Year in Review

Government leaders attend management conference
Governing magazine convened a national conference called “Managing Performance 2002” in Austin last fall. Aimed at senior state, city, and county officials, the management conference was organized in cooperation with the LBJ School and Texas A&M’s George Bush School of Government and Public Service.

Governing is a monthly publication whose primary audience consists of elected, appointed, and career government officials.

Children’s issues discussed at public conference
A public conference addressing issues related to children in Texas was held in late January at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. The event was cohosted by the LBJ School, the Texas Lyceum Association, Initiatives for Children, and the Texas Association of School Boards in partnership with the Children’s Defense Fund of Texas and the Family Services Association.

The main objective of the conference was to ensure that children’s issues remain a priority in the current state budgeting process. Issues that were discussed included childcare, early childhood development, education, health care, and quality of life for children.

“Fair Use” advocates discuss Internet file sharing
Some of the most influential voices on the topic of “fair use” were heard at a forum hosted by U.S. Congressman Lamar Smith and UT Austin in October.

Held at the LBJ School and moderated by LBJ School faculty member Gary Chapman, who is also the director of the 21st Century Project, the forum focused on how universities, copyright holders, and other interested parties can work together to address the problem of unauthorized downloading and sharing of intellectual property on or through university computer networks.

Smith, who chairs the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, made opening remarks via satellite video link-up. His remarks were followed by presentations by experts in the areas of copyright, fair use, and file sharing.

Economics of “Fair Use” Debated
A workshop entitled “Researching the Economics of Fair Use” was held at the LBJ School on April 4-5. The invitational workshop brought together researchers in economics, social scientists, and experts in copyright law and policy to explore important policy questions and to develop a research agenda in the economics of copyright and fair use.

“The country is experiencing profound change, not only in information technology, but also in the economic and social arrangements that govern information creation, distribution and use,” said conference organizer Kenneth Flamm, who holds the Dean Rusk Chair and is the head of the LBJ School’s Technology and Public Policy Program. “The need for new or modified laws and regulations with respect to digital information and, specifically, issues surrounding copyright, is generating intense policy debates.”

According to Flamm, the outcome of these debates will have “an enormous effect on whether and how the public will be able to fully realize the benefits of the information revolution.”

The event was cosponsored by the Office for Information Technology Policy of the American Library Association and the LBJ School’s Technology and Public Policy Program and sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Professional development staff helps Farm Credit Administration
During February, members of the LBJ School Office of Professional Development traveled to Washington, D.C., to assist the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) with a project involving strategic planning and systems design. The FCA is an independent federal agency responsible for the regulation and examination of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide financial cooperative that lends to agriculture and rural America.

According to Barry Bales, assistant dean for professional development, the LBJ School staff helped the FCA identify and align professional development planning with agency goals and strategic direction.

Michael Reyna (LBJ Class of 1982), who is the chair and chief executive officer of the FCA, maintains close ties with the LBJ School. In January, he visited the School, met with students, and gave a brown bag talk (see page 11). He regularly recruits LBJ School students for summer internships in Washington, D.C.

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May 5, 2003
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