George Washington Statue

Anyone spending more than 10 minutes on the Forty Acres will have seen the impressive statue of the father of our country at the top of the South Mall. But how did it come to be there?

UT historian Jim Nicar writes on his blog "The UT History Corner ": "In 1924, a news report declared that Texas was the only state in the Union without a statue of George Washington. Surprised and dismayed, Frances [Campbell] knew she had to do something about it. The issue stayed in the back of her mind for years until discussions began within her [Daughters of the American Revolution] chapter on how best to observe the 200^th anniversary of Washington's birth, coming up in 1932."

To mark the occasion, a large boulder was placed at the site to mark the spot where a future statue would go. This prompted humorous exchanges about the world's first "monument to a monument" and President H.Y. Benedict's incredulous note to professor William Battle, who was organizing the event, "I have to thank them [the DAR] for a boulder!" (The rock was moved two years later to allow work on the South Mall.)

But the Great Depression and World War II delayed the project beyond the lifetime of its original champion, and many years passed before others took up the cause. In 1955, the statue, created by 85-year-old Pompeo Coppini, was finished and placed at the head of the South Mall, centered and aligned with the Tower. It was still the first statue of President Washington in Texas.

Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas

The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas was founded in 2014 by professors Lorraine Smith Pangle and Thomas L. Pangle and is housed within the College of Liberal Arts.

The center named for the author of the Declaration of Independence and third president promotes and supports "great-books education" and the study of classic texts considered foundational to the United States. It is home to the Jefferson Scholars Program, in which undergraduates from colleges and schools across the University earn the Core Texts and Ideas Certificate. In addition to the study of foundational texts, the Jefferson Center promotes civic engagement and responsible citizenship.

UT's new School of Civic Leadership also offers a major in Great Books Honors, in which students explore foundational texts centered on the classics of philosophy, literature, theology, science, art and political thought in an eight-course sequence.

The Alexander Hamilton Society

Alexander Hamilton Society is a nonpartisan, national organization dedicated to promoting debates on foreign policy, national security and economic statecraft. The UT chapter is a highly recognized student organization and frequently partners with UT's Clements Center for National Security and the LBJ School of Public Affairs to host guest lectures, panel discussions and career networking. UT's provost, William Inboden, serves on its national Board of Advisers.

The Franklin Medal

Three UT Austin professors have won the Benjamin Franklin Medal, a prestigious science and engineering prize awarded by The Franklin Institute, more than 200 years old. Professor Yale Patt received it for his contributions to computer and cognitive science in 2016. The Cockrell School of Engineering has had two professors win it: John Goodenough won for the lithium-ion battery in 2018, and Bob Metcalfe won the medal in electrical engineering in 2024 for his "pioneering role in the design, development, and commercialization of Ethernet."