In a move that's got the Longhorns talking, the University of Texas at Austin announced the pick for a new trailblazing dean. Justin Dyer will be steering the ship at the School's Civic Leadership helm, come March 25. Dyer isn't new to the UT family; he's played a pivotal role since the school's infancy, holding the fort as interim dean following last year's roll-out. His CV isn't light either - he's notched time as a professor in government at the College of Liberal Arts and was the brains behind the University's Civitas Institute.
"UT’s longstanding tradition of churning out future leaders for Texas and the big, wide world is something we're proud to build on," UT president Jay Hartzell waxed optimistic according to a statement on the university's site. Dyer's commitment to understanding the grand experiment of American democracy seems to be the ticket to effectively prepare to outdo even themselves in educating civic leaders, who, in Hartzell's words, "can solve complex problems and make an impact on the world."
Dyer's reputation for fostering American political thought and an intrinsic grasp of natural law philosophy comes interspersed with a notable bibliography; the man's credited with eight books and a slew of essays and articles that scratch at the core of jurisprudence and constitutionalism. His tenure at the University of Missouri as founder of the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy saw him bring together a diverse body of students and scholars to sort out the nuts and bolts of constitutional democracy, stateside and abroad.
His new gig will have him continue to build, from the ground up, the University’s latest educational endeavor. Dyer aims to strengthen the school's foundation with interdisciplinary programs and court the next generation of sharp minds and educators for the cause. "We have an opportunity to build something significant at UT," Dyer projected, anticipating ushering in his students to the "founding principles and great debates of the American political tradition" as he told the university news.
Sharon L. Wood, UT's executive vice president and provost, threw her weight behind Dyer, labeling him as a "strong academic leader" who possesses an "extraordinary ability" to knit people together through a tapestry of ideas and perspectives. Her excitement about working alongside him at the School of Civic Leadership, set on becoming a "world-class institution," was palpable in her words revealed on the university's website.
Dyer, a former wrestler who snagged his undergrad degree on scholarship from the University of Oklahoma, also boasts a master's degree and Ph.D. in government from UT Austin. Folks at UT are banking on his extensive track record to give the School of Civic Leadership the kind of lift-off that'll put it on the course for sky-high achievements.
