AUSTIN, Texas —President Larry R. Faulkner of The University of Texas at Austin will deliver his “State of the University Address” on Tuesday (Sept. 19) during UTexas@117, a celebration of UT Austin’s 117th birthday. The University opened its doors on Sept. 15, 1883.
Birthday activities this year will focus on a yearlong University theme of “A Celebration of Faculty,” and will begin at 11:50 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 15) with a traditional ceremony that includes unfurling a giant Texas flag from the Main Building. The 10-minute program will include a traditional sharing of birthday cake and singing of The Eyes of Texas.
UTexas@117 activities on Tuesday will begin at 3 p.m. in Jessen Auditorium located in Rainey Hall near the Littlefield Fountain. Faulkner will present his “State of the University Address” outlining plans and priorities for the future. Faulkner also will present the Civitatis Award, which is conferred upon a member of the UT Austin faculty in recognition of “dedicated and meritorious service to the University above and beyond the regular expectations of teaching, research and service.”
The new members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers will be introduced by Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson during the program. A video presentation featuring a diverse representation of UT Austin faculty members will be shown prior to the start of an academic symposium, which is titled A New Generation of Scholarship.
“The symposium will highlight the exciting research and teaching of a group of our newly tenured faculty. These young scholars will be the backbone of our faculty in the new century,” said Dr. Teresa Sullivan, vice president and dean of graduate studies.
Sullivan will serve as moderator of the symposium. Panelists will include Michael Ray Charles, Darlene Grant and David Sosa.
Charles is a UT Austin associate professor of studio art who has received international attention for his artwork. Recently, he served as artistic consultant for Spike Lee’s upcoming film Bamboozled,and he is preparing for solo exhibitions in New York, Paris and Brazil.
Grant is a faculty member in the UT School of Social Work. A licensed clinical social worker and award-winning teacher, she specializes in the areas of human behavior and the social environment, mental health and chemical dependency, and cultural diversity.
Sosa is an associate professor who holds the Edmund Pincoffs Faculty Fellowship in Philosophy at UT. The editor and translator of four books, he teaches courses in ethical theories, metaphysics and graduate seminars in the philosophy of mind and language.
Reactors to the presentations will include staff member David Flaxbart, a professional librarian in the chemistry library; undergraduate student Katy Zirola, chair of the Cabinet of College Councils; and graduate student Sidra Silton, a student in aerospace engineering.
A reception honoring UT’s distinguished faculty will be held following the symposium.
