PRESS CLIPPINGS

Some college courses never seem to go away — the venerable "history of math," for example. But schools do try to keep up with the times by overhauling the content, looking for a unique resource, or inventing entirely new ones that sometimes combine approaches from different disciplines. Some schools have long taught politics or sociology by looking through the prism of popular music — The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen, for example — but today Hip-Hop is employed. Many college students learn about the Watergate scandal but only those at The University of Texas at Austin can easily avail themselves of the newly purchased papers of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. And there are a range of new courses created since the 9/11 attacks dealing with national security issues.

The Washington Post
Learning, but not by the book (April 12)

More than four centuries before Arnold Schwarzenegger promised to pump us up, men sporting skimpy loincloths and bulging muscles were beefing themselves up by draping weights made of lead and molded wax over their shoulders. Those early workout sessions are recorded in a book, recently acquired by the University of Texas at Austin, that is billed as the oldest illustrated book on exercise and sports medicine. “De Arte Gymnastica” was written in 1569 by Hieronymous Mercurialis, an Italian physician, and was donated to the university by David P. Webster, a Scottish writer, sports promoter, and champion strongman. "It is fair to say that Mercurialis's book is the most important book on exercise and sports medicine of the Renaissance, especially since it stayed in print for more than 100 years, and since everyone who came later on in the field of exercise quoted him," says Jan Todd, associate professor of kinesiology and health education at Austin.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Renaissance he-men (April 15)

Kurt Weyland

While popular at home, critics have long pointed to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's authoritarian leanings, accusing him of limiting freedom of the press, stacking the courts and using excessive force against protesters. But now his efforts to extend his "revolution for the poor" to other countries is concerning some Latin leaders. No conclusive financial link has been established between Chavez and opposition groups in other countries. Yet he has provided considerable moral and rhetorical support to such people as Bolivia's Evo Morales, leader of the Movement Toward Socialism party and a leading candidate for president in 2007. "In Chavez, (Morales) sees someone who used the power of the presidency to wipe out the existing political elite, transform the government and bring power to groups that have traditionally been excluded from politics," says Kurt Weyland, a professor of Latin American studies at the University of Texas.

The Christian Science Monitor
Latin leaders try to diffuse tensions (March 29)

To many people, death by removing a feeding tube brings to mind the agony of starvation. But medical experts say the process of dying that begins when food and fluids cease is relatively straightforward, and can cause little discomfort. “Toxins build up in the body, and the delicate balance of chemicals like potassium, sodium and calcium is disrupted,” said Deborah Volker, an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Texas who has written extensively on end-of-life issues. This electrolyte imbalance disrupts the electrical system that triggers the action of muscles, including the heart, and eventually the heart stops beating.

The New York Times
Experts say ending feeding can lead to a gentle death (March 20)

When George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, signed legislation in 1997 that automatically admitted to a public university the top 10 percent of graduates from each high school in the state, he hailed it as a race-neutral way to diversify enrollment. Now many in Texas, including the current governor, Rick Perry, a Republican, are questioning whether the class-rank law is still needed. Opponents  say the law has had unintended consequences, particularly at The University of Texas at Austin, the state's premier institution, where nearly three-quarters of the admissions offers to Texas seniors for this fall's freshman class were made on the basis of class rank. Larry R. Faulkner, president of the Austin campus, says if the law is not modified, the University of Texas will be "run over" by students admitted solely on the basis of class rank. Still, he opposes eliminating the law, and instead wants a plan that would limit automatic admissions to 50 percent of a college's student body. The highest-ranking students would be accepted first, and, once the cap was reached, the remaining top-10-percent applicants would be considered through the regular admissions process.

The Chronicle of Higher Education
Class-rank plan faces trouble in Texas
(April 22)

Toni Falbo

Every parent worries that something awful could happen to a child. Most of us are able to keep our fears in check. But some of us are better at it than others. Those who have the hardest time tend to have only one child. ''It's an issue more for parents of only children because they have the time and resources to overprotect," says educational psychologist Toni Falbo of The University of Texas at Austin, a leading researcher on only children. Reasoning, ''I've only got the one, I can afford it/I've got the time," parents with one child often overprotect in ways that insulate a child from real-world experiences.

The Boston Globe
Some parents of an only child must confront their own fears (March 3)

Your child is getting close to college age. And you haven't saved nearly as much as you should have. But don't panic. A variety of resources are available to help parents put aside money or tap a vast reservoir of cash in the form of grants, scholarships and loans. The average four-year public university now costs about $11,400 annually for tuition, fees and room and board. According to petersons.com (an online data guide for U.S. colleges and universities), for Texas residents, the average current cost for one year of full-time tuition, fees and room and board at The University of Texas at Austin is about $11,919. Private schools average $27,500 annually. Petersons.com estimates the total cost for 2005-06 for a full-time student at Baylor University in Waco at $27,655, for a Rice University student $35,076, and for a Texas Christian University student $29,110.

The Wall Street Journal
Pomp and sacrifice (April 19)