News

A number of LBJ School alumni are running in primary contests for state and local office in 2022. One is a voting rights activist running to become the nation's first black female governor, three are incumbents seeking reelection, all of them have diverse professional backgrounds, and with this foray into public service they are carrying forth the LBJ legacy.

In 2020, after two years of organizing, Kroll welcomed the inaugural class of UT's LBJ Women's Campaign School — an eight-month program designed to give women the tools and training needed to campaign for public office. With eight graduates currently running in the Texas 2022 primaries, the program's success in its first two years earned the support of valuable partners, including the Texas Woman's University's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy. For the second year in a row, 50 accepted participants in the Campaign School's third cohort will attend the program for free, thanks to an $87,500 grant from Texas Woman's Center.

Our graduates are the living legacy of the LBJ School of Public Affairs and its tradition of bold and fearless action in the service of shaping the world. These alumni have broken ground and have created impactful solutions to complex problems in fields from health policy to the environment and international affairs. In recognition of Black History Month, we celebrate the LBJ School's Black alumni and their contributions to society.

The deadline to apply to join the newest class of the LBJ Women's Campaign School has been extended to Jan. 23, 2022, and thanks to generous grants totaling $87,500 from Texas Woman's University Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, admitted Texans will be able to attend tuition-free. Since its launch in 2020, this nonpartisan, issue-neutral program has trained and graduated more than 100 women into the political arena — three of whom sought public office in 2021 and eight of whom are running in 2022.

The LBJ School has identified justice as an institutional priority and renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). Leading civil rights scholar Dr. Peniel Joseph and community leader Estevan Delgado have been named inaugural associate dean and director for JEDI, respectively.

A statement from the inaugural associate dean for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion: It is truly an honor to serve as the LBJ School of Public Affairs' inaugural Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). My interest in issues of equity, inclusion and anti-racism are deeply personal. As the proud son of Haitian immigrants, I grew up in a multiracial New York City during the 1980s. My mother worked at Mount Sinai Hospital as a member of Local 1199 union, and I was fortunate to encounter the city's racial, religious, ethnic and ideological diversity at an early age. These experiences, I would later find out, were made possible in part by President Lyndon Johnson's commitment to equity and inclusion through Great Society legislation that transformed the nation's demographics.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin has established a new national policy resource center working to ensure the safe and humane treatment of people in custody and cultivate the next generation of justice policy leaders. The Prison and Jail Innovation Lab (PJIL) serves as a bridge between academic research, practical experience and policy on pressing matters related to independent correctional oversight and conditions of confinement.

The LBJ School is thrilled to celebrate the newest class of LBJ DC Fellows — our sixth — as they graduate with master's degrees from our 18-month DC Concentration. These soon-to-be alumni spent their first year of school in Austin before moving to Washington, DC, to finish their studies while working at Policy Apprenticeships. Two members of the 2021 DC cohort, Sean McDaniel and Archnashree Nellan took some time to talk with us about their experiences in graduate school.

Long-run climate change mitigation projections made by institutions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to national and sub-national governments suggest that carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) may play a key role in achieving mid- and late-century decarbonization goals. We are issuing this call for proposals on CCUS economics and policy. We invite prospective authors to submit proposals for new, original research papers on any aspect of CCUS economics and policy by Friday, Feb. 11, 2022.

Hello, and welcome to Post No. 4 — the one with FAQs.
As we rapidly approach our first admission deadline, I thought I would address some of the most frequently asked questions of the 2022 season.