Web Historical Disclaimer:
This is a historical page
and is no longer maintained. Read our
Web history statement for more information.
Web Historical Disclaimer:
This is a historical page
and is no longer maintained. Read our
Web history statement for more information.
On Friday, President George W. Bush signed legislation naming the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington D.C. in honor of President Lyndon Baines Johnson and his work to improve U.S. schools. President Johnson's children, Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb and their spouses, their children and grandchildren gathered at the Oval Office for the signing that was not open to reporters. Former first lady Lady Bird Johnson was unable to attend the signing, but listened from Texas through a conference call. "Education was at the heart of my father's career in public service. He felt that it was mankind's passport out of poverty and our greatest hope for tomorrow," said Luci Baines Johnson. President Johnson signed dozens of education-related bills, including a 1964 law that established Head Start; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which provided assistance to underfunded school districts, and the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Next week, Flintco begins the asbestos abatement of ceilings and floors of the Grand Hallway, Bass Lecture Hall, and the LBJ Auditorium and service level area. This abatement will last the month of April. There will be loud noise associated with the abatement activities including negative air machines. The contractor still anticipates that it will begin demolition of the plaza paving in May, which will produce extremely loud noise in the proximity surrounding the LBJ Library Tower. These demolition activities are scheduled to last several months.
Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the LBJ Community Service Extravaganza on Saturday, March 31. Ladybirds, friends and families are welcome. Volunteers can choose from: Celebration of Families Day (a carnival-like event at the Palmer Events Center sponsored by the non-profit Family Connections); Lion Throwers Meet (all-ages track meet and tournament); Clean Sweep Event (cleaning and improving an area in East or South Austin as part of Austin's annual citywide cleanup); or Waller Creek Clean Up (clearing trash from the creek which runs through campus for 1.5 miles along San Jacinto Blvd). For more information or to volunteer, email Caroline at caroline.newman@mail.utexas.edu or Leya at lspeasmaker@gmail.com.
This year's theme is "The Path to Social Change: Activating Your Community." The conference will take place on April 5 and 6 at the Thompson Conference Center. The forum will honor the life and legacy of former Congresswoman and LBJ School Professor Barbara Jordan and her commitment to public service. In addition to learning about Jordan's political and academic contributions, participants will learn about the importance of public service and community engagement. The two days will involve discussions and hands-on workshops on pressing national and international policy issues in terms of community organization and activism. This event is free and open to the public. Details and registration to attend may be found at www.utexas.edu/lbj/barbarajordanforum
The LBJ School's Center for Health and Social Policy is sponsoring a conference on March 30 on health care issues for American retirees in Mexico based on Professor Dave Warner's policy research project on the lack of portability of Medicare coverage and uncertainty about the quality of medical care. For more information, contact Robin Pearson at robin.pearson@mail.utexas.edu or 232-3423.
New articles from the student publication are now available on the web, including: "Race and Stereotype in the Lion King," by Nissa Brown; "LBJ Faculty: Paragons of Public Administration. . .or Not?," by Leigh Byford; "Better Food for Better Living," by Shahrzad Habibi; and "Searching for a Cure to the Physician Shortage in Rural America," by Dustin J. Colegrove. Check them out at: www.lbjjournal.com.
LBJ students are blazing trails by bringing a diverse group of students, faculty from different disciplines, researchers, government and non-governmental officials together to discuss gender issues at the Conference on Gender, Globalization, and Governance, which will be held on April 12-13. To learn more, visit http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/news/spring2007/gender_conference.php.
Former LBJ School Dean Ed Dorn was quoted in a March 24 Houston Chronicle article entitled "Texas pressed to apologize for slavery." Dorn is assisting legislators in drafting a state resolution for a formal apology. He said that the gesture should be part of a larger effort to "not only to acknowledge the mistakes, but correct the historical record."
A Daily Texan article entitled "Economic Viability of East Austin Enhanced, Panel Says" was published March 22 about the recent Defining Community Change in East Austin forum, which was organized by Robert Wilson and his PRP. Graduate student Patricia Myers was among the presenters and quoted in the article.
Adjunct Professor Michele Deitch wrote an op-ed entitled "TYC Facilities Need Independent Oversight" for the March 22 Austin American-Statesman. She argues that there is a need for increased transparency in the juvenile and adult prison systems. "We need to stop thinking of the 'fix' as a 'one-time deal'—it should be a commitment to an effective and permanent system of independent oversight for all places of confinement," she says.
Geoffrey R. Tumlin, assistant director of the Center for Ethical Leadership was the keynote speaker for the 2007 Annual Student Leadership Conference at Rutgers University on March 25.
"News@LBJ" is a regular electronic newsletter distributed by the Dean's Office to keep faculty, staff, and students informed about news and events at The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. We encourage everyone to share their news, events, and suggestions with us via e-mail to kerri.battles@mail.utexas.edu.