at texas September/October 2010

Turner to MonetArts supporters help bring dozens of 19th-century masterpieces to the Blanton Museum this fall

EvEryonE can bE a philanthropist

to learn more: giving.utexas.edu/giftplanning • 866-488-3927 • giftplan@www.utexas.edu

retirees living on pensions can go years without receiving a

cost-of-living increase. This year there was no increase in Social

Security. But 91-year-old Vincent R. DiNino has a secret for making

ends meet when times are tough: charitable gift annuities.

A charitable gift annuity is a way for Professor DiNino to help

both himself and UT Austin. In return for an irrevocable gift to the

University, DiNino receives annual payments for life. For many

years, part of the annuity is tax-free, and part of the gift counts as a

charitable contribution for tax purposes.

Director of the Longhorn Band from 1955 to1975, DiNino is giving

to benefit two of his passions: the band and the Butler School of

Music. Meanwhile, the annuity payments he receives help keep

him afloat.

“I would recommend it most highly for somebody who wants

additional income during retirement — especially if you have some

kind of pension or retirement that doesn’t have an automatic cost-of-

living increase,” says DiNino, now director emeritus of UT Bands.

Now may be a good time to establish a charitable gift annuity of your

own. Contact our Gift Planning team at giftplan@www.utexas.edu

to find out how you can receive extra income while supporting

what you love at the University.

“ I would recommend it most highly for somebody who wants additional income during retirement.”

With a charitable gift annuity,

you receive a regular income

while helping the University.

Vincent R. DiNino, director emeritus of The University of Texas Bands, at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium

Contents

Reprinted from

September/October 2010

Atrium interior view of the forthcoming Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex

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POwER SuRgEwhy expanding ut’s computer science program will boost the texas economy

HORnS Of PlEntywhat private giving is making possible

HigHER lEaRningdoctoral student Roy germano’s research leads to greater understanding — and a documentary film

P h i l a n t h r o p y a t t e x a s S e p t e m b e r / O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

on the cover:J.m.w. turner’s Raby Castle, the Seat of the Earl of Darlington, 1817 (detail)

Computer science is about to ramp up in a big way at the University, and the Texas economy is poised to reap some impressive rewards as a result. As construction begins on the first phase of the new home for UT’s Department of Computer Science — the nation’s largest and most diverse top-10 computer science program — it’s an appropriate time to take stock of the department’s considerable impact on the state of Texas. ¶ Nationwide the field of computer science is driving a radical transformation of science, engineering, medicine, national security, and popular culture. Computer science now supports or enables scientific advancements of every kind. The transformation has been rapid and pervasive, with billion-dollar industries growing out of work that is taking place in university labs. Think Amazon. And Google. At these giants, and countless other companies across the economic spectrum, computer scientists are there with the core innovations that drive the knowledge-based economy. Even more telling, the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that computer science is the fastest-growing job market for science and engineering degree holders. The demand for its graduates across all sectors of the economy significantly outstrips supply.

Construction has begun on the bill & melinda gates Computer Science Complex, seen here in a conceptual rendering courtesy of architects Pelli Clark Pelli.

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POWER SURGEwhy expanding Ut’S cOmPUtER SciEncE PROGRam will bOOSt thE tExaS EcOnOmy

A Philanthropy at Texas

The Department of Computer Science is a major contributor to this revolution. The National Research Council and the Academic Ranking of World Universities agree that UT has the eighth-best program in the country. To put that in perspective, consider that there is not a stronger computer science department within 1,000 miles of Austin. The department graduates about 200 computer scientists annually, more than any other top-10 computer science department in the U.S. Each year the department’s honors program, the Turing Scholars, recruits 50 new students who otherwise would almost certainly have left Texas to attend top programs elsewhere, such as Stanford, MIT, and UC Berkeley.

But there is always room for improvement, and clearly, increasing the number of UT’s computer science graduates will cause ripples far beyond the Forty Acres. Ray Perryman of the Perryman Group, an economics consulting firm, says two-thirds of the department’s graduates choose to stay in Texas, where each individual has an annual economic impact of $1.3 million and accounts for 5.7 permanent jobs. When it opens in 2012 the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex, in the former location of Taylor Hall and Chilling Station No. 2, will be home to 60 faculty (up from 43 currently), 1,400 undergraduates (up from 900), 350 graduate students (up from 250), and 50 staff. Perryman estimates that the department’s current overall contribution to the Texas economy is $8.7 billion annually. He expects program growth made possible by the $120 million Gates Complex to increase that figure 25 percent — to about $11 billion annually. That is an astounding return on investment in today’s economy, or in any economy for that matter.

“What happens in computer science is absolutely critical for the state of Texas,” Perryman says. “We have to be competitive in an emerging

set of industries, not only with our peer states and larger states, but also with the entire world. And to do that we have to have a talent pool that’s second to none. A critical component of that talent pool — an essential ingredient for our ability to grow in the future — is to have a steady, large pool of high-quality computer science graduates.”

Learn more about the Gates Computer Science Complex

and its many giving opportunities at cs.utexas.edu. Contact

department chair Bruce Porter at porter@cs.utexas.edu.

} why expanding Ut’S cOmPUtER SciUt’S cOmPUtER Sci--EncE PROGRam EncE PROGRam will bOOSt thE bOOSt thE tExaS EcOnOmytExaS EcOnOmy

“ what happens in computer science is abSOlUtEly cRitical abSOlUtEly cRitical fOR thE StatE fOR thE StatE Of tExaS.”Of tExaS.” – ray perryman

economist

Bill & Melinda Gates CoMputer sCienCe CoMplex

the gates Complex and its first-phase dell Computer Science Hall are named in honor of significant challenge grants totaling $40 million from the bill & melinda gates foundation and the michael & Susan dell foundation. those generous grants, plus $57 million in ut funds, come to $97 million, which leaves $23 million to be raised to cover the total project cost of $120 million. additional naming opportunities are available throughout the complex.

Competition for the leading visionaries in computer science is fierce, and modern instructional and research space gives a department a distinct advantage in recruiting and retaining top talent. ut’s faculty and students will enjoy modern, interactive spaces in the gates Complex including “research clusters,” areas on each floor designed to encourage discussion and collaboration.

An investment in the Gates Complex will:

• guarantee recruitment of the best faculty and students to ut.

• allow, for the first time, consolidation of faculty, students, and research labs from seven buildings in a single and coherent space for teaching and research.

• Expand the department’s impact on cybersecurity, ultra-safe computing, drug discovery, and massive dna analysis.

• Provide more space for innovative outreach programs such as uteach (recruitment and training of computer science teachers) and first bytes (recruitment of high school women into computer science).

• grow the department’s economic impact in texas by 25 percent to approximately $11 billion annually.

texas ranks second only to California in the number of high-tech jobs, firms, exports, and payroll. the department of Computer Science currently produces about one-fifth of the computer science graduates in texas and about one-fifth of all computer science graduates from top-tier universities nationwide. by boosting those numbers even higher, the gates Complex will help the department boost the texas economy to new heights.

The Alcalde September/October 2010

Horns of plentywHat PRiVatE giVing iS making POSSiblE

good class notes are crucial to any student trying to grasp a subject as intricate and multifaceted as chemistry. Recognizing that, College of natural Sciences professor and associate dean David Laude approached the natural Sciences Council a few years ago with a proposition. would the organization be interested in transcribing the copious notes he had accumulated during his years teaching ut’s introductory chemistry course? it was a win-win for students: the nSC could sell the resulting 250-page study guide to supplement its fundraising activities, and with laude’s notes to refer to after lectures, students could spend more class time listening and engaging rather than trying to get down everything he said. the guide was an instant hit, and thanks in large part to its success, the council was able to fund the Natural Sciences Council Endowment in September 2009. the nSC has always raised money for scholarships and awards — by renting out lockers in welch Hall, hosting a campuswide video game tournament, and other piecemeal methods — but the endowment now gives the group a steady source of recurring funds.

“it was the result of several years of hard work, by several generations of councils, and we were so excited to have the opportunity to finally get it set up,” says 2008-09 council president Stephanie Hsu, ba ’09, bS ’09. the endowment is nearing its $25,000 goal, at which point it will begin to fund scholarships. Perhaps just as important, the council’s efforts may inspire other student organizations looking for ways to benefit students and leave a lasting mark at ut. Brennan Lang, bS ’10, life member, was the nSC’s financial director last year, working with Hsu and others in the final push to establish the fund. “it just felt right” to designate its proceeds for scholarships, he says. “because the course packet was originally compiled by students, we wanted to find a way to give something back to students.” these two go-getters would no doubt have a bright future in fundraising, but both have a different calling: Hsu is entering her second year of medical school at Vanderbilt university, and lang just began his studies at baylor College of medicine.

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Claude monet’s Windmills Near Zaandam, 1871. the blanton’s upcoming turner to monet exhibition will feature dozens of original 19th-century artists including

Edgar degas, Edouard manet, and alfred Sisley.

A Philanthropy at Texas

it is an unlikely story: a young man works in the kitchen of a restaurant, where his experiences inspire him to pursue a Phd

— the highest degree academia offers — in pursuit of deeper insights into one of society’s most challenging problems. His dissertation research leads to a documen-tary film and eventually the creation of a nonprofit organization.

for Roy Germano, a political science doctoral candidate in the department of government, the many undocumented mexican workers he met at age 23, working at that restaurant, were the catalyst for what has since become his life’s work: understanding and aiding mexican immi-grants to the united States and the fami-lies they leave behind. germano, this year’s recipient of the prestigious michael H. granof Outstanding graduate Student award, says his experiences led directly to his dissertation, “the Political Economy of Remittances.” He argues that mexican migrants’ remittances — the money they send back home — have been an impor-tant factor in preventing backlash by mexican citizens to their nation’s market-oriented reforms.

to conduct his dissertation research, germano, with support from the David Bruton, Jr. Endowed Graduate Fellowship and the C. B. Smith, Sr. Centennial Chair in United States–Mexico Relations, traveled to mexico to survey people in the country-side who have been touched by migration. Once there he quickly realized there was much more to collect than mere numbers.

“i brought a camera with me to do my statistical work,” germano says. “but what the people were saying was extremely insightful, and i thought that something needed to be done with the footage.” Returning to the States, he turned the interviews into an hourlong film he called The Other Side of Immigration. it has been screened at film festivals and garnered praise nationwide. “the main questions of

the film are why do people leave? and what happens to those left behind?” he says. “families are divided for decades, and that’s really sad to me. they don’t return to mexico because it’s so hard to get to the u.S. the first time. there are people who miss their parents’ funerals.”

germano says that a big part of The Other Side of Immigration is an attempt to propose solutions to the issues surround-ing this divisive subject. “One thing people talk about is temporary work visas for mexicans who don’t want to be here permanently,” says germano. “People don’t do this for the pleasure of working somewhere else. they work seven days a week, 10 hours a day; they’re lonely and they miss home.”

germano, now 30 and having recently finished his dissertation, is taking his knowledge into the classroom as a teacher at the new School for Social Research in new york City. He plans to start a nonprofit organization that will help rural mexicans get funding for new technologies. Excited about the next chapter of his life, germano credits the university with making much of his success possible. “ut has played a huge role,” he says. “i wouldn’t have been able to do any of this work if not for a supportive department and advisers who supported me. i’m so thankful for my department and ut’s support over the years.” –lauren Edwards

“Philanthropy at texas” is compiled and edited by Jamey Smith in the university development Office. your feedback and suggestions are welcome at jjsmith@austin.utexas.edu. for more philanthropic news and information, including ways you can give to ut, visit giving.utexas.edu.

philanthropy’s impact on Graduate students

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Student fundraisers Stephanie Hsu and

brennan lang

if good art can challenge assumptions, then it’s fitting that a fund-raising challenge can also run counter to the prevailing economic mood. that was the blanton museum of art’s experience when it put out a call for support of two exhibitions, including Turner to Monet: Masterpieces from The Walters Art Museum, which will be on view Oct. 2 – Jan. 2. austin’s teresa and Joe long challenged ut alumni and other supporters to raise $200,000, pledging another $100,000 once the goal was met. more than $235,000 came in from 256 blanton members and other donors — reflecting not only a shared belief in the vital role of the visual arts but also, Joe long says, that “even with a downturn in the economy the public is willing to support exhibitions of high quality.”

The Alcalde September/October 2010

The University of Texas at AustinUniversity Development Office PO Box 7458Austin, TX 78713-7458giving.utexas.edu

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Teaching at UT is something professors like Charles Ramirez Berg call a dream job. Ramirez Berg, who teaches film history and criticism, wants his students not only to understand the coursework but also to develop critical thinking and the ability to express thoughts clearly. His enthusiasm in the classroom hasn’t gone unnoticed. He tells his students, “This is what loving what you do looks like. Now go out and follow your passion. You will be happy, fulfilled, and we will reap the rewards of your creativity.”

Excellence in teaching is just one example of how UT has an impact on its students and the world. Help create scholarships that inspire students, foster research, and fund academic initiatives. Give to the college, school, or area closest to your heart.

The UniversiTy of Texas aT aUsTin Annual Giving ProgramsPO Box 7458 • Austin, TX 78713 866-875-9651giving.utexas.edu/hookedontexas

Can inspirinG a student CHanGe tHe world?

Charles Ramirez BergProfessor, Department of Radio-Television-FilmUniversity Distinguished Teaching Professor