December 2, 2008

Annual LBJ School Holiday Reception

Dean James B. Steinberg is hosting the annual LBJ School Holiday Reception on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The LBJ community is invited to share in the holiday festivities at the newly-opened North End Zone Club in the Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. H’or deurves, drinks and desserts will be served. E-mail your RSVP until 5:00 p.m. Dec 2 to RSVPlbj@austin.utexas.edu.

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Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Symposium: “Policy Challenges for the New President and the LBJ Legacy” to Coincide with December 4 Release of Last Segment of Historic LBJ Telephone Conversations

As part of the year-long Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Celebration, the LBJ School of Public Affairs will hold a symposium titled “Policy Challenges for the New President and the LBJ Legacy” on Dec. 4 and 5 at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. On the same day, the LBJ Library will release the last segment of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s telephone conversations, dating from May 1968 to January 1969.

“The 100th anniversary of President Johnson’s birth and the 40th anniversary of the end of the Johnson presidency provides an occasion to reflect on how President Johnson’s remarkable public policy legacy can help us grapple with the issues facing the new Administration that will take office next January 20,” said LBJ School Dean James B. Steinberg. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding group of practitioners, policy experts and historians to help examine how the lessons of the Johnson era can shed light on 21st century policy challenges.”

The Honorable Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, former Special Assistant and Senior Domestic Policy Advisor to President Johnson and Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to President Carter, will deliver the Symposium keynote address, “The Johnson Legacy: Lessons for the New President,” on Dec. 4 at 6:00 p.m.

The Honorable Robert J. Portman, former U.S. Representative (R-OH), and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Trade Representative under President George W. Bush (now of Counsel, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, L.L.P) will deliver the lunch-time address on Dec. 4 at 1:30 p.m., and Robert Dallek, American historian and President Johnson biographer, will deliver the morning keynote address on Dec. 5 at 8:30 a.m.

For Symposium information, agenda, and registration, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/centennialsymposium/.

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law Showcases Global Newsmakers in November

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, on behalf of the Network of European Union Centers of Excellence, welcomed Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry on Nov. 24 for a lecture titled “NATO: Current Operations and Future Challenges.” Eikenberry is the Deputy Chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium. For more information, visit: http://www.robertstrausscenter.org/events/view/69.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative Senator Sam Nunn, pictured left with Strauss Center Director James M. Lindsay, shared his views on what steps the Obama administration should take to diminish the threat of nuclear proliferation in “A Conversation with Senator Sam Nunn: Reducing Nuclear Threats” on Nov. 20 at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Senator Nunn’s talk capped off a day-long conference the Strauss Center hosted on “Reducing Nuclear Threats: Nonproliferation Challenges for the Next Administration.”

For more information visit: http://www.robertstrausscenter.org/events/view/70.

Three leading experts, including Strauss Center Fellow and LBJ School Associate Professor Eugene Gholz, came together for a panel discussion on political-military threats to energy security in an installment of the International Speaker Series titled “Energy Security, Iran, and the Persian Gulf” on Nov. 11.

For more information, visit: http://robertstrausscenter.org/events/view/61.

Former Quality Systems Expert for Ford Motor Company T. Kathleen Hanley participated in a discussion on “The Global Automotive Industry: Perspective on a Changing Industry in a Changing World” on Nov. 4.

For more information, visit: http://www.robertstrausscenter.org/events/view/54.

Vijay Mahajan Discusses New Book, Africa Rising

Professor Vijay Mahajan discussed “Africa Rising: How 900 Million African Consumers Offer More Than You Think” on Nov. 6. Mahajan discussed his travels across the continent to study the successful strategies of global companies and local entrepreneurs featured in his new book.

For more information, visit:http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/calendar/view_event.php?event_id=2077.

LBJ Library and Museum Hosts Two-Day Foreign Policy Symposium

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum hosted a two-day symposium bringing national scholars to the LBJ Library to discuss foreign policy as part of the Lyndon B. Johnson Centennial Celebration on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. LBJ Professor Admiral B.R. Inman, U.S. Navy (Ret.), former director of the National Security Agency and deputy director of Central Intelligence, was among the participants. LBJ Associate Professor Francis Gavin, Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs and Director of Studies for the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, pictured here, served as an event organizer along with Associate Professor Mark Lawrence from the University of Texas’ Department of History.

For more information, visit: http://www.lbj100.org/fpsagenda.htm.

Well-Being of Texas Children the Focus of CHASP Colloquim

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs’ Center for Health and Social Policy (CHASP) welcomed Jodie Smith of Texans Care for Children; Kalese Hammonds of the Texas Public Policy Foundation; and Texas Representative Patrick Rose, Chair of the House Committee on Human Services, for a discussion on “Caring for Texas Children: Policy Perspectives,” moderated by LBJ Associate Professor Pat Wong, on Nov. 21.

For more information, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/chasp/events/fall2008/children.php.

From news-making events and political headliners to its faculty experts, the LBJ School continues to serve up post-election analysis and perspective in multiple forums on a range of issues and to provide students a front row seat in the United States’ political, electoral, and governing process.

LBJ Community Gathers for Election Night Watch Party

To mark the conclusion of what was an exciting campaign season, the LBJ School and GPAC, together with Ben and Melanie Barnes, Bernard and Audre Rapoport, hosted an election night watch party on Nov. 4.

CPG Hosts Forum on Texas Politics and Policy Post Election 2008

“For political junkies interested in seeing potential candidates in the 2010 governor’s race, a conference sponsored by the Center for Politics and Governance on the University of Texas at Austin campus was the place to be recently.”
Ft.Worth Star Telegram, Nov. 9, 2008

The LBJ School’s Center for Politics and Governance’s Fall Forum “Who’s Right? Who’s Left? What’s Next? litics and Policy Beyond 2008″ was “the place to be ” November 6, drawing a packed house for a day-long forum devoted to the future of Texas politics and government in the aftermath of the 2008 elections.

With Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Mayor of the City of Houston Bill White delivering keynote speeches for the day-long session of panels and speakers, speculation about their gubernatorial aspirations ran high. Senator Hutchison told the Dallas Morning News, “If I decide to step down to run for governor, Texas would be well positioned because John Cornyn will have had a full term. This is a better time to bring someone new to build seniority when you’ve got someone who has it.”

When asked by the Houston Chronicle about the possibility that he might enter the senate or governor’s race, Mayor White made no promises, “I like managing organizations, which is more executive. And one of my passions is energy policy and sound economic policy, which is a challenge in D.C. But I better be listening to people and thinking in the near future.”

For more information on the CPG Fall Forum, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/cpg/events/story/580/.

LBJ Faculty Experts Providing Post-Election Analysis and Perspective

LBJ faculty members and its Centers directors are providing analysis and perspective on a range of post-election national, state, and local issues.

For more information, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/news/story/623/.

LBJ School GPAC Brown Bag Lecture Series Attracts Wide Spectrum of Guest Speakers

The GPAC Brown Bag Lecture Series continues to attract a wide spectrum of guest speakers who enrich the discourse on variety of pressing issues. On Nov. 24, the LBJ GPAC Brown Bag Lecture Series and the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service welcomed Matt Flannery for a discussion on “Social Entrepreneurship: The Story of Kiva.org” in the LBJ Student Lounge. For more information, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/calendar/event/2095.

In addition, the Lecture Series welcomed “Nate Self – Army Ranger, American Hero, and Victim of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder” on Nov. 12.

For more information, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/calendar/view_event.php?event_id=2085.

LBJ School Students Take to the Streets to Battle Homelessness

On Nov. 20, a committed group of LBJ students took to the Austin streets holding signs on the misconceptions about homelessness. The community action event “Signs of Homelessness” was part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. The event was co-sponsored and organized by LBJ student organizations GPAC and Society, Health, and Economic Policy (SHEP), as well as by the Ending Community Homelessness (ECHO) Coalition, a local community organization.

PAACC Hosts “United Nations of Food,” a “Diversity in Action” Program

The Public Affairs Alliance for Communities of Color (PAACC) hosted “United Nations of Food” on Nov. 18. PAACC invited students, faculty, and staff to bring dishes that represent their cultural heritage. Some of the dishes included Japanese curry; Swedish meatballs; Serbian gibanica; Albanian stuffed bell peppers and rice; a Vegamite sampler from New Zealand; Spam musubi, a Japanese/Hawaiian dish, and enchiladas and sopa de arroz. “United Nations of Food is a fund raiser for PAACC in order for us to continue promoting diversity at the LBJ School by providing events like the GRE Prep Workshops and Diversity Speaker Series,” said PAACC Co-chair Sherry Penson.

LBJ Opens Doors to Prospective Students

The LBJ School’s Office of Student and Alumni Programs (OSAP) hosted an Open House for prospective students on Nov. 17. The Open House provided a forum for prospective students to learn more about the LBJ School by attending classes and meeting faculty, staff, and students. A panel of current graduate students, pictured here, met with prospective students and answered questions during a luncheon. “The Open House is an excellent opportunity for prospective students to get a good idea of what it would be like to be a graduate student in the LBJ School of Public Affairs,” said OSAP Program Coordinator Steve Alvarez, “Not only do they get the chance to see the school but they get to interact with the most important component of the School– the people.”

For more information, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/lbj/calendar/event/2036/.

Alumni Speaker Series Welcomes Dana DeBeauvoir for a Discussion on Elections

The Alumni Speaker Series welcomed alumna Dana DeBeauvoir (’81) on Nov. 11 in the LBJ School Student Lounge for a discussion on “Elections: What Works and What Doesn’t.” DeBeauvoir was elected Travis County Clerk in 1987 and was presented with the LBJ School’s Distinguished Public Service Award in 2002. DeBeauvoir has been credited with modernizing the Travis County Clerk’s Office during her tenure. She is also known for her work in promoting voter turnout, improving the election process and making public information more accessible.

LBJ School Student Brandon Jass Authors Successful Student Government Bill

LBJ Student Brandon Jass successfully rallied support among University governing bodies for a bill granting University faculty, staff and graduate students domestic partner benefits. The Student Government voted unanimously in support of the legislation authored by Jass. Although the bill will not enact any changes in the University’s current benefits package, Jass feels that the passing of the legislation sends a message of support.

For more information, visit: http://www.dailytexanonline.com/student_groups_back_partner_benefits.

Other Alumni News

Lauren Hutton (’08) is now the Government Relations Specialist with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Hector Ortiz (’95) was recently named the Director of Business Development & Emerging Markets at Netspend. Suzanne Bertin (’97) is now the Manager of Government for Government Affairs for Reliant Energy’s Austin office.