Alumni Association gets career services award The Texas Campus Career Council, which is composed of all the career services offices at UT Austin, has singled out the LBJ School Alumni Association as one of its first recipients of the Robert Murff Excellence Award. The award is named in honor of the founder of the UT Career Center and recognizes individuals or organizations who have demonstrated outstanding support of the university's career services. At a May 5 luncheon held at the UT Club, Anna Bryan-Borja, immediate past president of the Alumni Association, and Kim Smith, president of the Association's Austin chapter, accepted the award on behalf of the national alumni group. Four other winners--a UT dean, a faculty member, and a student as well as a company recruiter--were also honored. The LBJ School Alumni Association was the only association honored this year. LBJ School Placement Specialist Debra Dzwonczyk, who nominated the Alumni Association for the award, described the group as a "vital network" that helps LBJ School graduates attain success in their chosen fields. "Since 1972, when about a dozen students first graduated from the LBJ School, alumni of all the classes have freely offered significant help to current students," she said. Dzwonczyk listed activities such as the career conversations series and the annual alumni dinners program as examples of how alumni volunteer their time to discuss career options with students and offer valuable insights into a variety of fields. In addition, the large alumni network--which now numbers about 2,000--helps regularly by sending job and internship postings to the School, relaying information about professional development opportunities, and lobbying their own employers to hire LBJ School graduates and interns. In addition, many alumni hire or supervise LBJ School interns or graduates, make themselves available to answer questions from students, and organize and host a job and internship networking event in Washington, D.C., during spring break. Texas Campus Career Council President Michael Powell described the LBJ School Alumni Association's support as "immeasurable" and said it was an honor for the council to be associated with the alumni group.

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