AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Civic Leadership is now accepting applications for its inaugural class, which will enroll in Fall 2025. The school is among the first in a growing number of civics-focused colleges, institutes and initiatives being launched at public universities across the U.S. to prepare students for civic responsibility through the study of America’s founding principles, economic foundations and history.
“Liberty depends on citizens who understand the ideas and institutions that make free, prosperous societies possible,” said Justin Dyer, founding dean of the School of Civic Leadership. “As we study those ideas and institutions, the School of Civic Leadership will prepare students not only for successful careers in business, education, law, entrepreneurship and public life, but also for lives of significance and service to their communities.”
Students who gain acceptance to this pioneering cohort will become eligible for the school’s flagship program, the Bachelor of Arts with a major in civics honors, where they will study the intellectual inheritance of Western Civilization and the American constitutional tradition.
The School of Civic Leadership will launch its first academic program this fall, a minor in philosophy, politics and economics in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts, as well as general education courses and electives on topics including the history of democracy, moral leadership in economics, and the pursuit of happiness. Next fall, in addition to the civics honors major, the school plans to launch a minor in civics available to students across campus.
To support these programs, the school has hired 10 inaugural faculty members who will begin teaching during this upcoming semester.
“The School of Civic Leadership, under the guidance of Dean Dyer, has made tremendous progress since its establishment just over a year ago,” said Sharon L. Wood, executive vice president and provost. “In addition to the development and launch of new academic programs, the school has also hired 10 excellent faculty members whose deep expertise will strengthen our University’s academic reputation as one of the nation’s premier research and teaching institutions.”
During the coming months, the school will continue to build on this foundation by recruiting additional faculty members.
Ryan Streeter, executive director of the Civitas Institute, echoed Wood’s comments. “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our new colleagues,” said Streeter. “Scholarship is the cornerstone of our work. Their contributions to our community will be invaluable as Civitas studies the foundations of flourishing societies.”
The Civitas Institute, which already has more than 30 affiliated faculty members and fellows from UT and other leading universities across the country, is housed within the School of Civic Leadership. Civitas is a research center that facilitates scholarly inquiry into the foundational principles of a free and enduring society: individual rights and civic virtue, constitutionalism and the rule of law, and free enterprise and markets.
The School of Civic Leadership’s inaugural faculty members are:
Carola Binder, Associate Professor (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley)
A macroeconomist and economic historian, Carola Binder is author of the book “Shock Values: Prices and Inflation in American Democracy.” Her affiliations include the National Bureau of Economics Research, the Brookings Institution and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Scott Carrell, Associate Dean and Professor (Ph.D., University of Florida)
With previous teaching positions at the University of California, Davis, Dartmouth College and the U.S. Air Force Academy, Scott Carrell specializes in public and labor economics. He also served as an Air Force lieutenant colonel and as the senior economist for public finance and labor economics on the Council of Economic Advisers in the Executive Office of the President. Carrell also holds an appointment in UT’s Department of Economics.
Alexander Duff, Associate Professor (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame)
A scholar of the history of political philosophy, Alexander Duff has held fellowships at the University of Notre Dame and Boston College. Duff is co-founder of the Association for the History of Political Thought, and he has published articles in top academic journals, including American Journal of Political Science and The Journal of Politics. His first book is “Heidegger and Politics: The Ontology of Radical Discontent.”
Justin Dyer, Dean and Professor (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin)
Justin Dyer was the founding director of UT’s Civitas Institute and is the inaugural dean of the School of Civic Leadership. He writes and teaches in the fields of American political thought, jurisprudence and constitutionalism, with an emphasis on the perennial philosophical tradition of natural law. Dean Dyer also holds an appointment in UT’s Department of Government.
Patricio A. Fernandez, Associate Professor (Ph.D., Harvard University)
A philosopher with publications on Aristotle, action theory, ethics and the economic analysis of law, Patricio Fernandez also holds an appointment in UT’s Department of Philosophy. He previously taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and held fellowships at Stanford University and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Dirk Mateer, Professor of Instruction (Ph.D., Florida State University)
An award-winning teacher, Dirk Mateer is director of UT’s minor in philosophy, politics and economics. He previously taught at Penn State University and the University of Arizona. Mateer is the author of numerous journal articles and books, including “Economics in the Movies,” “Essentials of Economics,” and “Principles of Economics.”
Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Distinguished Visiting Professor (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University)
Currently the Tocqueville Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, Vincent Phillip Muñoz is the founding director of Notre Dame’s Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government. He writes and teaches across the fields of constitutional law, American politics and political philosophy. His most recent book is “Religious Liberty and the American Founding.”
David Puelz, Assistant Professor of Instruction (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin)
David Puelz’s teaching and research explore computational methods for applied data analysis, especially in the economic, social and behavioral sciences. He is director of the School of Civic Leadership’s Policy Research Lab. Previously, he was a clinical assistant professor at UT’s McCombs School of Business, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an analyst with Goldman Sachs & Co.
Raúl Rodriguez, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame)
Raúl Rodriguez’s work focuses on the classic texts of political philosophy and constitutional studies. His writings have appeared in journals including the American Journal of Political Science, American Political Thought, The Political Science Reviewer, and The Review of Politics. His current book project is titled “Redeeming Democracy: Tocqueville’s New Liberalism.”
John Yoo, Distinguished Visiting Professor (J.D., Yale University)
Currently the Emanuel Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, John Yoo is also senior research fellow at the School of Civic Leadership’s Civitas Institute. He has published 11 books and over 100 academic journal articles on national security, constitutional law, international law and the Supreme Court. He has also served in all three branches of government, including as an official in the U.S. Department of Justice, as general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
