LBJ community hears annual report
 

Plans for modernizing the LBJ School--from its mission statement to its physical facilities to its use of the Internet--were the focus of this year's State of the School event. Held March 22 in the Bass Lecture Hall, the program included remarks by Graduate Public Affairs Council President Rebecca White, an address by Dean Ed Dorn, and panel presentations by six School administrators.

White emphasized the need for the School to adopt a mission statement that reflects "the times and the dreams of current students." The existing statement, with its emphasis on preparing students for careers in government and its 70s-style language, is outdated and difficult to understand, she said.

Dean Dorn agreed that the mission statement needs updating, particularly in light of the fact that half of the School's graduates go into the private and nonprofit sectors. He said an effort to restate the mission is underway, but noted that it will require time and thought to do something more than "just editing what we have."

Dorn said the single factor that has made the LBJ School better than most other public affairs programs is the millions of dollars that have been contributed by private donors. He cited as recent examples the contributions that created the new RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service and the efforts by Bernard Rapoport to establish a fellowship endowment in the name of former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes.

The dean briefly discussed the findings of a survey of LBJ School graduates conducted by Public Strategies, Inc. Two findings of particular interest, he said, are that alumni in general are retaining their positive attitudes toward the School after they graduate, and that they want to hear more from the School and its faculty in the larger policy arena.

"They're saying that the LBJ School is not a major player in the public policymaking business," said Dorn. "We need to change that."

Joe Youngblood, assistant dean for development and external affairs, described the School's involvement in UT Austin's seven-year capital campaign to raise a billion dollars. At this point, halfway into the campaign, the School has raised more than $14 million of its $30 million goal, or about 50 percent, he said. Over the next 12 to 18 months the aim is to reach the 70 to 80 percent mark.

Youngblood said the majority of fundraising efforts have focused on four areas, which are the School's priorities: the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service (see story page 2); the Center for Ethical Leadership, which has now raised about $2 million of its $10 million goal; the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, which has raised about $30,000; and student fellowships, targeted at $2 to $4 million, including the $1 million fellowship honoring Ben Barnes.

Other panelists gave updates on a variety of topics. Associate Dean Leigh Boske reported that although six faculty members will be on leave next fall, the teaching staff appears to be adequate to handle the courseload, including 11 policy research projects.

Don Wallace, assistant to the dean and director of the Business Office, talked about the $2.5 million capital improvement plan submitted to the university to upgrade the building and classroom facilities.

Professor Robert Wilson, chair of the Admissions Committee, reported that 195 students had been admitted to the master's program to date, of which 60 percent are from out of state, 10 percent are international, and 60 percent are women.

Publications Office Director Marilyn Duncan described plans to redesign the School's web site to increase its internal consistency and its ability to serve both internal and external users.

Student and Alumni Programs Director Courtney Brown summarized her office's activities over the past year, which included fall recruitment visits to 51 sites throughout the United States and a career fair that included a record 40 job-recruiting entities.

Comments to lbjwmast@uts.cc.utexas.edu