October 24-26University of Texas Family Weekend

October 25 Liberal Arts Family Weekend Breakfast & Open House

November 4 Deadline Day: last day to drop or pass/fail classes or withdraw from the University

November 27-29Thanksgiving holidays

December 5Last class day

December 6Liberal Arts Fall Commencement CeremonyFrank Erwin Center3 p.m.

December 10-13, 15-16Final exams

December 19Commissioning of ROTC graduates

For more event information, please visit the Liberal Arts website: www.utexas.edu/cola

Important Dates and Events

Fall 2014Parents’ League Newsletter

Advisor’s Corner: Outside the classroom

By Summer Cacciotti, Senior Academic Advisor

College is an excellent place to develop new interests. One advantage of the University’s size and diversity is that students can take many different classes in pursuit of these new interests, splitting the difference between core requirements and elective credits by exploring American history or anthropology with award-winning professors. However, as many students find, everyone else also had the idea to take Dr. Awesome’s class, and it’s full.

Between enrollment limits and the need to balance requirements to graduate in four years, students must accept that not all interests can be accommodated through their coursework. The University offers several different avenues for learning and developing skills outside of the classroom.

1. Lectures and presentations from visiting experts range from the Union’s Distinguished Speakers series, featuring national and international figures, to departments presenting cutting-edge research. A list of events can be found on the events calendar website.

2. Student organizations offer students the opportunity to explore new interests while connecting with their peers. The University has about 900 registered student organizations, far more than fit in any one space on campus, so students who don’t connect with a group that interests them while they’re out and about should visit the database on the Dean of Students website. Student groups often welcome new members without experience in their particular activity or subject.

3. The University’s libraries offer an amazing array of books, e-books, DVDs, CDs, and journals, all of which can be found via searchable databases. These resources can be used for either academic or personal interests.

4. Informal classes, offered through the Department of Continuing and Innovative Education, are short, noncredit classes usually offered in the evenings and on the weekends. Students receive discounts, and classes are offered in a wide variety of activities, from foreign language to horseback riding.

Student-Run Economics Journal Spotlights Undergrad Research

Undergraduate research work in economics, mathematics, international relations, finance and public policy is being recognized through a research journal founded by students at The University of Texas at Austin.

The Developing Economist‘s inaugural issue was published in the spring, but the process of creating it began much earlier.

Members of UT Austin chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE), an economic honors society, conceived the idea in the spring of 2013 after students saw the quality of undergraduate economics research being produced at the University. The founders set out to provide a means for showcasing undergraduate research through a peer-reviewed publication.

Robert McDowall, an economics and mathematics alumnus, is a founding member of the journal and served as its chairman.

“The idea came about as our team recognized an opportunity to foster communication amongst our own students and faculty, while forming an avenue for the publication of undergraduate research across the nation,” says McDowall. “We hope the journal can inspire students early in their undergraduate careers to start thinking about pursuing their own research interests.”

Student staff members of The Developing Economist spent the fall of 2013 securing funding for the journal and contacting other institutions to increase awareness and encourage submissions.

At the beginning of the spring 2014 semester, the editing process began. Submissions from around the country were judged by a team of student editors and economics faculty members, who identified the best papers. Those selected then went through a revision process and a final selection round before publication.

Christina Kent, an economics and mathematics senior, became the journal’s new editor-in-chief after she worked as managing editor on the first issue. Kent is working hard to make sure The Developing Economist is around for years to come.

“I’m working with other editors to ensure that the journal is sustainable,” Kent says. “Currently, we have to reapply for funding each year to keep the journal going, so we would like to set up an endowment so that the future editors have reliable access to funding.”

Previously, the project has been funded through grants from the ODE national chapter and The University of Texas at Austin.

Mario Peña, the 2014-15 president of ODE, wants to focus on the growth of the journal during his term. He’s also eager to showcase more UT Austin undergraduate work.

“I would like to encourage any students doing related research to submit their papers to us by the Dec. 31 deadline and participate to be a part of our journal,” Peña says. “Some of the greatest papers published last year came from UT undergrads, and we would like to continue to give the opportunity to our students to publish their work.”

To read the inaugural issue of The Developing Economist, click here.

By Emily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

By Emily Nielsen, Public Affairs SpecialistLiberal Arts Student Lands Summer Internship at U.S. Embassy in Madrid

Living and working in the capital of Spain for 10 weeks is one way Spanish majors can stay sharp over the summer.

Megan Palombo, a Spanish and advertising senior, traveled more than 5,000 miles to intern at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain. This summer, she was able to increase her knowledge of foreign affairs, form friendships with locals, explore Madrid and travel throughout the country.

Read more about her experience below. To find out more about interning abroad, visit Liberal Arts Career Services.

How did you end up interning at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid? I applied online through the U.S. Department of State and when I had the offer of working in D.C. or Madrid, I chose Madrid because I love to travel. I also studied abroad in Barcelona last summer, so I knew I would love Spain.

What was your role as an intern? What was the average day or week like? I was an intern in the political section of the embassy. Every day, I would read through the main Spanish newspapers and summarize the important political events that happened each day and send it to D.C. After that, it would depend on the project I was working on during that time. One of my projects was to gain more information about human trafficking, so I met with NGOs, government organizations and nonprofits to discuss the problem of human trafficking in Spain and then I wrote a cable on it.

What was your most memorable moment of the summer? It was really interesting to be in Spain on the day that Juan Carlos (who was king for 39 years) abdicated in favor of his son. The President made an announcement on TV in the morning and then everyone was talking about it. The TV and newspapers had lots of pictures of the Royal family in the following weeks and lots of Spanish flags were posted all over the city.

What kind of things did you do outside of your internship this summer? I got to know Madrid and Spain really well. I visited all of the museums and I went to the opera. I was also able to travel a lot within Spain, to Seville, Toledo, and Pamplona.

What was your favorite thing about Madrid? I loved that Madrid was a city with a lot of young working people and everyone was very friendly. It was a great city to work and live in. We met a bunch of locals; some of the other interns lived with Spanish students and there are also Spanish citizens who work at the U.S. Embassy, so overall I was able to meet a wide variety of people.

What are your post-graduation plans? Did your summer experiences solidify these aspirations, or were you inspired to pursue a different path? I am still figuring out my post-graduation plans. My summer at the U.S. Embassy confirmed my love to travel and interest in foreign affairs, and it is something I am considering for post-graduation. However, being a double major, I am looking at multiple paths, so I am keeping my options open.

This summer, more than 65 high school students from around the country and across the globe made their way to The University of Texas at Austin to experience life on a college campus.

The Summer @ UT/COLA Pre-College Program was designed to help students transition from high school to college, and is the first program of its kind in Texas. For three weeks, students came together to discover their career interests, prepare for college and experience UT Austin.

Casey Lampert, a rising high school senior from Dallas, said the program helped her confirm plans she had made for her future.

“I had already planned on applying to the liberal arts school before this summer experience, and after completing the program I couldn’t be more confident in my decision,” Lampert says. “Liberal arts offers a completely unique way of learning that impacts how you observe and interpret different situations. I came to appreciate the university beyond the school spirit that I already had and more for its incredible academics and professors.”

Jorge Rodriguez Grau and his wife, Nora, wanted their daughter Beatriz to participate in a summer program that would help her develop her interest in psychology and make an informed decision about her future career.

“This was the perfect opportunity for her to have a taste of the UT Austin experience while learning what psychology is all about,” Rodriguez Grau says. “This three-week experience produced an astonishing mental shaping of our daughter’s perception of her future. She is now more convinced than ever that she wants to pursue psychology as her major.”

Before the program, 57 percent of the students participating said they would or were likely to apply to UT Austin. After three weeks on campus, that number rose to 81 percent.

Students in the Pre-College Program chose two areas of interest from the non-credit enrichment courses offered to them this summer. On Monday–Thursdays throughout the program, they attended both classes of their choice in two-hour sessions.

Students could choose from more than 20 subjects, including:• Abnormal Psychology• College-Level Reading & Writing• Contemporary Moral Problems• Entrepreneurship• Fashion• Liberal Arts Honors• Law• Psychology• Sociology• Sports Management

Paul Sullivan, a lecturer in the UT Austin English department, taught a course in college writing to 11 students. The two-hour sessions were divided into two parts. The first half of each class was devoted to reading and discussion, including typical college texts by authors like Alice Walker and Jonathan Kozol, as well as examples of exceptional college admissions essays.

The other portion of each class was a workshop, where students wrote and revised two of their own admissions essays and reviewed them with peer editors before sharing the results with the rest of the class.

“We used the reading to sharpen skills in description and analysis for writing college admissions essays,” Sullivan says. “One student was a rodeo rider, a member of his country’s national team. He wrote vividly about his sport, and he revised vigorously, almost competitively.”

By Emily Nielsen, Public Affairs SpecialistHigh School Students Experience University Life Through Summer Program

The classroom wasn’t the only place students got to experience university life through Summer @ UT/COLA. UT Austin partnered with Summer Discovery, a company that organizes programs for high school students on college campuses across the country, to oversee residential life and student safety. Program participants lived together in the Callaway House, a new UT Austin freshman student residence one block away from campus.

Students also chose from optional activities around the campus and community, such as visiting the LBJ Presidential Library & Museum, touring the UT football stadium and the Texas State Capitol and playing a variety of sports. They also enjoyed weekend excursions, including bat-watching on the Congress Avenue Bridge, a trip to San Antonio and a riverboat cruise.

The Pre-College Program included students from 16 countries and 11 states, which led to an environment of cultural curiosity and engagement. Rodrigo Saraiva, a student from São Paulo, Brazil, saw the experience as a way to explore what attending college in the United States would be like.

“My roommates were from New York, Houston and El Salvador and I shared my own culture with them and they shared with me,” Saraiva says. “I said to my roommate once, ‘I could live like this for an entire year.’ This experience had a huge impact on my life, because

now I have the experience of living abroad, and if I want to go to college in the United States, I can get used to it.”

Beatriz Rodriguez, a participant from Katy, Texas, not only confirmed her interest in the field of psychology, but also formed strong bonds with peers.

“I got to meet a lot of great people,” Rodriguez says. “I met people from all over the world and I grew very close to them in a very small amount of time. So this experience was great culturally, educationally and socially. I definitely want to have a similar experience again soon.”

Summer Programcontinued

UTeach Summer Program Hones Skills for Teaching English Abroad

The Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) summer program is hitting its stride with internships in Querétaro, Mexico and Daegu, South Korea.

UTeach-Liberal Arts founded the program in the summer of 2013 based on the recommendations of liberal arts students and graduates who expressed interest in a course that would allow students to go abroad and teach English.

Students participating in the program spend 6 weeks interning in Mexico or South Korea, polishing their teaching skills and developing their fluency in the local language. After completing the program, participants not only receive college credit, but also a UTeach-Liberal Arts Certificate of TESOL Training.

“UTeach-Liberal Arts is a first-rate teacher preparation program. Our faculty and staff have won national awards and we believe in the program,” says Richard Flores, senior associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts. “Our goal with the TESOL course is to reach out across campus to UT regional and students who want to teach English abroad and provide them with the skills they need to be successful.”

Taylor Flanagan, an Austin Spanish teacher and 2012 Spanish alumna, returned to UT Austin for the summer to study in Querétaro.

In the Q&A below, Flanagan talks about how the experience helped her grow as an educator, a student and a person.

How did you get involved with the program?I heard about UTeach through my advisor and then sat down to talk about my options with Eric (Bowles, assistant director of the UTeach program). It sounded like a good way for me to explore my interest in teaching. So, I signed on for UTL 101 right away.

Where did you intern and study this summer?I interned as an English teacher at the Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro and studied Spanish (Mexican culture, conversation and literature) at the Centro Intercultural de Querétaro, in Mexico.

What was your role as an intern? What was the average day or week like?Each day I would have breakfast with my host mom and walk to the bus stop. Then I would take the bus to the Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro (ITQ) to observe a college English class from 8-10. During that time, I would grade papers, circulate the room, answer questions and work with students on their pronunciation.

Then, from 10 to 12, I co-taught an English class with a fellow TESOL intern. This class was for professors and staff at the ITQ who wanted to improve their English over the summer. I was a little intimidated at first—due to the age and experience gap—but our students’ dedication and focus helped ease my nerves and I soon felt very at home teaching them.

By Emily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

After our English class, I tutored students from my cooperating teacher’s class for half an hour or so. This was one of my favorite parts of the day because they would come to me with really interesting questions and it was like a challenging puzzle to figure out how to explain it in a helpful way for that particular student. It was also nice to work with the students outside of the classroom.

After tutoring, I had a few hours to bus and walk home, take a nap, eat lunch with my family and Skype with my husband. Then I would get together with my co-teacher and we would plan the next day’s lesson. After planning, we all had Spanish class from 5 to 7. Our group was divided into two classes: Spanish Basics with Luis or Mexican Culture, Literature and Conversation with Fabiola. Our teachers were really wonderful and the classes were invaluable.

Then at night, if we weren’t too exhausted, we would go out and explore the city, go dancing, and even do some karaoke.

What was your most memorable moment of the summer?Climbing the pyramids in Teotihuacan was a big deal for me because I am afraid of heights and the steps were extremely steep. I almost decided to wait at the bottom for my classmates, but I am so glad that I didn’t. Being up at the top was so beautiful and it was really amazing to see all the pyramids from above and imagine the town when it was still brightly painted and surrounded by white rocks. I bet it was spectacular.

Also, I had an absolute blast singing “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” in a karaoke bar.

What kind of things did you do outside of your internship?Each weekend we went on a different excursion: Peña de Bernal, the pyramids in Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Xochimilco, San Miguel de Allende, a water park in Tequisquiapan, Guanajuato. We saw a lot and stayed very busy.

I also did an independent project of my own. The last week of the internship I interviewed some of my Mexican students, teachers, host family and friends to get listening materials and cultural perspectives to bring back to my Spanish students here in Austin.

What are your post-graduation plans? Did your summer experiences solidify these aspirations, or were you inspired to pursue a different path?I am a Spanish teacher and actor here in Austin. I love my job and I do not see myself switching to teaching English any time soon. However, this experience has inspired me to consider doing some volunteering with organizations like Casa Marianella as an English tutor.

For more information about the TESOL internship abroad program, click here.

UTeach Summer Programcontinued

rqeach-Liberal Arts THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

The Value of a Liberal Arts Degree Beyond the Forty Acres

Are you curious about how employers will value the Liberal Arts education that your student is earning? The short answer is: pretty highly. As long as your student is completing internships and visiting regularly with her career coach, she is on track to compete with her peers from other colleges and in a variety of industries.

What are CEOs saying? In an increasingly complex and global marketplace, CEOs want dynamic and innovative workers who possess the strengths inherent in a liberal arts education. The most successful employees of this generation and next will be creative, curious, natural systems thinkers, problem solvers, cross-culturally competent and proficient in writing and articulating clearly. Sounds like your Liberal Arts student, eh?

The Value of a Liberal Arts Degree Programs in the humanities and social sciences provide a strong foundation from which students can understand and thrive in our world of complex business ecosystems. For example, when researching the historical works of Shakespeare or the endangered languages of Central Texas, our students are learning how to critically analyze vast amounts of information from various perspectives and to write persuasive papers with creative points of view. These are just two of the top attributes that employers look for in candidates and successful employees: communication and analytical skills.

So, if you find yourself wondering how a Liberal Arts degree will prepare your student for the 21st-century workplace, consider the following ways we help your student become more curious, more analytical, better writers and more prepared for what’s next in their career journey.

• Critical Thinking – Students learn to use evidence-based analysis to formulate innovative solutions to business and social issues. • Systems Thinking – Students learn to evaluate situations from various interdisciplinary perspectives, fostering a big-picture approach. • Understanding People – Students learn to observe and understand individuals and groups to better appreciate how they process information; how they make decisions; what motivates them; what they want; and how cultural or societal norms affect the way they perceive the world. • Innovation – Students are challenged to find new options, develop entrepreneurial ideas, formulate new concepts and create and appreciate artistic works in order to hone their creative talents, and outside-the-box thinking.• Communication – Students learn to write, present, persuade, speak and debate to become proficient and successful communicators. • Cross-Cultural Competence – Students learn to be proficient in a second, and often third, language providing increased mobility in the international job market and an appreciation of foreign languages and cultures. • Ethics – Students learn theories and concepts of ethics and moral propositions to address conflicts and to determine individual direction. • Technology – Students learn to use information technology and to appreciate how technology is used by consumers from mechanical and societal perspectives.

Connecting the Dots By the end of her four years at UT, your student will have a diverse portfolio of experiences, skills and knowledge, but she may be challenged in putting it all together and marketing it to potential employers. And that’s where Liberal Arts Career Services comes in. We help students find common threads, strengths, skills and interests that they can use to develop a comprehensive and personal Liberal Arts story. These stories help demonstrate their academic and professional strengths and skills and help succinctly summarize their successes and career goals.

What’s your student’s Liberal Arts story? If she isn’t sure, encourage her to call us at 512-471-7900 to set up a career coaching appointment to get started.

By Robert Vega, Director, Liberal Arts Career Services

the university of texas at austin • college of liberal arts

LIBERAL ARTS CAREER SERVICES

Join us for Liberal Arts Family Weekend!Saturday, October 25, 2014

All Liberal Arts families are invited to participate in this year’s Family Weekend activities. This event gives families a unique opportunity for an up-close look at what a Liberal Arts education has to offer.

Breakfast and Open House

Enjoy a complimentary breakfast on the patio of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) building. Throughout the morning you can visit information tables hosted by Liberal Arts advisors, Office of Student Success, UT and Liberal Arts study abroad, Liberal Arts Career Services, Liberal Arts Parents’ League, and Liberal Arts Council. There will also be information sessions presented by the directors of various offices and program.

Mini-Classes with Faculty

Attend any of the six short courses that will be taught by award-winning faculty in the College. Classes are 40 minutes long and cover a variety of topics and issues. Past class topics include: “Rhetoric: Not just for Liars Anymore,” “The Science of Happiness,” and “Sport, Politics, and Society.”

Register online at www.utaustinfamilyweekend.com

Registration for Family Weekend activities is requested and will open on Monday, September 22, 8 a.m. (CST).

Visit www.utexas.edu/cola/student-affairs/events/ for more information.

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colaparentsleague@austin.utexas.edu

www.utexas.edu/cola/student-affairs/parents-league.php