Liberal Arts Impact Report 2015-2016
From the Dean’s Desk Nine years ago we embarked on a strategic plan to build excellence in our college, only to be met head on by the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Fortunately our college is made up of people who are energized by challenge, who through their commitment, creativity, and sheer grit have made this college a better place. Indeed, we continue to attract top faculty and graduate students to our world-class programs in fields such as History, English, Philosophy, Anthropology, Economics, Government, Psychology and Sociology. Throughout our college we continue to bolster the success of our undergraduate students through our emphasis on experiential learning – organizational leadership, internships, community service and study abroad – and through award-winning academic and career counseling programs that keep our students on track to graduation and focused on successful careers in a variety of fields. Our leadership in these areas has led to dramatic improvements in graduation rates and in academic success both in our college and campuswide. The university and our students also benefit from our innovations in the classroom, from recorded lectures that allow more time for class-
room discussion to quality online classes that provide greater scheduling flexibility to students. We are also offering more flexibility in undergraduate degree programs, with new majors in Sustainability Studies and in Human Dimensions of Organizations. Along with our other innovative programs in Health & Society and International Relations & Global Studies, these new interdisciplinary degrees put the College of Liberal Arts at the forefront of cutting-edge curricula for today’s students. Students who wish to return to college to bolster their professional credentials are continuing their education through our master’s program in Economics and through degree programs and seminars offered by Human Dimensions of Organizations. This report is just a glimpse of the many advances we are making as a college that not only improve educational opportunities for students but also enhance the value of degrees held by more than 130,000 proud alumni.
Randy L. Diehl, Dean, College of Liberal Arts
Photo Credit: Liberal Arts ITS Studio
2016 Impact Report Dean Message
4-6 A Year in Review 7 Permanent University Fund 8 New Endowments This Year 9-11 Dean’s Circle and Quarter Century Donors 12 Plan II Endowment Michael Stoff 13 The Thomas Jefferson Center Alexandra Elizondo 14 Faculty Investment Initiative Stuart Tendler 15 British Academy Fellow Jonathan Dancy 16-17 The Institute of Mental Health Research Christopher Beevers 18 White House Internship Research Angie Acquatella 19 Latin American Studies Maria Fernandez 20-21 Study Abroad: Oxford Program April Herrera 22-23 Study Abroad Stats
Photo Credits for cover, contents page, and back cover: Casey Dunn
Table of Contents
A Year in Review 2015-2016
$14,694,573 TOTAL DOLLARS RECEIVED
5,251 GIFTS UNDER $250
5,063 UNRESTRICTED GIFTS
5,817 TOTAL GIFTS TO THE COLLEGE
$100* MEDIAN DONOR GIFT AMOUNT
1,049 FIRST-TIME DONORS
5,293 UNIQUE DONORS
6 NEW PLANNED GIFTS COMMITTED
$1,695,000 IN NEW PLANNED GIFTS COMMITTED
*This is the cumulative total of many individual gifts that allow the college to make a big impact.
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Dollars by Designation 6% 5% 1%
1%
UNRESTRICTED 5,063 GIFTS | $3,749,782 PROGRAMS & RESEARCH 336 GIFTS | $7,544,640 STUDENTS 299 GIFTS | $1,654,394
87%
BUILDINGS & EQUIPMENT 38 GIFTS | $1,137,143 FACULTY 81 GIFTS | $608,616
Gifts by Entity 8%
7%
28%
9%
INDIVIDUALS - ALUMNI 4,500 GIFTS | $4,074,105 FOUNDATIONS 130 GIFTS | $3,905,617 INDIVIDUALS - FRIENDS 793 GIFTS | $3,150,833 CORPORATIONS 311 GIFTS | $1,283,392
21%
OTHER 22 GIFTS | $1,230,795
27%
TRUSTS/TESTAMENTARY GIFTS 61 GIFTS | $1,049,831
LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 5
A Year in Review 2015-2016
10,087
45%
55%
Total Students
Male
Female
130,390 LIVING ALUMNI
8,849
UNDERGRADUATES
55%
OF STUDENTS RECEIVED SOME FORM OF FINANCIAL AID OR SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT
1,238 GRADUATES
526
LIBERAL ARTS FACULTY
TOP 10 MAJORS • Economics • Psychology • Government • English • International Relations & Global Studies 6 | LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
• History • Sociology • Anthropology • Plan II • Spanish
Permanent University Fund As recently as the 1980s, the state of Texas still contributed nearly half of the university’s budget. Today the state’s contribution is 12 percent. Part of UT’s funding structure is the Permanent University Fund or PUF. Contrary to popular belief, the PUF isn’t “extra” money; it’s part of the state’s higher-education funding structure. PUF assets include more than 2 million acres of oil- and mineral-producing land in West Texas. The revenue that the PUF generates annually does not go exclusively to UT, but is divided in the following manner: 67% to UT System and 33% to Texas A&M System. UT System is divided into 17 institutions. Of the portion that goes to UT System, $263 million is assigned to UT Austin – making up only 10% of the university’s budget – which is almost the same amount that private philanthropy provides. What this shows is that our donors are as vital to our university as the PUF. With an increase in state funding unlikely in the foreseeable future, revenues are expected to remain flat, if not decline further. By necessity, UT has made up the funding difference through increased tuition and fees and through the vigorous pursuit of research grants and philanthropic support. The university’s budget has grown substantially over the years to keep up with our changing world. The budget for 1984-85 was $503 million, or $1.15 billion in today’s dollars, versus $2.66 billion for 2014-15. Factors accounting for that growth, for us and for universities nationwide, include not only an increase in students being served as the population increases,
but also the ever-rising costs associated with:
• Attracting and retaining top faculty • Maintaining aging infrastructure while updating and modernizing the campus • Investing in new instruction and research technologies Our international ranking among top universities means that our students receive one of the best educations in the world. More importantly, the research done here – detailed within the pages of this report – really does change the world. UT works continuously to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve service, all in the most efficient ways possible. But it is an expensive undertaking to operate a top-tier flagship university, and there are limits to how lean the university can be administratively without affecting the quality of how we serve our students, our faculty, and the people of Texas. In addition, to our attempts to be good stewards of state and philanthropic support, the college has added two professional graduate programs, Human Dimensions of Organizations (HDO) and Economics, which generate additional revenue for the college. Any funding sources we pursue are in the service of our core academic mission of teaching and research and in the spirit of making UT the best public university in the nation.
Funding Funding Then Then and and Now Now
1984-1985 1984-1985 UTUT Austin Austin Budget: Budget: $503 $503 million million
2014-2015 2014-2015 UTUT Austin Austin Budget: Budget: $2.66 $2.66 billion billion GiftsGifts and and 8%8% Endowments Endowments
33% 33%
Source: UT Austin
Research Research grants grants and other and other areasareas
47% 47%
21% 21%
StateState general general revenue revenue
3%3%
AUF AUF 12% 12%
GiftsGifts and and endowments endowments
5%5%
Tuition Tuition and fees and fees
Research Research grantsgrants and other and other areas areas
11%11%
22% 22% Tuition Tuition
12%12% and fees and fees Misc.Misc. State State general general revenue revenue
16%16%
Self- Self10% 10% AUF AUF supporting supporting
*Self-supporting includes budgeted income and revenue from sources including Intercollegiate Athletics, Housing & Food, Parking & Transportation, The Erwin Center, Texas Performing Arts, and KUT Radio
New Endowments This Year 2015-2016
Professorship Stuart W. Stedman Professorship in Plan II Mathematics
Endowed Presidential Scholarships and Fellowships Lillian and Winfred Berry Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Religious Studies
Graduate Fellowship Truitt Family Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
Eugene F. Savoie and Jodi M. Batten-Savoie Endowment in the Human Dimensions of Organization Program Germanic Studies Excellence Endowment Jo Anne Martin Christian Excellence Fund in English Julian Suez Excellence Endowment in Chinese Studies Lester Faigley Excellence Fund Lt. General Herman O. Thomson, USAF (Ret) Excellence Fund in Religious Studies Richard P. Meier, Ph.D. and Madeline C. Sutherland-Meier, Ph.D. Endowed Excellence Fund in Linguistics Ruth L. Suzman Liberal Arts Honors Endowment
Scholarships
The Bell Family Excellence Fund in Liberal Arts
Dr. Rebecca Graham Boldt Memorial Scholarship in Economics
Thomas Jefferson Center Excellence Fund
Lois Clement White AFROTC Scholarship
Vanguri Foundation of America Program Endowment in Telugu Studies
Martin Dies, Jr. Naval ROTC Leadership and Scholarship Award Max and Sylvia Miller Scholarship Fund Solange Boutin Plangman Endowed Scholarship for French Study Abroad
Program Support Alan Tully Excellence Fund in History Creative Writing Prize in Liberal Arts Honors Dr. Hector and Mrs. Ann Morales Fund
At A Glance • 180 Total faculty endowments • 269 Total student endowments • 158 Total program endowments *Endowments listed as fiscal year 2015-16
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Dean’s Circle Donors The Dean’s Circle is a group of donors who provide critical support that allows the college to seize opportunities as it strives toward its goal of excellence in Liberal Arts. All members will be invited to an annual Dean’s Circle event each fall. In addition, members are recognized on the Liberal Arts website and will receive periodic updates from the Dean. All giving, to any area of the College, is counted toward Dean’s Circle membership.
Gold Level Donors Mr. and Mrs. Todd S. Aaron
Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Tricoli
Ms. Joan M. Barrett
Mr. and Mrs. Bruce E. Truitt
Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Beecherl
Bill and Katie Weaver Charitable Trust
Mr. and Mrs. Gil J. Besing
The Gil and Dody Weaver Foundation
The Bezos Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Craig L. Weiss
Mr. Frank W. Denius and the Cain Foundation
Ms. Marilyn A. White
Dr. Guy N. Cameron
Mrs. Marilyn M. White
Mr. Gary T. Crum and the CFP Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Wombwell
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen S. Coats Mr. Robert K. Conklin Mr. and Mrs. Harlan R. Crow Mr. and Mrs. John D. Curtis
Silver Level Donors
Mr. Robert H. Dedman and the Dedman Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. G. Robert Beckham
Mr. Martin W. Dies III
Charles Butt
Embrey Family Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Larry D. Carver
Dr. Nora England and the Nora England Institute
Mrs. Helen E. Cogburn and the Cogburn Family Foundation
Mr. Lee Fikes and the Leland Fikes Foundation
Mr. John L. Crawley
Dr. and Mrs. Wilson S. Geisler III
Dr. Carolyn H. Denham and Mr. Robert E. Denham
Dr. Austin M. Gleeson
Dr. and Mrs. Richard L. Harper
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Graham
Judye and John Hartman
Charles Koch Foundation
Dr. Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez and Ms. Jennifer B. Poppe
Mr. John Douglas Arnold and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Mr. Michael Kass
Ms. Virginia Lebermann and the Lebermann Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. N. John Lancaster, Jr.
Elizabeth Crook and Marc Lewis Foundation
Joan D. Lewis, Ph.D.
Mr. J. Mark Metts
Drs. David and Jane Malin
The Milisci Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen J. Malkin
Dr. and Mrs. Max K. Miller
Ms. G. Jeanette McWilliams
The William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation
Mrs. Althea E. Osborn
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Mulva
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Pierce
Once Upon a Time…
Mr. and Mrs. George E. Ramsey III
The Pearlman Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William A. Reynolds
Dr. and Mrs. James W. Pennebaker
Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D.
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Aziz Shaibani
The Honorable Philip A. Rhodes, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. David P. Smith, Sr.
Rowling Foundation
Mrs. Marian M. Smith
Drs. Dina M. and Joel F. Sherzer
Mrs. Helen C. Spear
The Thomas W. Smith Foundation
Dale and Mendi West
The Stedman West Foundation
The Honorable Martha J. Wong
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart W. Stedman
Drs. Alba A. Ortiz and James R. Yates
Mr. Julian C. Suez
LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 9
Dr. John S. Alexander
Mr. Paul DeCleva, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Altman
Ms. Marion W. DeFord and the Ronald K. DeFord Foundation
Ms. Lissa B. Anderson
James R. Dougherty Jr. Foundation Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Appleman
Ms. Linda Shead and Dr. Tommy C. Douglas
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Arrington
Mr. and Mrs. David G. Drumm
Dr. Anne A. Baade
Mrs. Mary J. Dyess
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Bayliss
Professor James D. Earnest
Mr. and Mrs. G. Robert Beckham
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Egan
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Binder
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen T. Elder
Mr. and Mrs. Jack S. Blanton, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. James F. Engelking
Mrs. Lorena M. Blaylock and Mr. Monte Blaylock
Dr. and Mrs. Edmund L. Erde
Emily D. Blazer, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred B. Evans, Jr.
Janet K. Boles, Ph.D.
Mrs. Betty Hall Evans
Ms. Roxanne Jenkins Boyd
Dr. and Mrs. Sam B. Fason
The Honorable William W. Bradley and Dr. Betty Sue Flowers
Mr. John D. Fischer
Dr. William R. Braisted
Mrs. Sarah M. Franklin
John T. Brewer, Ph.D.
Ms. Eugenia D. Fritz
Mr. Gustave H. Breymann
Mrs. Rebecca S. Gale and the Gale Foundation
Ms. Helen M. Burge
Mr. and Mrs. Raul D. Garcia
Lt. Colonel Nelda R. Cade
Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gilmer III
Dr. Jonizo C. Cain-Calloway and Mr. Randall L. Calloway
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Gist, Jr.
Mrs. Elinor H. Caldwell
Ms. Carolyn S. Glidewell
Mr. Randall L. Calloway
Dr. and Mrs. Alfred S. Goodman
Ms. Bronwyn J. Campbell
William S. Gordon, Ph.D.
Mr. Paul D. Carrington
Allen Greenstein, Ph.D.
Mr. Jimmy L. Chapman
Ms. L. Ann Griffith
Mrs. Judy D. Coker
Margaret Griffiths, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. John A. Cole
Mr. and Mrs. Richard R. Hannigan
Mr. and Mrs. Alex Crumbley
Ms. Mary Dell Harrington and Mr. Melvin J. Berning, Jr.
Joan & Keys A. Curry Foundation
Dr. Richard H. Hart and Dr. Mary M. Buzan
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Dahlberg
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher L. Hartwell
10 | LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
Photo credit: Courtesy of UT Austin
Quarter Century Donors
Dr. Gregory L. Hemphill and Mrs. Brenda B. Hemphill
Mrs. Lala A. Niemeyer
Mrs. Margaret G. Henry
Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Paslay
Dr. Frederick G. Hensey
Mr. and Mrs. Joe P. Pater
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Hepner
Dr. James T. Peach and Dr. Kathleen Brook
Mr. and Mrs. Donald L. Hersh
Lieutenant Colonel Anne T. Peck
Dr. Forest G. Hill
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh C. Pendery
Mr. and Mrs. Jim G. Hilsabeck and the Hilsabeck Foundation
Ms. Marion C. Peters and Mr. Jonathan Mersel
Mrs. Barbara Snyder Nelson Hinds and Mr. Benjamin L. Hinds
Mr. and Mrs. Elton R. Prewitt
Ms. Suzy Dittrich and Mr. William L. Hoffman
Mrs. Doris F. Pryzant
Mr. and Mrs. Paul H. Hollenbeck
Mr. James E. Radford
Mrs. Sandra S. Hoover
Mr. and Mrs. James S. Ramsey, Jr.
Mr. Julian V. Horwitz
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
Kathleen A. Houlihan, Ph.D.
The Honorable Philip A. Rhodes, Jr.
The Honorable and Mrs. Harry L. Hudspeth
Mrs. Carol S. Richey
Admiral and Mrs. B. R. Inman and the Inman Foundation
Mrs. Joyce C. Robinson
Mr. and Mrs. Rex Jobe
Mr. Scot M. Rogerson
Drs. Elva A. and Royce K. Keilers
Mr. and Mrs. Steven J. Rosenbaum
Ms. Barbara J. Kennedy-Dalder
The Honorable James M. Rush
Mr. and Mrs. David R. Kennington
Dr. John J. Ruszkiewicz
Ms. Carla S. Underhill and Dr. Paul A. Kens
Dr. and Mrs. William F. Sanford, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Donald G. Kewman
Commander and Mrs. John R. L. Scarborough
Mr. and Mrs. Barron U. Kidd
Dr. Christopher B. Schulze
Drs. Karen R. and Robert D. King
Mrs. Jane S. Shanks
Ms. Sally S. Kleberg
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin L. Shaw
Dr. and Mrs. Michael F. Koehl
Ms. Linda R. Shead
Rodger J. Koppa
Drs. Dina M. and Joel F. Sherzer
Mr. and Mrs. Frank S. Kuhn
Mr. Phillip Simon
James E. Lanier, O.D.
Dr. Audrey N. Slate
Edwin M. Lansford, Jr., Ph.D. and Ingrid G. Lansford, Ph.D.
The Honorable Bea A. Smith
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Lapeyre, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. David P. Smith, Sr.
Drs. Victoria V. and John V. Lavigne
Dr. and Mrs. David W. Snyder
John S. Lawrence, Ph.D.
Mrs. Sandra E. Snyder
Dr. and Mrs. James N. Loehlin
Mr. Marc A. Soto
Dr. and Mrs. John C. Loehlin
Estate of James F.M. Stephens Jr.
Mr. Reynaldo A. Maldonado
Estate of Dee Ann Story Ph.d.
Drs. Marion T. and Hans M. Mark
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest N. Stromberger
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marmion
Mr. Bruce C. Taylor
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Marvin
Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Temple
Mr. and Mrs. Brian A. Matusek
Dr. and Mrs. Peter K. Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick O. Mayberry
Peyton and Carolyn Townsend
Mr. James W. McBride
Jonathan H. Truex, M.D.
Mr. and Mrs. William L. McCalister, Jr.
Joel Tsevat, M.D.
Dr. and Mrs. Charles L. McClenon
Mr. Joseph D. Urey and Mrs. Cathy L. Urey
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. McConchie, Jr.
Ms. Carol A. Valcik
Mrs. Catherine W. McKie
Mrs. Karen S. Waddell and Mr. John Waddell
Mr. John B. McLane, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard M. Wagman
Dr. and Mrs. S. Dale McLemore
Mr. and Mrs. W. David Walter
Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Meade
Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt Waltmon, Sr.
Mrs. Julia K. Mellenbruch
Mr. J. Thomas Ward
Ms. Margaret Howard Melton
Ms. Mary Crouter and Mr. David Weiser
Drs. Christie Jo Little and Bruce A. Meyer
Mrs. Sophie T. Wetzel and Mr. Henry Wetzel
Mr. Vernon H. Meyer
Dr. and Mrs. J. S. Wilkenfeld
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Mims
Dr. M. Wright Williams and Dr. Michelle M. Byron
Mr. and Mrs. Rex W. Mixon, Jr.
Mr. James F. Wood
Ms. Carolyn Montgomery
Dr. and Mrs. Paul B. Woodruff
Mr. Keith L. Morgan
Mrs. Eleanor Custis Wright
Ms. Barbara M. Myers
Mrs. Pamela F. Young
Mr. and Mrs. Dan L. Nicewander
Mrs. Pauline G. Zoeller
Plan II Endowment
Michael Stoff, Plan II Honors Director
12 | LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
$100,000 (which can be paid over five years). The next goal is to raise a Professorship in Plan II English. This generous gift provides a unique opportunity for Plan II alumni: to partner with the Pattons to secure the future of Plan II by endowing the core. Alumni have already come forward to create five professorships, thanks to the original matching program established by Plan II Professor, Dr. Austin Gleeson. Those endowments are: Stuart W. Stedman Prof in Plan II Math, Elizabeth B. Gleeson Prof in Plan II Physics, Lisa and David Genecov Family Prof in Plan II Biology, Lisa and David Genecov Family Prof in Plan II Social Sciences, and the Leslie Dyess Blanton Prof in Plan II Humanities. BY MICHAEL STOFF, PLAN II HONORS DIRECTOR “For more than 80 years, the Department of English has provided foundational courses for the Plan II Honors Program. Its professors have become legendary, winning more Plan II teaching awards than any other department. We are grateful for their generous and wholly voluntary contributions to our line-up of all-star professors. To my mind, there is no better way to express our gratitude and ensure the future of our core curriculum than to create a Plan II Professorship in English.” Michael Stoff
Photo credit: Brian Birzer
Every Plan II graduate remembers the professors who changed their lives - and maybe even frightened them a bit: Betty Sue Flowers, Paul Woodruff, Charles Rossman, Alan Friedman, Jorie Woods, Jerry Bump, Larry Carver, and the list goes on. Plan II professors challenge, enlighten, and mentor their students and embody all that is good and true about higher learning. Plan II continues to inspire people, long after they leave the program, epitomizing founding Dean H.T. Parlin’s vision of creating an education that is not just for a living but for a life. This is especially true for Bobby Patton of Fort Worth, who believes the liberal arts taught him “how to learn and how to keep on learning.” Plan II formed the foundation for Bobby, before he decided to finish his college career with a Finance degree. However, Plan II remained the pinnacle of his experience at the University: “These days all of the focus is on learning a vocation,” he says. He remembers his Plan II classes and professors fondly, as they had the biggest impact on his world-view. His and his mother’s experience in the Plan II Program inspired Bobby to contribute the largest gift in the College’s history--$20M, which will be used to create the Sherri and Bobby Patton Challenge Campaign, a fund which will match all gifts to the College over
The Thomas Jefferson Center
Photo credit: Courtesy of Alexandra Elizondo
Alexandra Elizondo, Liberal Arts Honors In white letters against a burnt orange background are Socrates’ words: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” These words have followed me these past two years at the University, not only because they are on the back of my Jefferson Scholars Program (JSP) t-shirt, but because they embody the questions, ideas, and thinkers to that which JSP exposed me. Put another way, JSP has not only encouraged, but also inspired me to possess “a willingness to engage in critical self-scrutiny.” This willingness has been facilitated both by classes and activities such as the lunchtime lecture series, bi-monthly book club meetings, and my experience as a peer mentor. These experiences also allowed me to form friendships, enter into dialogue with Great Book thinkers, and be acquainted with amazing professors, all of which further enabled the self-examination of my beliefs and thoughts. Thanks to the support of donors of the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas and other departments in the College of Liberal Arts, this summer I will be traveling to Rome, Italy to continue this critical examination of my views and beliefs with the Rome Institute of Liberal Arts. As JSP has done, the Rome experience will continue
presenting me with questions that challenge me, open my eyes to new ideas and schools of thought, and add more palettes of color to my life. Studying in a city that has been a crossroad for so many traditions, philosophies, and lives will make even more tangible this endeavor of critical self-scrutiny. Without the support of the donors and alumni of the College, this trip to Rome, and my experiences with JSP, would not be possible. BY ALEXANDRA ELIZONDO LIBERAL ARTS HONORS
“Studying in a city that has been a crossroad for so many traditions, philosophies, and lives will make even more tangible this endeavor of critical self-scrutiny.” Alexandra Elizondo LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 13
Faculty Investment Initiative The Faculty Investment Initiative (FII) is a presidential initiative focused on strategic areas of the university – including the College of Liberal Arts – to encourage competitive recruitment packages for faculty hires in strategic areas, including cluster hiring of senior faculty. Democracy. Authoritarianism. Popular sovereignty on one hand, dictatorship on the other. At its best, political science grapples with ideas and arguments that demand attention, captivate and intrigue, and impact the lives of billions of the world’s citizens. The Department of Government has been a mainstay of such scholarship, and thanks to the FII, the department is in the midst of hiring senior scholars who are pushing the department toward the forefront of political science. In Fall 2016, Government’s first two FII hires arrived on the 40 Acres. They are Nathan Jensen, Ph.D. and John Gerring, Ph.D. Nathan Jensen is a fellow of the Patterson-Banister Chair and John Gerring is a fellow of the Frank C. Erwin, Jr. Centennial Chair in State Government. Jensen and Gerring are exploring big ideas like democracy and authoritarianism, and by revealing the varieties of these concepts and how those varieties create multiple political realities, they are on the cutting edge of this research.
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For instance, investigating the intricacies of rigid legislatures, Jensen is co-author of “Unbundling the Relationship between Authoritarian Legislatures and Political Risk,” which was published in 2014 in the British Journal of Political Science. The article explains how legislatures in these regimes help protect minority shareholders from corporate insiders. John Gerring is a co-author of a 2014 article in Journal of Democracy article titled “V-Dem: A New Way to Measure Democracy,” which begins by proposing five components of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian. By fine-tuning our ability to measure democracy, Gerring hopes to increase the accuracy with which we can answer important empirical questions, such as whether accountable elected officials create an independent judiciary or if the relationship works the other way around. Gerring and Jensen were recruited to the University of Texas and the Department of Government through the FII. They are an example of emerging scholarship that research broad concepts and fundamental principles of government. Their work connects these concepts and principles to the political realities of governments around the world. BY STUART TENDLER, DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT
Photo credit: Philip Swann
Nathan Jensen & John Gerring, Government
British Academy Fellow Jonathan Dancy, Philosophy Jonathan Dancy, BPHIL, teaches Ethics in The Department of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a Faculty Fellow supported by the Darrell K Royal Regents Professorship in Ethics and American Society. He is also a Senior Research Professor at the University of Reading. In July 2016, Mr. Dancy received the prestigious honor of being elected Fellow at the British Academy. When did you know you wanted to be a professor? I do not have a doctorate. When I had finished my 2-year graduate degree at Oxford I faced a choice between trying for an academic career and becoming a professional musician (on the doublebass). It then became clear to me that if I was a musician, I would probably be too exhausted to read anything much; whereas, if I was an academic I might be able to find a bit of time for music. And so it turned out.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Jonathan Dancy
How would you describe your teaching style? One of my main aims as a teacher is to try to help students to raise the standards they set themselves and then to help them meet those standards. To that end, I think I am quite stern and demanding. But I try to mitigate this with a bit of that British sense of humour that seems to go down so well. What is the most rewarding part of being a professor? There are two sides to this. On the teaching side, the best thing is to watch students develop before one’s eyes, to challenge them; and then to help them see that they can meet that challenge. On the research side, the most rewarding thing, if one can get it, is to find a new way of looking at things to add to the received agenda. How does your teaching change the world around you? Apart from any effect I may have on students, my views in moral philosophy can have the effect of changing the way in which people think about what is right and what is wrong; and if one changes the way they think, one may change the way they act.
How does your research inform your teaching? I think it is more the qualities that are honed by years of research that affect my teaching than any results I might have turned up – qualities such as carefulness of thought and a keen nose for irrelevance. Students appreciate these things when they confront them in class, and it sets them a standard to aim at. How does private support impact your work? Before I enjoyed private support there were things that I did not do simply because I could not afford to, even though philosophy is comparatively cheap, (e.g. go to a conference, get my own copy of a book I needed, replace a computer - that sort of thing). It was a wonderful release when I became able to decide whether to do such things on better grounds. I also occasionally use the funds given me to help my graduate students in various ways, which I take to be an integral part of the job I do. What does the honor of being elected Fellow of the British Academy mean to you? Being elected FBA has crowned 45 years of intellectual struggle. It is a wonderful recognition, evidence that one has made a serious contribution to the subject. It validates the past. Downhill from now on, I suppose. INTERVIEW BY THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016 | 15
The Institute of Mental Health Research Christopher Beevers, Psychology
The Institute for Mental Health Research (IMHR) is supported in part by the Judith M. Craig, Ph.D. Excellence Fund for Mental Health Research. Research reported in this interview was supported in part by a gift from the KCL Foundation. Dr. Christopher Beevers is the Wayne H. Holtzman Regents Chair in Psychology and Director of the IMHR.
How does your research impact the community? On a small scale, we directly help individuals in Austin who are suffering from mental health challenges through our clinic. However, on a much larger scale, our research influences the lives of many individuals around the United States and beyond. For instance, some of our studies provide treatment via the internet to hundreds of participants from all over North America. Similarly, some of our recent research findings have influenced how treatment is provided to patients in clinics around with world. Thus, our impact is both local and international. 16 | LIBERAL ARTS IMPACT REPORT 2015-2016
Photo credit: Liberal Arts ITS Studio
How do you interact with the community? Faculty and students from the IMHR interact with the community in a number of ways. We see many individuals from the Austin community in the Anxiety and Stress Clinic, a clinic that provides high quality and affordable individual and group therapy for a variety of anxiety and stress-related disorders. Further, many of our research studies include participants from the Austin community. This includes individuals with depression, anxiety, autism, and other mental health disorders in addition to the many individuals with no mental health concerns that participate in our research. Finally, we also provide training and hold special outreach events for the Austin community in an effort to disseminate the most effective mental health treatments and to promote awareness and understanding about mental health conditions.
How would you describe the research you are doing? The mission of the IMHR is to conduct interdisciplinary research that uses advances in basic research with clinical and non-clinical populations to develop innovative treatments for mental health disorders. This includes using insights from neuroscience about how people learn to improve treatments so that more learning takes place during therapy. It means using discoveries in genomics to personalize treatments, including psychotherapy, so that patients can be matched to effective treatments more quickly and with less trial and error. It means leveraging advances in technology to more easily distribute effective treatments to those who need them most. What overall impact do you hope your research will have? Our hope is that our research will lead to the development of more effective treatments that reduce human suffering more quickly and produce lasting change in people’s lives. How does your research inform your teaching? Research and teaching are closely intertwined. My primary goal for teaching is to engage students in their coursework so that they can become well-informed consumers of psychological science who are able to think critically and independently about the material. In order to achieve this goal, it is imperative for me to stay up-to-date with the latest findings. Fortunately, I am surrounded by faculty at the IMHR making important contributions to several different research areas, so I am exposed to new and important findings all the time. Research
“Our hope is that our research will lead to the development of more effective treatments that reduce human suffering more quickly and produce lasting change in people’s lives.” Christopher Beevers
also provides students with hands-on opportunities to directly test ideas they have been exposed to in the classroom. It is very rewarding to help graduate students formulate and clarify their ideas, develop a research study to test a hypothesis, and then co-author a research paper so that others can learn from this hard work. I feel lucky to be able to work with such talented students who start their training with relatively little experience and then leave the University of Texas as accomplished and successful researchers of the human condition. How does private support help your research? Private support is critical to our research. Much of our research is supported by grants from the federal government or national foundations. In order to obtain this funding, we must provide preliminary support of our ideas, usually in the form of pilot studies that provide proof-of-principle data for a particular idea. Without this important preliminary data, it is really difficult to get larger, federal grants (despite the importance of these pilot data studies, it is very challenging to obtain funding for innovative ideas at their earliest stages). Private support is a really important source of funding for preliminary studies, as it allows us to test our ideas and determine whether a really great idea might live up to its promise. Private support provides funding for materials, participant payments, biological assays, research support staff (including graduate student support) — all the ingredients necessary to conduct a successful pilot project. Are students involved in doing the research? Students are central to our research effort. This includes doctoral students working on dissertations, graduate students assisting with data collection, data analysis, and writing up research for publication, and undergraduate students assisting with a research study to enhance their research experience and determine whether they want to pursue a research career themselves. Student participation in research is essential to the mission of the IMHR. What disorders do you focus on? Research at the IMHR focuses on a number of psychological disorders, including major depressive disorder, social anxiety, height phobias, fear of flying, post-traumatic stress disorder, smoking cessation, and autism. Our research examines the causes and treatment of these disorders. INTERVIEW BY THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
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White House Internship Research Angie Acquatella, Liberal Arts Honors
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I am forever grateful to the LAH donors for providing resources that allowed me to pursue my passion. Thanks to LAH, I was able to work fulltime at the White House and dedicate fully to my job, without having to worry about financially supporting myself with another job. This experience reassured me that a future of public service was possible in academia, and I will be attending Harvard to begin my Ph.D. in Economics in fall 2016. BY ANGIE ACQUATELLA, ECONOMICS MAJOR
“Students who are passionate about public service face the dilemma of working in a government unpaid internship, or forgoing the public sector in exchange for financial stability.” Angie Acquatella
Photo credit: Courtesy of Angie Acquatella
Working at the White House has been the most meaningful thing I have ever done. The summer of my junior year, I had the honor to intern at the President’s Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) in Washington, D.C. Inside the White House walls, my tasks involved writing travel memos for President Obama and Vice President Biden, analyzing economic data, preparing press-briefings for key people, and fact-checking reports that received more media attention than anything I had ever touched. I engaged with the smartest people in the country, all committed to the greater mission of providing economic opportunities for all. CEA showed me how to be both an academic and a public servant. The work I did at CEA has been, by far, the most important work I have ever done. As an intern at CEA, I supported research that helped guide the President’s Connect Home Initiative, which helped extend broadband access to the poorest neighborhoods in the United States. A portion of the research ended up in the 2016 Economic Report of the President. The Marion Buck Smith Junior Fellowship Fund made this experience possible by providing a fund to subsidize housing. Students who are passionate about public service face the dilemma of working in a government unpaid internship, or forgoing the public sector in exchange for financial stability.
Latin American Studies
Photo credit: Robert Esparza
Maria Fernandez, LLILAS Benson As a dual-degree master’s student in Latin American Studies and Information Studies, my program has been deeply intertwined with the close collaboration between the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and the Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection (LLILAS Benson). During this past academic year, I have pursued my interests in history of the book, sixteenth-century Latin American history, indigenous studies, and digital humanities, as well as gained valuable experience working in archives and special collections libraries. None of these academic endeavors would have been possible for me without the generous support of donors. The partnership of LLILAS Benson and the Latin American Studies and Collections is transforming the research model for students and scholars. This transformation is creating scholarship through the primary sources that serve as its foundation. I have witnessed first-hand the remarkable LLILAS Benson partnership, whether through attending class sessions integrating the Benson’s special collections materials into the LLILAS curriculum or processing the papers of a significant Latin American diplomat as an intern at the Benson. To further integrate my graduate work with the interdisciplinary mission of LLILAS Benson, I am currently employed as the digital scholarship graduate research assistant for the Reading the First Books project. This is a National Endowment for the Humanities funded digital humanities initiative to develop tools for the transcription of books printed before 1601 in
“My academic trajectory would not have been possible without the support of donors who share the same passion.” Maria Fernandez the Americas that are held in the Primeros Libros collection at the Benson. It is due to the generous support of the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Graduate Fellowship, the Creekmore and Adele Hay Fath Excellence Fund in Foreign Language, and the William Glade Fund that I have been able to pursue my academic interests in Latin American studies, and further my professional development in the fields of special collections librarianship and digital humanities. My academic trajectory would not have been possible without the support of donors who share the same passion and commitment I have for the collaborative venture that is flourishing at LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections. BY MARIA FERNANDEZ, LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES & INFORMATION STUDIES GRADUATE STUDENT
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Study Abroad
From a young age my nose was constantly stuck in a book, dreaming of places that I had only read about, hoping that one day I wouldn’t have to imagine because I would know. The Oxford Program provided me the opportunity to lift my head up and see it all for myself. My strong academic dedication was raised to a higher level at Oxford— a level that could only be achieved through the program’s commitment to give its students new challenges and experiences. The program takes some of the best English classes that the University has to offer and amplifies them. Readings and class discussions were fueled by our surroundings and the rich history of
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Oxford. Inspiration for poetry assignments and personal writings was never far off. The built-in travel of the Oxford program was an amazing experience because the great works of Shakespeare, Austen, Wordsworth, Keats, and others came to life before my eyes. Taking in the same sights that the poets and authors wrote about was surreal. It’s one thing to read about the English countryside that poets romanticized over but to see it for yourself, is truly remarkable. Sitting on the wooden benches in The Globe Theatre where “The Bard” himself performed hundreds of years before — a place where he transformed plays in a way that could not be achieved elsewhere. It was impossible not to be inspired
Photo credits: April Herrera
April Herrera, Oxford Program
when surrounded by the history and sights that had influenced so many before me. Photographs could never do justice to the unforgettable experience. I am truly grateful that I received support from donors, without whom I would have been unable to study at Oxford. The Roberta Wright Reeves Excellence Endowment in Liberal Arts helped to make my dream become a reality. I owe it all to those who believed in and supported me. The devotion that fellow longhorns have to one another never fails to amaze me. BY APRIL HERRERA, ENGLISH MAJOR
“Sitting on the wooden bench in The Globe Theatre where ‘The Bard’ himself performed hundreds of years ago, a place where he transformed plays in a way that could not be achieved elsewhere.” April Herrera
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Study Abroad Stats 2015-2016
Study abroad is an important part of a well-rounded liberal arts education. Being in a new cultural setting gives students an opportunity to discover new personal strengths and abilities, conquer new challenges, and solve new problems. Students develop skills that go beyond the classroom experience, and the College of Liberal Arts is committed to supporting our students as they travel the world.
Top 5 Study Abroad Majors
SPAIN FRANCE ENGLAND GERMANY ITALY
PSYCHOLOGY INT’L RELATIONS GOVERNMENT ECONOMICS PLAN II
Photo credit: Big Stock Photo
Top 5 Study Abroad Countries
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46
698
COUNTRIES VISITED THROUGH STUDY ABROAD
LIBERAL ARTS STUDENTS
478
$14,502
STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED FINANCIAL AID
AVERAGE COST TO STUDY ABROAD FOR ONE SEMESTER
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website: liberalarts.utexas.edu phone: 512-471-8877 The College of Liberal Arts The University of Texas at Austin 116 Inner Campus Dr. Stop G6000 Austin, TX 78712