An association for alumni and supporters of The Daily Texan, student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin

News & Updates

Texas A&M president resigns after turmoil over bungled hiring of UT professor to lead new journalism department

From The Texas Tribune – July 21, 2023 By Kate McGee After a week of turmoil over the botched hiring of a Black journalist to revive the Texas A&M University journalism department, M. Katherine Banks has resigned as the university’s president. Mark A. Welsh III, dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service, will serve as acting president until the Board of Regents can meet to name an interim president. Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp has recommended they appoint Welsh as an interim until the board can do a national search for a new president. Banks’ resignation […]

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Lady Bird, and her life at The Daily Texan…and beyond…..

From The Drag Audio Production House The Drag Audio Production House at the University of Texas at Austin has released  its newest podcast, ‘Lady Bird,’ which explores the life and legacy of one of Texas’ most iconic figures. The ‘Lady Bird’ podcast has been years in the making. The project first began in 2021 with the support of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation and Lady Bird Johnson’s family. Podcast host Jade Emerson, a 2023 journalism graduate, spent over a year interviewing Lady Bird Johnson’s family, friends and White House staffers. The podcast also features the first couple’s daughter Luci Baines […]

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Drag Audio House moves to Texas Student Media; new roles for Quigley and Outka

  By Sofia Vargas Karam / The Drag Audio Robert Quigley had a job opportunity – so he called up a long-time friend to get her advice. He met Katey Psencik Outka on a warm early October day in 2020 at Radio Coffee in South Austin. They sat on the patio to do what they had been doing for years – bounce ideas off each other. In 2012 and 2013, Outka had taken Quigley’s classes at the University of Texas when she was a journalism student, and they had remained friends after she graduated. During their coffee, Quigley told her […]

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3 new senior editors to lead The Daily Texan in coming year

Three Daily Texan staffers have been selected to management positions to lead The Daily Texan during the coming year. The new editor-in-chief will be Lucero Ponce, the Summer Managing Editor will be Kamryn Brownlee and the Fall Managing Editor will be Morgan Severson.    Lucero Ponce Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Texan for the 2023-2024 school year Lucero Ponce is a rising junior studying journalism and Mexican American & Latino studies. Lucero has spent most of her time at The Daily Texan’s opinion department since her freshman year. She’s worked as a senior columnist and associate editor. Lucero primarily wrote columns advocating for underrepresented communities. During […]

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Rachel Davis Mersey appointed Interim Dean of the Moody College of Communication

Rachel Davis Mersey has been appointed Interim Dean of the Moody College of Communication. She has served as Associate Dean for Research at Moody College and held the Jesse H. Jones Centennial Professorship in the School of Journalism and Media since 2020. In addition to her teaching, research, and leadership roles at UT, Dr. Mersey has spent the last two years collaborating with Meta to build the company’s platform for research partnerships. Dr. Mersey replaces Dr Jay Bernhardt who will serve as the next President of Emerson College. With experience as a professional journalist at the Arizona Republic and azcentral.com […]

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In Memoriam: Mark Worth

Mark Worth Died June 7, 2023 Washington, D.C. Mark Worth, a copy editor who spent nearly two decades at the Miami Herald and most recently worked at The Washington Post, was found dead June 7 at his home in Washington. He was 42. His mother, Dianne Worth, confirmed the death. A spokeswoman for the office of the D.C. medical examiner said determination of the cause of death was pending an autopsy and further tests. Mr. Worth spent much of his career at the Herald, where he was lead copy editor on many investigative stories and also had stints as a […]

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Guest Essay from The New York Times: College Students Have Something to Say. It’s Just Not What You’d Expect.

By Jonathan Malesic Mr. Malesic teaches writing at the University of Texas at Dallas. April 7, 2023 In the debate over free speech and social justice, commentators on the right and the “heterodox” left often claim that college students are all either stridently liberal or cowed into silence by those who are. As someone who has spent two decades teaching at colleges large and small, public and private, I don’t recognize this description — and it’s not because I think that it’s conservative students who are dominating the discourse. In my experience, college students are all too reluctant to express strong […]

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In Memoriam: Hoyt Purvis

Hoyt Purvis Died May 26, 2023 Fayetteville, AR.   Former Daily Texan Editor Hoyt Purvis has died at age 83. Purvis was a UT graduate, Texan editor, and later worked at the Houston Chronicle. His life was dedicated to journalism, education and he served as a political adviser for key figures in Washington for many years; he also worked on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign. The full obituary from Legacy.com is posted below. From Legacy.com Hoyt Hughes Purvis, 83, of Fayetteville, AR, passed away peacefully on May 26, 2023. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend and […]

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to UT: 61 years later

This month, exactly 61 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. visited the University of Texas to speak out against racism and segregation. Next week, Tuesday, March 28, the Institute for Historical Studies in the College of Liberal Arts, will host a panel discussion: “They Were There: Martin Luther Kings’ Visit to UT Austin in 1962” The discusssion will include two former Daily Texan reporters from that era plus other experts on Dr. King and his fight against segregation. Panel members include: — Jeanne Graves, Bachelor of Journalism at UT, 1962, past reporter and editor for The Daily Texan — David Crossley, […]

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Grants to honor UT Journalism faculty members

Two annual awards for Daily Texan staff members have been created in honor of journalism professors at the University of Texas at Austin. The Faculty Recognition Award is a cash award designed to honor the extraordinary efforts of outstanding faculty, and the awards go to Texan staffers who have made significant contributions working for The Daily Texan in spite of financial hardship. This is made possible by award-winning photojournalists John McConnico of Texas and Jean-Marc Bouju of France, both former Daily Texan staffers and both Pulitzer Prize winners and members of The Daily Texan Hall of Fame, sponsored by Friends […]

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