A University of the First Class: Gretchen Ritter

By Gretchen Ritter in A University of the First Class, Features, May | June 2013 on April 30, 2013 at 10:06 am | No Comments

On the occasion of the Alcalde’s 100th anniversary, we asked Longhorns what “a University of the first class” means to them.

Gretchen Ritter

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Governance

I get to see how UT-Austin fulfills its mission as a university of the first class every day. Many of our most accomplished faculty are also exceptional, inspiring teachers—people like Brent Iverson, Jamie Pennebaker, Liz Cullingford, Larry Speck, Fran Dorn, Anitesh Barua, Shelley Payne, and Bill Powers. Students here are also afforded incredible academic enrichment opportunities—in programs like the Freshman Research Initiative, Shakespeare at Winesdale, UT in Los Angeles, the Archer Program, and Projects for Underserved Communities. When it all comes together, the outcomes can be dazzling. Each year I sit on the selection committee for the Mitchell Awards, which recognizes exceptional creative or scholarly achievement by undergraduates. Some of our recent Mitchell award winners were recognized for achievements we would celebrate in our most seasoned faculty, such as discovering a new star, inventing a new method for testing tuberculosis, or writing a nationally recognized play.

Read more takes on the phrase “a University of the first class” here.

Illustration by Sean McCabe.

Tags: Anitesh Barua, bill powers, Bremt Iverson, Fran Dorn, Gretchen Ritter, Jamie Pennebaker, Larry Speck, Liz Cullingford, Mitchell Awards, Shelley Payne