ANNUAL IMPACT REPORT 2019-2020
FROM THE DEAN'S DESK It is impossible to fully express how
What makes the study of liberal arts
grateful we are for the extraordinary
unique at a major public research
impact you have made on the College
university is the wealth of
of Liberal Arts. Your generous
opportunities to learn across
contributions have changed and
disciplines, drawing from numerous
improved lives in countless ways,
departments and specializations such
empowering our students to build upon
as government, history, economics,
experiences and skills that position
sociology and anthropology, as well
them toward successful and fulfilling
as area studies and languages.
futures. We are grateful for your partnership Indeed, your transformative support
as we continue to advance the
helps to provide a liberal arts
mission of learning and discovery in
education which prepares our students
the College of Liberal Arts,
for a rapidly changing world, nurturing
and I am pleased to share this report
a new generation of ethical leaders to
on your remarkable impact on the
be ready to tackle jobs that have yet
College and beyond.
to be invented.
Ann Huff Stevens Dean, College of Liberal Arts
TABLE OF CONTENTS 03 07 08 09 12 13
A YEAR IN REVIEW
NEW ENDOWMENTS
NEW QUARTER CENTURY DONORS
DEAN'S CIRCLE DONORS
STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND
FRANCISCO GONZALEZ-LIMA | PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
15 17 19 21 24 25
SARAH BRAYNE | PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
ZARIA EL-FIL | AKA SCHOLARS INTERNSHIP
KEVIN COKLEY | PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
ADAM CLULOW | PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
STUDY ABROAD STATS
SARA M. SAASTAMOINEN | LASTING IMPACT
A Year in Review
Total Students
10,141 61%
39%
Female
Male
145,920 Living Alumni
TOP 10 MAJORS
9,028
Economics
Undergraduates
Psychology Government English
1,113
International Relations &
Graduates
History
Global Studies
Plan II Sociology
764 Faculty
3
Health and Society Anthropology
$22,691,144 Received Financial Aid
Total Gifts and Pledges
or Scholarship Support
37.9%
Undergraduates
74.7%
Graduates
3,476 Unique Donors
2,668 Gifts Under $250
5,247 Total Gifts to the College
$100 Median Donor Gift Amount
1,320 First-Time
$5,807,149 Impact From Planned Gifts
Donors
4,364 Unrestricted
20 New Planned Gifts Committed
Gifts
4
Philanthropy by Designation
FACULTY $1,202,400
STUDENTS $7,817,291
PROGRAMS $7,310,966
RESEARCH $6,360,487
5
Philanthropy by Entity
INDIVIDUALS $12,008,245
REALIZED BEQUESTS $1,596,255
FOUNDATIONS $3,601,166
FAMILY FOUNDATIONS $3,243,001
CORPORATIONS $1,522,876
OTHER $719,602 6
New Endowments Chair Howard and Wendy Berk Director's Chair in Liberal Arts Honors
Distinguished Professorship Brian F. Bolton Distinguished Professorship in Secular Studies
Faculty Fellowship Robert K. Conklin Faculty Fellowship for Plan II
Graduate Fellowship Clyde Rabb Littlefield Distinguished Graduate Fellows Endowment
Scholarships Chip Kaye Endowed Scholarship in the Dual-Degree Plan II and Canfield Business Honors Program
Dudley and Judy White Oldham Texas Challenge Scholarship
James Everett Key and Betty Wilson Key Endowed Scholarship
John R. Trimble Endowed Scholarship
Judye and John Hartman Endowed Scholarship
Mercedes and Halstead Frost Endowed Scholarship in Plan II
Milton S. Jacobs, M.D. Endowed Scholarship
Peggy Hardaway Beckham Endowed Scholarship
Rebecca A. Lane and Kathleen Williams Scholarship
Program Support Barber Family of Mont Belvieu Endowed Fund in Liberal Arts
Dale Stahl Excellence Fund
Hilda and Greg Curran Excellence Fund in Economics
Jack Miller Center Postdoctoral Fellowship Excellence Fund
Karl Galinsky Excellence Endowment in Classics
Kevyn Kennedy & Chien-Yi Kung Endowed Excellence Fund in Chinese Studies
Lewis Mandell Endowed Excellence Fund in Economics
Lilas and Sam Kinch, Jr. Endowment in Plan II
Madeline C. Sutherland-Meier, PhD and Richard P. Meier, PhD Endowed Excellence Fund for Study Abroad in Spain
Richard N. Adams Endowment for Research on Central America
7
Sharada Krishna Rao Family Kannada Studies Excellence Fund
Spanish Creative Writing Excellence Endowment
New Quarter Century Donors Quarter Century members are donors who have given to the College of Liberal Arts for 25 years or more.
Mrs. Carol E. Bartz Dr. and Mrs. Peter J. Bellis Mr. and Mrs. Taylor V. Cooksey Ms. Rebecca Gonzalez and Mr. P. Douglas Smith Mr. C. O. Gregory, Jr. and Mrs. Janice M. Gregory
Mr. Willie J. Kostka and Mrs. Roberta J. Kostka Mr. Daniel Y. Kruger and Mrs. Lorraine B. Kruger Reverend Marilyn McNaughton Dr. James F. Murphy and Mrs. Marilyn Murphy
Dr. Aveva B. Hahn Shukert
Dr. Raymund A. Paredes
Dr. Reid C. Hartson
Ms. Janet G. Redeker
and Dr. Melinda B. McFarland
Mr. and Mrs. Steven R. Rooks
Dr. Jerald L. Head
Dr. and Mrs. William F. Sanford, Jr.
Mr. Martyn J. Hitchcock
Dr. Christine M. Sierra
and Ms. Joanna Hitchcock Mr. Robert C. Hunter and Mrs. Amanda K. Hunter Mr. Christopher W. Jackson and Mrs. Melinda N. Jackson
Dr. Bartholomew H. Sparrow and Ms. Polly L. Sparrow Mr. Howard W. Townsend Ms. Mary M. Webb Ms. Sarah H. Wieser
8
Dean's Circle Donors The Dean's Circle recognizes donors who provide critical support that allows the College to seize opportunities as it strives toward its goal of advancing excellence in the liberal arts. All members are invited to an annual Dean's Circle event each fall. All giving, of $500 or more, to any area of the College, is counted toward Dean's Circle membership.
Gold Level Donors Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Abel
Joan D. Lewis, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Beckham
Mr. W. Austin Ligon
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Beckham
Drs. Adriana M. Pacheco Roldan
Mr. and Mrs. G. Robert Beckham Howard and Wendy Berk
Ashish and Sameera Mahendru
Barbara and Bill Binder
Ms. Lynn Marderosian
Dr. Brian F. Bolton, Ph.D.
Dr. Steven R. and Melissa (Marrs) May
Mary Braunagel-Brown, Ph.D.
H. Malcolm Macdonald Charitable Trust
The Cain Foundation
Drs. Richard P. Meier
Dr. Guy N. Cameron
and Madeline C. Sutherland-Meier
Mrs. Nancy B. Capra
Mr. J. Mark Metts
Mr. Arthur G. Carpenter
The Milisci Family Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. William R. Childs
The William A. and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Michael B. Collins
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Mulva
Mr. Robert K. Conklin
National Philanthropic Trust
Elizabeth Crook and Marc Lewis Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. D. Dudley Oldham
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory S.V. Curran
The Philanthropy Lab
The Dedman Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Patton, Jr.
Dr. Carolyn H. Denham and Mr. Robert E. Denham
James and Ruth Pennebaker
Mr. Martin W. Dies III and Mrs. Darci Dies
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
Sharon G. Dies
Mr. Dan I. Rather
William C. Dvorak
Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Reasoner
Embrey Family Foundation
Roberta Wright Reeves Trust
Dr. and Mrs. Larry R. Faulkner
Mr. and Mrs. Corbin J. Robertson III
Mr. Halstead H. Frost
Mr. and Mrs. J. Brett Robertson
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William Scanlan, Jr.
Drs. David G. Genecov and Lisa W. Genecov
William & Salome McAllen Scanlan Foundation
Ms. Jo A. Giese and Mr. Ed Warren
Dr. Frank D. Schubert
Dr. Austin M. Gleeson
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart W. Stedman
Mr. Rudolph H. Green and Ms. Joyce K. Christian
and The Stedman West Foundation
Judye and John Hartman
Mr. and Mrs. Eric B. Stumberg
Dr. and Mrs. Gregory L. Hemphill
Mr. Michael Stutzer
Stephen H. Houston and Mimi Houston
The Thomas W. Smith Foundation
Mrs. Linda F. Ivey
Rachael and Ben Vaughan Foundation
Mrs. Patricia H. Kelso
Mr. Robert C. Vaughn and Mrs. Fallon B. Vaughn
Ms. Chien-yi Kung and Mr. Kevyn W. Kennedy
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick P. Walker
Dr. and Mrs. James E. Key II
Mr. Brian G. Waters
Ms. Keary A. Kinch
Mrs. Marilyn M. White
Jeanne and Michael Klein
Drs. James R. Yates and Alba A. Ortiz
Dr. Rebecca A. Lane
9
and Fernando Macias-Garza
Silver Level Donors Mr. Muhannad Abulhasan
Mr. Umesh V. Biradar
Mr. Melvin J. Berning, Jr.
Phil and Sherri Bishop
and Ms. Mary Dell Harrington Mrs. Laura A. Beuerlein and Mr. Stephan D. Beuerlein
Ms. Carla A. Blumberg Mr. and Mrs. William G. Bollinger Ms. Marian L. Brancaccio
Bill and Katie Weaver Charitable Trust
Mr. and Mrs. M. Scott Bresk
HL Burns
Megan Bucy
Charles Butt
Mr. Keith E. Burtner
Cogburn Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Caldwell, Jr.
Mr. John L. Crawley
Dr. Beth A. Chambers
Gerald E. Finken Dr. Stephanie L. Kodack and Dr. David A. Garza Douglas and Emily Jacobson
and Mr. James M. Chambers Mr. and Mrs. Coby C. Chase Dr. Stephen L. Chew and Dr. Daisy Y. Wong
Mr. and Mrs. Lenoir M. Josey II
Mr. Michael L. Cooper
Mr. Barron U. Kidd
Ms. Dawn Coronado
Mrs. Judy Rowe Koehl
and The Honorable Santiago Coronado
Doris Fulda Merrifield
Mr. Morris S. Crim
Mr. James W. McBride
Mr. Clark R. Crosnoe
Mr. Morton H. Meyerson
Mrs. Claire Crumbley
Mr. Emeka C. Okoroegbe
and Mr. Alex Crumbley
Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Perkins
The Joan & Keys A. Curry Foundation
Mr. Russell S. Post
Mr. and Mrs. Carl R. Dawson
Mr. and Mrs. Barrett H. Reasoner
Mr. Paul DeCleva, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Reasoner
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Denham
William and Teresa Reynolds
Mr. and Mrs. Jim H. Derryberry
Scott and Marina Ring
Al and Julie Tindall DeVincentis
Drs. Bryan R. and Susan K. Roberts
Ms. Anne H. Dibble
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Schreck
Mr. and Mrs. William L. Docekal
David A. and Susan D. Sheppard
Mr. David A. Donohoe, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Dale O. Stahl II
David L. and Adrienne S. Draper
The Marcus Family Foundation
Mrs. Christine C. Egan
The Morton H. Meyerson Family Foundation
Mrs. Suzanne Ellis
Ms. Marilyn A. White Mr. and Mrs. James E. Yoder
Bronze Level Donors
and Mr. Edward H. Ellis, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Eric O. English Mr. and Mrs. Randall H. Erben Mr. and Mrs. Douglas W. Ferguson
Mr. an Mrs. Christopher R. Abbott
Mr. William P. Frisbie II
Mr. and Mrs. Fields Alexander
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph A.C. Fulcher
Mr. Thomas Anthony Andreoli
Mrs. Elizabeth Reding Gambrell
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Appleman
Mr. F. John Garza
Donald P. Atkins, M.D.
Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gilmer III
Mr. and Mrs. Morton W. Baird II
Stephen and Meggie Gilstrap
Mr. Michael W. Barker
Ms. Carolyn Holt Goldston
Dr. Alexandra L. Barron
Ms. Bianna Golodryga
Ms. Jodi M. Batten-Savoie
and Dr. Peter R. Orzag
10
Mr. and Mrs. Sanford L. Gottesman
Cyrena N. Pondrom, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Graham
Mr. Frederick H. Poppe, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Graves
and Ms. Jana Edwards
James Alexander Green
Dr. and Mrs. Hervey A. Priddy
Ms. Joy Green
Bethel and Jonathan Quander
Ms. Erika L. Griffith
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Rankin
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Grigsby
Mr. Satish Krishna Rao
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Hanna
Mr. Kevin S. Reed
Dr. Maury N. Harris
Mr. Daniel C. Reel
Ms. Joyce Anne Hendy
Mr. Samuel D. Rhea
Mr. and Mrs. Frank M. Hicks
Ms. Caitlin E. Rhodes
Ms. Jane Periman Hilfer
Mrs. Janet K. Richter
Mr. Robert J. Hoodis
Mr. Sean P. Rodriguez
Hunt Family Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. David I. Rosenfield
Mr. and Mrs. David M. Jabour
Ms. Lorin L. Runnels
Mr. William F. Kemp and Ms. Suzon S. Kemp
The Rust Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Kerr
Ms. Lauren M. Salomon
Mr. Robert Kilgore III
Mr. Steve and Mrs. Joyce Sandweiss
Mr. Michael C. Kuhn and Mrs. Lucy Kuhn
Ms. Archana Sastry
Mr. and Mrs. Bradley C. Ladden
Ms. Kimberly M. Schmid
Mr. Ryan L. Latham
Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Schmidt, Jr.
Ms. Virginia Lebermann
Ms. Leslie Shaunty
and the Lebermann Foundation
and Mr. Robert M. Topp
Dr. James D. Lehmann, M.D.
Celeste Sheppard, M.D.
Mr. Bradley S. Lewis and Ms. Lori Wittlin
Drs. Dina M. and Joel F. Sherzer
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell C. Lewis
Donald and Emily Simpson
Ms. Amy C. Liss
Warren Skaaren Charitable Trust
Mr. Lee G. Litzler
Alden Smith, Ph.D.
Mr. Joe R. Long and Dr. Teresa L. Long
Ms. Pamela M. Giblin
Drs. David and Jane Malin
Mr. Robert B. Smith
Dr. Arthur Markman and Ms. Leora Orent
Mr. and Mrs. Will Snyder
Dr. and Mrs. G. Sealy Massingill
Dr. Michael B. Stoff
Mr. and Mrs. Murray J. McCabe Mr. and Mrs. Andrew R. McFarland Dr. Melinda B. McFarland and Dr. Reid C. Hartson
and Ms. Raquel Schuster Mr. William F. Stutts, Jr. and Ms. Susan P. Campbell The Susser Family Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Byron M. McKnight II
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Tschurr
Kimberly E. Monday, M.D.
Dr. Thomas A. Van Hoose
Dr. Othon M. Moreno Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey L. Wade
Mr. Benjamin J. Nale
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Wagner
Mr. and Mrs. Albert G. Nance III
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher R. Wagner
Mr. and Mrs. Howard D. Nirken
Ms. Diana J. Walters
Mrs. Janis C. Nooteboom
Mr. J. Thomas Ward
Ms. Susan G. Palombo
Mr. W. Thomas Weir
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin L. Pardue
Dale and Mendi West
Dr. Vimala C. Pasupathi, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. John F. Wombwell
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Phaneuf
Dr. Chang-Po Yang
11
Student Emergency Fund On March 25, The University of Texas at Austin launched a fundraising effort to support our students who are in need of emergency support due to the COVID-19 crisis. The Student Emergency Fund (SEF) helped fill the needs for students in crisis. The funds were used to help with
rent,
internet
services,
and
to
purchase
laptops
so
that
students
could
transition
to
attending class online.
"I am very thankful for the assistance that I received from the Black Studies Dept. [SEF], and appreciate them for giving back to students during an unprecedented time of need. The assistance I received was a huge relief.” - Amy
"Seemingly overnight I lost my part-time job and the ability to attend class in-person. The SEF came to my aid when I was not sure if graduation was realistic, considering how I would pay my bills and survive. This aid was a life changer, and I thank everyone who contributed to this fund." - Samuel
“I was laid-off in late March of 2020. The emergency funds I received didn’t go towards school, but instead helped me pay my rent in Austin. Without it I wouldn’t be able to continue school.” - Jack
"The UT SEF has been a big help through all of this. In addition to rent, [the fund] also helped students who lack technological resources, such as an adequate computer or wifi, to receive assistance. Again, thank you so much for all of your help. I am truly grateful." -Janèe
(circulatory) health and oxygenation of the brain that are
aggravated by exposure to environmental toxins
and other insults to the brain. We are developing noninvasive interventions that focus on increasing brain oxygenation and vascular supply. These non-invasive interventions are able to energize the brain, enhance its cognitive functions and protect it against agingrelated decline and environmental toxins. Two of our promising
interventions
are
low-level
infrared
laser
stimulation of the brain and low-dose administration of methylene blue. able
to
They are both safe interventions
produce
cognitive
enhancement
and
neuroprotection in laboratory animals and in young healthy adults. We are now testing them with older adults who have cognitive impairment and dementia.
Q. Have you had any surprising or unexpected discoveries in your research? A.
Francisco Gonzalez-Lima, Ph.D.
The most surprising and unexpected discoveries in
our Alzheimer’s research took place when we directly investigated the fresh-frozen brains from Alzheimer’s patients.
PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
brains
Previous
that
had
brain
been
research
preserved
had with
focused fixatives
on that
destroyed their biochemical activities. In fresh-frozen brains, my former graduate student Jon Valla and I
Q. Would you mind telling us a little more about your remarkable research on Alzheimer’s disease?
found that amyloid plaques and tau tangles were not related
to
the
progression
of
Alzheimer’s
disease.
Most importantly, we found that the main problem was the inhibition of a mitochondrial enzyme called
A.
Our brain research is providing novel means to
facilitate against most
cognitive
neurodegenerative
common
Alzheimer’s
the
example, elderly
type
of
research disease
the
that
conditions,
The is
called
to
type
called most
prevalent
ideas
people
disease.
They
that
are
is
also
two
different
the
common
type
of
early-onset
dementia.
Alzheimer’s
research
these
wrong
not
hereditary
Therefore, and
all
the
interventions
energy,
inhibition ability
eventually
to
of
this
use
enzyme
oxygen
causing
to
cognitive
impairment, tissue atrophy and death of brain cells.
human brain as a way to enhance brain oxygenation,
with
in
older
Furthermore, the common type of dementia
found in older people is
The
brain’s
on
Alzheimer’s
found
generate
the
not
diseases,
dementia
functioning.
is
Amyloid plaques and tau tangles are not the cause
people.
brain
compromises
The interventions that we have been developing focus
different causes and affecting different age groups.
of
for
the
disease
called
the oxygen consumption needed to generate energy
of
related to the other rare type of dementia found in younger
cytochrome oxidase. This enzyme is responsible for
For
wrong.
dementia
Alzheimer’s
the
with
proven
of
as
dementia
the
been
protect
such
problem
that
have
common is
and
late-onset
disease.
Alzheimer’s about
enhancement
as
the
previous
based
on
ideas have failed. The number one risk
increasing
cytochrome
oxidase
activity
in
the
and thereby prevent cognitive decline and dementia.
Q. When you were a student, was there a particular professor that inspired you along the way? A.
When I was a student of Biology and Psychology at
Tulane University, New Orleans, I conducted research for
my
Dunlap,
Honors Arnold
particular,
Dr.
Thesis A.
supervised
Gerall
King’s
and
teachings
by Joan
Drs.
Janis
L.
C.
King.
In
about
the
brain
Alzheimer’s
inspired me to study the brain. During my last summer
disease, is aging. The cognitive decline taking place
at Tulane, I also worked in the neuroendocrinology
as
laboratory of Dr. Andrew V. Schally, who later that
factor
we
for
late-onset
grow
older
dementia,
and
the
called
subsequent
dementia
experienced by an increasing number of older people
year earned a Nobel Prize. These
are caused by chronic decrements in vascular
experiences
13
enriching
research
at Tulane convinced me to pursue a
research career in neuroscience.
sacrifice, about scientific research and about the importance of devoting your life to goals that are
Q. Do you have a memorable teaching moment you would like to share with us? A.
I
have
because
lots
I
of
have
memorable
been
teaching
blessed
to
larger than yourself.
Q. How does private support help your research?
moments
teach
and
do
A.
The cognitive enhancing and brain research we
research with outstanding students during my long
conduct
career, first in Puerto Rico, then at Texas A&M, and
supporters
finally at UT where I have been teaching for thirty
research is based on thinking “outside the box”;
years.
that
My
most
memorable
moment
related
to
depends
is,
for
it
is
a
the
very
generosity
important
paradigm
shift
private
promoting
bold
Arizona, to spend the summer collecting brains of
rejects failed scientific dogmas about Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s
disease and cognitive decline. This type of frontier
with
my
graduate
students.
research
then we had to quickly remove the brain from the
institutions
head.
traditional
This
directly
experience
teach
only
to
Alzheimer’s
researchers
governmental still
include
committed
to
greatly appreciate the opportunity to learn more
of
about Alzheimer’s, the misconceptions that abound
precious
brain
to
by
panels
students but was a way to teach about the ethics the
human
served
funded review
and
failed ideas about Alzheimer’s disease. My donors
and
the
not
rarely whose
ideas
my
research
about
has
is
conventional
Our
research
Sometimes we arrived at the moment of death, and
shatters
of
reason.
Alzheimer’s disease was when I traveled to Sun City,
patients
that
on
a
contributions
to
science made by the patients who donated their
and
brains for the benefit of humanity.
most medical professionals. Alzheimer’s disease as
to
discard
the
pessimistic
outlook
given
by
it appears in the elderly is a preventable disease, it
Q. How does your research inform your teaching?
is not inherited, and there are promising ways to combat it.
A. In the past, I experienced memorable moments in research when we collected and analyzed brains donated
by
Alzheimer’s
patients
and
healthy
Q. What are you reading right now? Any recommendations for us?
elderly. These research opportunities have inspired and informed my teaching efforts. Nowadays we
A.
depend on young and old people volunteering to
Point: A Vascular Approach to Clinical Prevention”
participate in our clinical trials. As we continue to
written by Jack C. de la Torre, MD, PhD, a former
investigate brain
adjunct professor at UT. You will find in this book
learning and enrich our the
other cognitive functions, our findings
teaching. Through this research I have
unique
volunteers
interventions to enhance memory,
opportunity
and
to
teach
to my
meet
wonderful
undergraduate
and
graduate students about human suffering and
I
recommend
detailed
the
explanations
evidence
against
the
book
of
“Alzheimer’s
overwhelming
failed
amyloid
Turning
scientific and
tau
hypothesis of Alzheimer’s, and descriptions of the new
views
prevention.
and
promising
early
interventions
for
A. Perhaps one of earliest surprises came up on a ride along I went on while conducting research with the Los
Angeles
Police
Department
(LAPD)
for
my
new
book, Predict and Surveil: Data, Discretion and the Future of Policing. I was accustomed to the police enthusiastically embracing a lot of new technological tools they could use for surveillance. However, near the
end
of
manually
this
type
Considering
ride
his
how
along,
location
I
noticed
into
his
technologically
the
sergeant
in-car
laptop.
advanced
the
department was in many other ways, I told him I was surprised that there wasn’t an automated mechanism for tracking the location of patrol cars. He explained that
there
equipped pinged
actually
with
the
an
was—every
automatic
location
seconds—but
of
police
vehicle
each
unit
was
locator
that
vehicle
every
five
the vehicle locators weren’t turned on
because of resistance from the police union. It was in that moment that I started to understand how the police
don’t
always
embrace
new
surveillance
technologies; they sometimes resist when the tech is turned on them.
Sarah Brayne, Ph.D. PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
Q. Your research on technology and the criminal justice system has received national attention in multiple news publications and research journals. Would you mind sharing a brief description of your research? A.
I use qualitative and quantitative methods to study
how big data is used in the criminal legal system. Over the past century, the US criminal legal system—from the police to the prisons—has expanded dramatically.
Q. How does your research inform your teaching?
More recently, we’ve seen an explosion of interest in big data, or the computational analysis of massive and
A.
diverse
make
invisible social and technological practices that serve
predictions. Law enforcement has started leveraging
to exacerbate existing inequalities in society. Similarly,
the vast troves of digital data we leave in our wake as
in my undergraduate teaching, I work hard to try and
we go about our everyday lives. However, there is very
shed light on taken-for-granted social practices like
little research on how the police use big data and with
gender socialization that shape people’s lives but are
what consequences. That’s what I focus on in my work.
hidden in plain sight. For graduate teaching, it means
I ask, how do the police use big data for surveillance,
uncovering the "hidden curriculum,” or, unwritten rules
how do people react when they are surveilled, and
of academia. I think a major barrier to diversity, equity,
what are the consequences of police use of big data
and
for crime, law, and social inequality?
knowledge, so I am careful to always show students
datasets
to
automate
decisions
and
In my research, I focus on uncovering the often-
inclusion
concrete
Q. Were you surprised by any of the findings in your research? 15
in
examples
higher
of
education
things
like
is
assumed
journal
article
submissions, acceptances, and rejections, to try and demystify academia and the research process.
Q. In 2017, you and your graduate students, created the Texas Prison Education Initiative (TPEI), which offers college-level classes for inmates. Was there a particular moment during your student career, or while teaching, that inspired this idea?
A.
One
of
graduate volunteer
my
favorite
student teach
moments
told
in
me
prison.
was
she She
when
wanted was
a
a to
quiet
student, but she came alive when she taught with TPEI. I vividly remember sitting in the back of the classroom watching her teach for the first time. She had so much skill and passion and was able
A.
I started volunteer teaching college classes in
to connect with students in a way that helped
prisons while I was a PhD student at Princeton.
them
After
phenomenon
teaching
my
first
class,
I
knew
it
was
something I wanted to commit more time and
more
deeply she
understand was
the
explaining.
sociological It
was
an
incredible educational moment to watch.
energy to. The students were so engaged and eager to learn, and I learned so much from them.
Q. How does private support help your research?
When I moved to UT in 2016, I wanted to continue teaching having
in
the
country,
there
education students
prisons. largest was
program.
Lindsay
established
However, prison
TPEI.
no So,
Bing By
despite
population
campus-wide alongside
and
A.
I
am
Tellez,
I
educational
individual
Dickson
mass
donations
through
Hornraiser
for
the
Texas Prison Education Initiative. We run entirely on
private
possible.
underpinning
Raymond
has supported my research as well many generous
of
issues
the
prison
makes
key
to
Centennial Endowed Teaching Fellowship which
opportunities in prisons, we hope to address one the
grateful
the
graduate
Armando
increasing
Texas in
donations,
access
to
a
UT
so
donor
education
support
truly
behind
bars
incarceration in the first place—structural barriers to educational access.
Q. Have you had a favorite classroom moment that you would like to share with us?
Q. What are reading right now? Whether for fun or related to your research and/or teaching. A. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
AKA Scholars Black Diaspora Archive Internship WRITTEN BY ZARIA SAWDIJAH EL-FIL
I was only six years old when I felt the blow that I would
later
read
so
aptly
expressed
by
James
Baldwin: “It comes as a great shock to discover that the country, which is your birthplace, and to which you owe your life and your identity has not in its whole system of reality involved any place for you.� But I wouldn't understand the implications of this meditation university, through
on
identity
when
my
I
saw
until my
coursework
my
first
year
experiences
in
African
of
mirrored
and
African
Diaspora Studies. I was continuously encouraged to think critically about archives and historiography. After my Junior year, the question remained for me as to how I could perform the intellectual labor of producing directly impactful work that dedicates care
to
the
insignificant
lived by
experiences
U.S.
of
educational
those
deemed
institutions.
The
AKA Scholars Black Diaspora Archive Internship has continuously
demonstrated
a
commitment
to
answering this question and critically examining the connection between archiving and social justice.
When
I
excited
started to
my
year-long
contribute
my
skills
internship, to
I
was
processing
the
John L. Warfield and Omi Jones Collection. I deeply admire both scholars and got to see their trajectory from
childhood
through
their
Additionally, exhibition
to
highly
documents
I
had
the
for
the
acclaimed and
intellectuals
personal
opportunity
to
Gordon-White
items.
curate
Building.
an The
exhibition idea came from the robust materials in the
archive
documenting
Black
student
activism
throughout history. I was inspired by the political action of the students and wanted to celebrate their efforts by curating an exhibit honoring them. I believe that it is important to look to the past in order to envision new futures. I hoped that Black students
on
campus
would
be
inspired
by
the
trailblazers of the past that secured the present benefits
they
encourage
experience.
more
political
Moreover, action
I
to
want make
campus a safe place for future generations.
it
to the
Rachel Winston was a generous supervisor and
governance has been indispensable in all of my
taught
current endeavors.
me
the
archive’s
administrative cataloging. Rachel
In
addition,
she
ins
to I
and
was
–
from
able
to
observe
The
African
and
African
Department
encourages
experiential
learning
ambitions.
practice.
am
felt
though
guidance
supported
I
was
was
new
incredibly
graduate
and
students
I
encouraged
outs
digitization
and community members in their archive related
even
as
tasks
in
everything
to
wasn’t
engaging
in
working
rigorous
on
pursue
grateful
into
Her
education I have received as well as the many
allowed
opportunities that have contributed greatly to my
and
immensely
to
theory
did,
for
the
success. Donors massively impact programs, such as
I
turns
I
me to succeed in all of my tasks.
When
students
that
Studies
archiving.
detailed
I
Diaspora
cataloging,
AKA
Scholars
Black
Diaspora
Archive
Internship — with support provided by the Alpha
various
Kappa Alpha Delta Chapter Legacy Scholarship — which gives students the opportunity to take an
my favorite talks was I Just Want to Be a Student:
active
The
classroom. Thanks to donors, I was able to directly
of
Black
at
the
was
Brown Bag Lunch and Discussion series. One of
Experience
conversations
I
Students
in
the
role
their
and
was
moderated
included
by
insights
Dr.
from
my
work
with
more
Alessandro de Oliveira dos Santos and Andrés
understanding
Eduardo
critical methodologies.
Aguirre
Antúnez.
Being
given
the
of
rigor
archiving
the
develop as an aspiring historian. I now approach
discussion
of
of
Brazil.
Smith
aspects
outside
learn
The
various
education
Academic Environment at São Paulo University,
Christen
about
in
and
scholarship,
a
activism,
and
larger and
opportunity to learn from scholars from all over the world on topics related to race and racial
Photo Credits: Trent Lesikar, School of Undergraduate Studies
18
the area of African American psychology, which simply stated means using an insider approach which focuses on African Americans and centers their experiences in the construction of knowledge. A theme of much of my research
is
understanding
the
psychological
and
environmental factors that impact African American student achievement. My research program resulted in me
writing
the
book
“The
Myth
of
Black
Anti-
Intellectuaism: A True Psychology of African American Students”, narrative
which
challenged
regarding
Black
the
student
deficit-based
achievement.
In
many ways my research and scholarship are a defense of Black students and Black culture which informs how I approach
my
teaching.
For
example,
when
I
teach
Psychology of the African American Experience, I am able
to
draw
from
my
research
to
help
students
understand why the narrative about Black students not valuing
school
or
education
is
without
merit.
My
research on the impostor phenomenon reminds me in the classroom that there are many students, especially those from racial and ethnic minority groups, who feel like impostors and thus need the assurances of me as their professor that they belong here and I believe in their potential and capabilities.
Q. When did you know that you wanted to teach? Would you mind sharing this with us?
Kevin Cokley, Ph.D.
A.
PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
This
is
a
good
question!
I
first
came
to
the
realization that I wanted to teach, and specifically be a university professor, when I was a master’s student in a counselor education program. My original goal was
Q. Would you mind telling us a little bit about your work as the Director of Institute for Urban Policy Research & Analysis (IUPRA)?
to
work
in
student
affairs,
and
eventually
be
the
Director of what used to be called Minority Affairs on some
college
campus.
I
was
taking
a
Multicultural
Counseling class in my first year of the program and
A.
As
Director
administrative
of
IUPRA,
leader
I
am
who
the
intellectual
establishes
the
and
goals,
was
totally
captivated
about issues related
class.
was
racial
multicultural research such as Derald Wing Sue, Janet
and
Helms,
to
inform
legislative
and
Thomas
Parham.
influential
learning
and
staff. I lead an organization that uses empirical data research
about
I
racism,
identity
policy
reading
the
race,
objectives, and priorities of IUPRA and supervises all
conducts
and
by
to
Sitting
in
scholars
that
of
class,
I
African
began to envision myself one day doing the type of
Americans/Black people as well as other populations
work those scholars did and teaching other students
of
like myself about this work. That is when I knew I was
policies
that
color
and
specifically
people
living
affect
in
poverty.
The
core
objectives of IUPRA include (a) identifying, describing, analyzing
and
critiquing
disproportionately
impact
public African
policies
that
Americans/Black
people, other populations of color and people living in poverty (b) producing research (e.g., policy briefs, issue
destined to teach and be a university professor.
Q. How have you and your students been adapting to this new digital learning environment?
public
A. It has definitely been challenging. My teaching style
commentaries (e.g., op-eds) on important policy and
is one of high energy. When I teach in person I am
social
often very animated, and I move around quite a bit. I
briefs,
numbers
issues
people, improving
and
briefs,
relevant (c)
public
Americans/Black
one-pagers),
to
African
providing policies
people,
to other
and
Americans/Black on
have tried to figure out how to translate my energetic
African
style to the digital learning environment, and I would
recommendation better
serve
populations
of
color
and people living in poverty.
say that I have had varying degrees of success. Of course
I
won’t
truly
know
how
my
students
have
adapted until I see my course evaluations. One way
Q. How does your research inform your teaching?
that I have truly benefitted from using Zoom is
that in
some ways it has actually made my teaching more
A. My research program uses an emic approach in the 19
personal. I am notoriously bad at learning the names of
all my students. I try but it is not a strength of mine.
Test" where I showed pictures of traditional, hearty
When I’m teaching in person, I often only call students
plates of soul food juxtaposed
by name who talk a lot and are really engaged. For
portioned, “fancy food.” The students are asked to
those quieter students who don’t talk much, sadly it is
choose which picture of food they preferred. Next, I
much
The
showed pictures of “dressing” and “stuffing,” and ask
the
students which word was used in their home growing
names of the students with their faces (assuming their
up. Finally, I show a picture of sweet potato pie and
cameras are on) at all times. This has made it much
pumpkin pie and ask the students to choose which one
easier for me to call students by their names, which
they prefer. This is a very light-hearted activity which
makes
always brings a lot of smiles to the students’ faces,
harder
wonderful
for
thing
really
believe
that
Occasionally technical
to
about
teaching
students
me
more
learn
Zoom
intimate
appreciate students
some
of
difficulties
is
names.
I
can
For
will
I
know
see
personal. the
adapted
them
which
that
and
this.
have
their
most
I
think
part
I
allows
the
class
to
bond
photos of small
over
both
their
quite
well.
similarities as well as to appreciate their differences
experience
some
across race, ethnicity, and culture. Food is central to
is
frustrating
for
them (e.g., dropped internet signal, audio difficulties). However, these experiences have been infrequent, and overall I believe that the students have adapted well.
Q. It has been an especially tough year. Have you had any classroom moments of lightness or joy that bring you hope? A.
and
with
all cultures, and is the common bond that brings us all together.
Q. How does private support help your research? A.
Private support has been very helpful for me and
my research. I have been fortunate enough to have received
private
support
in
the
form
of
endowed
professorships from both the College of Liberal Arts, Well, there certainly have not been many classroom
moments
of
lightness
or
joy.
The
class
that
I
am
Harold C. and Alice T. Nowlin Regents Professorship in Liberal Arts,
and the Oscar and Anne Mauzy Regents
currently teaching, "Politics of Black Identity," is a fairly
Professor for Educational Research and Development,
intense class that surveys the diversity and politics of
where I have a joint appointment in the College of
Black identities and critically analyzes the idea that the
Education.
behaviors, attitudes, and philosophies of certain Black
professorships
celebrities,
or
elevated my professional stature and given me the
advance Black progress. We discuss very serious topics
support needed to focus on my research, scholarship,
in
and outreach activities.
that
leaders,
class,
and
and
there
intellectuals
have
undermine
definitely
been
some
intense and heated discussions in the class. I think the most light-hearted moment came recently when the topic was soul food. This lecture is always timed to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday. The point of the lecture is to one
eats
“authentic”
understand how soul food, and whether
it
or
Black
not,
contributes
identity.
I
to
started
notions the
Being has
the
recipient
been
an
of
honor
these and
endowed
has
further
Q. What you are reading right now? Whether for fun or related to your research and/or teaching. A.
I recently finished reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ book
of
an
“Between the World and Me.” I have plans on reading
lecture
by
Barack Obama’s new book “A Promised Land.”
administering what I humorously called a “Black Identity
Ĺ?
a specific historical episode, the Ak
incident (also
known as the story of the 47 ronin). Second, the game
had
to
have
clear
educational
payoff
that
could provide a window into the difficult life of a low-ranking samurai family in the eighteenth century. Third,
the
game
had
to
be
developed
on
zero
budget, using only free, publicly available platforms and software without purchasing game assets.
The result of the experiment was impressive: a deep learning experience for the students, who combined extensive research, multiple disciplines and different technologies, Ako:
A
to
Tale
produce
of
contemporary
a
Loyalty,
fully that
scholarship.
By
functional was the
game,
hooked end
of
to the
semester in May 2020, the game was distributed to beta-testers who provided feedback.
In September
2020, it was used for the first time in a university
Adam Clulow, Ph.D.
setting as an educational resource and it will soon be released on commercial platforms where it will
PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
be available for download at no charge.
Q. We are 10 months into the pandemic, the majority of classes have been moved online, and it is as though your class was designed for this moment. Tell us about how your Digital Humanities class came about. A.
In Spring 2020, I recruited four students for a
specialized
Digital
Humanities
internship.
The
internship was built around a single question: Could four
History
majors
design
a
fully
functional,
historically accurate video game across the course of a single semester.
The internship was driven, first, by an awareness of the dramatic growth of the video games industry in recent years and, second, by a sense that History
As an educator, it was remarkable to watch a group
departments including our own needed to engage
of
more closely with what has become a key conduit
immersive historical experience over the course of a
for students in our classes.
semester. Such experiments show how video games can
After
21
an
call
applications
be
viewed
as
zero
something
and
build
more
than
up
just
an
a
interviews, I recruited four students, Ashley Gelato,
Instead, used properly, video games can provide a
Michael Rader, Izellah Wang and Alex Aragon, for a
highly effective vehicle for learning about the past.
semester long Digital Humanities internship focused
At UT, the experiment was so successful that it led
on
directly
story-telling,
followed
from
distraction separated from the core study of history.
design,
for
start
by
game
open
students
programming,
and
to
the
creation
which
aims
of
to
Epoch:
develop
History
history. The game to be developed was constrained
Initiative,
a
by a set of guidelines. First, it had to be built around
historical games over the coming years.
Games
pipeline
of
Q. Tell us about the Digital Humanities; how does it work as an interactive teaching tool?
if I couldn’t do something similar (on a far smaller scale) for my classroom — that is, make a large quantity of information related to the trial I was
A.
Digital
Humanities
is
a
capacious
term
that
working
on
freely
available
and
see
if
students
means different things to different people. For me,
would respond in the same way by digging into
Digital Humanities is at its best when it emphasizes
these
“making,
conclusions.
connecting,
interpreting,
and
sources
and
putting
Working
and
New
Roy
their
own
Rosenzweig
Center
represents the best of Digital Humanities: students
Mason University, I built an interactive website, The
working on a collaborative project that can then
Amboyna Conspiracy Trial, designed to do just that.
be distributed to classrooms around the world.
At the heart of the site is an interactive trial engine
A. When I did my doctorate, Digital Humanities was
History
forward the
collaborating”. To me the Spring 2020 internship
Q. Do you have a memorable teaching moment you would like to share with us?
for
with
Media
at
George
which places students at the center of the case. To make a complex trial more accessible, we boiled the controversy down to six key questions that have to be answered one way or the other in order to come
to
a
verdict.
For
each
question,
the
site
just emerging as a set of skills and I paid very little
presents the arguments mobilized by both sides,
attention to it.
the prosecution and defense, in conjunction with
I wrote my first book much as a
scholar might have done at any point in the past
the
century by diving deep into archives and thinking of
documents
most
important
a largely academic audience. The key shift came
distinguished trial attorney. In addition, we created
for me when I became stuck as I attempted to
a
write my second book.
documents,
large
and
pieces
legal
repository which
of
of
evidence,
commentary
additional
students
can
related
from
material
work
a
and
through
at
their own pace to support their conclusions. My research project at this time focused on the Amboyna
(Amboina)
controversial
legal
conspiracy
trial
that
case,
took
place
on
a
After hundreds of hours of consultation, design, and
a
construction,
the
website
went
live.
Students
remote island in Indonesia but involved a global list
worked through the materials, completed the trial
of
engine, and then arrived at class ready to debate
characters
English
including
officials,
Dutch
Japanese
South Asia and local polities. controversial, pages
of
the
case
frequently
mercenaries,
merchants,
slaves
from
Because it was so
generated
contradictory
thousands court
different
dizzying
versions
of
Rashomon-like
interpretations,
the
case
reaching
of
their
complete,
conclusions.
we
made
When
the
these
website
tests
publicly
of
available, and since then thousands of visitors from across the world have worked through it, with their
creates
kaleidoscope
making
defend
were
records,
depositions and other materials. Putting together the
and
verdicts all recorded in our database.
a
possible
The
sort
pulling them deep into complicated material and
any
of
conclusion very difficult.
site
had
an
immediate
impact
on
students,
stimulating impassioned and productive debate in big lecture courses and seminars. Although some
After almost a decade of research on the case, I
students tossed off a verdict after racing through
decided that I had to try something different. My
the materials, many others confided to me that they
breakthrough
had become engrossed by the details of the trial,
came
when
I
noticed
that
all
my
students in Australia were talking about a different
trawling
trial that had taken place some years earlier. What
again and again to key points. I used the exercise
I
most
was
witnessing
was
the
remarkable
worldwide
response to the groundbreaking first season of the podcast Serial, which focused on a 1999 murder case in Baltimore. I watched in wonder as students, who were previously reluctant to engage with legal materials, dissected new pieces of evidence, often devoting
hour
after
hour
to
the
details
of
a
through
recently
the
in
a
sources
Spring
and
coming
2020
class
back
where
students delved deep into the Amboina case.
Q. Tell us about your current research projects, and what sparked your interest in this topic? A.
I am currently working on a second DH project,
decades-old case. The average Serial episode was
Virtual Angkor, which was built from the ground up
downloaded over 3 million times and it generated
for
a
Virtual
tremendous response as the public logged vast
numbers of hours
working through the key pieces
of evidence. Listening to Serial, I began to wonder
the
classroom. History
Historians
at
Constructed
Specialists, Monash
by
a
team
Archaeologists
University
in
of
and
Melbourne,
Flinders University in Adelaide and the University of
22
Texas at Austin across a period of more than ten years, the Virtual Angkor project aims to recreate the
Q. How does your research inform your teaching?
sprawling Cambodian metropolis of Angkor at the
A.
height of the Khmer Empire’s power and influence
example of how Digital Humanities projects impacted
around 1300. Although it has been used for research,
both
Virtual Angkor was constructed specifically for the
Humanities
classroom and can be used at both secondary and
especially
tertiary
levels.
tools
and
go
project
teaching.
the
Amboyna
sophisticated
or
As website
is
an
Digital is
not
technologically
case and the classroom more generally. First, having
premodern city to life, to place students on its streets
dozens
and
material proved a revelation for me. By homing in on
interact
Virtual
research
Trial
demanding, but it changed my approach to both the
to
advanced
my
Conspiracy
Reality
them
deploys
Amboina
technology, 3D Modeling and Animation to bring a
allow
It
The
with
a
historical
environment.
of
pairs
of
new
eyes
examining
familiar
points that I had dismissed too quickly and forcing me to defend lazy assumptions in class, these students
Most Asian history survey courses make reference to
helped me think through the mass of evidence. All of
Angkor but the standard black and white illustrations
this fed into my book which was published last year.
featured in textbooks make it difficult for students to
Second,
gain a sense of the scale and grandeur of the city.
retrying the case in seminar after seminar was one of
The Virtual Angkor project allows educators to place
the most satisfying experiences of my teaching career
students inside the Angkor Wat complex, to view the
and it made me want to incorporate such exercises
famous bas-reliefs first hand without leaving their
into all my classrooms.
seats, to sail down one of the hundreds of canals crisscrossing the city, to inspect a marketplace selling goods from across Southeast Asia and to watch as
it
changed
the
way
I
taught.
Trying
and
Q. How does private support help your research?
thousands of animated people and processions enter,
A.
exit, and circulate around the complex.
The result is
have
been
to draw students into a virtual world and then to use
from
my
this experience as a jumping off point to engage with
would have been impossible to move forward on this
primary sources.
project.
Digital
Humanities fortunate
department
projects to
require
receive
and
resources.
consistent
donors.
Without
I
support this,
it
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subjects
and
industries
in
which
I
was
rather
interested. I was lucky to have someone from my high school attend Plan II, so I had heard of the program through
him.
The
broad
curriculum,
the
small
classroom sizes, the access to terrific faculty, and all the student organizations and opportunities a large research institution has to offer drew me in to UT. When I visited the University, I was particularly keen on walking the forty-plus acres from one corner of campus
to
another,
the
lush
greenness
of
the
campus nestled inside bustling metropolitan Austin and all the city has to offer, and having only a fourhour bus ride to see my parents as the rest of my family live across an ocean back home in Finland.
What did you gain from a liberal arts education? Plan II isn’t a one-track path to law school, grad school, or a specific career. Rather, it opens up a tremendous number of doors for you—and you get to choose which ones to peek behind—and teaches you the
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needed
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across
a
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professions. The curriculum requires you to write a significant
amount
concisely
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coursework
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reasoning.
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your The
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to
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the
fundamentals of a variety of disciplines and have conversations with anyone from any field. The course content is created not to teach you how to memorize facts or formulas but to refine your ability to critically consider arguments, listen to multiple points of view, and validate claims. The opportunity to take classes with fantastic professors in their specific areas of interest
allows
you
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you
found
interesting. Beyond the classroom, the Plan II Honors program
afforded
me
opportunities
to
test-drive
work I was interested in, such as interning at the Harry Ransom Center for Humanities Research. This broad engagement in multiple disciplines combined with internships and research projects helped me to better figure out some of the focus areas for my career. For me personally, not only did the program help
me
figure
professors,
and
out the
my
passions,
Plan
II
staff
but all
my
peers,
personally
supported me in pursuing my passions, both during college and even after graduation. u L i h Ci h C : ti d e r C o t o h P
Sara M. Saastamoinen
Please tell us a little bit about what you do now. After
graduation,
I
joined
Deloitte’s
consulting
practice and specialized in the firm’s organization transformation work. For three years, I served
international humanitarian aid and children’s poverty NGOs,
U.S.-based
advocacy
and
literacy
organizations, and higher education institutions. The scope
of
my
work
ranged
from
cyber
security
change management to global technology adoption across more than 90 countries in five regions.
After a few years on the road, I moved to Brooklyn and currently lead a nonprofit auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital, the nation’s first public hospital and the largest public hospital in New York City. During my tenure, I wrote the nonprofit’s first strategic plans to build
a
solid
authored
foundation
and
and
launched
expand
its
inaugural
base,
advocacy
campaigns around the family separation crisis and the
public
charge
proposal,
and
shepherded
in
much-needed financial stability by identifying and mitigating shortfall.
a
nearly
The
partnering
three-quarter
best
with
part
our
of
million
my
hospital’s
job
historical
has
expert
Photo Credit: Ruyi Yao
been
leaders
to
refine their program strategy and develop, evaluate, and expand their programs sustainably.
How did private support impact your student career?
How do you apply what you learned in the College to your career path?
During my undergraduate studies, I worked at two or
I’ve been able to apply much of what I learned in the classroom to my work, whether it be in the nonprofit space or consulting for clients. Through the College I learned
there
are
always
100
nuanced
ways
to
approach a specific issue; a variety of stakeholders have
differing
viewpoints,
methodologies,
and
biases; and the best thing we can do for our world is to
provide
access
for
others,
whether
it
be
to
insights and research we have generated ourselves or to resources and support in the community.
My
journey
to
understand
national,
and
global
people’s
lives
throughout
continue
to
do
so
how
the
institutions the
today,
have
and
local,
affected how
how
they
they
are
continuously being modeled by multiple actors fully took
root
at
the
University.
The
classes
I
took
illuminated the interconnections between the many systems
that
healthcare,
affect
from
our
the
lives
legal
from
system
immigration to
public
to
and
private education, and from the criminal system to the
economy.
The
comprehensive
liberal
arts
education I received at UT cultivated my intellectual curiosity, imagination, and stamina to consider what could be most probable futures 50 to 100 years from now—good or bad—and what each would mean for humanity.
afford my education and living expenses. Even as affordable
as
UT
can
be
compared
to
other
universities of the same high caliber, I wouldn’t have been
able
everything
to I
stretch
wanted
the to,
dollars
from
I
earned
studying
to
do
abroad
to
conducting extensive thesis research. The support of two dozen donors provided me with the opportunities to study art history throughout Italy, to conduct onsite research at Indiana University’s Lilly Library for my senior honors thesis, and to help cover the costs of books, tuition, and room and board for much for my
many
ages,
three part-time jobs on campus every semester to
undergraduate career.
You have already started giving back to the College. What inspires you to give? If it weren’t for those who had given to the College before me, I wouldn’t have been able to do much of what made my undergraduate career special to me. I want
to
live
in
a
world
where
all
students
can
graduate without massive student debt, can afford to study
abroad
(ideally
more
than
once!),
and
can
focus their time on their studies, research, volunteer activities,
and
on-campus
leadership—without
needing to work part-time, full-time, or night jobs to afford lunch. I’m happy to donate from my earnings to help make that a reality for UT students.
26
website: liberalarts.utexas.edu phone: 512-232-8143 The College of Liberal Arts The University of Texas at Austin 116 Inner Campus Dr., Stop G6000 Austin, TX 78712