The University of Texas at Austin's School of Civic Leadership is now accepting applications for its inaugural class, set to enroll in Fall 2025. This institution is among the first in a growing number of civics-focused colleges, institutes, and initiatives launched at public universities across the United States. The goal is to prepare students for civic responsibility through the study of America’s founding principles, economic foundations, and history.
"Liberty depends on citizens who understand the ideas and institutions that make free, prosperous societies possible," said Justin Dyer, founding dean of the School of Civic Leadership. "As we study those ideas and institutions, the School of Civic Leadership will prepare students not only for successful careers in business, education, law, entrepreneurship and public life but also for lives of significance and service to their communities."
Students accepted into this pioneering cohort will be eligible for the school’s flagship program: a Bachelor of Arts with a major in civics honors. They will study Western Civilization's intellectual inheritance and the American constitutional tradition.
The School will launch its first academic program this fall: a minor in philosophy, politics, and economics in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts. It will also offer general education courses and electives on topics including democracy's history, moral leadership in economics, and happiness pursuit. Next fall, alongside the civics honors major, a minor in civics will be available to students across campus.
To support these programs, ten inaugural faculty members have been hired to begin teaching during this upcoming semester.
"The School of Civic Leadership under Dean Dyer has made tremendous progress since its establishment just over a year ago," said Sharon L. Wood, executive vice president and provost. "In addition to developing new academic programs, the school has also hired ten excellent faculty members whose deep expertise will strengthen our University’s academic reputation as one of the nation’s premier research and teaching institutions."
Over the coming months, additional faculty members are expected to be recruited.
Ryan Streeter echoed Wood’s comments: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our new colleagues,” said Streeter. “Scholarship is the cornerstone of our work. Their contributions to our community will be invaluable as Civitas studies the foundations of flourishing societies.”
The Civitas Institute houses more than 30 affiliated faculty members from UT and other leading universities nationwide within the School. It facilitates scholarly inquiry into foundational principles such as individual rights and civic virtue; constitutionalism; rule of law; free enterprise; and markets.
The inaugural faculty members are:
- Carola Binder (Ph.D., University of California), Associate Professor
- Scott Carrell (Ph.D., University of Florida), Associate Dean & Professor
- Alexander Duff (Ph.D., University of Notre Dame), Associate Professor
- Justin Dyer (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin), Dean & Professor
- Patricio A. Fernandez (Ph.D., Harvard University), Associate Professor
- Dirk Mateer (Ph.D., Florida State University), Professor of Instruction
- Vincent Phillip Muñoz (Ph.D., Claremont Graduate University), Distinguished Visiting Professor
- David Puelz (Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin), Assistant Professor
- Raúl Rodriguez (Ph.D., University Notre Dame), Assistant Professor
- John Yoo (J.D., Yale University), Distinguished Visiting Professor