Portal:University of Texas at Austin

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The University of Texas at Austin Portal

The University of Texas at Austin, often called UT or Texas, is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. The main campus is located less than a mile from the Texas State Capitol in Austin. Founded in 1883, the University is sometimes referred to as a "Public Ivy," and it is currently (as of Fall 2005) the fifth largest single-campus in the nation by enrollment (and had the largest enrollment in the country from 1997-2003), with upwards of 50,000 students and 20,000 faculty and staff.

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Old Main Building (1903).

The history of The University of Texas at Austin began in 1827 as a provision in the Constitutción de Coahuila y Texas. However, delays, inaction, and war caused the construction of the university to be postponed until 1882. Classes officially began in fall 1883.

Upon Texas's independence from Mexico, the Congress of the Republic of Texas adopted the Constitution of the Republic, which made its own provision to establish a system of public education in Texas. President Mirabeau B. Lamar's first speech to the Texas Congress iterated the need for education in a democracy; two weeks later, Ezekiel Cullen presented a report to the committee on education that contained a bill providing that twenty leagues of land be set aside for two colleges or universities. By the time Cullen’s bill became a law on January 26, 1839, Congress had agreed to set aside fifty leagues of land. In addition, forty acres in the new capital of Austin were reserved and designated "College Hill." (more...)

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Dolph Briscoe is a wealthy Uvalde rancher and businessman who was the Democratic governor of Texas between 1973 and 1979. He was the last governor to serve a two-year term and the first to serve a four-year term, when the state doubled the length of gubernatorial terms, effective in 1975.

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Did you know...

.... that the World's Largest Texas Flag (pictured), measuring 75 feet by 125 feet, is unfurled on the field by members of Alpha Phi Omega before Texas Longhorn football games?
...that the 2004 Texas Longhorn football team made college football history by being the first team to ever win the Rose Bowl Game as time ran off the clock?
...that there are three trophies awarded each year to the winning team in the Red River Shootout rivalry game between Texas and Oklahoma?
...that the School of Law has been involved in two separate court cases, one of which reached the Supreme Court, which significantly redefined university admissions criteria across the United States?
...that the University has students enrolled from all 254 Texas counties, in addition to all 50 U.S. states and more than 100 foreign countries?
...that the tower of the Main Building is lit in the school colors, orange and white, to signify the academic and athletic triumphs of the University?

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Quotes

"...why, some say the Moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why — 35 years ago — why fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the Moon, we choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..."

John F. Kennedy, referring to the general skill gap between the Texas Longhorns and the Rice Owls, from a speech given at Rice Stadium, September 12, 1962.

"Is there a rallying cry for the thinkers and doers of tomorrow? A motto that sums up their passion for creativity and their pursuit of discovery? Sure there is: 'Hook 'em Horns'. We're Texas. What starts here...changes the world."

University alumnus Walter Cronkite narrating the "What Starts Here Changes the World" campaign advertisement "Rallying Cry".

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News

December 3, 2006 — The 2006 Texas Longhorn football team accepts a bowl bid to play in the 2006 Alamo Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
October 9, 2006 — Bevo XIII, the longest-serving Bevo and the predecessor to the current Bevo, died of old age. He was 22.
September 2, 2006 — "Godzillatron" debuts as the largest high-definition video screen in the world of college sports.
August 3, 2006 — According to The Daily Texan, The University's Division of Housing and Food has plans to expand their total number of beds from 7,000 to 9,000. The division is the largest source of housing in the campus area with an estimated 27,000 beds in the area.
July 2006 — Darlene Grant, an associate professor in the School of Social work and an associate dean of graduate studies, has been named 2006 Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers. She focuses on incarcerated women and their children.
July 2006 —Vince Young agreed to terms on his initial contract with the Titans. Terms of the deal are believed to include five years with a sixth year team option and as much as $58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money.
July 2006 — Longhorns at the 2006 ESPY Awards, Cat Osterman won for Best Female College Athlete and Vince Young won for Best Championship Performance. Young shared an award for Best Game with Matt Leinart. Other Longhorns also received nominations.
June 2006 — The athletics department auctions off a piece of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium history on eBay.
June 2006 — The Board of Regents authorizes the incorporation of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center into the University.
June 2006 — Actor, director and producer Robert De Niro donates his extensive archive of film-related items to the Harry Ransom Center. Dating from the late-1960s, the collection includes written materials (e.g. scripts, notes and correspondence) and over 3,000 costume items.
May 2006 — University alumnus Michael Dell and his wife Susan announce a US$50 million grant to the University to establish facilities for: Pediatric Health Research, Computer Science and the Advancement of Healthy Living.
April 2006 — Six Longhorns from the national championship football team are selected in the 2006 NFL Draft: Vince Young, Michael Huff, Cedric Griffin, David Thomas, Jonathan Scott and Rodrique Wright.
April 2006 — Texas clinches the second Lone Star Showdown over archrival Texas A&M.
April 2006 — Approximately 106,000 electronic records of individuals associated with the McCombs School of Business are compromised in the University's second major security breach in three years.
April 2006 — Professor David Oshinsky wins the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Polio: An American Story, which documents the polio epidemic in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s and the race to find a cure.

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Janis Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter, remembered best for her powerful and distinctive voice. Though Joplin began attending the University in 1960, she never completed a degree.