Dear Friends,
We are having a great fall season at the University. We are opening the second building of the magnificent Blanton Museum of Artthe Edgar A. Smith Building; we recently booted up the most powerful university supercomputer in the world; and we just launched the Campaign for Texas to raise $3 billion to fund greater excellence in our faculty, student body, and academic programs. You may have also heard that the Longhorns are having a memorable football season.
Meanwhile, the Texas Legislature convenes in January, and this will be an important session for UT. In our quest to become the nation’s best public university, we depend on four main sources of financial support. Tuition, state funding, research awards, and philanthropy are all important. The new capital campaign is intended to fund excellence. It cannot be viewed as a substitute for state appropriations. Our friends and donors make their gifts to fund new opportunities for Texasnot to fund the status quo and replace declining state funds.
The University’s continued success as an economic engine for all Texans depends on adequate state support.
For more information on issues important to higher education in our state, contact the Texas Exes at:
There’s a lot happening on the 40 Acres. Come see us.
Best wishes to you and your family for the upcoming holiday season.
Bill Powers
President
The University of Texas at Austin
