology and climate interact in shaping species distribution and biodiversity in Amazon/Andean forests. Edgardo Latrubesse, a professor in the Department of Geography and the Environment, will partner on the grant with a team of scientists from […]
2014 Pro Bene Meritis Award Recipients
The College of Liberal Arts is proud to announce the 2014 Pro Bene Meritis Award recipients. Robert Henry Dedman, Jr., James Garrison and Judith Perkins were chosen for their outstanding service to the college. Robert Henry Dedman, Jr. is president and CEO of DFI Management, Ltd. and General Partner of Putterboy, Ltd. He is a […]
What Jane Saw
The What Jane Saw prelaunch party, held May 9, constructed a 3-D walkthrough of the 1813 Sir Joshua Reynolds exhibit visited by Jane Austen. The What Jane Saw site has since attracted nearly 75,000 visitors.
Books: 2013
2013 titles from our college community.