AUSTIN, Texas — Thomas Schatz, Ph.D., has been appointed chairman of the radio-television-film department at The University of Texas at Austin. Schatz, on faculty at the department since 1976, has written numerous books and articles on the history and theory of American film.
His most recent book, Boom and Bust: The American Cinema in the 1940s, was published in 1997 as Vol. 6 of Scribner’s History of American Cinema series. Schatz has participated in the production of several films and television series, including The American Cinema, a 13-part PBS-TV series aired nationwide in 1996.
Ellen Wartella, dean of the College of Communication, said, “We are pleased that Tom Schatz has agreed to accept this appointment. His leadership and creativity will bring new vitality into a department which is already nationally recognized.”
“I share Dean Wartella’s optimism and enthusiasm,” Schatz said. “The department has made great strides in my 20 years here, and I hope to see us secure our claim to being the top program in the country.”
The radio-television-film department was ranked seventh in the nation in 1996 by U.S. News & World Report. The Speech Communication Association rated the department’s critical and cultural media studies program third in the nation that same year.
Schatz is a Philip G. Warner Regents Professor, who edits the Film and Media Studies series for The University of Texas Press. His works include historical reviews, studies of film genres, film theory and film criticism. Schatz is a producer and co-host of The Territory, a regional PBS-TV series featuring work by independent film and video artists. Schatz earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Schatz was awarded a second master’s degree and a doctorate in broadcasting and film from the University of Iowa.
