March 7Explore UTUT Austin Campus

March 16-21Spring Break

April 6Deadline Day: last day to drop classes, pass/fail classes, or withdraw from the University

April 18Honors Day

April 20-24Research Week

May 22Liberal Arts Joint Commencement CeremonyFrank Erwin Center, 11:30 a.m.

For more information on other ceremonies, please visit: utexas.edu/commencement

May 23University-wide Commencement CeremonyTower, Main Mall, 8 p.m.

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

Important Dates and Events

Spring 2015Parents’ League Newsletter

Switching Gears Summer Cacciotti, Senior Academic Advisor

At the start of each new semester, students should take the opportunity to reflect on their previous semesters’ successes and failures. Did last semester go as they planned? Have they accomplished what they thought they would? Do they like their choice of major?

For many students, the answer to the final question is often “Not as much as I thought I would,” or “Not as much as I like...” Both are typical, as college offers students both a chance to test their love of old subjects and explore new ones. Changing majors is common, and won’t necessarily prolong a student’s timeline for graduation.

When a student is interested in changing majors, he or she needs to consider the following:

1. Is the major I want restricted or open? The majority of majors in Liberal Arts are open, but psychology, urban studies, international relations and global studies, and health and society have applications processes. The majority of majors in other colleges at the University are closed. Students can talk to their current advisors about their options.

2. If the major is restricted, what steps are required to apply? This information is usually found on websites, and most majors or colleges hold information sessions.

3. If the major I want is restricted, what would be a good backup plan? Many majors have overlapping content or cover similar material. Students who want to add or transfer into a different major should talk with an advisor about the content of the major.

The process is the same for students who want to add another major in Liberal Arts or a dual degree in another college. Liberal Arts offers students ample opportunity to shape their educational experiences.

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at The University of Texas at Austin has been named Best ROTC Program in the region.

UT Austin is a member of the 5th ROTC Brigade Battalion, which is made up of programs at 36 universities in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico, and Arkansas.

Col. Ricardo Morales, commander of the Army’s 5th Brigade, selected Texas Army ROTC as the program doing the best job of developing the country’s military leaders.

“This is a holistic award,” says Lt. Col. Travis Habhab, chair of UT Austin’s military science department. “Everything from our cadets, to the administration, to mentoring techniques and university support were considered. It recognizes that Texas has led the way over the past year in new ideas about problem solving.”

Some of those new ideas include weekly leadership laboratories, a series of non-tactical challenges for cadets. One activity this semester was a massive scavenger hunt across Austin, where cadets were divided into teams and timed while they completed a series of assigned tasks.

During a recent lab, cadets spent the afternoon at the Onion Creek Greenbelt working with the Austin Parks Foundation to preserve the area, which was hit hard by the Halloween floods in 2013. Cadets supplied manpower and creative planning skills to spread large mulch piles in the affected areas within their allotted two hours. “This is a great way for cadets to practice what they learn in the classroom,” says Cadet Promise Maino, a UT Austin senior involved with coordinating the event. “The Greenbelt lab was a great way to give back to the community while also practicing teambuilding.”

Brigade Ranger Challenge

Another way cadets practice teambuilding is through the Brigade Ranger Challenge.

The Texas Army ROTC team placed first in the 2014 Fifth Brigade Ranger Challenge Competition on Nov. 1, comparable to winning a Big 12 Championship in an NCAA sport.

Army ROTC Program Named Battalion of the Year, Advances in Brigade Ranger Challenge Emily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

The Texas Army Ranger Challenge team with their regional trophy.

Cadets hard at work at the Onion Creek leadership lab.

“The Ranger Challenge Competition is a strenuous event placing teams of 10 against one another,” says Habhab. The challenge is “testing the cadets’ abilities to solve complex problems and their physical endurance throughout 36 straight hours of numerous challenges.”

The timed competition starts with a 10 kilometer rock race, where participants carry more than 40 lbs. Other challenges include day and night land navigation, where competitors use only a map, compass, and protractor; weapons assembly and disassembly; a hand grenade assault course and a one-rope bridge, where participants must use a rope and limited tools in order to cross a river.

Perhaps the most important element of the competition is the commander’s challenge, which is a surprise to all participants and focuses on outside-of-the-box thinking. It helps participants think of new ideas and work as a team. The mental of aspect of the challenge is emphasized over the physical aspects.

The commander’s challenge was hosted by UT Austin.

“As many as 50 teams from around the world (some made up of cadets, others composed of prior-service soldiers)” will compete at West Point in a more rigorous series of events, says Cadet Alan Figurski, captain of the team. “The skills tested are increased to include events like rappelling, obstacle course navigation, combat swim (with full gear), rifle marksmanship, a raft paddle, and a 12-foot wall climb.”

The team is made up of seniors Alan Figurski and Grey Bickham; juniors James Brown, Kristin Ortega, Nicholas Corti, Michael Gonzales, and Alfredo Lugo; sophomore Daniel Gonzales; freshman Andres Sanchez, and alternates Alyssa Koeter and Gabriel Mercado.

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program at The University of Texas at Austin has been named Best ROTC Program in the region.

Cadets Alan Figurski, Michael Gonzales and James Brown participate in a portion of the commander’s challenge, the 7-foot challenge, where teams had to climb a hill with no more than six boots on the ground at any time. Some teams elected to carry their teammates, others tried a “wheelbarrow” technique and one team simply removed their boots.

Cadet Nicholas Corti preparing to shoot silhouettes with a paintball gun.

Mark Jbeily, a Plan II Honors and Naval ROTC senior at The University of Texas at Austin, has been named a 2015 British Marshall Scholar.

The Marshall Scholarship will fund Jbeily’s pursuit of a Master of Philosophy in International Relations at the University of Oxford in England. The scholarship, which is awarded to no more than 40 students each year, covers university fees, cost of living expenses, books, thesis research, and travel, as well as fares to and from the United States.

Jbeily, a midshipman in UT Austin’s Naval ROTC, will be commissioned as a naval officer upon his graduation next spring before heading to Oxford.

“Study at Oxford will build on work begun at UT and prepare me for the practical security challenges I will face as a naval officer and strategic planner,” says Jbeily. “While in England, I want to gain a better understanding of how security policy is developed. As we face emerging threats like terrorism and climate change, I hope to develop new models of security cooperation that will foster a closer accord between our nations.”

Following his studies at Oxford, Jbeily will attend Naval Aviation training in Pensacola, Florida. After completing his training, he hopes to be placed with a Strike Fighter Squadron flying the F/A-18 Super Hornet. Long term, Jbeily aspires to serve as a naval liaison assigned to the National Security Council, where he would be responsible for developing high-level strategic guidance for his country.

Larry Carver, director of the Liberal Arts Honors Programs, has been working with Jbeily since his sophomore year.

“Mark is a superb student and just a great leader,” Carver says. “He goes into everything with great energy, imagination, and good will.”

Jbeily has achieved a lot since enrolling at UT Austin. In the summer of 2013, he studied Arabic in Morocco for two months through the Department of Defense National Security Education Program. Next, he spent the fall 2013 semester in Washington D.C. through the Bill Archer Fellowship, where he undertook a 15-hour course load while interning full-time at the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.

Plan II, ROTC Student Receives British Marshall ScholarshipEmily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

In spring 2014, he was also a finalist for the prestigious Truman Scholarship. This spring, Jbeily will serve as NROTC Battalion Commander, the highest-ranking student officer.

“Receiving the Marshall Scholarship has been both a tremendous honor and a humbling experience,” Jbeily says. “I see the scholarship as an investment toward future achievement rather than an award for past success. This award wouldn’t have been possible without the world-class education I received from The University of Texas and I am proud to represent the Longhorn community in England.”

The Marshall Scholarship, now in its 61st year, is funded substantially through the government of the United Kingdom. The intention of the Marshall Scholarship is to “strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions,” according to the Marshall Scholarship website. It was founded as a tribute to the Marshall Plan, which was named for former U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall and through which the United States provided aid to rebuild Europe after World War II.

This is the third year in a row a UT Austin student has been awarded the Marshall Scholarship. UT Austin students have received the award 11 times in the past 14 years.

How did you first get involved in student government?I ran for first-year representative on a whim during my freshman year. I was never involved in SG in high school and I saw an opportunity to get involved and took it.

Why should other students get involved?Because it’s the best way to give back to the University. The platform SG gives students to make tangible change is incredible and unique, and being involved in something like that on campus is special.

What’s the best way to get involved?There are plenty of ways and no one way that is better than another. If students are interested in running for an elected position, that’s a very exciting and unique process. There are also appointed positions where people can apply for a variety of positions.

What’s on your policy agenda for this year?We have accomplished a lot so far: establishing the Safe Ride program, extending Thanksgiving break and launching Longhorn advocates, which is a program where we selected 31 students to partner with 31 alumni and 31 Texas senators. The Texas Exes have partnered with us on this and are helping set up programming.

What are you most proud of from your time at UT Austin so far?The creation of a Safe Ride program that has given thousands of students free rides home after nights out in the entertainment district.

What are your professional ambitions after graduation?I am planning on going to law school.

Do you think your studies in Liberal Arts have helped you get where you are today? I definitely think my focus in Liberal Arts aided me in my ability to examine a vast array of topics. The wide-ranging topics I learned about through Liberal Arts helped develop my thought processing and problem-solving skills.

To learn more about student government at UT Austin, visit the UTSG website, follow the official @UT_SG Twitter or like University of Texas Student Government on Facebook.

Executive Session: Q&A with Student Body President Kornel RadyEmily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

The College of Liberal Arts is no stranger to student body presidents; in the past 20 years, only 2 of University of Texas Student Government’s presidents weren’t students in the College.

Kornel “Kori” Rady, a government and corporate communication major from Houston, is the student body president. Below he talks about his greatest achievements, campaign hardships, and the ‘liberal arts factor.’ Rady is also a member of the prestigious Tejas Club and the Silver Spurs.

What made you want to run for UTSG president?I saw that I could make positive change on campus and the yearning I felt to give back to the University that gave me so much motivated me.

What was the campaign process like?It was strenuous to say the least. I have not ever had a more grueling two weeks of my life. I got two or three hours of sleep every night, and I’ve never been more challenged. The campaign was definitely a great learning process and something that led to me truly understand what my friends and I are capable of.

His journey to Warsaw started last November, when he attended a talk by famed Polish economist Leszek Balcerowicz on the UT Austin campus. The discussion centered on Balcerowicz’s work in Poland after the fall of communism in 1989.

“He’s a legend in Poland because he was in charge of the transition between having a socialist and capitalist economy,” Cantu says. “He applied very radical ideas that not many people were in favor of at the time. But now Poland is one of the most economically developed countries in the EU.”

Balcerowicz is currently the head of the Department of International Comparative Studies at the Warsaw School of Economics, as well as chairman of the board for Polish economic think tank Civil Development Forum Foundation (FOR). Previously, he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Poland, Minister of Finance, and the Governor of the National Bank of Poland. He was also awarded the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty in 2014.

Following Balcerowicz’s talk at UT Austin, Cantu introduced himself to the economist and spoke of his interest in conducting a research project on harmonization in the global economy. Balcerowicz expressed interest in Cantu’s ideas, and encouraged him send a curriculum for the project along with a recommendation from a UT Austin faculty member.

After waiting several anxious months, the following spring Cantu received a letter from Balcerowicz inviting him to spend the summer in Poland as a visiting student researcher. Cantu was delighted and scrambled to contact offices around campus to prepare for the trip and secure funding for his research.

One of Cantu’s Ukrainian friends from the dorms, Iliia Vasyluk, invited him to travel to Lviv, Ukraine, with her for a conference about the current political agitation in the country. The summit, led by politicians, professors and social activists, was created to expose and discuss new policy recommendations for the economic and political problems Ukraine is facing.

“Visiting Ukraine was a very extraordinary and hard experience–the situation is difficult there,” Cantu says. ”It took seven hours for us to cross the border with very strict inspections. The army is all around the cities and students are living with political agitation close to the classroom. Many of them travel to Poland to continue their education.”

Polish Economic Architect Hosts UT Austin Student in WarsawEmily Nielsen, Public Affairs Specialist

Studying abroad exposes Liberal Arts students to a variety of peoples and cultures, and in the case of Hector Cantu, it landed him three months as a research assistant at a Polish think tank led by a legendary economist.

Cantu, a UT Austin economics senior from Monterrey, Mexico, spent his summer in Warsaw meeting with embassy representatives from around the world, presenting his research findings and writing an economics thesis.

Cantu’s main focus during his stay in Warsaw was on harmonization between the United States and the European Union, particularly in tax law.

“The United States is the main investor in the European Union, and the EU is one of the most important investors here in the United States,” says Cantu. “It’s a relationship that we have to care for and research and have good communication about.”

This is the topic that Cantu first pitched to Balcerowicz back in November, and he chose to write a thesis about it during his time in Warsaw. The paper, “Economic Growth with Labor Law, Corporate Tax Law and VAT Law Harmonization Between the United States and the European Union,” is 37 pages of intense research and analysis.

“For every good research paper, you need to have a lot of good background information,” Cantu says. “So for that we used a lot of statistics, a lot of research and a lot of comparison analysis.”

According to the abstract, the paper’s proposed policy changes for the United States and European Union would lead to more efficient tax laws, increase the flow of business creation and elevate economic freedom in tax and labor laws for citizens.

Though Balcerowicz was traveling throughout much of the summer, Cantu made a strong impression on him.

“Collaboration with Hector this summer has been successful, and he was a reliable and hard-working person,” Balcerowicz said in a letter to UT Austin discussing his research. “We hope to stay in touch with Hector and continue our cooperation in the future.”

Cantu left Poland on Aug. 21 and returned to Austin for the new semester. He is now working with UT Austin economics lecturer Wayne Hickenbottom on revising his thesis. After the revision, Cantu will submit his paper to be published by an economics research journal.

In addition to becoming a published researcher, Cantu is also interested in continuing his work in Poland in the future. He is encouraging UT Austin to start a direct exchange program with the Warsaw School of Economics.

“I want to propose an exchange program at the Warsaw School of Economics because it’s very good to learn economics there, it’s a very good university,” Cantu says. “I think there’s an opportunity to learn from the Polish and what they’re doing economically. It’s a good way for people to get interested in global problems and that way changes can be made.”

In terms of post-graduation plans, Cantu is as ambitious as ever. His dream is to work for the International Monetary Fund and help shape the global economy.

“I want to make changes in a macroeconomic perspective. That’s the most important thing that the Polish left me with,” Cantu says. “I want to make good relationships between the United States, between Mexico and the European Union. I want to extend the commerce and I want to open the market, cut the barriers. For example, in the paper I wrote I discovered that just 1 or 2 percent changes in taxes can make a huge impact. With a little good research, you can make great changes.”

Cantu and a friend attend a Mongolian embassy event celebrating independence and new investment relations with Poland.

Cantu attending a dinner hosted by the Embassy of the Philippines with FOR and SW members, along with Ambassador Patricia Ann Paez.

The countdown to graduation has begun. Has your student secured a post-graduation job? If not, do you know if her career search is in full swing and if there is anything you can do to help? Here are a few tips to help you become your student’s best career advocate.

1. Encourage your student to register with Liberal Arts Career Services.Liberal Arts Career Services (LACS) offers comprehensive career assistance to all Liberal Arts students, from resume help to mock interviews and job postings to social media job search tools. We will work one-on-one with your student to help her develop a career search strategy that she can fully execute in her goal (and yours) to be gainfully employed. Your student can create her account at: http://bit.ly/1nGR5wU

2. Ask your student engaging career questions.The end of a student’s time on campus and the transition to professional life can be very stressful and intimidating for many. If your student is not sure of the direction she wants to go in or if she feels unprepared for the career search, she may be uncomfortable with the family “career talk.” With that in mind, you might want to approach this conversation in a friendly and strategic way.

For many students, the uncomfortable question is: “What are you going to do?” or, “The neighbor’s daughter has three job offers, why don’t you have any?” Instead, an approach that might be more engaging for your student is to ask if there is anything you can do to help with her career search and to be her career advocate. Maybe you have friends working in areas that she might be interested in and with whom you can connect her. Or maybe you work at an organization that has a department of interest to her and where she can conduct an informational interview.

As an advocate, the most important thing you can do is to listen. How is she feeling about the search? What is her dream job? What types of first jobs is she interested in? Is she curious about particular industries? Knowing this, you can then be more supportive during the job search, help her meet the goals and deadlines in her search strategy (made with a career coach at LACS), and forward her job leads in areas that she has identified as interesting. Having said that, the job search is hers and she should be managing the project with you playing only a supportive role.

3. Share your story.Students of course know the jobs or roles their family members have, but they do not always know the backstory: How did you get there? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? What is the best career advice you’ve ever heard? What is the best career advice you have? Share the story of your professional journey to help your student career-connect with you and learn from you in a new way.

4. Don’t be worried about saying, “I don’t know.”If your student comes to you for help crafting a targeted resume, preparing for a case interview, evaluating a job offer, or negotiating a salary and you do not have a secure answer - - be comfortable letting her know that she can get help from a career expert at the University. LACS career coaches can help your student navigate the job search process, from A to Z.

You and your student share an ultimate goal: for her to be gainfully employed after graduation. To that end, your career advocacy will support her emotionally, strategically, and professionally. And she will appreciate you for it.

the university of texas at austin • college of liberal arts

LIBERAL ARTS CAREER SERVICES

Be Your Student’s Career AdvocateRobert Vega, Director, Liberal Arts Career Services

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