The City of Austin
Austin is known for many things — fantastic barbecue, South by Southwest, the capital of Texas and the live music capital of the world, Zilker Park, the Barton Springs Pool, the Pennybacker Bridge, the LBJ Presidential Library, and much more. Throughout this great city and state, another noteworthy claim to fame includes universities with a rich background of academic excellence, especially when it comes to the history of the University of Texas at Austin.
The Foundation of UT
The foundation of UT can be traced back to 1876 when Article 10, Section 7 of the Texas Constitution was passed: “The legislature shall as soon as practicable establish, organize and provide for the maintenance, support and direction of a University of the first class, to be located by a vote of the people of this State, and styled, ‘The University of Texas,’ for the promotion of literature, and the arts and sciences…”
By September 1883, UT held its opening ceremony in an unfinished building where the Tower is now located. To continue strengthening the cornerstone of academic excellence, in 1905, the Latin words “Disciplina, Praesidium, Civitatis” were adopted as UT’s motto, which was inspired by a quote from Mirabeau B. Lamar, former president of the Republic of Texas — “A cultivated mind is the guardian genius of democracy.”
Present Day UT
Fast forward to the present day, and impressive numbers reflect how UT has grown to become an outstanding educational beacon for students around the world:
- More than 50,000 students are enrolled, which ranks in the top 40 universities in the world.
- Students have the option to choose from nearly 400 degree programs with a plethora of options for undergraduate and graduate study.
- 400 study abroad programs are available in nearly 80 countries.
- UT consists of 431 acres with 17 libraries, seven museums, and 15 career centers.
- More than 3,000 teaching faculty are employed at the university.
- Alumni encompass more than 482,000 people worldwide.
- 140 countries are represented by international student enrollment at UT.
And here’s a fun fact about UT: The Harry Ransom Center located on campus is home to one of 20 complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the world. Printed on the Gutenberg press in the early 1450s in Germany, this was the first book to be mass-produced from movable metal type on the revolutionary printing press invented by the bible’s namesake, Johannes Guttenberg.
Famous UT Alumni
UT also has a stand-out list of notable names who have called the Austin campus home, including, athletes, singers, celebrities, etc. — Matthew McConaughey, Farrah Fawcett, Emmanuel Acho, Wes Anderson, Stacey Abrams, Janis Joplin, and Walter Cronkite, just to name a few.