UT Austin News

Stories, research and expertise from The University of Texas at Austin

[utnews]

Phishing Email Alert

Dear UT Community:

Please do not open any messages you receive today claiming to be from President Gregory L. Fenves under the subject line “A Message from President Gregory L. Fenves – February 2017.”

This email was sent by a phishing scammer who forged the president’s address. The president’s account has not been compromised. Our IT team is working to block these messages and bolster defenses against similar phishing attempts. We urge the campus community to be vigilant against similar actions.

If you encounter future suspicious or phishing emails, please forward them to ITS at [email protected] for evaluation.

[utnews]

President Fenves Condemns Posters at UT Austin

This post has been updated. 

Following is an excerpt from UT President Gregory L. Fenves’ interview with the Texas Standard about the posters the university took down earlier this week.

Listen to the full interview here. 

Letter from Gregory J. Vincent, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement

Dear DDCE Community

On Monday, staff at The University of Texas at Austin removed numerous posters from buildings across campus which disparaged immigrants, minorities and Muslims. Although we are a university in constant search for truth and ardent defenders of free speech, our campus has no place for speech that targets individuals or groups based on religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, disability, sexual orientation or gender expression.  We are a campus which welcomes and celebrates all dimensions of diversity.

While we welcome the discussion of all ideas, they must be shared freely and fairly so that they can be properly debated as a campus community. The anonymous posters were inconsistent with our campus values and counterproductive to true campus dialogue.

At this time, we do not know for certain if the signs were posted by members of the campus community or by individuals not affiliated with the university. If you do encounter any posters or stickers which call for the denigration of any member of our campus community, witness incidents involving verbal harassment based on someone’s identity or background or are subject to such harassment yourself, please report the incident to the Campus Climate Response Team. I would like to take this opportunity to remind all that counseling services are available through our Gender and Sexuality Center and Multicultural Engagement Center in collaboration with the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center and through the Employee Assistance Program.

We are a diverse university and extremely proud of the contributions of students, faculty and staff from all identities and backgrounds. To ensure the safety and the rights of everyone on this campus, we must join together so that we can openly and intelligently engage in robust discussions and debate.

I look forward to finishing the spring semester, united by our beliefs in the university’s core values that include the freedom to seek the truth and express it, diverse people and ideas and our collective responsibility to serve as a catalyst for positive change.

Sincerely,

Dr. Gregory J. Vincent Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement W. K. Kellogg Professor of Community College Leadership Professor of Law

Statement on Feb. 13 from J.B. Bird, Director of Media Relations: 

This morning, staff at The University of Texas at Austin discovered signs on the Student Activity Center, College of Liberal Arts and the Sanchez building containing political messages aimed at immigrants, minorities and Muslims. The signs, some of which were affixed with adhesive, are in the process of being removed. The university vigorously supports free speech, but posting signs of any nature on the outside of university buildings is not allowed under campus rules. Additionally, as per policy, only students and student organizations are allowed to post signage in approved spaces on campus. The campus is reserved for the use of students, faculty, staff and their invited guests. Any person coming onto campus damaging or defacing university property is subject to criminal prosecution.

[utnews]

Statement on Halloween Costume Guidelines

From J.B. Bird, Director of Media Relations:

A recent article from The College Fix inaccurately suggested that The University of Texas at Austin scrutinizes students’ Halloween costumes. UT Austin does not place limits on students’ freedom of expression. We do not regulate their speech or enforce costume guidelines. Our philosophy is to educate students and remind them that they are accountable to each other and that their actions can negatively impact other members of the university community. For several years, the Office of the Dean of Students has offered costume and theme party selection guidelines in that spirit.

The guidelines are common sense suggestions offered for the education of students.

[utnews]

UT Austin Launches the TEXAS MicroMajor for High School Students

The University of Texas at Austin is launching the TEXAS MicroMajor™, a new initiative to help high school students become better prepared for success at leading universities.

The MicroMajor program builds on UT Austin’s leadership in working with school districts, educators and students across the state to bridge gaps between traditional high school courses and the expectations of colleges and universities.

TEXAS MicroMajors will consist of courses developed or endorsed by UT Austin faculty members that enable high school students to prepare for specific programs of study and earn college credit. Students will receive advising and ongoing academic support through their high schools and from the university.

More Info

[utnews]

UT Austin First to Offer Bachelor of Science in Computational Engineering

The University of Texas at Austin is introducing a new Bachelor of Science degree in computational engineering — a new field that focuses on modeling and simulation to develop solutions for society — with the first freshman class set to start in fall 2017. UT Austin is the first university in the United States to offer this as a major at the undergraduate level.

The program, which will be offered by the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics in the Cockrell School of Engineering, includes an interdisciplinary curriculum focused on giving students the opportunity to work on complex 21st-century engineering problems within a wide range of real-world applications.

More Info

[utnews]

Statement from Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin

On Wednesday, the UT chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) held a bake sale on the West Mall, where they sold goods to students at varying prices based on their race and gender. This is a repeat of a YCT bake sale held here on campus in September 2013.  YCT joins a handful of student groups at other universities who over the years have used the same reductive tactic to garner the spotlight for their views on affirmative action.

Such methods are inflammatory and demeaning. Yet focusing our attention on the provocative nature of the YCT’s actions ignores a much more important issue: they create an environment of exclusion and disrespect among our students, faculty and staff. The West Mall is a place where free speech is exercised by all students, and rightly so, because it is meant to be an arena that inspires dialogue from diverse viewpoints. However, it is also meant to be a space where students exhibit respect for each other while holding those viewpoints. Although it is their right to do so, it is deplorable that a few students took advantage of this open forum to direct negative sentiment toward their peers.

In seeking an audience for their ideas, the YCT resorted to exercising one of the university’s core values to the detriment of others. Such actions are counterproductive to true dialogue on our campus, and it is unrepresentative of the ideals toward which our community strives.

[utnews]

UT Austin Ranks No. 50 in World University Rankings

The University of Texas at Austin ranked No. 50 in the most recent Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2016-2017 .

UT Austin ranks No. 25 among U.S. universities and No. 10 among U.S. public universities. Two other Texas universities were ranked in the top 200. 

The London-based Times Higher Education examines 13 factors in five separate areas to determine excellence teaching, research, influence of research, innovation and international outlook.

UT Austin's highest marks were in its influence of research, as measured by the number of times faculty members' studies are cited by peers; overall research, which includes funding, number of articles published and quality; and teaching, which is based largely on the university's reputation among scholars.

Times Higher Education is the latest in a series of rankings this year recognizing excellence at the flagship university. UT Austin lands at No. 30 in U.S. News and World Report’s ranking of the best global universities, while the Nature Index ranks the university as No. 25 in the world among academic institutions for research productivity. 

[utnews]

Statement from President Fenves about David Brown Speaking at Commencement

Following is a statement from UT Austin President Greg Fenves.

“Chief Brown's lifetime of service and heroism is an inspiration for all of our students and graduates. He left UT early to give back to his community -- and we are proud that he will return next spring to inspire the next generation.”

[utnews]

Statement on Off-Campus Shooting

The safety of our students and community members is always our most important concern. We will provide assistance to Austin Police as they investigate this morning's off-campus shooting. We will offer counseling and support to students who were at the party or affected by it.

[utnews]

Statement from UT Austin President on Campus Carry Lawsuit

Following is a statement from UT Austin President Greg Fenves.

“The University of Texas at Austin is unequivocally committed to academic freedom and supports faculty members every day in their teaching and scholarship. I understand the concerns that faculty members are raising. UT is obligated to follow the law as it applies to public universities. We are working to accommodate the needs of the UT community as much as possible within the requirements of the law.”

[utnews]

Update on UT Austin Travelers in Turkey

The University of Texas at Austin has confirmed the safety of all travelers currently in Turkey on official university business or programming.  We are monitoring guidance from the US Department of State and International SOS, our contracted emergency assistance provider, and will continue to provide the travelers with safety recommendations and timely updates about the situation.

[utnews]

Update on UT Austin Travelers in France

The University of Texas at Austin extends its deepest sympathies to the victims of the attacks in Nice and the citizens of France. No UT Austin students, faculty or staff members are currently located in Nice as part of a study abroad program or any other official programming.  Several UT Austin travelers who were on personal travel in the area have contacted university officials to indicate they are safe.

We are reaching out to members of the UT Austin community who are elsewhere in France through university programs to offer our support and provide safety updates and information.

The university will issue follow-up statements if we receive any additional information.

[utnews]

UT Austin Ranked No. 32 University in World

The 2016 edition of the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) placed The University of Texas at Austin No. 32 among the world’s top 1000 universities.

Nationally, UT Austin ranks No. 8 among public universities and No. 23 overall.

Other Texas universities ranked in the top 100 are the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas (75), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (85), and Texas A&M University (98).

“UT's standing as one of the best universities in the world recognizes our outstanding students, faculty members and alumni,” said Gregory L. Fenves, president of UT Austin. “CWUR examines the impact and quality of our professors as well as the accomplishments of Texas Exes in the business world and their communities. It’s an honor to be recognized along with peer universities having a global reach.”

CWUR uses eight indicators to rank the world’s top 1000 universities: quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, publications, influence, citations, broad impact, and patents. Among these criteria, UT Austin ranked highest globally for:

• Quality of faculty (28), calculated using the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes, and medals; • Quality of citations (29), measured by the number of highly-cited research papers; • Alumni employment (31), measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held CEO positions at the world’s top companies relative to the university’s size.

In other recent international rankings, the Global University Rankings from U.S. News & World Report ranked UT Austin No. 30 and the Nature Index rated the university No. 25 in the world for publication of scientific research.

[utaustin]

Tower Darkens for UT Remembers

The University of Texas at Austin Tower will darken May 6 to honor members of the university community who have passed away during the past year.

Photo by Marshall Tidrick, The Daily Texan

[utnews]

Faculty Experts Offer Insight on Mother’s Day

As Mother’s Day approaches, faculty and graduate student experts on gender, motherhood and social policy are available to speak with reporters for related articles. Contact these sources directly: 

Caitlyn Collins

Sociology PhD Candidate

503-880-4085, [email protected]

Topics: Work-family balance and work-family conflict; work-family policy; how couples divide household responsibilities.  

"Flowers and cards on Mother’s Day acknowledge the important caring labor mothers do for their families, but they’re only a symbol. Let’s honor mothers' efforts year-round by passing legislation like paid family leave that honors and supports them as they care for their families." -  Caitlyn Collins

Jennifer Glass

Professor of Sociology, Barbara Pierce Bush Regents Professor in Liberal Arts

319-621-6304, [email protected]

Topics: Work-family issues; the motherhood wage penalty and how social policies impact mothers’ happiness and well-being; trends in fertility, age at first birth and women having children outside of marriage.

Sharmila Rudrappa

Associate Professor of Sociology, South Asia Institute, Core Faculty Member in the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies

[email protected]

Topics: Infertility, surrogacy, parental and children’s rights.

Lisa B. Thompson

Associate Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Theatre and Dance

518-330-5593, [email protected]

Topics: Black/African American motherhood; motherhood and race; motherhood among black middle class; presentations of motherhood in popular culture including television, film and theatre.

“Black mothers have often been disparaged in the media; complex images of black motherhood represented by figures such as First Lady Michelle Obama, or the fictional character Rainbow Johnson (Tracy Ellis Ross) from the ABC television show “Blackish,” provide an important disruption to that overdetermined narrative.”

Debra Umberson

Professor of Sociology, Associate of Center for Women’s and Gender Studies

512-762-0113, [email protected]

Topics: The work moms do for society; emotional differences between mothers and fathers.

For more information, contact: University Communications, 512-471-3151. 

[utnews]

UT Austin Ranks No. 34 in World Reputation Rankings

The University of Texas at Austin ranks No. 34 in the 2016 Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings, a comparison of the world's top 100 most powerful university brands. The ranking is a twelve-point climb for the university, which ranked No. 46 in 2015.

UT Austin ranks No. 21 among U.S. universities and No. 6 among U.S. public universities. 

The rankings, based on the largest invitation-only survey of academic opinion taken, represent expert judgment of senior, published academics, considered to be the audience most knowledgeable about excellence in universities.

"Reputation is the global currency of higher education. It may be subjective, it may not always be fair, but it matters deeply," said Phil Baty, editor of the Times Higher Education rankings.

The Reputation Rankings are a subsidiary of Times Higher Education's World University Rankings, which list UT Austin as the 46th best university in the world. In other recent rankings, U.S. News and World Report ranks UT Austin No. 30 in its ranking of the best global universities, while Kiplinger ranks the university as the 13th best value in public colleges in the country.

The university's climb in this year's Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings embodies President Fenves’ goal of making the university the best public research university in the United States.

[utnews]

QS World University Rankings Recognize Breadth of Excellence at UT Austin

The University of Texas at Austin ranked among the world's 100 top universities in 34 of the 42 subjects covered in the latest QS World University Subject Rankings.

Only three public universities in the U.S. earned more top 100 subject rankings than UT Austin: the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Michigan.

UT Austin's highest worldwide subject rankings were in Communication & Media Studies (No. 5), Civil & Structural Engineering (No. 15), Chemical Engineering (No. 17), Mineral & Mining Engineering (No. 20), Education (No. 20), Mathematics (No. 21), Earth & Marine Sciences (No. 27), Chemistry (No. 29) and Electrical & Electronic Engineering (No. 30).

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are based on statistics showing the impact of published research and global surveys of academic reputation and employer reputation.

The rankings cover 42 subjects in five broad areas: Arts & Humanities, Engineering & Technology, Life Sciences & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.

Other Texas universities with top 100 subject rankings included Texas A&M University with 13 subject rankings and Rice University with four.

The QS rankings are just one of several recent sources affirming the breadth and depth of academic excellence at UT Austin. According to the latest graduate school rankings from U.S. News & World Report, UT Austin has more than 40 graduate programs ranked in the top 10 nationally. In 2015, the Nature Index ranked UT Austin as the 19th most productive institution in the world for “high-quality science.” The World University Rankings listed UT Austin as No. 30 overall in the world.

Below are UT Austin's complete subject rankings from QS World.

http://www.topuniversities.com/subject-rankings/2016

ARTS & HUMANITIES

Archaeology - 36

Architecture / Built Environment - 34

English Language & Literature - 34

History - 35

Linguistics - 38

Modern Languages - 51-100

Performing Arts - 33

Philosophy - 51-100

ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

Computer Science & Information Systems - 34

Engineering - Chemical - 17

Engineering - Civil & Structural - 15

Engineering - Electrical & Electronic - 30

Engineering - Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing - 43

Engineering - Mineral & Mining - 20

LIFE SCIENCES & MEDICINE

Biological Sciences - 51-100

Pharmacy & Pharmacology - 51-100

Psychology - 33

NATURAL SCIENCES

Chemistry - 29

Earth & Marine Sciences - 27

Environmental Sciences - 36

Materials Science - 34

Mathematics - 21

Physics & Astronomy - 38

SOCIAL SCIENCES & MANAGEMENT

Accounting & Finance - 31

Anthropology - 33

Business & Management Studies - 41

Communication & Media Studies - 5

Education - 20

Economics & Econometrics - 51-100

Law - 51-100

Politics & International Studies - 51-100

Social Policy & Administration - 45

Sociology - 45

Statistics & Operational Research - 43