STUDIO CHIMERIC

On Monday, November 3, the school hosted an opening in the Mebane Gallery to display the work of studio-chimeric, an independent study studio with graduate architecture students James Haynes and Patrick Winn, under the critique of Lecturer Joyce Rosner.

The studio focused on the study and emulation of natural precedents; the goal was to push boundaries, test ideas, and think outside the box -- without limits of traditional thinking or prescribed procedures.

SUPPORT UTSOA

TAX-FREE IRA GIVING

Would you like to make a tax-free gift from your IRA to The University of Texas at Austin without paying income taxes on the rollover?

It's not too late to make a gift this year, but please contact us by December 1.

We are excited to let you know about the extension to the charitable rollover law that allows people 70 1/2 and older to give directlly to UT Austin from their IRAs -- without having to report the amount as income. Gifts may count toward your required minimum distribution and may be up to $100,000 per person in both 2008 and 2009.

Now is the time to act; contact Assistant Dean Julie Hooper at jhooper@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.6114.

RAQUEL ELIZONDO STAFF EXCELLENCE FUND

It takes a tremendous amount of collective knowledge to keep our school running smoothly. From balancing our budget to managing resources like the IT and Materials Labs, our administrative staff plays an instrumental role in our continued success, and it's important that we recognize the significant contributions made by this dedicated team of professionals.

During her tenure at the School of Architecture, Assistant Dean for Administration Raquel Elizondo advocated for the creation of an endowed fund to facilitate growth and improvement through professional development opportunities for administrative staff. In recognition of Raquel's impact on the school, we have initiated a campaign to create the Raquel Elizondo Staff Excellence Fund. To date, we have raised over $21,000 in seed money, but we need your help to reach our ultimate goal of $25,000! Please consider making a gift today to help us reinforce the foundation on which the School of Architecture builds its success.

Questions? Contact Development Associate Amy Martin at amartin@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.6029.

UT ENDOWMENTS

This past July, we announced that the university's minimum endowment funding levels were increasing, effective January 1, 2009. Since that time, many people have felt the effects of fluctuations in the economic markets and are grappling with significant financial challenges during these tough times. For that reason, the university has decided not to move ahead with the increase, and endowments will stay at their current minimum levels, as listed below:

Endowment type	Minimum gift level
Chair	$1,000,000
Professorship	$300,000
Endowed Presidential Fellowship	$100,000
Graduate fellowship	$50,000
Graduate research endowment	$40,000
Endowed Presidential Scholarship	$50,000
Undergraduate scholarship	$25,000
Program support endowment	$25,000
Undergraduate research endowment	$20,000
Endowed book fund	$10,000

Endowments are and will continue to be one of the most important gifts to the university, and we will continue to welcome endowment gifts as we move forward through the first stages of our Campaign for Texas.

If you are interested in learning more about opportunities to invest in the School of Architecture through an endowed gift, please contact contact Julie Hooper, CFRE, Assistant Dean for Development & External Relations at 512.471.6114 or jhooper@austin.utexas.edu.

FRIENDS OF ARCHITECTURE

Friends of Architecture (FOA) is an annual giving program within the School of Architecture with a mission to increase knowledge and awareness of superior architecture, planning, and design and to advance quality education for future generations. Our members are current students, faculty, alumni, patrons, practitioners, and aficionados who believe in the significance of the built environment and are looking to take part in shaping its future by supporting excellence within the School of Architecture.

FOA membership benefits include involvement opportunities through the school's lectures, exhibitions, and publications and access to significant architecture and design with our exclusive tours.

How to Join
As of September 1, 2007, all donors to the Annual Fund Program who direct their gifts in the amount of $50 or more to the School of Architecture automatically receive a one-year membership to Friends of Architecture.

Make your gift today at our giving page. Click on "School of Architecture" in the right-hand menu to make your donation and start receiving your FOA benefits!

You may also make a contribution directly to FOA online. Log on to our web site to join online, learn about member benefits, and get information about upcoming tours and events.

Tours in the Works:
San Antonio with Associate Dean Kevin Alter - February 21-22, 2009

We are busy finalizing the details of our next tour to San Antonio, where we will see both contemporary and historic art and architecture in this landmark Texas city. Members will have the opportunity to tour residential projects and have exclusive behind-the-scenes access to stunning public and private spaces. FOA tours are for members only, and space is limited, so visit our web site to become a member, renew your membership, or pre-register for San Antonio.

Friends of Architecture would like to thank our Corporate Silver members and supporters Curtis & Windham Architects and Lucifer Lighting Company.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

ALUMNI UPDATES

On January 5, 2009, Tom Yantis [MSCRP '95] will be joining BWR Corporation as Vice President and Municipal Planning Team Lead and will be based out of the Round Rock, Texas, office. Tom will be leaving his position as Assistant City Manager for the City of Georgetown, Texas, that he has held since 1999. BWR Corporation is an award-winning multidiscipline engineering and architecture firm, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri.

Marcela Abadi Rhoads [B.Arch. '91] from Dallas was selected to be a jury member of the Sustainable Building Industry Council's national competition called Beyond Green: High Performance Buildings Awards Program. The awards recognize projects not only for their sustainability, but also for accessibility, aesthetics, cost effectiveness, and healthy and secure buildings. There were 41 entries, and the winner will be announced in a reception in Washington, D.C., where two members of Congress will address the group.

ALUMNI EVENTS

We want you to stay involved and connected to the school, so join us for one of our many upcoming alumni events:

• Houston Alumni & Friends Reception at The Grove Restaurant - Wednesday, February 11, 2009
• CRP @ 50 Alumni Gathering - February 27-28, 2009
• Class of 1959 Reunion - April 30 - May 1, 2009
• AIA Alumni Reception in San Francisco - Thursday, April 30, 2009
• School of Architecture 100th Anniversary Celebration - Sunday, October 10, 2010

Being an alum has its benefits! As an alumnus of the School of Architecture, you will have many opportunities for ongoing contact with the school and our alumni community:

• Social and intellectual enrichment at one of our annual socials or mixers
  
• Expanded networks for professional growth and development by attending our series of lectures and exhibits
  
• Connections with UTSOA students, staff, and faculty, and continued involvement in the welfare and future of the school by joining Friends of Architecture

We are continuing our effort to find (and maintain) the most accurate contact information for all of our alumni. Stay in touch with former classmates--update your record and contact preferences by logging on to the university's online alumni directory.

More details will be available on the School of Architecture alumni web page as the events approach. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu or 512.471.0617.

Events

For the latest updates, check out the online UTSOA Calendar.

EXHIBIT

November 5 through November 26
Mebane Gallery
Goldsmith Hall

"31 SWISS SCHOOLS: Umberto Dindo"

CENTER LUNCH FORUM SERIES

The Center for American Architecture and Design hosts a Friday Lunch Forum Series from 12:00 to 1:30 in the Battle Hall Conference Room (room 101).

The aim of the series is for faculty and students to meet in an informal atmosphere to debate topics and to share ideas about history, practice, theory, and new directions for architecture. Forum topics/titles are confirmed a week prior to each forum date. Visit the Center web site for updates. The final forum on the fall 2008 schedule is:

• November 21, Ulrich Dangel, "Sustainable Timber Construction in Vorarlberg"

The Friday Forum is also webcast live (visit the Center's web site), and you are invited to call in live with questions or comments during the discussion at 512.471.9890.

CITY FORUM SERIES

City Forum is a planning and urban issues speaker series hosted by the Community and Regional Planning Student Organization (CRPSO) and the Community and Regional Planning Program (CRP) at The University of Texas at Austin. The bi-weekly speakers series is intended to broaden the curriculum in the CRP Program by presenting the experiences, perspectives, and insights of scholars, community leaders, practicing planners, and policy makers who engage in timely issues.

• November 21, "Development of the Poor or the Poverty of Development?: Towards a Pedagogy of Inequality from the Perspective of Indigenous Women in Chiapas, Mexico"
  Texas Union, Eastwoods Room, 2.102, noon to 1:30 p.m.
  
  Rosalinda Santis Díaz, a long-time indigenous activist from the highland region of the state of Chiapas, Mexico, will discuss the ways in which women and men of indigenous communities in Chiapas experience inequality day to day through a lack of education, health services, and economic opportunities. She challenges indigenous women to contextualize their conditions within the larger map of inequality. She will also talk about the ways communities organize to improve their immediate conditions as well as to contest the broader system.
  
  Raquel Pacheco, an alum of the UT Latin American Studies master's program, will discuss development projects designed and directed by the Mexican state and international organizations, such as the Inter-American Development Bank. She will discuss the consequences of these development projects, in particular the ways in which they undercut the livelihoods of indigenous peoples in Chiapas.
  
  Sean Sellers, a student in the UT Latin American Studies master's program, will talk about the impact of NAFTA on social and economic conditions in Mexico, especially how NAFTA has contributed to changes in the agricultural livelihoods of rural communities and driven many people to migrate.
  
  This City Forum is co-sponsored by the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies.

For questions, comments, or suggestions related to City Forum, contact Jenni Minner or Dr. Bjorn Sletto.

EXHIBIT

September 15, 2008, through January 16, 2009
Visual Resources Collection
Sutton Hall 3.128 (Monday-Friday, 8-5)

"Architecture in Mongolia Through the Ages"

In 2006, recent graduate Michael Bricker [M.Arch. '08] received a School of Architecture Mebane Endowed Traveling Scholarship to visit Mongolia to design an energy-efficient home for a family in the community of Yeroo. Michael invited fellow student Ami Mehta [M.Arch. '08] to assist with the research and design of the proposed home. Together, Michael and Ami decided to expand the scope of the project to include two independent study courses to research Mongolian architectural history--specifically the ger, Chinese Buddhist temples, and Soviet civic buildings--and to investigate the architectural consequences of a newly democratic, modern Mongolia. During their stay in Mongolia, Michael, Ami, and Peace Corps colleague Jacob Knight documented the built environment. They have contributed almost four hundred digital images, along with descriptive metadata, to the SOA Visual Resources Collection.

The images in this exhibit represent a small sampling of images selected from the group that are available for use by the university community as part of the VRC's online Image Collection.

CONTACTS

In this fast-paced world, there's a lot of news to keep up with. We know you are doing great things, and we rely on you not only to share your stories, but also to keep us up-to-date on your contact information so that we can share our stories with you. Alumni, please send your news and contact updates to Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations Stacy Manning at smanning@austin.utexas.edu. Students, faculty, and staff may send updates to eNews editor Pamela Peters at p.peters@mail.utexas.edu.

UT-Austin School of Architecture
soa.utexas.edu

Dean's Office
512.471.1922, fax 512.471.0716

Center for American Architecture and Design
christinewong@mail.utexas.edu, 512-471-9890

Center for Sustainable Development
teresacarr@mail.utexas.edu, 512.475.7995

Assistant Dean for Development
Julie Hooper, jhooper@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.6114

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Jeanne Crawford, jcraw@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.0109

Graduate Program Coordinator
Rosemin Gopaul, gopaul@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.0134

Associate Director of Constituent and Alumni Relations
Stacy Manning, smanning@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.0617

Director, Career Services Center
Carrie O'Malley, carrie.omalley@austin.utexas.edu, 512.471.1333

Publications Editor
Pamela Peters, p.peters@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.0154

Events Coordinator
Barbara Terrell, bdt@mail.utexas.edu, 512.471.8187

Materials Lab
http://soa.utexas.edu/matlab, 512.232.5969

Visual Resources Collection
http://soa.utexas.edu/vrc/, 512.471.0143

Architecture and Planning Library
www.lib.utexas.edu/apl/, 512.495.4620

Webmaster
Christopher Rankin, crankin@mail.utexas.edu, 512.495.4620

UTSOA Mailing Address
The University of Texas at Austin
School of Architecture
1 University Station B7500
Austin, TX 78712-0222