About Camp LBJ
Camp LBJ is the summer transition program for all entering students. The program has four objectives: acquaint students with the LBJ community, introduce students to graduate school life, provide perspectives on the policy profession and global issues, and convey a rigorous conceptual framework for analytic thinking.
The Program
For 2009, Camp LBJ begins in cyberspace, on the electronic forum site, Blackboard, around the first week of May. Physical meetings of Camp LBJ start on the University of Texas campus, at the Thompson Conference Center on July 15. Camp LBJ programs end on August 14, right before the beginning of Orientation Week.
All admitted students who confirm their intention to enroll by April 15 will receive information through e-mail by the end of April about access to Camp LBJ Blackboard, the communication website for entering students. The website will be hosted by current students on the Orientation Committee. There will be information forums, get-acquainted space, advising messages, and opportunities to ask questions, all the way from the end of April to mid-July, when the physical version of Camp LBJ begins. The on-campus version of Camp LBJ includes academic courses, orientation events, and social activities. We describe them briefly below:
- Academic courses are offered on four topics: Introduction to the Policy Profession, Global Policy Issues, Analytic Foundation for Public Policy, and Policy Orientation for International Students. The first three are open to all entering students. We also offer, on an on-demand basis, personal and small-group tutorials on calculus and statistics for students who need to take the validation exams.
- Orientation events range from getting acquainted with the School’s information resources to diagnostics on policy writing skills and career planning assistance.
- Social activities have been put together by your Orientation Committee for you to have fun, get acquainted with your peers, learn about Austin, and to meet some of the second-year students. Academic content at Camp LBJ is designed as rigorous graduate level material. A detailed schedule for 2009 will be available some time in June.
To get some sense of how Camp meetings are organized, please refer to the last year's 2008 Camp LBJ schedule (below). We expect some minor changes in 2009, but the overall framework of the schedule will remain the same. All Camp LBJ activities are available to entering students free of charge and on a voluntary-attendance basis*. All students are encouraged to make plans to attend Camp LBJ, but those who cannot arrive in Austin in time to attend can nonetheless follow the acadmic materials electronically. Details will be made available on Blackboard. All entering students who do not receive information about access to Camp LBJ Blackboard by May 1 should contact the Office of Student and Alumni Program immediately.
lbj/osap/uploads/file/Syllabus_Quantitative%202008.doc
