The University of Texas at Austin

Welcome to News@LBJ! The purpose of this e-newsletter is to provide a regular means of communication about news, events, and people at the LBJ School. News@LBJ can only provide a weekly update of news of interest to the LBJ community if you contribute to it. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to submit contributions to write via email to LBJDeansoffice@austin.utexas.edu for inclusion in the next issue.

Plaza Renovation Update; New Artist Renderings Online and in Lobby

Next week, during Spring Break, the construction crews are scheduled to begin removing the paving in front of the east side doors. This means that 24-hour electronic access to the building will not be available the week of Spring Break. External access to the building will only be possible from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from March 10 through March 14. The east side doors and electronic access will again be available once classes resume on March 17.

In the meantime, if you are tired of the unsightly construction surrounding and between the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ Library and Museum, take heart in a new set of artist renderings of what the Plaza aspires to be. The drawings are being displayed in the School Lobby and on the LBJ School web site (www.utexas.edu/lbj/plaza/). The new plaza is a tribute to the life and works of Lady Bird Johnson, complete with three elevated knolls reminiscent of the vegetation and landscape of Mrs. Johnson’s beloved Hill Country. The $32 million renovation of the Lady Bird Johnson Plaza should be completed by August 2008, in time for President Lyndon B. Johnson's 100th birthday.

Colloquium, New Fellowship Honor former Dean Elspeth Rostow

The School was joined by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library on March 4 to honor former LBJ School Dean Elspeth Rostow for her lifelong commitment to education and public service with a colloquium entitled "Understanding the Modern American Presidency." The colloquium featured two panels of distinguished educators and public servants, which reflected on various aspects of the presidency. The first panel, Presidential Styles of Leadership and was chaired by Frank Gavin, Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs, and included James Steinberg, LBJ School Dean; Larry Temple, president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and former aide to President Johnson; and Veronica Vargas Stidvent, director of the Center for Politics and Governance and former special assistant for policy to President Bush. The second panel, The Current State and Future of the Presidency was chaired by Philip Bobbitt, senior lecturer at the UT School of Law; Bruce Buchanan, professor at the UT Department of Government; Admiral Bobby R. Inman (Ret.) the LBJ Centennial Chair in National Policy; and Thomas Mann, a senior fellow for governance studies at the Brookings Institution.

The event also included personal tributes to Dean Rostow, who passed away on December 9, 2007, by friends and colleagues, including Harry Middleton, former LBJ speechwriter and former Director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, and Allen Weinstein, Ninth Archivist of the United States. LBJ School students Tanvi Madan, Michelle LaLonde, and Jennifer Crow each took turns in honoring Dean Rostow for "her wisdom for critical thinking, her zeal for tireless dedication, and her spirit of compassion that that is essential for public service."

The event ended with Dean Steinberg announcing the creation of the Elspeth Rostow Memorial Graduate Fellowship, to be dedicated to second-year graduate students whose interests embody the spirit and dedication to public service that Dean Rostow herself exemplified throughout her life and career. The Class of 2008 has chosen the fellowship to be the recipient of its Class Gift to the School.

A video stream of the colloquium will soon be available online in the LBJ Screening Room, located at http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/webcasts/.

Campion promoted to Major

Second-year M.P.Aff. student and U.S. Army Captain Gregory Campion was promoted to Major in a ceremony that took place on the Lady Bird Overlook near the School and attended by his family and friends in the LBJ School. The ceremony was presided over by LBJ School Clinical Professor and Brigadier General Howard Prince, II (Ret.). Campion is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served with the Third Infantry Division during a tour in Iraq. He was joined by his wife Allison their son, Conner, and daughter, Claire for the ceremony. Upon graduation, Major Campion will begin his next assignment as an instructor at West Point.

Departures and Arrivals...

Sadly, long-time faculty assistant Debra Moore has announced that she is taking an early retirement in May to be closer to her family in Colorado. Debra has been an absolutely fantastic part of the LBJ School Community since 1996. Her charm, efficiency, and commitment have made such a well-respected and appreciated part of the School. She will be sorely missed, but who can compete with retirement with family in Colorado? Please take a moment to thank Debra for all she has done and all she has meant to the School.

At the same time, please give a warm welcome to Steve Alvarez, our New Graduate Program Coordinator in the Office of Student and Alumni Programs. Steve is a terrific addition to the OSAP team and has been involved with academic counseling and advising with the University since 1997, having worked in the UT Admissions Office, the College of Communication's School of Journalism and Department of Radio-Television and Film, and the McCombs School of Business. He was awarded the James Vick Excellence Award for Academic Advising in 2002-03, has served as an officer on the UT Hispanic Faculty/Staff Association, and was recently appointed by the Austin City Council to the city's Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board. Please stop by and welcome Steve!