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College of Liberal Arts

Investing in the Future

December 16, 2020 by Tori Miller

Jason Lamin, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, shares what he values in this moment and where he finds inspiration.

Animated illustration of a book and cityscape within a snow globe with letters falling like snow.

Shake Up Your Winter Reading

December 11, 2020 by Michelle Bryant

Winter 2020-21 books from our college community.

Stuart Stedman at Faith Ranch.

Stepping into the Wild

December 10, 2020 by Tori Miller

Stuart Stedman, a 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipient, uses his liberal arts education to gain perspective.

Mary and Randy Diehl with Yellowstone Park in background.

Teaching, Learning and Living

November 30, 2020 by Alex Reshanov

Randy and Mary Diehl, 2020 Pro Bene Meritis award recipients, share a dedication for championing education and a joy for lifelong learning.

Randy Diehl greets Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Rebekah Rodriguez and her family at a luncheon on May 15, 2014.

The Real Diehl: A Dean Reflects on His Mission

April 15, 2019 by David Ochsner

Randy Diehl is a morning person. Rising at 4 a.m., he writes a few emails catches up on his reading and takes a brisk walk before heading to campus to lead a college with 22 academic departments, three branches of the ROTC and more than 500 faculty members. Despite long days and a demanding schedule, […]

Portrait of Bianna Golodryga.

Getting it Right

April 2, 2019 by Caroline Murray

The Pro Bene Meritis award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts. Since 1984, the annual award has been given to alumni, faculty members and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic pursuits or have participated in service related to the college. […]

Dean Ann Huff Stevens sitting at a table.

Meet Ann Huff Stevens: Our Next College of Liberal Arts Dean

January 30, 2019 by David Ochsner

Ann Huff Stevens will begin as dean of the College of Liberal Arts on July 15, 2019. Stevens comes from the University of California, Davis, and is a Texas native with roots in Corpus Christi. She is a professor of economics who has served in a variety of leadership roles, including chair of the Department […]

A street in Baltimore, MD

America’s Ongoing Housing Crisis: Q&A with “Owned” Film Maker Giorgio Angelini

December 6, 2018 by Rachel White

Fifty years after the passing of the Fair Housing Act, people across the United States continue to face an uphill battle to homeownership. “Owned, a Tale of Two Americas,” directed by University of Texas at Austin history alumnus Giorgio Angelini attempts to get at the root of the U.S. housing crisis, which erupted in an […]

Glenn Towery

Beyond the Battlefield: The war rages on, but this time it’s personal

November 9, 2018 by Rachel White

The Thorazine haze was beginning to fade when Glenn Towery was discharged from Oakland Naval Hospital. For the last however-many days he had felt listless, “like a non-human being,” making him forget why he was even there in the first place. Before that, he occupied a hospital cot in the Philippines, next to an injured […]

Joan Neuberger

Joan Neuberger: A Pioneer in Digital History

October 23, 2018 by Rachel White

One of the most fundamental tasks for any university is to foster research that creates an impact beyond its campus. For historians, much of that work takes place in the growing fields of public and digital history. These scholars use innovative digital tools to make historical research relevant and accessible to a broader community. Now, […]

U.S. soldier practices donning his gas mask during a field exercise.

The Untold Stories of Modern Warriors

November 11, 2016 by Rachel White

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.   – Thucydides  Oftentimes, we are met with spectacular images of war, depicting valiance and vilifying enemies; but these stories, some say, lack an honest narrative. While soldiers […]

Portrait of Judy Perkins.

Judy Perkins on Finding Joy in Life and Learning

December 9, 2014 by Alicia Dietrich

The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic […]

Portrait of Robert Dedman Jr.

Creating Your Own Noble Purpose

December 9, 2014 by Alicia Dietrich

The Pro Bene Meritis Award is the highest honor bestowed by the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin. First granted in 1984, it is given each spring to alumni, faculty and friends of the college who are committed to the liberal arts, have made outstanding contributions in professional or philanthropic […]

The Palace of Culture and Science, Poland's tallest building, was 10 blocks from Cantu's Warsaw office.

What I Did Last Summer

December 4, 2014 by Emily Nielsen

Famed Polish Economist Invites UT Student to Think Tank In November 2013, famed Polish economist Leszek Balcerowicz spoke on the UT Austin campus as part of International Education Week, which celebrates the enriching benefits of international education and exchange. Those “enriching benefits” were not lost on one audience member, economics senior Hector Cantu from Monterrey, […]

Edmund Gordon with students in front of Tower

Gordon Receives Presidential Citation

December 4, 2014 by David Ochsner

Edmund T. Gordon, chair of the African and African Diaspora Studies Department (AADS) in the College of Liberal Arts, was recognized on April 17 with a Presidential Citation from UT Austin President Bill Powers. As one of the university’s highest honors, this prestigious award was established to recognize the extraordinary contributions of individuals who personify […]

Domino Perez and Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernandez

New Department Focuses on Latino, Mexican American Experience

December 4, 2014 by David Ochsner

Building Upon a 44-Year History of Mexican American Studies at UT A new academic department that takes a comprehensive look at the lives, cultures and histories of Mexican American and Latino populations has been established at The University of Texas at Austin. The Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies (MALS) will ultimately offer undergraduate […]

A simple drawing of the Austin skyline. A large doctor's stethoscope looms in front of the skyline bracketing the words, "Keeping A Pulse on Population Health."

Keeping A Pulse On Population Health

November 21, 2014 by Sarah Muthler

A few years ago, a Plan II Honors student in Marc Musick’s sociology lecture came to him with a question. Musick had been talking about the shortage of doctors in rural and inner city areas. The student had grown up in the Rio Grande Valley and hoped to go on to medical school. Why, he […]

A stylized illustration of a woman in a car driving off of an unfinished highway. A single orange cone stands in her way.

The Road to Gender Equity: Still Under Construction

November 21, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

Christine Williams has heard her share of conflicting arguments about gender equality in the sociology course she’s taught for more than two decades at The University of Texas at Austin. But there is always one question that gives her pause: “Women have achieved equality, so why is feminism relevant?” “I’m always taken aback when students […]

Dean Randy Diehl shaking hands with student

Championing Student Success

November 20, 2014 by Randy Diehl

We hear a lot these days about the challenges facing college students, from loan debt to an uncertain job market. The College of Liberal Arts has consistently taken the lead in creating innovative solutions for these and other challenges, and our efforts are paying off. The university has sought our college’s leadership on a number of student success initiatives. In 2011 we led […]

graduating students holding up hook em horns

COLA Commencement, May 2014

May 14, 2014 by Emily Nielsen

The College of Liberal Arts hosts nine commencement ceremonies. Students are encouraged to attend the ceremony applicable to their major. The Liberal Arts Joint Ceremony is intended for those majors not represented by a department ceremony. Students with more than one major may choose to attend multiple ceremonies or attend one ceremony and have all […]

Photos of Adrian Audain (anthro sr), Macarena Jaraiz (American studies & IRG soph), Manjari Subramanian (psych jr); BOTTOM ROW: Michael Villanueva (IRG soph), Angelica Cruz (history soph) and James Barrington (gov & Air Force ROTC sr).

Millennial Nation

April 24, 2014 by Emily Nielsen

A Generational Look at Education, Money and Work Empathetic. Impatient. Innovative. Unfocused. Rational. Naive. Excited. These are the words millennials in the College of Liberal Arts use when they’re asked to describe themselves. However, it’s a question they’re not often asked. Plenty of people, from journalists to researchers to employers, are looking to define who […]

Professor Jonathan Pillow.

Pillow Wins Presidential Early Career Award

April 21, 2014 by Michelle Bryant

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 […]

Crimean World Heritage site, Chersonesos.

Ancient City on the Brink

April 19, 2014 by David Ochsner

Can a Crimean World Heritage Site Survive the Region’s Latest Political Unrest? Last June Professor Joseph Carter had reason to celebrate. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had named the ancient city of Chersonesos—a place where he had dedicated more than two decades of his career—a World Heritage Site. It’s not easy […]

Illustration of school children in search of a letter "A" on the horizon.

Making the Grade

April 17, 2014 by Jessica Sinn

Strategies for Improving Education in America Few dispute the value of education, but discussions about how our nation should improve it are becoming more intense and polarized. Of all the competing arguments—more technology, smaller classrooms, improved teacher training, universal pre-kindergarten—most people would agree that America’s education system needs to improve, and soon. According to recent […]

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). Photo: Marsha Miller.

Walk Like a Texan

April 16, 2014 by Michelle Bryant

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 […]

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