News

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin launched an exciting academic year with its annual State of the College address by Dean JR DeShazo on Thursday, Sept. 25.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin has named Tripp Kaiser as executive director of the Center on Municipal Capital Markets (CMCM), effective January 2026.

The U.S. faces a shortage of more than 3.2 million homes, and Texas alone is short over 300,000 — gaps fueling affordability challenges across fast-growing communities. In an inaugural collaboration, the LBJ Urban Lab and Civitas Institute hosted Unlocking Housing Supply: Market-Driven Solutions for Growing Communities. Featuring Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, developers, and policy leaders, the event drew a full house and sparked an energetic discussion on practical solutions. Watch the full session on YouTube.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs released Trapped in Time: The Silent Crisis of Elderly Incarceration today, a report exposing how U.S. prisons are failing to keep up with the rising number of aging people behind bars.

The Build America Bond (BAB) program was an important part of the Obama administration’s response to the Great Recession, allowing state local governments to borrow money at reduced interest rates through federal government subsidy. While there was significant take-up of these bonds, subsequent federal budget dysfunction has reduced the subsidy level, which has cost municipal governments billions.

For recent 2025 Master of Public Affairs graduate Kaylah Glaspie, the LBJ School was more than a place to earn a degree. It was a space to explore a wide range of policy interests and prepare for a career centered on equity and community impact.

In 1975, Lady Bird Johnson and Liz Carpenter hosted the largest international women's conference in the United States at The University of Texas at Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs — the Women in Public Life Conference. To mark the 50th anniversary of this historic event, the LBJ Women's Campaign School will host the Women in Public Life Symposium: A Bipartisan Path Forward on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 at the Lady Bird Johnson Auditorium in the LBJ Presidential Library at UT Austin.

Five exceptional LBJ School students were awarded the NextGen Service Fellowship, giving them the opportunity to travel abroad this summer to gain hands-on experience and create meaningful change around the world.

The LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin is proud to announce the winners of its 2025 Outstanding Alumni Awards: Christopher Purdy (MPAff-DC ’15) and Corrie Stokes (MPAff ’00).

The LBJ School is launching the LBJ Business Policy Forum—a six-event series to be held throughout the 2025–26 academic year that will convene business leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists and policymakers on campus for high-impact discussions on pressing policy opportunities and challenges facing American business today.