The University of Texas at Austin

Two LBJ School students were given the opportunity to display their research in a poster session at the 2009 International Conference on Aging in the Americas, organized by LBJ School Professor Jacqueline Angel, held September 15 through 17. Kate Chambers and Stipica Mudrazija were among 21 national and international students invited to participate in a juried poster session on the second day of the conference.

Ethan B. Kapstein, one of the world’s foremost scholars in international economic relations, is joining the faculty of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Kapstein will hold a Tom Slick Professorship in International Affairs and offer two seminars in the Spring 2010 semester, one on economic development and the other on the economics of national security. Additionally, Kapstein has received an appointment at the McCombs School of Business and will hold the Dennis O’Connor Regent’s Professorship in Business for 2009-2010.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will present “The 2009 International Conference on Aging in the Americas” (CAA), on September 15-17, 2009 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center at The University of Texas at Austin campus.

Two LBJ School Students, Katherine Mason and Jordan Munn, were awarded the Terrell Blodgett Endowment for Graduate Study in Urban Management and Finance. The $6,000 Fellowship is awarded annually to students who signify intent to enter into local government management.

When the nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, which produces one-third of the world’s medical isotopes, shut down on May 14 over safety concerns, it created a worldwide crisis in the field of nuclear imaging.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs announces the newest addition to the permanent faculty, Angela M. Evans, who joins the School as clinical professor in public policy practice beginning Fall ’09.

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Alumnus Philip J. Ritter has been named Executive Vice President of Governmental and Stakeholder Affairs for the DFW International Airport.

The RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and Dell are seeking undergraduate and graduate students from universities and colleges around the world to share their ideas for making the world a better place.

Admiral Bobby R. Inman has been appointed interim dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, Provost Steven W. Leslie has announced.

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law welcomes a panel of distinguished experts to discuss questions surrounding the government's approach to military detention on January 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Connally Building.

With the beginning of the 81st legislative session this week comes a host of new issues, challenges and questions facing Texas lawmakers. Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs faculty Jacqueline Angel, Michele Deitch, David Eaton, Sherri Greenberg, Cynthia Osborne, David Warner, Pat Wong, and the LBJ School's Center for Politics and Governance (CPG) Director Veronica Vargas Stidvent have the insight and the expertise to assist in coverage of the 81st.

LBJ School Professor will discuss the origins of the financial crisis and the most effective ways that citizens can advocate for sensible responses from political leaders.

The Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation announced today that former Texas Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes has made a $1 million gift in support of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. The gift will be used primarily for student fellowships.

Texas Governor Rick Perry has announced the appointment of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs’ Center for Politics and Governance Director Veronica Vargas Stidvent to the Texas Human Rights Commission.

LBJ School Professor Robert D. Auerbach discussed the current economic crisis at an all-day symposium titled “Beyond the Meltdown: regulatory Reform of the Financial Sector” which took place January 9th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Auerbach’s presentation was scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

With less than 2 weeks until President-Elect Barack Obama takes office, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs' first Youtube videos of 2009 feature highlights of keynote speeches by Joseph A. Califano, Jr. and Robert Portman delivered at the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Symposium: “Policy Challenges for the New President and the LBJ Legacy,” held December 4 and 5, 2008. Both keynote addresses in their entirety are available at the LBJ School web site at http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/centennialsymposium

President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden announced the nomination of key members of their national security team, including James B. Steinberg for Deputy Secretary of State, and Jacob Lew for Deputy Secretary of State, and the appointment of Thomas E. Donilon as Deputy National Security Advisor and Antony “Tony” Blinken as National Security Advisor to the Vice President.

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Dean James B. Steinberg has been awarded The Eyes of Texas Excellence Award for the Fall 2008 semester in recognition of his outstanding contributions to student life at the University of Texas.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the University of Texas at Austin will be closed from December 21 to January 5.

"President-elect Barack Obama officially nominated former Senator Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services and named him the Director of a new White House Office on Health Care Reform. Dr. Jeanne Lambrew, who authored a book about health care reform with Daschle, will serve as Deputy Director of the White House Office of Health Reform."

As part of the year-long Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Celebration, The LBJ School of Public Affairs will hold a symposium on “Policy Challenges for the New President and the LBJ Legacy” on December 4 and 5 at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Please join us in a discussion titled “Elections: What Works and What Doesn’t” alumna Dana DeBeauvoir (‘81) for the next installment in the Alumni Speaker Series on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 12:15 p.m. in the LBJ School Student Lounge for a talk titled “Elections: What Works and What Doesn’t.”

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs faculty members and Center directors are providing expert analysis and perspective on a range of post-election national, state and local issues. These individuals are informing the national conversation through a variety of forums, ranging from opinion pieces to news stories to recently published works.

To mark the conclusion of what has been an exciting campaign season, the LBJ School and GPAC together with Ben and Melanie Barnes, Bernard and Audre Rapoport, and Lowell Lebermann are hosting the LBJ School community to an Election Night Watch Party.

The 2008 published works of LBJ faculty authors will be showcased at this year’s Texas Book Festival in a special LBJ School author’s exhibit. Hours of exhibition will be Saturday, Nov. 1, 10:00 – 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 2, 11:00-4:30 p.m. The LBJ School exhibit will be on 11th Street, next to the tented exhibits.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs presents “Between Covers: An Annual Celebration of LBJ Faculty Authors” on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library Brown Room.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs' Center for Health and Social Policy and the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law will welcome Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum on October 30 for a conversation titled "From the American People: Health and US Foreign Policy" as part of the ongoing Elspeth Rostow Distinguished Lecture Series for Public Policy Leadership.



Alumna Margo Weisz (‘94) will be the featured speaker for the next installment in the Alumni Speaker Series, which will be on October 14th at 12:15p.m. in the student lounge. She will give a talk entitled "Financial Opportunity--building economic opportunity in lower income communities."

LBJ School faculty members including James K. Galbraith, Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in Government/Business Relations and Professor of Government; Professor Robert D. Auerbach and Ray Marshall, former U.S. Labor Secretary and Professor Emeritus and holder of the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs, are providing expertise and insight into the current U.S. financial crisis across a wide spectrum of forums. These distinguished professors, in addition to others, are informing the national conversation through a varieity of forums, ranging from opinion pieces to news stories to recently published works.

LBJ School Professor James K. Galbraith is providing expertise and insight into the current U.S. financial crisis across a wide spectrum of forums. From opinion pieces to news stories to The Predator State, his timely high-profile book garnering critical attention nationwide, Galbraith continues to inform the national conversation surrounding the current tumultuous state of the U.S. economy.

Word is quickly spreading about the LBJ School’s inaugural Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) program, generating positive early reviews in its debut semester.

On Thursday, September 25, 2008, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, in conjunction with the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the UT School of Law, and the Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution will host Foreign Policy Challenges for the Next President, with Lee H. Hamilton, former Congressman and president and director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin will welcome former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright to help launch the School’s new Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) degree on Wednesday evening, September 10 at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, Texas.

The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) has inaugurated its newest member – The University of Texas at Austin’s own Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs – in anticipation of the school’s new global policy program.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs is welcoming 140 new masters candidates this fall. The School admitted 35 students under the School’s new Master of Global Policy Studies (MGPS) program and an additional eleven students are transferring from the Master of Public Affairs (MPAff) program to join the first class.

This summer students at the LBJ School of Public Affairs are gaining valuable experience and insight into their individual career paths while contributing to the work of an organization as summer interns in the United States and abroad. As part of their rigorous education, masters candidates at the LBJ School are required to take a semester-long summer internship.

Dr. Laurence E. Lynn Jr., and Dr. Francie Ostrower lead a list of new faculty who will join the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin for the 2008-09 academic year.

The Washington DC Alumni Chapter of the LBJ School of Public Affairs will continue its Summer Speaker Series on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 as it hosts LBJ Alumnus Austin Smythe. The 1980 graduate is the staff director of the Republican Office of the Committee on the Budget and is the former Executive Associate Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

As the United States takes another step this week toward determining who will be on the November ballot, members of the faculty, alumni and staff of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin are playing key roles in a Project that brings together the nation's brightest emerging leaders to develop innovative solutions to the pressing global challenges facing the next president.

LBJ faculty, staff, and friends of the college gathered on the weekend of Friday, May 16th, 2008 to celebrate the LBJ School's 37th annual graduation convocation. This year, one hundred and twenty eight LBJ students earned their Master of Public Affairs degree and four attained their Ph.D.

Three LBJ Professors have teamed up with Dr. Peter Spink of the School of Business Administration at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo, Brazil, to co-author Governance in the Americas: Decentralization, Democracy, and Subnational Government in Brazil, Mexico, and the USA. Hitting book stores on March 1, 2008, the book has been very well received in the public affairs community.

President Lyndon Baines Johnson ("LBJ") has been described in many ways -- as a bold dreamer, a progressive, a "can do" President, who had the drive and the knowledge to help transform many of his dreams into reality. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, as part of the year-long centennial celebration commemorating President Johnson's 100th birthday (August 27, 1908), is hosting a series of events in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the remarkable life and legacy of Lyndon Baines Johnson.

In a recent issue of Governing Magazine, 2007 LBJ graduate John Coleman was featured for his work in sustainability in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fresh out of graduate school, the intrepid policy maker is having quite an impact, but leaving an ever smaller foot print in his home state.

In partnership with the KXAN Austin News, the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs will host a live TV/Internet debate on Wednesday May 7, 2008 at 12:30 p.m. the debate will be moderated by KXAN news anchor Robert Hadlock and Veronica Vargas Stidvent, Director of the Center for Politics and Governance.

The Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs will host Bill Bishop, noted journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, as he discusses his new book The Big Sort: Why The Clustering of Like Minded People is Tearing Us Apart. The event will take place at the UT Club on the campus of the University of Texas and will begin at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2008. Bishop will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase at the event.

Medicare policy has recently been in the shadow of other health and social policy challenges. Yet, it will come to the top of the agenda for the next Congress and President by necessity as costs rise, disparities worsen, and the needs of seniors and people with disabilities change. This conference aims to communicate the central questions and options in Medicare policy to the public through top-notch speakers, provocative discussions, and policy briefs-all presented by one of the nation's leading research centers on health and social policy.

The Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs will be hosting three events that spotlight the past, present, and future of the conservative movement in America. After playing host this year to a panoply of political guests including Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Democratic advisors Ted Van Dyk and James Johnson, former advisors to President George W. Bush Dan Bartlett, Matthew Dowd, and Allyson Ho, and the February 21st Democratic Presidential Debate, the LBJ School of Public Affairs will host conservative authors David Frum and Mickey Edwards, as well as a panel discussion on the Future of the Republican Party.

The Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs presents Mickey Edwards, former republican Congressman and co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, speaking on his new book Reclaiming Conservatism: How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost - and How it Can Find its Way Back Again.

In the wake of this week's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to not review a juvenile justice case challenge filed this past December by the UT School of Law's Supreme Court Clinic, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs student team, which collaborated initially with the Clinic on the case, is continuing its work on policy related issues surrounding juvenile sentencing practices in an effort to encourage legislative reform.

Francis J. Gavin, Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and Director of Studies, Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas in Austin, has been offered a prestigious Nobel Institute Senior Fellowship for the Institute's Spring term 2009.

Deception and Abuse at the FED: Henry B. Gonzalez Battles Alan Greenspan's FED is receiving critical praise and overwhelming attention for its unconventional appraisal of Alan Greenspan and his time as Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

The Center for Politics and Governance, the Center for Health and Social Policy, and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum will host former Democratic Leader of the United States Senate Tom Daschle on Friday May 2 in the Atrium of the Library and Museum at 12:30 p.m. Senator Daschle will deliver his remarks, Confronting America’s Health Care Crisis, and will sign copies of his book Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis, co-written with Scott Greenberger and LBJ School of Public Affairs Professor Jeanne Lambrew.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is pleased to announce the donation of a major gift from the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation. The gift will total $1,000,000 over the next year and will be used to create an endowed professorship in Social and Health Policy.

The 9th Annual 'Dillo Cup Challenge will take place on Saturday April 12 at the Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. The LBJ School of Public Affairs' Bleeding Hearts have beat the Bush School of Government and Public Service’s Bushwhackers in both of the last two years, making Dean James B. Steinberg the only undefeated Dean in 'Dillo Cup history.

The Great Society Fund, a group of students and alumni at the LBJ School, will host its annual fundraiser on Thursday, April 10th at 7 pm at Dominican Joe’s on South Congress.

The LBJ Alumni Speaker Series will host LBJ alumnus Jorge Garcés who will discuss the North American Development Bank (NADB), where he serves as CEO. The NADB was created under a bilateral side agreement of NAFTA to certify and fund US-Mexico border environmental infrastructure. It is the only development bank that can finance projects in the United States.

The Center for Politics and Governance presents Allyson Ho, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush. Ms. Ho will be speaking on her experience in the White House as well as her role as a counselor to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Law Clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Austin, Texas - Dr. Don Carleton, executive director of the Center for American History, announced the acquisition of the papers of Congressman Jack Brooks.

United States Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) will speak at the LBJ School on Thursday, March 27th at 12:15 PM. The Senator will speak on Iowa, the 2008 election, and other topics.

Dr. Don Carleton, executive director of the Center for American History, will announce the acquisition of the papers of Congressman Jack Brooks. In addition to Congressman Brooks, the following are expected to attend: former Gov. Dolph Briscoe; former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes; Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of former President and Mrs. Johnson; Larry Temple, president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation; and Dean James B. Steinberg, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

The Center for Politics and Governance is proud to announce "Understanding the Hispanic Vote in 2008", which will take place at the Thompson Conference Center on Wednesday, April 9, 2008. As the 2008 election moves forward, Hispanic voters are playing in increasingly important role both in Texas and the country at large. The conference will convene some the nation’s most informed experts on Hispanic politics to explore how this growing demographic has and will continue to transform the political landscape in America.

LBJ alumnus Dr. David Crockett will examine the upcoming fall election through the lens of "regime cycles." Dr. Crockett argues that we view American politics as a series of partisan regimes in which one political party has the natural advantage over another in any specific electoral era.

The 2008 presidential election has already proven to be one of the most interesting and unpredictable in U.S. history. On the Republican side, frontrunners have faded to near extinction only to roar back and take the national lead. Still other candidates soared to a sizable national lead early only to flame out spectacularly and exit the race over the span of a few weeks.

Dr. Joseph Wu, the Taiwanese Consular Representative to the United States, will be delivering his remarks, “Taiwan and the US—Partners in Security, Prosperity, and Democracy,” at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. His remarks will be held in the LBJ student lounge on March 6th at noon and is open to the public.

On Thursday, February 21, 2008 the 12th annual Barbara Jordan National Forum on Public Policy, a student led and student organized event. Centering on the theme Change: From What to What?, this year’s forum explored the evolving political landscape in America in much the same way Barbara Jordan’s address of the same name did at the 1992 Democratic National Convention.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs with the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum will host a special tribute on Tuesday, March 4th to celebrate and commemorate former LBJ School Dean Elspeth Davies Rostow and her lifelong commitment to education and public service. "Understanding the Modern American Presidency", a colloquium in honor of Dean Rostow, who passed away on December 9, 2007, will anchor the event to be held in the Atrium of the LBJ Library. The colloquium will feature two panels of distinguished educators and public servants reflecting on various aspects of the Presidency and personal tributes to Dean Rostow by friends and colleagues.

Ron Brownstein, author of The Second Civil War and Political Director for Atlantic Media Company, will be at the LBJ School of Public Affairs on Monday, March 3rd speaking on his new book. Brownstein's talk will focus on how the country has moved into an era of extreme partisanship over the last 30 years. He will also be speaking on the 2008 Election.

On Saturday, March 1, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will participate in the University-wide "Explore UT" event which serves as an open house for thousands of Texas students. Explore UT offers students at all grade levels an opportunity to learn about different academic disciplines while experiencing campus and university life.

Frank Sturzl, Executive Director, Texas Municipal League, and a graduate of the LBJ School will be the first spring speaker for alumni speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. This event will be held on Monday February 25, 2008, 12:15p.m. to 1:15p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge.

he LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Center for Politics and Governance present a discussion with James Johnson, noted business leader and Democratic Presidential advisor, and Dean James Steinberg on presidential transitions. The event will take place on Monday, February 11th at 12:15 PM. Johnson, who served as Vice President Walter Mondale's executive assistant from 1976 to 1981, also managed Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign and lead Senator John Kerry's Vice Presidential selection committee during his 2004 bid for the White House.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs. the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security & Law and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum are honored to present Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Dr. Fayyad is a well-respected economist and political reformer who assumed the Prime Ministry in 2006 as part of President Mahmoud Abbas’ unity government. He has led the PNA through a series of sweeping reforms during that time. Dr. Fayyad will be speaking on his hopes for progress toward Middle East peace.

Garrett Graff, Editor-at-Large of the Washingtonian Magazine and author of The First Election will be at the LBJ School on Tuesday, February 5th. Graff will be speaking on the intersection of politics and technology and how the internet has revolutionized our democratic process—the topic of his book.

In celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs offers historical pictures, letters, and recorded phone conversations between Dr. King and President Johnson as they planned their campaigns for passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act. All materials on the page are available for public use.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security & Law are honored to present His Excellency Nabil Fahmy, ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States, speaking on “The Challenge in the Middle East: An Egyptian Perspective.” Ambassador Fahmy has been a key player in Egyptian foreign policy for two decades.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs will be hosting Ted Van Dyk, renowned political commentator and advisor to seven Democratic Presidential Candidates. He will be speaking on and signing copies of his new book, Heroes, Hacks, and Fools: Memoirs from the Political Inside.

Please join The Washington, DC Area LBJ School Alumni Chapter for a benefit reception on January 28, 2009 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Ben Barnes Group Offices.

LBJ School and UT School of Law Professor Michele Deitch, an attorney and criminal justice policy expert, directs policy research efforts in ground-breaking collaboration between the LBJ School and the UT School of Law.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is deeply saddened by the passing of former Dean Elspeth Rostow, Sunday, December 9, 2007.

Dean Steinberg and the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law invite you to a special luncheon discussion with President Jose Lello and Secretary-General Simon Lunn of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. They will engage in a discussion based on questions from students, faculty and staff.

Hosted by LBJ School Dean James Steinberg, the November 28th event acknowledged faculty members and their recently published works, as well as those LBJ faculty recognized in the past year for recent literary contributions. Highlighting the evening was a discussion of individual works by their respective authors and Dean Steinberg.

On Wednesday, November 28, 2007 The LBJ School hosted Los Angeles Times reporter Bob Drogin, author of Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War, in a featured Brown Bag Speaker Series event.

Joshua Busby, Assistant Professor at LBJ School of Public Affairs is the author of a report released by the Council on Foreign Relations today on climate change and national security consequences.

One of the major civil rights figures in American history who contributed to the integration of the University of Georgia, headed the United Negro College Fund, Inc., served on the Council of President Lyndon Johnson's White House Conference "To Fulfill These Rights" and was President and CEO of the National Urban League, Inc., Vernon E. Jordan Jr., will deliver the spring 2008 convocation address at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, Dean James Steinberg announced today. Mr. Jordan's influential leadership and activism in education, housing, employment and politics have been center stage for over five decades; and from Presidents to business leaders, he continues to be a trusted advisor.

Please plan to join us on Tuesday, November 27 at 6:15 p.m. for a special screening of Nobelity. Local filmmaker Turk Pipkin interviewed nine Nobel Laureates across the world to explore their thoughts on the world's most urgent problems, from global warming and the energy crisis to land mines and global health.

The LBJ School Dean James Steinberg will lead discussion with Los Angeles Times reporter and author Bob Drogin author of Curveball: Spies, Lies, and the Con Man Who Caused a War, in a featured Brown Bag Speaker Series event. The event will conclude with a book-signing session, to be held outside the student lounge.

Wednesday November 28, 2007, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the LBJ Library Brown Room

On Monday, November 19, 2007, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the Center for East Asian Studies, and the Center for Business Education and Research will host Robert. D. Hormats, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs (International). Mr. Hormats will be the final speaker in the Distinguished Lectures on East Asia. He will discuss China’s impact on the global economy and the challenges and opportunities a growing China presents to the world.

The LBJ School's Center for Politics and Governance hosted Texas Senator, University of Texas and Law School alumnus and bestselling author, Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. in the 10th floor LBJ Library Atrium.

The Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law and mtvU will be hosting a screening of the documentary film Darfur Now on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 7:00pm in CPE 2.214. This is a special sneak preview screening, ten days prior to the film’s commercial opening in Texas. The film's director, Ted Braun, will be in attendance and will participate in a Q&A session after the screening.

This weekend features the annual Texas Book Festival, founded by first lady Laura Bush and featuring a wide range of authors, free of charge, in and around the state Capitol on Saturday and Sunday. Paul Stekler, Professor of Public Affairs, Professor of Radio-Television-Film and filmmaker, will be part of two programs on Saturday.

The LBJ School's Center for Politics and Governance will host Texas Senator, University of Texas and Law School alumnus and bestselling author, Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. in the 10th floor LBJ Library Atrium. Senator Hutchison will provide a general overview of her new book, Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers, followed by discussion of select biographical snapshots of great American women featured in the book. The event will conclude with the Senator’s book-signing session, also in the LBJ Library Atrium.

Dr. Fred Chang, research professor of computer sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, and Admiral Bobby Inman, Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair in National Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, have been appointed to the new Commission on Cyber Security, established to make sure that the next president of the United States has an updated strategy to counter growing cyber threats.

On Monday, October 22, 2007 the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy hosted a panel discussion featuring David Sandalow, Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution and author of Freedom From Oil: How the Next President Can End the United States' Oil Addiction.

Dr. Mark B. McClellan, a highly distinguished and leading health scholar and policy maker, has been appointed as a Visiting Fellow in Health Policy at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

On Monday, October 22, 2007 the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy will host David Sandalow, Senior Fellow of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution and author of Freedom From Oil: How the Next President Can End the United States' Oil Addiction.

Former U.S. Representative (D ? TN) and 2006 Senate candidate, Harold Ford Jr., has been appointed the inaugural Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, at the University of Texas at Austin, it was announced today by James Steinberg, Dean of the LBJ School.

DeAnn Friedholm, Partner, Health Management Associates, and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be the School’s second guest in the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. This event will be held on Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge.

On Thursday, October 11, 2007, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will host Ambassador Dennis Ross, former special Middle East coordinator under President Clinton. The discussion will be held in the LBJ School Student Lounge at 3:30 pm.

Organizers of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Centennial, commemorating the 100th birthday (August 27, 1908) of the 36th President, announced that the official Centennial celebrations will begin January 1, 2008, with a year-long tribute to the LBJ legacy.

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law is celebrating its introduction with a conference, "A Brave New World: Meeting the Global Challenges of the 21st Century," from 2:30-5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 in the Thompson Conference Center Auditorium.

The LBJ School hosted retired four-star general Wesley Clark on Tuesday, September 25 in back-to-back events. General Clark joined students for a noontime "brown-bag" session, followed by a book-signing event of his recently published, A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country. In the hour-long dialogue with students, the general shared his views on a range of topics including U.S. foreign policy strategy — early 90’s to present; life as a presidential candidate; the 2008 presidential hopefuls — qualities and qualifications, and the complexities of fighting the war on terror.

Renowned lawyer and public servant Ambassador Robert S. Strauss and the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP have contributed $7.5 million to The University of Texas at Austin to establish a new research center on global affairs.

AUSTIN, Texas, September 21, 2007— The LBJ School of Public Affairs and the AT&T Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), announced today the opening of the Center for Politics and Governance (CPG), with AT&T, a longtime supporter of The University of Texas System, providing a $1 million foundational grant to start the Center.

On September 12, 2007, Dell hosted leaders from 20 Netherlands-based companies and the State of Texas to discuss how to strengthen ties between Austin and Amsterdam. The visit marked the start of a week-long trip through Austin, Arlington and Fort Worth.

Craig D. Pedersen, Vice President of Water and Wastewater in Texas for URS Corporation, and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be another wonderful guest in the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. He will address why we should care about water in Texas, how the water system is organized today, the factors influencing water management, challenges we face, and our plans for the future.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs will host Mark Halperin, Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst at Time Magazine. Halperin will engage in a discussion with students and faculty from across campus on the current political landscape. The event will be held on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge.

Protecting the Homeland 2006/2007, written by James Steinberg along with Michael O’Hanlon, Peter Orszag and Jeremy Shapiro, has been chosen for inclusion in the 2007 University Press Books Selected for Public and Secondary School Libraries.

On Tuesday, August 28, 2007, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will participate in the University's annual "Gone to Texas" celebration. The event, held the evening before the start of fall classes each year, features live music and presentations from all over campus.

President George W. Bush has announced the nomination of Benjamin Sasse, an assistant professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, to be Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation, pending U.S. Senate confirmation.

Peter Frumkin, Director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, has won the 2007 John Grenzebach Award for Outstanding Research in Philanthropy for Education from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Japanese and U.S. national security specialists met earlier this month to discuss the importance of establishing a national security council in this country as a key government organ charged with integrating and coordinating diplomatic and security policies. A symposium focusing on "The Making of the National Security Council of Japan—Refining Strategy: Lessons Japan Can Learn from the U.S. NSC" also discussed the tasks to be tackled in setting up a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council.

Each year since the Governor Hugh L. Carey Fellowship in Governmental Finance Program began being offered by the New York State's Division of the Budget four years ago, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs has been proud to announce at least one winner among their graduating class. This year is no different.

Graduates of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs are able to successfully apply their educations to work in a variety of fields. But some alumni go even further and are truly outstanding. To honor these alumni, the LBJ School Alumni Association presents an annual Distinguished Public Service Award. Recipients' career and public service records must represent the LBJ School's values.

On May 2 the GPAC Brown Bag and Faculty Recruitment Committees in connection with the LBJ School Dean's Office sponsored the annual presentation of the LBJ School Faculty Appreciation Awards. The awards recognize faculty members across six different categories, including most engaging teaching style, most valuable class, and best new professor. Award nominations are selected by the students of the LBJ School, and winners are chosen by the number of nominations they receive.

Victoria Rodríguez, vice provost and dean of The University of Texas at Austin Graduate School, has been named one of the country's top 20 elite women of 2007 in the April 2007 issue of Hispanic Business Magazine.

In cooperation with the German Consulate General Houston, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will host an exhibition entitled "Environment, Conflict and Cooperation," which addresses the consequences of global environmental change. The exhibition was developed by Adelphi Research, Adelphi Consult and Weltformat.Design at the initiative of the German Foreign Ministry.

On April 16 the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, the IC² Institute, and the Center for Science and Practice of Sustainability will host an event with Alfred Watkins, the Science and Technology (S&T) Program Coordinator at the World Bank. Mr. Watkins will be discussing the lessons learned from the "Global Forum: Building Science, Technology and Innovation Capacity for Sustainable Growth and Poverty Reduction," which he recently convened at the Bank. He will speak to the Bank's role in STI capacity building, drawing upon the example of assisting Rwanda, specifically President Kigame, lift itself from the tragedy of genocide and achieve its development goals. | View Video

The 59th Annual Honors Day celebration at The University of Texas at Austin on April 14 will honor academic accomplishments of 1,200 Distinguished College Scholars and about 4,800 College Scholars during two ceremonies in the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Concert Hall. James B. Steinberg, dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, will deliver the 2007 Honors Day Convocation address at both ceremonies.

Dr. Jacqueline L. Angel, professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Department of Sociology, along with Dr. Keith E. Whitfield of Duke University, is an editor of a new book titled The Health of Aging Hispanics: The Mexican-Origin Population.

On April 23, the LBJ School and its alumni association will welcome Billy Hamilton, former deputy comptroller of public accounts for the State of Texas Comptroller and a graduate of the LBJ School. Mr. Hamilton will discuss the current state and the future of Texas finances. | View Video

Ken Matwiczak, senior lecturer and graduate adviser for the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, has been named as the University of Texas at Austin's Outstanding Graduate Adviser for 2007.

The U.S. Congress has approved and President George W. Bush has signed, legislation naming the U.S. Department of Education headquarters building after former President Lyndon B. Johnson. The bill sponsored by Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, officially renames the headquarters the Lyndon Baines Johnson Federal Building.

On April 19 the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin will welcome Dr. Susan Shirk as part of their International Relations Speaker Series. Dr. Shirk will give a presentation based on her newest book, China: Fragile Superpower, which will be published by Oxford University Press this spring.

Demographic, housing and economic changes over the last two decades in East Austin have increased both challenges and opportunities in the historically disadvantaged region, political and community leaders said to more than 80 attendees at UT's Thompson Conference Center Wednesday evening. The forum, "Defining Community Change in East Austin," was organized by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and PeopleFund, an organization promoting economic vitality for low-income people and communities.

A forum to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with community change in East Austin—including the release of research results on housing and demographic changes—will be held Wednesday, March 21, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Thompson Conference Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

On March 19, the LBJ School and its alumni association will welcome, Mr. David Firestein, a Foreign Service officer at the U.S. Department of State and a graduate of the LBJ School. Mr. Firestein is the second guest of the new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. Mr. Firestein will give an interactive presentation discussing the political communication effect of contemporary country music. | View Video

When Harvard appointed Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president this month, she said she didn't want her gender to become an issue, but understood the discussion would be inevitable. In its 124-year history, the University of Texas has had only one female president, who served from 1974 to 1979, and a glance at the University's leadership paints a uniform picture of white males. While UT has incrementally become more diverse, both in terms of gender and race, progress is gradual, said Elspeth Rostow, public policy professor and former dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.

On Saturday, March 3, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will participate in the University-wide "Explore UT" event which serves as an open house for thousands of Texas students. Explore UT offers students at all grade levels an opportunity to learn about different academic disciplines while experiencing campus and university life.

On February 26, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum will welcome Karen DeYoung to discuss her new book, Soldier: The Life of Colin Powell. DeYoung is an associate editor at The Washington Post, where she has held a number of senior editing positions and served as a foreign policy reporter in Washington and as a correspondent abroad. | View Video

Susan K. Rieff, executive director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and a graduate of the LBJ School, will be the first guest of a new lunchtime speaker series cosponsored by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the LBJ School Alumni Association. The inaugural event will be held on February 19 at 12:15 p.m. in the LBJ Student Lounge. Ms. Rieff will talk about her work at the Wildflower Center and about the changes the center is undergoing after its September 2006 acquisition by the University of Texas at Austin as well as the relationship of the center to the LBJ School. | View Video

As part of the Elspeth Rostow Distinguished Lecture Series for Public Policy Leadership, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP will welcome the Honorable Tom Ridge, former governor of Pennsylvania and the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Governor Ridge will discuss how state leaders can strategically address the long-term and structural issues facing state government today while also anticipating the daunting new state challenges of the 21st century.

Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson will discuss his plans for a "Medicaid Makeover" in a presentation to the Center for Health and Social Policy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs on February 8 at 2 p.m. in the Thompson Conference Center on The University of Texas at Austin campus. | View Video

Six voices unveiled their moving and real experiences of war as they addressed fellow veterans, students and faculty at an open dialogue titled "What is a Veteran at UT?"

On January 25, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will welcome Antoine van Agtmael, founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Emerging Markets Management, LLC. He will discuss his recent book, The Emerging Markets Century: How a New Breed of World Class Companies Is Overtaking the World, which profiles the dramatic rise of 25 world-class multinationals that are changing the face of globalization, including Korea's Samsung Electronics, China's Lenovo, Brazil's Embraer, and India's Infosys Technologies. | View Video

The University of Texas at Austin has announced that it will award one of its most prestigious honors—the Presidential Citation—to Admiral B.R. Inman, USN (Ret.), the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, at an awards dinner on Jan. 22 at the Blanton Museum of Art hosted by William Powers Jr., president of The University.

On January 18, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will welcome Roger C. Altman, chairman and cofounder of Evercore Partners, and Jason Furman, senior fellow and director of the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. Mr. Altman and Dr. Furman will discuss the prospects for restoring broad-based economic growth in response to the challenges of globalization and technological change. | View Video

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the University of Texas at Austin will be closed from December 22 to January 1.

On November 28, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will host Sumit Ganguly, the Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University in Bloomington. Dr. Ganguly will discuss the post-Cold War transformation of India's approach to foreign policy. | View Video

On November 3, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will host Brigadier General Anthony A. (Tony) Cucolo who serves as the Chief of Public Affairs, United States Army. He will discuss Army initiatives in strategic communications and the importance of engaging across the spectrum of available media to maintain the support of the American people.

On October 30, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will welcome Kati Marton, chairwoman of the International Women's Health Coalition. She will discuss her recent book, The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World, which tells for the first time the full story of a remarkable group of men produced by Budapest's Golden Age who survived the Nazi terror and went on to play vital roles in shaping the twentieth century. | View Video

On October 27, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs will host a presentation by Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Mr. Bowen will discuss his experiences in leading the office created by Congress to provide oversight of U.S. funds appropriated for Iraq's relief and reconstruction. | View Video

Given the increasingly uncertain and competitive global environment, the issues surrounding energy security policy are crucial to both short- and long-term economic stability. The one-day seminar will provide a variety of perspectives on access to affordable energy supplies--particularly the policies necessary to integrate our interests with those of our international trading partners and to re-establish stability in world markets. | View Video

For the third summer in a row, students from Mexico and Canada participated in the Study Civil Society Institute hosted by the RGK Center for Philantrhopy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin.

On September 18, the LBJ School of Public Affairs will welcome Washington Post Staff Writer Juliet Eilperin to discuss her book, Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives, in which she argues that incumbent-drawn congressional districts have increasingly intensified the partisan tone in the House of Representatives. | View Video

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs has named Dr. James M. Lindsay, vice president and director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, as the inaugural Tom Slick Chair for International Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin.

Admiral B.R. Inman, USN (Ret.), the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Chair at The University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs, has been named a 2006 recipient of the Presidential Citation, the University's highest honor.

A complete transcript of President BIll Clinton's 2006 Commencement Address at the LBJ School is now available.

Four Latin American nonprofit and social enterprise organizations are getting help to enhance their community development efforts this summer from 11 students from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Red McCombs School of Business.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a grant of $306,526 to three University of Texas at Austin research entities to study both economic and workforce impacts on the Space Shuttle Program's capacity to meet its mission from now through 2010.

In an interview broadcast on Austin’s KXAN-TV, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Professor Sherri Greenberg expressed concern about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Texas Legislature’s reconfiguration of the state’s congressional districts in 2003.

Sheila Wilson Beckett (M.P.Aff. 1977), was named as the recipient of the 2006 Distinguished Public Service Award by the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs' Alumni Association at its annual reception on June 26.

Professor Howard Prince was presented with the Distinguished Graduate Award by the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point.