Past Events

On Wednesday, September 7, the Clements Center for National Security and the UT-Austin History Department will host Christopher Nichols, the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies and Professor of History at Ohio State University and Raymond Haberski, Jr., Professor of History and Director of American Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI, for a book talk on Ideology in U.S. Foreign Relations: New Histories. Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, the University of Texas at Austin and Clements Center Faculty Fellow, will moderate. Join us at 12:15 pm on Zoom. Virtual doors open at 12:00 pm. 

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Christopher McKnight Nichols is a professor of history and the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies, at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies, at The Ohio State University. Nichols specializes in the history of the United States and its relationship to the rest of the world, particularly in the areas of isolationism, internationalism, and globalization. In addition, he is an expert on modern U.S. intellectual, cultural, and political history, with an emphasis on the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (1880-1920) through the present. In 2016 Nichols was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. In 2017 Nichols became an Organization of American Historians (OAH) Distinguished Lecturer. Nichols’ 2018 TED Talk is entitled “The Untold Story of American Isolationism” (aka “Why History Matters Today”). Nichols is author or editor of six books, including most notably Promise and Peril: America at the Dawn of a Global Age (Harvard University Press, 2011, 2015) and Rethinking American Grand Strategy (Oxford University Press, 2021). 

Raymond Haberski Jr. is a professor of history and director of American studies at IUPUI. He also directs the Institute for American Thought and is part of the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture. He is trained in 20th-century U.S. history with a focus on intellectual history. Haberski's books include "God and War: American Civil Religion Since 1945" (2012); "Voice of Empathy: A History of Franciscan Media in the United States" (2018); with Andrew Hartman, eds., "American Labyrinth: Intellectual History for Complicated Times" (2018); and with Philip Goff and Rhys Williams, eds., "Civil Religion Today" (2021).

Emily Conroy-Krutz is an associate professor of history at Michigan State University and the author of Christian Imperialism: Converting the World in the Early American Republic (2015). Her writings on religion, reform, empire, and gender can be found in the Journal of the Early Republic, Early American Studies, Diplomatic History, and several edited volumes. Her next book, Missionary Diplomacy: Religion and American Foreign Relations in the Nineteenth Century, is forthcoming from Cornell University Press. 

Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University's Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Professor Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on politics and foreign policy, most recently: Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include: The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; and Power and Protest: Global Revolution and the Rise of Détente. His writings appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, CNN.com, Atlantic, Newsweek, Time, Wired, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and other media. Professor Suri is a popular public lecturer and comments frequently on radio and television news. His writing and teaching have received numerous prizes, including the President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award from the University of Texas and the Pro Bene Meritis Award for Contributions to the Liberal Arts. Professor Suri hosts a weekly podcast, “This is Democracy.”

For more information about this event, contact Elizabeth Doughtie at elizabeth.doughtie@utexas.edu.

On Wednesday, September 7, Professors Adam Klein, Chinny Sharma, and Steve Vladeck will discuss “Careers in National Security Law: Five Things You Need to Know” with interested students. Professors Klein and Sharma will introduce the Strauss Center and its programs, joined by Professor Vladeck to talk about careers in national security, and answer students’ questions in an informal format. They’ll also discuss how students can be a part of the Strauss Center’s National Security Law Student Fellows program, which provides credentials, networking opportunities, and career support to UT Law students. 

Tacodeli will be served. For questions, please email Ali Prince at ali.prince@austin.utexas.edu.

On Thursday, September 1, the Clements Center for National Security, the Center for European Studies, and the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, will host Elisabeth Leake, the Lee E. Dirks Chair in Diplomatic History at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, for a talk on "Afghan Crucible: Rethinking the Soviet Invasion and Its Current Significance." Join us at 12:15 pm in RLP 1.302B, Patton Hall.

Elisabeth Leake is the Lee E. Dirks Chair in Diplomatic History at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Dr. Leake's research focuses broadly on the relationship between decolonization and the Cold War, and more specifically on the intersections between South Asian and international history. She focuses on state-building in postcolonial India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and these countries’ interactions with foreign powers such as the US and the UK. Of particular interest are borderlands as spaces of contested sovereignty where local non-state actors come into conflict with state authorities and foreign interests.

She has been widely published and is the author of two monographs; The Defiant Border: The Afghan-Pakistan Borderlands in the Era of Decolonization, 1936-65, and Afghan Crucible: The Soviet Invasion and the Making of Modern Afghanistan which will be published by Oxford University Press this summer.

Her articles have appeared in such journals as Modern Asian Studies, Journal of Contemporary History, the Journal of Asian Studies, International History Review, and Historical Journal.

Dr. Leake is also one of the organizers of New International Histories of South Asia, a research and public engagement network that explores South Asia’s global engagement in historical context.

For more information about this event, contact Elizabeth Doughtie at elizabeth.doughtie@utexas.edu.

Nine in 10 Americans live in metropolitan areas. These cities offer great opportunities, but they they also face grand challenges. Throughout Texas and the rest of the country, our cities require fresh ideas, innovative partnerships, and feasible and affordable policies to address growing challenges. Meet the Mayors series at the LBJ School brings together the Mayors building the cities of the future.

The 61st Mayor of Houston Annise Parker visits the LBJ School in recognition of Austin Pride. Parker was Houston’s second woman mayor and one of the first openly gay mayors of a major US city. As Mayor she fought to cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing discrimination and services in one of the most comprehensive non discrimination orders in the nation.  Parker is currently the President and CEO of Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to building a pipeline of LGBTQ public leaders.  

This event is hosted by the LBJ Urban Lab and the LBJ School Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion. 

Speakers

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Annise Parker

Victory Fund and Victory Institute President & CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organizations, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as City Controller, and six years as Mayor of the city. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor, and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller and mayor. She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

She currently serves on the Policy and Global Affairs Committee of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the boards of Houston Botanic Garden, Houston BARC Foundation, Patient Care Intervention Council, and the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP).

Prior to joining Victory Fund and Victory Institute, she was Senior Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer of BakerRipley, a community development non-profit.  She was also a Fellow at the Doerr Institute for New Leaders and Professor in the Practice at Rice University.  She served on the boards of FirstNet – created by Congress to implement a nationwide broadband network for first –responders and the Airbnb Mayor’s Advisory Board.

Mayor Parker and her wife Kathy Hubbard have been together for more than 28 years and are advocates for adoption, with three daughters, a son and a grandson.
 

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Prior to joining the LBJ School, Pedigo was clinical professor at the Schack Institute of Real Estate at New York University.

Earlier in his career, he served as vice president for the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), a national research organization founded by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter to encourage private-sector investment into U.S. distressed urban areas.

Pedigo holds a bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin and graduate degrees from the H. John Heinz III School for Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The 61st Mayor of Houston Annise Parker visits the LBJ School in recognition of Austin Pride. Parker was Houston’s second woman mayor and one of the first openly gay mayors of a major US city. As Mayor she fought to cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing discrimination and services in one of the most comprehensive non discrimination orders in the nation.  Parker is currently the President and CEO of Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to building a pipeline of LGBTQ public leaders.  

The 61st Mayor of Houston Annise Parker visits the LBJ School in recognition of Austin Pride. Parker was Houston’s second woman mayor and one of the first openly gay mayors of a major US city. As Mayor she fought to cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing discrimination and services in one of the most comprehensive non discrimination orders in the nation.  Parker is currently the President and CEO of Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to building a pipeline of LGBTQ public leaders.  

The 61st Mayor of Houston Annise Parker visits the LBJ School in recognition of Austin Pride. Parker was Houston’s second woman mayor and one of the first openly gay mayors of a major US city. As Mayor she fought to cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing discrimination and services in one of the most comprehensive non discrimination orders in the nation.  Parker is currently the President and CEO of Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to building a pipeline of LGBTQ public leaders.  

Please note: This is a private event for incoming LBJ students. Please sign up for LBJ's public events here.

You're invited! LBJ Presidential Library Director Mark Lawrence will host a special reception and private Library tour for incoming LBJ School students on August 24. At the reception and tour's conclusion, students are invited to the UT Tower for UT's Gone to Texas welcome event for all incoming students. Attend for an evening of LBJ legacy and UT culture.

Agenda:

• LBJ Library Reception with Remarks from Director Lawrence at 6:15 PM
• Private LBJ Library Tour
• UT-wide Gone to Texas

Attire: Casual or Business Casual

Getting from the LBJ Library to the UT Tower:

• On Foot: Many students walk from the LBJ Plaza to the UT Tower. Bring your water and walk with a friend.
• By Public Transportation: The UT 640 Shuttle (ride for free with UT ID) picks up behind the LBJ Library at Robert Dedman and Trinity and drops off in front of the Main Mall at University and 21st.

Find @thelbjschool on social media. 

On Tuesday, August 23, Professors Adam Klein, Steve Slick, Bianca Adair, and Josh Busby will discuss “Careers in National Security: Five Things You Need to Know” with interested students. The team will introduce the Strauss Center and its programs, talk about their career experiences within various roles in the realm of U.S. national security, law, and intelligence, and answer students’ questions in an informal format. They will also discuss how students can be a part of the Strauss Center’s Brumley Fellows program and Cybersecurity Fellows program, which provide unique opportunities for academic growth and professional development for LBJ School students.

The LBJ School’s new student orientation is a vital week of programming to equip students with the skills to be successful during their time at the LBJ School. Orientation builds a strong community of changemakers and highlights the importance of utilizing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in and out of the classroom.

Overview Schedule:

Monday, August 15

Theme: Welcome to LBJ

• Virtual sessions
• In-person sessions
• Optional social event
   

Tuesday, August 16

Theme: Student Involvement 

• Virtual sessions
• In-person sessions
• Optional social event
   

Wednesday, August 17

Theme: The Academic Experience

• In-person sessions
• Optional in person registration office hours
• In-person DC student session
• Optional social event
   

Thursday, August 18

Theme: Registration

• Registration opens
• In-person session for international students
• Optional social event
   

Friday, August 19

Theme: Starting Strong in the LBJ Community

• Virtual sessions
• Optional social session
   

**The schedule and timing are subject to change and a final schedule will be posted by the end of July. We are monitoring the current COVID-19 situation in Austin and will adjust the schedule if necessary as safety is our main priority.**