Guthrie Cook had a master plan, a plan that included a green energy business and an old friend. Determined to make his plan a reality, Cook started attending night school in anticipation of transferring to The University of Texas at Austin. He had his business idea, now he needed to find the right program at the university [...]

I have spent every Tuesday night for the last five weeks in childbirth class. Like many of my male classmates, I dreaded having to ask anxious questions about the physical experience of pregnancy. On our last night, the guest pediatrician also fielded questions about vaccinations. This welcomed change of subject opened a flood of questions [...]

Last year at this time Bob Harkins’ main priority was the special needs shelter at the Population Research Center in the wake of Hurricane Ike. This fall Harkins, associate vice president for campus safety and security, has a different priority – H1N1 influenza. “It’s been a balance all summer long trying to figure out what to [...]

University communities are particularly vulnerable this fall to the spread of influenza, both seasonal and novel H1N1. "Between Aug. 24 and Aug. 28 the University Health Services (UHS) clinic had a total of 112 patients presenting with influenza-like illness," said Sherry Bell, senior program coordinator. "Not all patients with influenza-like illness are confirmed as flu, but [...]

Thirty-five faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin are among 73 inaugural recipients from throughout The University of Texas System who will share $2 million in Board of Regents' Outstanding Teaching Awards. The awards, which range from $15,000 to $30,000 depending on level of experience, are believed to be among the highest in the [...]

New position: Professor and the Judson S. Swearingen Regents Chair in Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Former university: University of California, San Diego Former title: Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Education: Ph.D., Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology; A.B., Physics, Harvard University Hometown: Wayne, N.J. What attracted you to The University of [...]

New position: Assistant Professor, School of Architecture Former university: Rutgers University Former title: Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. Last year I was a Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellow here at UT. Education: A.B., Princeton University; M.L.A. and Ph.D., Harvard University Hometown: East Berlin, Pa. What attracted you to The University of Texas at Austin? Coming [...]

New position: Assistant Professor of Management, McCombs School of Business, Management Department Former university: Northwestern University Former title: Ph.D. student Education: B.S., Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.); M.S. and Ph.D., Management and Organizations, Northwestern University Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y. What attracted you to The University of Texas at Austin? The supportive and collaborative environment of the faculty here. It is [...]

Traveling leisurely with their dog from Boston to Austin, Jo Ann Hackett and her husband, John Huehnergard, left behind their combined 46 years of service at Harvard University to embark on a new life at The University of Texas at Austin. “It was really easy,” said Hackett, who will be a professor in the Department of [...]

Three faculty members were recognized for using emerging instruction technology in their curriculum at the 12th annual Innovative Instructional Technology Awards Program (IITAP). The award recipients received a total of $10,000 and each received an Apple iPod touch. The ceremony, hosted by the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA) and the Office of the Provost [...]

Summer session is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean your cash supply has to as well. In fact, within The University of Texas at Austin’s 40 acres there are plenty of events and venues to enjoy that won’t cost you a thing.  So leave your billfold at home, come to campus and enjoy [...]

Whether you’re sitting at work, trekking through the Andes Mountains, or rooting for the Longhorns from afar, take out your camera, get your horns up and say “cheese,” because The University of Texas at Austin wants to capture your alumni spirit and share what you’re doing to change the world. The Office of Public Affairs [...]

Dear Friends, Now that the 81st Legislative Session has adjourned, I want to share with you the outcomes of several issues important to UT Austin. The Top 10% Law–Senate Bill 175, sponsored by Sen. Florence Shapiro and Rep. Dan Branch in the House, limited the number of top 10% Texas high school graduates automatically admitted to UT [...]

Anthropology lecturer uses history exhibit to teach empathy and understanding.

Graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin are conducting a survey to explore Austinites' vehicle ownership choices and preferences for future vehicles, under various energy policies and vehicle technologies. In today's world of rising fuel prices and climate concerns, vehicle ownership and use decisions are a key policy focus for public agencies and entire [...]

I want to share with you some of the progress we've made to enrich the undergraduate experience at the University. The first strategic initiative of the Report of the Commission of 125 was to "develop a new undergraduate core curriculum to better prepare students for lives of accomplishment."

The 81st Texas Legislative session is under way, and its outcome is important to UT. A predicted budget shortfall, a weak economy, the aftermath of Hurricane Ike and other issues will make it a challenging session for legislators and those of us who depend on state revenue.

The idea of a glitch-free linear path from a college major to a career seems logical - even comforting. But according to Dr. Kate Brooks, the director of Liberal Arts Career Services, to find your true calling, it may be wise to wander off-course and appreciate the chaos.  Dr. Brooks teaches a unique one-credit course "The [...]

Dr. Charles Breithaupt has been named executive director of the University Interscholastic League (UIL) after a nationwide search conducted by The University of Texas at Austin. Breithaupt is the seventh executive director in the 100-year history of UIL, following Dr. Bill Farney's retirement Jan. 30.  Breithaupt served as associate director and director of athletics for the [...]

Life is filled with patterned uncertainties. Supporting evidence is all around us. Patterned uncertainties draw the attention of astronomers, geologists, chemists and biologists as well as demographers, health care providers, economists, policy wonks, sociologists and psychologists - to say nothing about university admission officers, political campaign strategists and athletic directors. Patterned uncertainties, buttressed by data, become [...]

The state of Texas is in the midst of a major overhaul of high school science education. To graduate on the preferred or distinguished track, students will soon be required to complete four years of science. When the new guidelines were approved in 2006, only two other states, Alabama and Idaho, required four years. Texas will [...]

I have received many inquiries from members of the University of Texas family about the impact of the economic situation on our campus.

Austin has a reputation for great outdoor spaces for hiking, canoeing, tossing Frisbees and more. Partly because of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the city known as a green energy leader is also making its mark as a place with innovative green landscapes that are as functional as they are beautiful.

A rise in minority power, women's rights, gay rights and the use of the immigration debate by radical-right ideologues has created a "skin-head Mecca" in the United States, says a national hate-crimes expert. Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Intelligence Project, and said the center has documented 888 hate [...]

In The University of Texas at Austin's Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, an exceptional team of health educators has built a reputation for conducting cutting-edge research on topics that define an individual's or community's quality of life and vigorously promoting to the public the best practices for achieving optimal health.

In our quest to become the nation's best public university, we depend on four main sources of financial support. Tuition, state funding, research awards, and philanthropy are all important.

When Katherine Cronkite, 58, discovered she had a learning disability four years ago, she had no idea it was the cause of her 20-year history of depression. Cronkite, a graduate student in the School of Social Work, was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in 2004 and major depression in her early 30s.

McCombs School of Business Dean Tom Gilligan hosted a lively discussion on the current economic crisis threatening America’s financial stability as well as the global economy on Oct. 3 just as Congress moved to pass a $700 billion taxpayer-funded rescue bill. Finance faculty Laura Starks, Stephen Magee, Sheridan Titman, Jay Hartzell, Michael Brandl and Keith Brown [...]

Bugao Xu, chairman of the Division of Textiles and Apparel in the School of Human Ecology, is bringing the world of "The Jetsons" closer to reality. Xu is developing a system to perform body scanning, body modeling, body measurement and virtual try-on for the apparel industry. When it's completed he expects people to step into a [...]

Millions of people have walked on the hallowed ground of the Alamo, touching the walls of the shrine where heroes like Davy Crockett, James Bowie and William Travis once fought for freedom. The limestone walls of the old church building, known today as "The Shrine of Texas Liberty," dedicated to the men who fell in defense of the Alamo," have not been cleaned in about 250 years and it shows. More than 2.5 million people visit the Alamo each year and the millions of hands that have touched the walls of the shrine have left a build-up of oily film and dark stains.

In a rare combination of advanced technology and sophisticated hospitality, the university's new AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center shines as a residential learning environment. Bringing to life the university's academic mission to drive economic and social progress in Texas, the nation and the world, this new meeting facility has spurred an awakening of opportunities [...]