Report: UT Professors Provide Good Return on Investment
In the midst of an ongoing debate about how efficiently Texas colleges and universities manage taxpayer money, UT Austin has released a report saying its instructors generate nearly twice as much revenue through research funding and educational dollars as they cost the state in salary and benefits.
The report, authored by College of Liberal Arts Associate Dean Marc Musick, analyzes data released earlier this year by the UT System. A UT press release highlights some of the report's key findings:
All instructors generated about $658 million in teaching and research-related revenue in 2009-10. They were paid about $318 million in salary and benefits from state funds. On average, tenured and tenure track faculty members earn $129,000 in salary and benefits from state funds, and each generates $280,000 in educational and research funding. Among the one-fifth of instructors who teach the most semester credit hours, 56.8 percent are tenured and tenure track faculty members. Of those who teach the fewest semester credit hours, 77.2 percent are graduate students or non-tenured faculty.
While the report points out some successes, it also says UT can do better. It lists recommendations to push productivity higher, such as providing incentives to reward faculty who apply for grants and reconsidering the teaching mix to make sure there is a good balance of large and small classes.
Bluesman Doyle Bramhall Sr. Passes Away
Singer, songwriter and blues drummer Doyle Bramhall Senior passed away over the weekend at his home in Alpine. Bramhall was a key figure in helping establish Austin’s blues scene in the 70's. He wrote and co-wrote several songs for Stevie Ray Vaughan and released three of his own albums.
Bramhall's most recent was his 2007 Grammy-nominated solo album Is It News. The Continental Club hosted a memorial show last night in Bluesman Doyle Bramhall’s honor. He was 62 years old. Funeral plans are pending.
UT Drops in Polls, Whittaker Injured
The Texas Longhorns have dropped off of the latest Associated Press Top 25 college football poll following their 17-5 loss this weekend to Missouri. The Horns are now 23rd in the latest BCS standings.
Longhorns senior running back Fozzy Whittaker is out for the season. Here's more from Texasfootball.com:
Longhorns senior running back Fozzy Whittaker sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee at Missouri on Saturday, will undergo surgery and be out for the season, Texas Head Athletic Trainer for Football Kenny Boyd confirmed on Sunday. Whittaker, who leads the Horns with nine TDs (six rushing, one receivng, two kickoff returns) and 955 all-purpose yards, sustained the injury in the first quarter of the game.
Rain in the Forecast!
Austin has a 40 percent chance of rain tonight. Heavy rainfall is possible after midnight. Tuesday's forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. We could get one to two inches of rainfall.