Former Daily Texan editor-in-chief, Daily Texan Hall of Fame honoree and long-time New York Times reporter John Schwartz is returning to the University of Texas, teaching journalism at his alma mater and serving as associate director of U.T.’s new Global Sustainability Leadership Institute. Here is his departure column from “Times Insider,” a feature published regularly in the Times to give readers insight into how the NYT works and into the people who work for it. A Long, Joyful Ride You know you have a good job when it lets you try a jetpack. But after 21 years of thrills at The […]
Read more →WASHINGTON – William Valdez, a former Daily Texan staffer, has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security. Valdez was one of nine individuals nominated to serve in key roles. Valdez covered national politics while at The Texan and attended and reported for The Daily Texan from the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit. He was a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman from 1980-84. The nine nominees are: William Valdez, Nominee for Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security Erik Hooks, Nominee for Deputy Administrator for Federal Emergency Management Agency […]
Read more →Joe Galloway, a native of Refugio, Texas and one of America’s most outstanding war journalists, died Aug. 18 in North Carolina at the age of 79. If you don’t know Joe, you may recall his book, “We Were Soldiers Once – And Young,” co-authored with Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. The book was turned into a movie of the same name, starring Mel Gibson and Samuel Elliott, and focusing on the first major battle during the Vietnam War. Joe was a journalist trying to get a better look at the real war, and hopped onto a helicopter with troops headed to […]
Read more →A 40-year labor of literary love, enhanced by detailed in-person interviews, is complete. “Growing Up in the Lone Star State: Notable Texans Remember Their Childhoods” is now available to readers. Co-author Gaylor Finklea Hecker – a former Daily Texan staff member – and co-author and colleague Marianne Odom are now celebrating publication of the book, and beginning of a marketing campaign, including a tweet from Kay Bailey Hutchison, noting that the “fabulous book…illustrates the unique spirit of Texas ingrained from childhood.” It’s available at UT Press, Amazon and BookPeople in Austin, nestled between works by Stephen Harrigan (who praised the […]
Read more →Please mark Friday, Oct. 1 for the Friends of The Daily Texan annual Hall of Fame dinner on the University of Texas campus. The scheduled dinner/reunion will include honoring the 2021 Daily Texan Hall of Fame winners, and announcement of scholarships grants for eight Daily Texan staff members. The dinner is planned for the Shirley Bird Perry Ballroom, in The Texas Union Building. Tentative start time is 6 p.m. All health protocols in place by The Union and the University of Texas will be followed, and additional info will be provided as the event draws closer. At this time The […]
Read more →The Friends of The Daily Texan Board of Directors has voted to fund an additional scholarship for a Texan staffer, bringing the total to 5 annual grants provided by the Friends plus three generous grants from former Texan staffers. Those three additional grants include one from Becky and Jerry Conn, and two from John McConnico and Jean-Marc Bouju. The additional $1,000 annual Friends scholarship will go to a staff member who has shown an interest in sports coverage. In addition, two $500 runner-up awards to the Friends of The Daily Texan Award have been increased from $500 each to $1,000 […]
Read more →A portion of money raised during a recent fund-raising campaign by Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. will be used to support the online effort of the student newspaper at the University of Texas. The board of directors of the Friends group recently voted to fully fund for a 12-month period the cost of infrastructure, web tools and technical support for the student newspaper’s recently relaunched website, thedailytexan.com. In addition, a portion of the grant would also allow employment of an intern to provide assistance and technical help in support of further growth and development of the website. The board […]
Read more →The ongoing Friends of The Daily Texan fund-drive has reached $31,460, all to be used for Texan scholarships, project needs and other items to support the student newspaper at The University of Texas at Austin. The recent fund drive focused on raising donations to replace revenue lost by cancellation of the Friends’ group 2020 annual dinner due to the pandemic. You may view the list of recent donors here: https://friendsofthedailytexan.com/donors-to-the-texan/ The fund drive began last September and brought in $8,700 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020 from 40 donors. Continuation of the fund drive from Jan. 1 resulted in […]
Read more →The Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc. board of directors has elected three new board members: veteran journalism instructor and journalist Griff Singer, Texas state politics reporter Madlin Mekelburg and long-time New Orleans journalist John Pope. Please take a moment to review their stellar bios below and check out the board of directors page here. Madlin Mekelburg Madlin is a state politics reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, where she writes about environmental issues and state spending. Madlin is a recipient of the Friends of The Daily Texan Rising Star award. She has previously worked for PolitiFact Texas and the […]
Read more →Now, more than ever, The Daily Texan needs your help. When Covid-19 hit hard a year ago, The Daily Texan was prospering, excelling editorially, fully staffed. And Texas Student Media was headed for a strong year built around an aggressive budget. A year later, The Texan perseveres, making sure the UT campus gets the coverage it deserves and needs. The adjustment has not been easy. To weather the pandemic, student journalist salaries have been cut at The Texan, and staff reductions have taken place at Texas Student Media. The Friends of The Daily Texan, Inc., an 8-year-old non-profit founded to […]
Read more →