FYI

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	owner-liberal-arts-alumni@lists.cc.utexas.edu@ENRON [mailto:IMCEANOTES-owner-liberal-arts-alumni+40lists+2Ecc+2Eutexas+2Eedu+40ENRON@ENRON.com]  On Behalf Of "Richard W. Lariviere" <ladean@uts.cc.utexas.edu>
Sent:	Friday, May 25, 2001 2:59 PM
To:	Liberal Arts Alumni
Subject:	News from UT Liberal Arts

Dear Friends:

May is drawing to an end and we have just completed the moving and
meaningful celebrations of commencement.   A total of 1,468 Liberal Arts
students received their diplomas.  In a few days, you will be able to
experience the ceremony vicariously by reading the remarks of History
Commencement speaker, Admiral Bob Inman, which you will be able to
access at http://www.utexas.edu/cola/news/releases/index.html.

As students enroll in their courses for next year, the prevailing wisdom
seems to be that taking fewer hours will yield higher grades.  In fact,
the opposite is true.  According to a three-year study by the Office of
Admissions, students carrying 15-17 hours outperformed their classmates
taking 12-13 hours.  Nevertheless, the portion of students attempting
14-17 hours is decreasing (from 47.7% in 1996 to about 39% in 1999).
The correlation between 15-17 hour course load and a higher GPA was true
in all racial/ethnic groups and despite differences in academic ability
as measured by the SAT/ACT tests.  This is important information and you
can help by disseminating it widely - especially to current and incoming
students.  The University could serve many more students if students
moved through their college program in a shorter time.  College costs
would diminish and earning capacity would increase.

I have just returned from a wonderful visit to Midland, where Advisory
Council Vice-Chair Brian McLaughlin made sure I saw all that his
hometown has to offer.  We talked with prospective students at the
Trinity School and at Midland High School and Lee High School, had lunch
with fellow Advisory Council member Cadell Liedtke, and even visited the
Haley Library.

Successes abound:  S. Gail Caldwell, American Studies MA and BA alumna,
was just awarded a Pulitzer Prize in the area of Distinguished Criticism
for her "insightful observations on contemporary life and literature" in
The Boston Globe.  A cash award of $7,500 accompanies the prize.
Congratulations!

A trumpet fanfare, a classroom takeover, and a Texas-size check -- the
annual surprise Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship goes to our own
Associate Dean Larry Carver.  The Friar Society is UT Austin's oldest
and most respected honor society, seeking to recognize professors who
reach out to undergraduate students in ways that exemplify true
dedication.  Carver was chosen because "he reaches students in his
classroom through his tireless efforts to ensure that material is
accessible, interesting and relevant.  He challenges students to revel
in great books."  With the award comes a check for $12,000. . . which
comes with the condition that the professor cancel class upon receipt of
the check.  Larry assures me that some of the award will be used to
increase the Pinto Carver Scholarship, the only endowment at the
University named for a cat.   See longer story with pictures at
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/news/releases/carver.html.

Philosophy professor Alex Mourelatos has been inducted into the Academy
of Athens, which cited his role in creating at UT a model program, the
joint classics/philosophy graduate program in ancient philosophy which
was launched in 1967.  This is the highest honor bestowed in Greece on
scientists and scholars in the fine arts and letters.

As students prepare for a summer in Winedale learning Shakespeare in the
most hands-on way possible, a new steering committee has been formed to
raise endowment funds to support this program in perpetuity.  Members
are Mike & Penny Cies, Greg & Brenda Hemphill, Royce & Elva Keilers, J.
Mark Metts, Dick and Judy Perkins, Ernie & Mary Gayle Stromberger, Eric
& Laura Thomas, Peyton & Carolyn Townsend, and Barbara & Milt Williams,
who will host the group's meeting at their restored home in Winedale
early in June.   Contact Clare Hudspeth at (512) 471-8861 if you want to
help or make a gift.

For those of you lucky enough to have been taught Shakespeare by James
B. Ayres, Ph.D., Shakespeare at Winedale Regents Professor, you might
want to send him a note of congratulations - "Doc" was just elected to
the Academy of Distinguished Teachers at the University of Texas.  The
academy, which totals only 70 members, is intended to recognize and
enhance teaching, especially at the undergraduate level.  Others from
Liberal Arts receiving this high honor are Mia E. Carter, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor in English, and Robert D. King, Ph.D., the Audre and
Bernard Rapoport Regents Chair of Jewish Studies, Department of
Linguistics.  Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson described these as
"extraordinary teachers."  He went on to say, "Being selected is a clear
expression of the high regard colleagues hold for the new members'
dedication and contributions to teaching and to our students'
intellectual development."

As we talk about great teaching, I'd like to call your attention to an
exciting and important new program here in the College:  UTeach Liberal
Arts, which works with 65 students throughout their undergraduate years
as they pursue majors in English, Spanish, and the social sciences and
get hands-on experience learning to teach in local classrooms at the
same time.  You'll find an interesting article about this program at
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/alumni/initiatives/uteach.html.

Your responses to the questionnaire in the last newsletter were really
heartwarming, with many expressions of appreciation and affirmation.
The great majority wants us to keep the length and frequency of the
mailing as they are and to continue with the same content.  Some great
suggestions came as well: a request for reading lists, more info about
alumni achievements, stories about "average" students; and even ideas on
"what alumni can do to be of assistance."

In closing, let me pose another question: What do you consider the
greatest way in which a liberal arts education has enriched your life?
Send me a line or two on this topic and we may use some of your answers
in our outreach to students.

Thanks for this and for all you do for the College.  Have a happy and
healthy summer!
--

Richard W. Lariviere
Dean
College of Liberal Arts
The University of Texas at Austin
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/


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