ANN UAL I M PACT RE P ORT 2021–2022
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 5 6 13
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A YE AR IN REVIEW
NEW ENDOWMENTS
DEAN’S CIRCLE DONORS JOCELYN AGUILAR FOUNDATIONS SCHOLARS PROGRAM | STUDY ABROAD
14 15
ELIZA PILLSBURY BAT CIT Y REVIEW INTERNSHIP
16
BRIDGET GOOSBY PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
18
ROBERT MOSER PROFESSOR INTERVIEW
20
DHANANJAY JAGANNATHAN LASTING IMPACT
STUDY ABROAD STATS
A YEAR IN REVIEW
TOTAL STUDENTS 10,933
FEMALE STUDENTS 62%
MALE STUDENTS 38%
UNDERGRADUATE 9,902
GRADUATE 1,031
FACULTY 781
UNDERGRADUATES RECEIVED FINANCIAL AID OR SCHOLARSHIP 58%
GRADUATES RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS OR FELLOWSHIPS 73%
LIVING ALUMNI 151,153
TOP 10 MAJORS Psychology Economics Government English Geography
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Sociology Plan II Honors History Anthropology Philosophy
Total Gifts, Pledges and Planned Gifts
$23,531,730 Philanthropy by Entity
Philanthropy by Designation
$12,977,742 INDIVIDUALS
$400,058 FACULTY
$1,659,526 REALIZED BEQUESTS
$10,989,607 STUDENTS
$6,885,186 PROGRAMS
$6,263,128 FOUNDATIONS
$677,470 CORPORATIONS
$4,279,308 RESEARCH
$977,571 BUILDINGS, UNRESTRICTED, ART/COLLECTIONS
$1,953,864 OTHER
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$5,093,749 Impact From Planned Gifts
3,417 Gifts Under $250
1,310 First-Time Donors
4,075 Unique Donors
20 New Planned Gifts Committed
$100 Median Donor Gift Amount
1,410 Unrestricted Gifts
4,356 Total Gifts to the College
NEW ENDOWMENTS Endowed Presidential Fellowship
Program Support
Dr. Keene Ferguson Endowed Presidential Fellowship
Casey McKittrick Memorial Excellence Endowment
in History Monday Family Endowment for Liberal Arts Chair Kaitlin Shirley Prison Education Endowed Excellence Fund William and Nicole Lynch Endowed Chair in Economics Jennifer and Randall Stagen Endowed Excellence Fund Graduate Fellowship
Syed-Khayrattee Plan II Excellence Endowment
Mary Rose Garza Undergraduate Scholarship in English
Mary and Charles S. Teeple IV Endowment for the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts
William and Nicole Lynch Endowed Scholarship for UTNY
and Ideas
Janet and Jimmy Neissa Family Endowed Scholarship
Wagner Family Endowment in Economics
for UTNY Jay Williams Endowed Fund in Plan II Martin Schulman Scholarship Jim and Lela Windham Excellence Endowment for the Scholarships
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas
Dr. Nicholas Asher Endowed Fellowship Young Family Scholarship in Plan II William and Nicole Lynch Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Economics Texas Challenge Program Support
Michael J. Whellan Scholarship
Frederick Luis Aldama Excellence Endowment
Kathleen Williams and Rebecca A. Lane Scholarship
Dr. Mia Carter Endowed Excellence Fund
Matías J. Adrogué and Leila M. El-Hakam Endowed Scholarship
Erhardt Normandy Scholars Program Endowment Franklin Rowe Endowed Scholarship Dr. Mark Holt Pre-Med Scholarship in Plan II Unblemished Sole Scholarship Husain Family Endowment in Liberal Arts Honors Reining Family Endowed Scholarship Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez Endowment for American History Jane Dyer Lange Endowed Excellence Fund for Shakespeare at Winedale
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H. Brent and Joanne P. Austin Endowed Scholarship
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 year. All giving, of $500 or more, to any area of the College, is counted toward Dean’s Circle membership.
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Mr. and Mrs. Steven L. Aaron
Dr. and Mrs. John M. Beall
Mr. and Mrs. Todd S. Aaron Chris Abbott
Mr. Peter Beathard
Ms. Lynn V. Abell and Mr. Riccardo Guerrieri
Mr. Brent Bechtol and Ms. Hailey Bechtol Currie
Mr. Lawrence Abraham
and Anne Bechtol
Shiju Abraham
Mr. and Mrs. David Becker
Tina Abraham
Ms. Mary E. Beckner and Mr. Jeffrey M. Larsen
Mr. Muhannad Abulhasan
Mr. Stephen Bedikian and Ms. Heather Johnson
Mr. and Ms. Kwabena Ackie
Dr. Christine M. Beier and Dr. Lev D. Michael
Mr. and Mrs. Armando T. Acosta
Mr. and Mrs. John T. Beliveau
Ms. Jennifer Ainsworth and Mr. Charles L. Ainsworth
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher K. Bell
Mr. and Mrs. Fields Alexander
Dr. Steven M. Hoppes and Ms. Linda K. Bell
Mr. James Alsup and Mrs. Deborah Alsup
Mr. Philip F. Benson
Ms. Mena Amin
Mr. Rodger W. Benson and Mr. Scott Erickson
Mr. Byron G. Anderson
Howard and Wendy Berk David and Ellen Berman
Karen L. Anderson
Ms. Mary Dell Harrington and Mr. Melvin J. Berning, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Steven R. Anderson
Mr. Stephan Beuerlein and Mrs. Laura Beuerlein
The Honorable Sunya N. Anderson
Arun Bhakthavalsalam
Basil W. and Joyce L. Andrews
Dr. Perry E. Bickel and Dr. Sarah E. Barlow
Mr. Giorgio Angelini
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Appleman
Barbara and Bill Binder Phil and Sherri Bishop
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Appleman Margaret
Mr. Douglas A. Black
and Wayne Arrington
Mr. Jack E. Blake, Jr. and Mrs. Mary T. Blake
Mr. and Mrs. Mark D. Atkinson
Allison Bloom
Dr. Christopher M. Babits and Ms. Julia Gossard Kenneth Backus
Mrs. Judy Bloomquist and Dr. Marvin Bloomquist
Ms. Allison T. Bacon
Ms. Carla A. Blumberg
Dr. Susan Bagby and Mr. Grover C. Bagby, Jr.
John Boatwright and Annette Boatwright
Mr. Allen Bailey
Allyson Farlow Borgstedte, D.O.
Mr. Benjamin Baird
Andrew John Bowman
Mr. and Mrs. Rex G. Baker III
Ms. Marian L. Brancaccio
Mr. Robert Baker and Ms. Chandler Craig
Nancy Shelton Bratic
Ms. Sonja Baker
Mary Braunagel-Brown, Ph.D.
Susan C. Baker, Ph.D. Mr. Vivek Bakshi
Mr. and Mrs. M. Scott Bresk
Dr. Peter Balash and Beth Ane Jackson
G. W. Brock
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Balz
Miss Michelle K. Brock
Mr. Harold Barber and Mrs. Annette Barber
James R. Brown
Mr. Michael W. Barker
Dr. S. Bruce Brown and Dr. Mary A. Braunagel-Brown
Mr. Leo Barnes and Mrs. Gail Barnes
Mr. Barrett Bruce and Mrs. Ellen Bruce
Ms. Joan M. Barrett
The Bucy Family Fund
Eyal Barzel
Mr. Alan M. Buie
Eric Batchelder and Suzanne L. Morris
Thomas Burnham
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Mrs. Brenda Burt and Mr. Edmond Burt
Mr. and Mrs. Carl R. Dawson
John W. Caldwell, Jr.
Mr. Victor de la Garza, Jr. and Mrs. Mary Nell de la Garza
Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Bedran Calil
Mr. Richard C. DeBerry and Mrs. Kelly E. DeBerry
Dr. Guy N. Cameron
Mr. Thomas B. DeBesse
Mr. Larry A. Campagna
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Denham
Ms. Emily Thornton Campbell
Dr. Carolyn H. Denham and Mr. Robert E. Denham
Dya C. Campos
Mr. and Mrs. Jim H. Derryberry
Ms. Elizabeth Carey
Mr. Aashish Desai
Ms. Lavonne Carlson-Finnerty
Al and Julie Tindall DeVincentis
Ms. Marianne Carrol
Mr. Robert L. Dewar and Mrs. Elizabeth Dewar
Ms. Leslie Carruth
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin D. Diamond
Dr. Daniela Bini and Dr. Joseph C. Carter, Jr
Ms. Anne H. Dibble
Mr. Arthur Catterall and Mrs. Jana Catterall
Dr. Elizabeth Dickenson and John McCready
Mathews Chacko
Randy and Mary Diehl
Monica G. Chartier
Mrs. Alison A. Dieter Sue and Earl Dittman
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Chatham
Joan Dollinger
Captain Cody D. Cheek
Mr. David A. Donohoe, Jr.
Mr. Usman A. Cheema and Ms. Katherine S. Burk
Dr. Tommy Douglas and Ms. Linda Shead
Ms. Christine Chemell
Mrs. Jane Downer and Dr. Michael W. Downer
Chien-Yu Chen and Ya-Ting Shieh
Ms. Jordan T. Downs
Dr. Stephen L. Chew and Dr. Daisy Y. Wong
David L. and Adrienne S. Draper
Dr. William R. Childs and Mrs. M. Suzanne Childs
Mr. and Mrs. David G. Drumm
Jin Lee and Jae Chun
Ms. Barbara Duganier and Mr. J. Michael Urban
Noreen Clancy
Dr. Sharon A. Dunn and Professor Robert A. Prentice
Paul B. Clayton, Jr., Ph.D.
Mr. Frederick Dure
Dr. Peter S. and Dorothy Cleaves
Dr. Nancy Durling
Dr. Helen P. Clements
Mr. and Mrs. Myron E. East, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Brooke Coburn
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Egan
Cogburn Family Foundation
Mr. David L. and Mrs. Cynthia P. Eigen
Professor Jane Cohen and Professor Lawrence G. Sager
Ms. Leila M. El-Hakam and Mr. Matias J. Adrogue
Scott and Barbi Cohen
Mr. and Ms. Mark Elbert
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Collins
Lawson F. Ellinor and Michelle S. Ellinor
Ms. Lauren Collins and Mr. A. Porter Collins
Mrs. Suzanne Ellis and Mr. Edward H. Ellis, Jr.
Ms. Mary M. Collins
Mrs. Mary Engelking and Mr. James Engelking
Mr. Robert K. Conklin
Dr. Donald G. England
Rebeca Contreras
Dr. Patience Epps
Mr. Jim F. Cook
Ms. Dia Epstein and Mr. Barry Epstein
Mr. and Mrs. M. Don Cooper
Mr. Alexander C. Erhardt and Ms. Erica M. Racko
Mr. George K. Copeland and Mrs. Rita D. Copeland
Mrs. Chandra Erickson-Alger and Mr. Christopher Alger
Eric and Lisa Ann Craven
James T. Escobedo, Jr.
Mr. Clark R. Crosnoe and Mrs. Aparna Crosnoe
Dr. Susan M. Escudier, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Estrada
Mr. R. Caven Crosnoe and Mrs. Sue Y. Crosnoe
Mrs. Nancy Etheridge
Mr. Brady Crosswell and Mrs. Heather Crosswell
Mr. John Fainter and Mrs. Allison Fainter
Mr. John W. Crow and Mr. Marcus Loy
Ms. Maria E. Farahani and Mr. Menoucher D. Farahani
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Cruse III
Dr. and Mrs. Larry R. Faulkner
Jim and Laura Ann Curry
Mr. Yiheng Feng
Canh Dang
Ms. Hallie Ferguson
Mr. and Mrs. Josiah M. Daniel III
Joseph and Jody Ferguson
Ms. Cheryl J. Cahoy and Mr. Barry I. Dauber
Mr. Walter K. L. Ferguson, Jr. and Mrs. Kelly S. Ferguson
Dr. Donald R. Davis and Ms. Mary Rader
Mr. and Mrs. Steven J. Finkelman
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Dr. Richard H. Finnell and Mrs. Susanna Finnell
Mrs. Carol Grant Gray and Mr. Ernest D. Gray
Richard P. Finney
Mr. Rudolph H. Green and Ms. Joyce K. Christi
Mr. Barnet Fishbein
Mr. Robert Greenblum
Mr. Maverick F. Fisher
John and Betsy Greytok
Ms. Susan S. Fisk
Ms. Erika L. Griffith
Ms. Maria Luisa Flores and Mr. Scott M. Hendler
Ms. Suzanne M. S. Groves
Mr. Richard Flores
Dr. Sumit Guha
Chad W. Forsberg and Suzanne M. Forsberg
Mr. Kent Guida
Chris Fox
Ms. Bianca Habib
Shaleiah F. Fox
Mr. Mark Halperin
Sara and John Harold Frahm Mr. and Mrs. Richard M. Frankel
Mr. and Mrs. James T. Hanna
Ms. Christa E. French and Mr. Stephen Robinson
Ms. Alison M. Hansen and Mr. Matthias Granberry
Mr. David Fried and Ms. Monica Fried
Jennifer Hardy and Daniel L. Serrato
Ms. Barbara Friedberg and Mr. Michael Friedberg
Ms. Kyla Harrison
Mr. William P. Frisbie II
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Hart
Mr. Jeremiah Fugit
Mr. John S. and Mrs. Judye G. Hartman
Ms. Mary Furse
Dr. Melinda B. McFarland and Dr. Reid C. Hartson
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory S. Garrison
Mr. Christopher L. Hartwell
Dr. James D. Garrison
Ms. Mary W. Harwood
Joseph and Donata M. Garvey
Mr. Richard G. and Mrs. Melody N. Hatfield
Mr. Christian Garza
Robert Hawk and Jodi Schwartz
Dr. Stephanie L. Kodack and Dr. David A. Garza
Mr. and Mrs. Derek R. Hawkins
Mr. F. John Garza
Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Hayman
Jeanne H. Gatoura
Ms. Kimberly Haynes
Adebayo Gbakinro
Dr. Mark D. Hayward and Ms. Linda S. Abbey
Drs. David G. Genecov and Lisa W. Genecov
Dr. Jerald L. Head
Mr. Devin Geoghegan and Ms. Su Mei Chen
Ms. Kim L. Heilbrun
Ms. Cheryl George and Mr. R. James George
Chad Hejl
Giby George
Dr. and Mrs. Gregory L. Hemphill
Dr. Elizabeth E. Gershoff and Dr. Andrew D. Gershoff
Ms. Joyce Anne Hendy
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Geshwiler
Laura Hensley and Harold Hensley
Ms. Pamela M. Giblin
Mary Hickok and Wilhelm P. Vins
Mr. Christian Gibson
Mrs. Karen Hicks and Mr. Frank Hicks
Jo A. Giese and Edward W. Warren
Ken and Lucy Hicks
Dr. and Mrs. Robert W. Gilmer III
Kathleen M. Higgins, Ph.D.
Stephen and Meggie Gilstrap
David Highland and Patricia Highland
Mr. and Mrs. M. G. Glasscock
Thomas Hillman
Carl Glaze and Dixon Glaze
Mrs. Barbara Snyder and Mr. Benjamin L. Hinds
Mary Dant & Gary Gleb
Mrs. Cynthia P. Hollenbeck and Paul H. Hollenbeck
Dr. Robert Glushko
Mark W. Holt, M.D.
D. G. Goff
Garret C. House and Kimberly B. House
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Goldberg
Stephen H. Houston
Ms. Carolyn Holt Goldston
Mr. Stephen Houston
Dr. Rueben A. Gonzales and Ms. Catherine G. Watson
Dr. Russell Hoverman and Dr. Isabel Hoverman
John and Kristin Goodwin
Mr. and Mrs. James Howe
Hans and Paramy Graff
Mr. Chris O’Riordan and Ms. Elizabeth Huber
Dr. Laura Graham
The Honorable and Mrs. Harry L. Hudspeth
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Graham
Ms. Erica Huerta
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Graves
Ms. Meta B. Hunt
Mr. Andrew J. Gray IV
Kitty and Robert Hunter
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Ms. Kathryn Blackbird and Mr. Craig Hurwitz
Mr. and Mrs. Bradley C. Ladden
Mr. and Mrs. Nomaan K. Husain
Nina Lambright
Mr. and Mrs. Curtis T. Hutcheson
Mr. Jason S. Lamin
Katherine Icenhauer-Ramirez
Anna and Jack A. Land
Michael Icenhauer
Dr. Rebecca A. Lane and Kathleen S. Williams
Sylvia Jabour and David Jabour
Mr. and Mrs. Jon Lange
Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Jackson
Mr. and Mrs. Jory Lange
Mrs. Melinda N. Jackson
Mr. Michael Larson
Mr. William J. Jackson
Mr. Ryan L. Latham
Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Doug and Emily Jacobson
Ms. Virginia Lebermann and the Lebermann Foundation
Mr. Dhananjay Jagannathan
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter P. Lee
Mr. Vinit Jagdish
Dr. James Lehmann and Lenka Lehman
Mr. Brian K. Jammer
Mr. William L. Atkins and Ms. Myra L. Leo
Mr. and Mrs. Brian D. Jewett
Natalie and John Levan
Dr. and Mrs. Steve A. Johnson
Mr. Bradley S. Lewis and Ms. Lori Wittlin
Matthew and Michelle Johnson
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell C. Lewis
Ms. Davida Dwyer and Mr. Nathaniel R. Johnson
Joan D. Lewis, Ph.D.
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Jones, Jr.
Elizabeth Crook and Marc Lewis Foundation
Mrs. Kay B. Jones
Ms. Laura Linhart-Kistner and Mr. Kirk Kistner
Mr. Ryan Thomas Jordan
Janet Linnstaedter
Martin Josephi
Mr. Gregory O. Lipscomb
Padmakar Joshi
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen S. Livingston
Dr. Jane W. Joyce
Mr. Mark Lloyd
Mr. Mark Judaken
Dr. and Mrs. James N. Loehlin
Ms. Lucy Junker
Colonel George E. Loughran
Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Kaska, Jr.
Ms. Traci Lovitt
Mr. and Mrs. Michael L. Kass
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey T. Lowther
Mr. and Mrs. Layton B. Keith, Jr.
Marian and Steve Lustig
Mr. Gerald Kelley
William and Nicole Lynch
Mrs. Patricia H. Kelso
H. Malcolm Macdonald Charitable Trust
Mr. William F. Kemp and Ms. Suzon S. Kemp
Drs. Adriana M. Pacheco Roldan and Fernando Macias-Garza
Annie and Spencer Kerr
Ms. Susan Macicak
Ms. Carolyn Ketterer
Montserrat Madariaga
Dr. Martin W. Kevorkian and Dr. Tanya T. Paull
Drs. David and Jane Malin
James Everett and Betty Wilson Key
Darsana Manayathu Sasi
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kilgore
Dr. Yi Mao
Paul E. Kim, M.D.
Catherine Jurgensmeyer
Ms. Sally S. Kleberg
Martin Mr. Paul Martin
Jeanne and Michael Klein
Dr. G. Dirk Mateer and Ms. Charity-Joy Acchiardo
Mrs. Judy Rowe Koehl
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel N. Matheson III
The Honorable Nancy M. Koenig
Mr. Abraham Paimpalil and Ms. Sali Mathew-Paimpalil
Mr. and Mrs. Rodney C. Koenig
Stephen Mathew
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Kuhn
Mr. Robert Matney and Ms. Elizabeth Fisher
Jiju Kulangara
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Matthews III
Mr. Thomas Kusner and Ms. Paola Mariani
Mr. and Mrs. W. Warren Matthews
Ms. Julie C. Kyse
Ms. Angela Maxwell
Lt. Col. (Ret.) and Mrs. LaChance
Dr. Laura E. Mayhall
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lacy
Jill and Robert McAlister
Ms. Jessica Ladd
Mr. James W. McBride
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Mr. and Mrs. Murray J. McCabe
National Philanthropic Trust
Mr. Paul McCarty
Paul A. and Marcia Inger Navratil
Dr. and Mrs. Charles L. McClenon
Ms. Francigene Neely
Mrs. Ann K. McCulloch
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Neissa
Mr. C. Cale McDowell
Mr. and Mrs. Howard D. Nirken
Dr. James Holmes McDowell
Mr. and Mrs. Urie Nooteboom
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew R. McFarland
Norman Lewis Revocable Trust
Mr. and Mrs. Richard K. McGaughy, Jr.
Dr. Charles North
Marysol McGee
Mr. Jan A. Notzon
Mr. Michael McGinity
Dr. Turid S. & Philip Nybro
Martin McKenna
Mr. Sean O’Brien
Dr. and Mrs. Byron M. McKnight II
Mr. John Ogden
Mr. and Mrs. G. Vic McNallie
Ms. Constance Okhuysen-Martinez
Ms. Gloria Jeanette McWilliams
Mr. and Mrs. D. Dudley Oldham
Nikelle S. Meade
Mr. and Mrs. Rufus W. Oliver III
Maggie and Steve Megaw
Mr. Thomas W. Oliver
Drs. Madeline C. Sutherland-Meier and Richard P. Meier
Mr. Carter L. and Mrs. Heather E. Olson
Mr. Scott H. Mellon
Once Upon a Time
Elizabeth Mendoza
Dr. Myungho Paik
Ms. Rachel Mersey
Mrs. Georgia Paine
Deborah Mersky
Mr. and Mrs. Justin T. Painter
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Methenitis
Ms. Susan G. Palombo
Mr. J. Mark Metts
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Panatier
Drs. Christie Jo Little and Bruce A. Meyer
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin L. Pardue
Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Meyer
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Parker
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Parrino
Mr. Carl Michel
Mr. and Mrs. Norman W. Parrish
Dr. Beth W. Miller
Mr. Christopher R. Parry
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin P. Miller
Drs. Merry E. Makela and C. O. Patterson
Mr. Reza K. Mojtabaee-Zamani
Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Patton, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Molinar
Mr. Alfred Mirin and Ms. Davida Paul-Mirin
Kimberly E. Monday, M.D.
Ms. Casey Taylor Nice
Ms. Joan E. Morgenstern
Dr. Romik Chatterjee and Ms. Robin Pearson
Ms. Samantha D. Kell and Mr. Judson O. Morrison IV
Mr. Robert H. Pees
Rosemary Morrow, Ph.D.
James and Ruth Pennebaker
Mrs. Marjorie Morton
Mr. John H. Peper
Ms. Lauren L. Moser
Dr. Bobby J. Perales
Mr. Robert Motion
Mr. and Mrs. Paul F. Perea
Ms. Hema Mullur
Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Perkins
Dr. Rashmi Mullur
Mark L. Perkins
Carmen Carter and Donald Mulraney
Dr. Emiko Petrosky
Mulva Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall G. Phaneuf
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Mulva
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Phaneuf
Dr. and Mrs. Robert S. Munford, III
Mr. and Ms. Donald Phillips
Ms. Katherine J. Murray
Dr. Steven and Dr. Susan Pisano
Dr. Mary R. Rose and Dr. Marc A. Musick
Dr. Steven R. Pliszka and Ms. Alice Narvaez
Musk Foundation
Ms. Christine A. Plonsky
Dr. Jan E. Mutchler
Ms. Ly Poe
Dr. and Mrs. Prasanna K. Nair
Kevin Poe
Mr. Benjamin J. Nale
Ms. Susan T. Pohl
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Ms. Carol D. Polumbo and Ms. Cheryl A. Allen
Mr. Scot M. Rogerson
Cyrena N. Pondrom, Ph.D.
Dr. Mary R. Rose and Dr. Marc A. Musick
Ms. Jana Edwards and Mr. Frederick H. Poppe, Jr.
Barbara K. Rothschild and David P. Allen Lorin
Ms. Jennifer Poppe
and Forrest Runnels
Russell and Stephanie Post
Rust Family Foundation
Mrs. Karen Boyd Pou and Mr. Robert L. Pou
The Honorable Frank B. Rynd
Dr. and Mrs. Hervey A. Priddy
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence M. Sampleton, Jr.
Eric J. Pulaski Philanthropic Fund
Mr. Perry Robinson and Ms. Andrea Sanchez
Ms. Lalana Pundisto
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson L. Sands
Mr. and Mrs. Blake M. Purnell Bethel
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Scanapico
and Jonathan Quander Val Quinn
Marjorie A. Schneider and Edward Shirley
E. Ingrid Radkey
Dr. David Schnyer
Mr. and Mrs. Robert R. Raith
John and Page Schreck
Esther L. Raizen, Ph.D.
Dr. Frank D. Schubert
Vasu Raja and Maureen Milligan
Dr. Christopher B. Schulze
Mr. Mohan Rajagopalan
Mr. Richard Crumly and Ms. Stefanie L. Scott
Felicenne H. Ramey
Scurlock Foundation
Dr. Eileen Donohue and Mr. John N. Rando
Mr. Bryon Sehlke Jan and Mark Seiler
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Rather
Dr. Henry A. Selby
Dr. Ion M. Ratiu and Dr. Simone M. Scumpia
Ms. Diane Selken
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew A. Raymond
Jane Sell
Dr. and Mrs. Robert M. Readinger
Dr. and Mrs. Eric A. Sellstrom
Mr. and Mrs. Barrett H. Reasoner
Sellstrom/Muniz Family
Mr. Kevin S. Reed
Mr. Rishi Shah
Lara and Eric Reichle
Mr. Keith D. Sharman
Ms. Martha Reining
Ms. Natalie Sharpe
Ms. Marlene Renz
Ms. Leslie Shaunty and Mr. Robert M. Topp
Dr. Nicolas Reyes
Mr. and Mrs. John Sheffield
William and Teresa Reynolds
Dr. Vikron Shenoy
Mr. Samuel D. Rhea
Celeste Sheppard, M.D.
Ms. Caitlin E. Rhodes
David A. and Susan D. Sheppard
Mrs. Janet K. Richter
Drs. Dina M. and Joel F. Sherzer
Mr. Matt R. Ridewood
Ms. Kelly L. Shield
Mr. Jason A. Rios
Dr. Kaitlin A. Shirley and Mr. Michael T. Melek
Dean Ramon H. Rivera-Servera
Mr. and Mrs. Jason D. Silverstein
Mr. Stanley Robare
Ms. Cristal Simon
Robert A. & Kathey K. Anderson Foundation
Mr. Lindsey C. Simon and Ms. Angela J. Pater
Roberta Wright Reeves Trust
Mr. and Mrs. Aaron P. Simpson
Dr. Brian E. Roberts and Ms. Sarah Mead
William Simpson
Drs. Bryan R. and Susan K. Roberts
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen P. Sims
Janet Roberts
Dr. Cherise Smith and Mr. Geoffrey B. Sorrick
Mr. and Mrs. Whit Roberts
Mr. Garrick Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Corbin J. Robertson III
Mitch and Michele Smith
Mr. J. Brett Robertson and Mrs. Jennifer Brow
Dr. Nellis Smith
Dr. Raymond Robertson and Dr. Sarah West
Alice and Robert Smith
Robinson Value Management, Amy & Charles Robinson
Mrs. Sandra E. Snyder
Mr. Henry S. Robles
Dr. Patricia A. Somers
Mr. and Mrs. Darrell D. Rocha
Mr. Ian S. Spechler
Mr. Sean P. Rodriguez
Randall and Dyanne Speer
Mr. and Ms. Paul Rogers
Tara Terneny Speer
Mr. Michael L. Rogers
Ms. Jennifer Spohrer
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Mr. and Mrs. Bradley R. Staats
Rebecca Vinocur
Stagen Family Charitable Trust
Mrs. Kelly R. Waggonner and Mr. Rudy Heilig
Mr. and Mrs. Randall Stagen
Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Wagner
Mr. Patrick Nicholas Staha
Christopher Wagner and Keri Wagner
The Stedman West Foundation
Ms. Maria E. Wagner
Regent and Mrs. Stuart W. Stedman
Mr. and Mrs. Harlan J. Wakoff
R. Steeg
Mr. and Mrs. Kim N. Wallace
Mr. Daniel A. Steinhauser
Mary Walsh
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher S. Stewart
Ms. Diana J. Walters
Mr. and Mrs. Robb P. Stewart
Mr. J. Thomas Ward
Still Water Foundation Inc.
Divya Warrier
Dr. Michael B. Stoff and Ms. Raquel Schuster
Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Watkins
Dr. Chandler Stolp
Mr. David Webb
Eric B. Stumberg and Keri D. Giambrone-Stumberg
Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Weeks
Mr. William F. Stutts, Jr. and Ms. Susan P. Campbell
Mr. and Mrs. Alan J. Weil
Mr. Douglas and Dr. Mary Suell
David Weinberg
Dr. Paul V. Sullivan
Mr. W. Thomas Weir
Mr. and Mrs. Terry J. Sullivan
Mr. David Weiser and Ms. Mary Crouter
The Susser Family Foundation
Mr. Thomas L. Whatley
Mr. John Sutter
Michael Whellan and Margaret M. Menicucci
Michael Swartzendruber
Dr. Andrew B. White, Jr. and Mrs. Judith W. White
Mr. Hasan Syed
Dr. David White and Mrs. Anabel Rocha-White
Mr. Chad Taylor
Ms. Marilyn A. White
Kathy and John Tedrick
Mrs. Marilyn M. White
Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Teeple IV
Ms. Sarah H. Wieser
Mr. and Mrs. Larry E. Temple
Ms. Louise D. Actkinson
The Bernard & Audre Rapoport Foundation
John Wilkes and Vasilia T. Wilkes
The Cain Foundation
Ms. Stacy L. Wilkins
The Dedman Foundation
Kathy S. Williams, Ph.D.
The Edward & Lucille Kimmel Foundation
Patrick Williams and Stephanie Williams
The Marcus Family Foundation
Dr. M. Wright Williams and
Antony Thekkek
Dr. Michelle M. Byron Donna F. Wilson, Ph.D.
Ms. Cara-Lynne Thomas
Jim and Lela Windham
Mr. Cayle Thompson
Mr. and Mrs. Jorge Woldenberg
Mrs. Nancy P. Thompson
Dr. Gary R. Wolfe
Ms. Carolyn Thurmond
Ms. Sarah B. Wolfe
Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Tobias
Dr. Anthony C. Woodbury
Mr. and Mrs. William P. Tolany
Mr. and Mrs. David Woodruff
Peyton Townsend
David Woodruff and Colleen Hobbs
Mr. Christopher M. Trent
Dr. and Mrs. Paul B. Woodruff
Tamara Tricoli
Don Charles Wukasch
Dr. W. Alan Tully and Ms. Deborah D. Bennett
Dr. M. Charles Wukasch II and Mrs. Beata Backo-Wukasch
Mr. William Tyler
Mr. and Mrs. James C. Wynne III
Mr. Jagadeesh Unnikrishnan
Mr. Scott M. Yarbrough
Dr. and Mrs. Everett M. Upshaw
Drs. Alba A. Ortiz and James R. Yates Kim Yavorek
Ms. Barbara J. Duganier and Mr. J. Michael Urban
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Yoder
Mr. and Mrs. Ward Utter
Mr. and Mrs. Evan A. Young
Dr. Thomas A. Van Hoose
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Young
Betsy Varghese
Mr. Ronald Zagarri and Ms. Marsha Kelman
Mr. Robert C. Vaughn and Mrs. Fallon B. Vaughn
Mr. Adam J. Zaner and Mrs. Karin M. Zaner
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas R. Vetter
Mr. Mark Zeidman
Foundation Scholars Program | Study Abroad
Jocelyn Aguilar, IRG and English Major, ‘23 When I was a little girl, my bedroom was Paristhemed. My bedside lamp was in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. I would fall asleep staring at that lamp every night. I would dream of standing next to the real Eiffel Tower in Paris. This past summer, I had the opportunity to fulfill this childhood dream by participating in the Contemporary Global Challenges study abroad program in Paris, France. During my time studying aboard in France, I visited international organizations that focused on human rights, a field that I am very passionate about. My most memorable visit was to Amnesty International, an international organization that shines a light on human rights violations around the world. It showed me how each nation is faced with human rights issues, including the United States. This experience furthered my interest in pursuing international law. I believe that countries can work together to alleviate these issues. I also got to explore places that I never thought I’d see. I went to the Luxembourg Gardens, the Palace of Versailles, Montmartre, and other amazing historical landmarks. Of course, I made a special trip to see the Eiffel Tower at 1 a.m. for the sparkling light show they perform each night. It made my experience feel real– I was in Paris. In addition to sightseeing, I created connections for life. The small class size made it possible to form deeper connection with my classmates and professors. While this trip was life-changing, the journey to get there was not easy. I come from a low-income, immigrant family that has always lived paycheck to paycheck. Growing up, the idea of attending college seemed like an impossible dream. No one in my family had ever graduated from high school, so the thought of going to college or studying abroad hard to imagine. I am the first in my family to graduate from high school and now I attend The University of Texas. These accomplishments made the dream of one day traveling to Paris seem more attainable.
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When I applied to the study-abroad program, I encountered many hurdles. Being a first-generation student meant that I was unaware of how to access the resources that could make studying abroad a reality. At first, I thought that I had to figure everything out on my own, just like I always did. However, with the support from the Foundation Scholars Program, I received peer-mentorship from individuals who had previously studied abroad. I was also able to connect with other first-generation students. Together, we were able to rely on one another and help each other navigate the unknown. Having this support system from staff, and fellow mentors, really motivated me to continue pursuing this opportunity. One big hurdle to overcome was the cost of studying abroad. I am so grateful to be the recipient of the Holsey- Leathers Endowed Excellence Fund for the College of Liberal Arts scholarship. This scholarship helps make it possible to attend UT. But in a city like Austin, which is becoming increasingly unaffordable, I had to figure out how to pay for this study program, because my financial aid and scholarship would not cover these costs. Fortunately, I was able to receive guidance from the first-year student’s Foundation Scholars Program. They helped me cover the deposit and my plane ticket! These were things that would have had to come out of pocket, if it wasn’t for the support of the Foundation Scholars Program. My study abroad experience would not have been possible without the generous support from The Rapoport Service Scholarship Program, the donors for the Wheeler Foundation Study Abroad Scholarship, and the International Education Fee Scholarship from Texas Global. A special thank you to the Foundation Scholars Program as well, for not only providing guidance through this journey, but also financially supporting the dream of five-year old me.
Study Abroad Stats Study abroad is an important part of a well-rounded liberal arts education. Being in cultural settings 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 in their travels.
COLA Students Studied Abroad in 57 Countries
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TOP 5 STUDY ABROAD COUNTRIES SPAIN FRANCE ENGLAND ITALY BRAZIL
TOP 5 STUDY ABROAD MAJORS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS & GLOBAL STUDIES PLAN II GOVERNMENT PSYCHOLOGY HDO
COLA Students Who Studied Abroad COLA Students Who Received Financial Aid Average Cost For One Semester
715 374 $16,000
Bat City Review Internship
Eliza Pillsbury, Plan II Honors, ‘23 One of the beautiful and terrifying things about wanting to be a writer is the wide range of possible job opportunities one can pursue while still practicing one’s craft. Not every writer spends the majority of their professional experience as a poet or essayist; in fact, I would wager that most artists have side hustles, which can vary in the degree of closeness to what they are truly passionate about. Then there are the lucky ones, who find a unique passion for their day job and even use it as fodder for their creative work. Serving as the Nonfiction Editorial Intern at Bat City Review this semester showed me the unique power of an artist using their expertise to promote others’ professional development. Sarah Matthes, the Managing Editor at Bat City, taught me as much about the life of a working writer as about the operations of a literary journal. She leads a supremely talented staff with empathy and ambition. (Perhaps it’s not a matter of luck at all.) I’m a senior studying Plan II Honors and journalism, with a certificate in Core Texts & Ideas and a minor in English—that is to say, I love to read and write. One day, I envision myself living off of the book deals for my memoirs and essay collections. In the meantime, I plan to enter the publishing industry in an editorial capacity after I graduate. I’ve wanted to intern at Bat City Review since I first heard about it as a freshman. When I interviewed with Sarah Matthew, the managing editor at Bat City Review, we clicked right away. My daily responsibilities included reading 10 pieces each from our nonfiction and fiction submissions. In evaluating whether to forward a submission to our Editorial Board for review, I’ve honed my critical eye and developed my writing-style preferences. While observing how these two perspectives might interact,
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I’ve practiced articulating what I believe to be the successes and failures of a piece. I’ve also gained an appreciation for how it might appeal to other readers or fill a niche in the journal. It’s a thrill to know that we’ve published work from renowned authors like Patricia Lockwood, Anthony Doerr, and Danez Smith. I have had the great privilege of approaching every submission with wonder at the new voices we might discover. Because Bat City is such a small team, I feel a sense of ownership over our work that I know I wouldn’t have had in an entry-level position at a larger organization. As I begin to make postgrad plans, I’m confident in assuming greater editorial influence. I now have the experience to speak with authority about my decisions. I also have a pulse on what my contemporaries are interested in, and what type of formal risks are emerging in my genre. Interning at Bat City has made me a better writer and team member. I wouldn’t have been able to accept this opportunity without the support of the Texas Exes and the Forty Acres Scholars Program. I’m so grateful to Sarah Matthes and Sophia Schlesinger, our nonfiction editor, for their guidance and advice throughout the semester. I can’t wait to see our work come to fruition in Bat City Review’s 19th issue.
Professor Interview
Bridget Goosby, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology and co-director of the LifeHD Health Disparities Research Lab
Q. What made you want to study sociology when you were a student? A. There is a direct line between my childhood experiences growing up here in Austin and becoming a sociologist. While I had an amazing, vibrant childhood, I experienced isolation and exclusion by my classmates as I grew older in the predominantly white neighborhood where we lived during my early to middle childhood, in one case being asked if I was an ‘n’ word while on the playground. When my parents moved me to a more diverse, integrated neighborhood I flourished. I went to college at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and when I took my first sociology class, it changed my life because 1) the professors there were brilliant, charismatic, and inspiring, and 2) it was there that I learned the formal name for what I experienced growing up in these predominantly white spaces— ‘racism.’ I had no idea that I could study and teach about the processes that can manifest in a person’s day to day life based on categories assigned to them or groups they are members of. I thought I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, but instead declared my major in sociology and aspired to become a sociology professor. Q. Did you have a professor that inspired you along the way? A. I have been so fortunate to have professors over the course of my career who have supported and inspired me. If I start at the beginning of journey in sociology, it would be Dr. Edward Kain, who was a professor of sociology at Southwestern. His was the first lecture I saw at my freshman orientation; his talk was legendary and convinced me to take a sociology class. He was a national leader in training and producing outstanding sociologists, and was known to be one of the most kind, generous, and empathetic humans you will ever meet. Ed was also
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instrumental in initiating an American Sociological Association/National Science Foundation funded pipeline program called the Minority Opportunities for School Transformation (MOST) Program with the goal of diversifying the training pipeline of sociologists to include more underrepresented minorities which I was a beneficiary of. As a result of spending a summer at Penn State in the sociology department and the Population Research Institute through the program, I ended up applying there for graduate school and eventually earned my Ph.D. in sociology and demography from their program. I am here (at UT) in large part due to Dr. Kain’s investment in me and he remains a dear friend to this day. Q. In addition to be being a professor of sociology, you are also a co-director of the Life in Frequencies Health Disparities (LifeHD) Research Lab. Will you tell us more about the research conducted in the LifeHD lab? A. The LifeHD Lab is a space where my collaborator Dr. Jacob Cheadle and I pursue methodological and theoretical innovation in the study of how social experiences affect health dynamics through the moment-by-moment regulation of the body. Our concern is intimately tied to how social encounters and conditions impact the physiological and emotional contours of life, and through these and related processes come to influence health trajectories over time. For example, in prior work we
examined how exposure to racial and other forms of discrimination predict physiological dynamics and emotional experiences in real-time as our participants went about their lives. This work was the first time that discrimination, physiological regulation, and emotional experiences had been recorded together naturally and in real life, providing a direct assessment of the costs that such experiences incur. An important theme of our work as sociologists has been to leverage the refined and precise kinds of measurements that can be taken in artificial laboratory settings and to deploy them in real life. In this way our work translates the lab to the real world to help us better understand how social conditions intersect with our bodies in daily life. Q. You are currently reaching a class on race and health. How does your research inform your teaching? A. My research is directly linked to the courses that I teach, and in many instances, I assign readings that either inform my own research, or in some cases my own research that has been peer reviewed and published. I teach versions of this course at freshman, advanced undergraduate, and graduate levels and in all cases, the course is about how social environments, from the structural to the interpersonal, shape the health outcomes of diverse populations. It is my goal in these courses to provide empirical insights into how the stress of social inequality can have implications not only for economic outcomes, but literally interacts with your body down to a molecular level to shape differential health outcomes. One of the important aspects of my research and teaching, however, is to help the students understand that these issues are not deterministic, and that with scientific knowledge, tools, and empathy there are opportunities for helping to be positive contributors to a healthier community and society.
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Q. Do you have any favorite classroom moments that you would like to share with us? A. I don’t have one specific moment that comes to mind, but I do have a practice that I think provides joy for my students and for me, particularly in my undergraduate courses. I started this practice in my second year here at UT when I noticed that my students were incredibly anxious and stressed (and this was before the pandemic!). Because the content of the course can get heavy when dealing with issues like racial discrimination and mortality, I like to bookend the course with positivity at the beginning and end of each class session. I start class by asking students to share something positive that happened to them or something they are grateful for and at the end of class my last lecture slide is always a baby animal so that they can leave with good endorphins flooding their system! The collective ‘aww’ that we all have is therapeutic and was incredibly important especially during the height of the pandemic. I continue this practice. Q. How does private support help your research and teaching? A. Over the course of my career, private support has been critical in helping me pursue my goals of earning my Ph.D., by providing me with protected support to focus on my coursework and research. As a tenure track faculty, generous support from private funders combined with support from the National Institutes of Health helped solidify my expertise in the innovative area of biosocial research, which at the time was less common in Sociology. Such support has allowed me to continue collaborations that are interdisciplinary and innovative. It has also provided me the ability to continue to take on high-risk- highreward research and charted the course for me to end up in an incredibly supportive environment here in the College of Liberal Arts.
Professor Interview
Robert Moser, Ph.D. Professor of Government
Q. What is it like to be a scholar whose research focuses on Russian politics during our contemporary moment? A. It is always gratifying when your scholarly interests are relevant to current events and issues. During my time studying Russian politics over the past 30+ years, I have seen my fair share of big historical events and controversies that have captured headlines. At the same time, studying timely issues has its own share of pros and cons, especially when research plans are altered by the political developments that you are studying. Studying Russia, and elections, means examining a moving targets, which can take you in a very different direction than you expected when you began your research projects. I entered graduate scholar in fall 1988 planning to study South Asian politics, which was the focus of my undergraduate senior thesis. However, in my second semester at the University of Wisconsin I switched my regional specialization to Soviet politics because I was interested in Gorbachev’s reforms and in the popular uprisings against communist regimes in Eastern Europe. By fall 1989, the Berlin Wall fell, communist regimes collapsed across Eastern Europe, and I was starting my training to become a specialist on political change in communist regimes. After finishing my coursework and passing comprehensive exams, I wrote my dissertation proposal, which focused on the role of mass protests in the protracted struggle of democracy movements against the Soviet regime. I left to conduct dissertation fieldwork in fall 1991, two weeks after a coup by Soviet hardliners attempted to remove Mikhail Gorbachev from power and crush popular dissent. This coup attempt failed and Gorbachev returned as Soviet leader. However, unbeknownst to me (and other Soviet specialists), my semester of dissertation fieldwork would coincide
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with the final days of the Soviet Union. By the time I left Moscow at the end of December 1991, Gorbachev had lost power and the Soviet Union had collapsed, giving rise to 15 new countries. The Soviet Union and Gorbachev were gone and post-communist Russia led by President Boris Yeltsin was born. It was an exciting time! However, this development also meant that my dissertation project basically disappeared in front of my eyes. With the demise of the Soviet Union, the organizations that comprised the democracy movement that I planned on studying started to splinter or simply fade away. So, while it was fascinating to personally witness the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was also a bit disconcerting to see my dissertation project collapse as well. As the democracy movement disintegrated, political parties emerged in their place, and so my research focus shifted to parties and elections, which I have been studying ever since. I changed my dissertation research question to one centered on Russian political parties. However, there was just one problem: the central role of political parties is to contest elections and there were no elections scheduled in the first two years of Russia’s new post-communist era. I returned to Russia for a second and final round of dissertation research in fall 1993 but, without elections, Russia’s new political parties had little reason to exist. My dissertation was on shaky ground.
History interceded a second time, in the form of a rebellion by communist and nationalist forces against President Boris Yeltsin’s government. With the help of the military, Yeltsin prevailed. Once again, I was fortunate to be in Russia to witness truly momentous events. However, this time the events saved rather than doomed my dissertation project because Yeltsin also called new elections that took place in December 1993. Suddenly, studying Russian political parties was one of the best projects I could have chosen.
Q. Have you noticed an increase in students wanting to learn more about government and political systems?
I finished my dissertation on Russian political parties in 1995, right before starting as an assistant professor at The University of Texas. I have been studying Russian elections and elections globally ever since.
Q. Do you have any favorite classroom moments that you would like to share with us?
Q. What are you currently researching/working on right now? A. I have two main research projects, one centered on Russian elections and one that examines the descriptive election of women and ethnic minorities in 75 democratic and semi-democratic countries. For the Russian election project, I have a series of articles and working papers on the descriptive representation of women and ethnic minorities in Russian elections throughout the post-communist period, based on a dataset of every individual legislator elected from 1993 to 2021. The cross-national study of descriptive election is based on a dataset that my co-authors and I have compiled with the help of a team of UT undergraduate research assistants over the past several years. We have collected information on the gender and ethnic background of over 10,000 legislators lators across 75 countries. We also collected information on the political party affiliation, electoral district, and electoral rules in an effort to systematically examine the conditions under which women, ethnic minorities, and minority women gain representation. We are writing a series of articles and plan to write a book based on this project.
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A. Yes, I have noticed a heightened interest in both domestic and international politics among students. I think students are most interested when we can connect concepts and theories to current events, such as the war in Ukraine, that they read and hear about in the news and see as impacting their daily lives.
A. I co-teach a large online course on U.S. foreign policy that typically has 1,500 students or more enrolled in a semester. Since we broadcast our class to our students from a studio on campus, we do not get to interact face-to-face with most of our students. My favorite moments in this class come from students who stop me on campus to tell me that they liked my online class. It is gratifying to meet students who gained something from one of my classes. Q. How does private support help your research and teaching? A. Private support from endowments has been essential to my research and teaching. I have been fortunate to received endowment support for my research, which I have used to hire UT undergraduate students as research assistants. These research assistantships not only were instrumental in furthering my research projects but they also provided invaluable experience to students interested in getting hands-on experience in conducting scholarly research.
Lasting Impact
Dhananjay Jagannathan
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Q. What made you want to study Philosophy when you were at UT?
Q. Did you have any favorite professors? Are you still in touch with them?
A. When I started UT, I was majoring in Plan II Honors, math, and linguistics, but one aspect of Plan II is that you take classes across the curriculum. In my first year, I read texts by Plato and Thucydides in a tutorial course on ancient Greek political thought. That led me to study ancient Greece in the summer intensive program offered by the classics department and then to study Plato more in depth. Taking Plan II Philosophy with Paul Woodruff solidified my interest in both ancient and more recent philosophical texts, especially those that ask what a good life for human beings looks like and what a society that makes such lives possible looks like. In addition to Plan II, I ended up majoring in classics and philosophy.
A. I’ve mentioned Professor Woodruff, who is still a friend and a mentor. I took basically every class he taught, undergraduate and graduate, for three years, and he advised my senior thesis. I worked with a number of other philosophy and classics professors: Lesley Dean-Jones, Steve White, and Alex Mourelatos. Larry Carver in English was my fellowships advisor and also a close mentor. I return to campus regularly for the UT Ancient Philosophy Workshop and because of Plan II, on whose Board of Visitors I sit.
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Q. Please tell us a little bit about what you do now.
Q. How does your education inform your worldview?
A. I teach philosophy and classical studies at Columbia University in New York City. I am also part of a prison teaching initiative called “Just Ideas” based at Columbia and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. I spend my time teaching and advising undergraduate and graduate students, writing (my scholarly work is mainly on Aristotle’s ethics and political philosophy, but I also write regularly about art, literature, and politics for general audiences), and helping to organize and run our academic programs (I am currently serving as the Director of Graduate Studies of Classical Studies, which is quite rewarding).
A. The ancient and medieval view that political community ought to be organized around the common good, which is the shared flourishing of individuals in the community, is central both to my work and to my life. It’s not simply that we should give back to others from our surplus as if we were each dragon atop a hoard. Our lives are communal and richly interdependent. This is nowhere more obvious than in friendship: friends aren’t just allies in our favored causes or the chosen beneficiaries of our largesse; they help make us who we are. These were values I was already committed to, but which that the study of the ancient world helped me articulate.
Q. How do you apply what you learned to your career path?
Q. You have already started giving back to the COLA. What inspires you to give?
A. There’s the obvious—I discovered my love for classics and philosophy at UT and continue to teach and think about these topics out of the conviction that the ideas that caught my interest still matter to us today. But I also learned a lot about the hard work it takes to run a university from Professor Woodruff, who became the inaugural Dean of Undergraduate Studies while I was studying with him, and from Professor White, who was the chair of classics, and from others.
A. As I hope is clear from what I said above, I still feel I belong to the UT community. Most of all, the College of Liberal Arts gave me an education to last a lifetime. I can never repay that debt, but I plan to try.
liberalarts.utexas.edu 512-471-8861 The College of Liberal Arts The University of Texas at Austin 116 Inner Campus Dr., Stop G6000 Austin, TX 78712
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