Faculty and Center Impact

The Index for Volunteer Involvement (IVE), an organizational self-assessment tool developed at UT Austin, is helping organizations better engage volunteers and community groups in their work.

This summer, a group of UT undergraduates and faculty traveled to Eastern Kenya to address the region’s water security issue as a part of the university’s 2023-2024 Presidential Award for Global Learning.

In spring 2023, RGK Center Director Dr. David Springer led a Policy Research Project (PRP) course through the LBJ School of Public Affairs titled “The Architecture of Happiness: Designing Policies and Programs that Promote Mental Wellbeing.” 

Dr. Springer received the award for his freshman seminar, "Designing a Happy and Meaningful Life."

On Wednesday, February 8, UT faculty and staff, community members, and students from across campus joined for a conversation with three local nonprofit leaders on measuring impact, developing strategy, and the role of philanthropy in public policy.

RGK Center professor Dr. Patrick Bixler receives a grant from NASA to create a climate atlas for Austin, working alongside local community organizations.

Austin Area Sustainability Indicators Project has released a brief outlining their research on social capital in Austin.

Dr. Becky Lentz has been selected to participate in the Public Voices Fellowship.

On Thursday April 21st, graduate students, community members, UT faculty and staff, and other supporters attended the CONNECT Community Showcase event at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For the first time since its beginning in 2019, participants in the CONNECT program gathered to learn about the impact current and former CONNECT fellow work has made on organizations that have a data challenge.

Dr. Becky Lentz has been selected as one of several City Fellows (three university-based and several community-based) for the 2021-2022 academic year affiliated with UT Austin’s Equitable and Regenerative Cities Flagship Project.

On Wednesday, March 30th, the RGK Center collaborated with the Policy Alliance for Communities of Color (PACC), a student group at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, to host an event exploring philanthropy in communities of color.

Students and faculty of the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators (A2SI) project and local organization Go Austin, Vamos Austin (GAVA) hope that this detailed, zip-code-level data can inform elected officials and empower community members to start meaningful conversations about policies affecting their health and wellbeing.  

The RGK Center hosted its first high school intern this past school year from the Practicum in Business Management course at Austin High School, taught by Center portfolio alum Nick Lebo.  

In her Philanthropy and Social Change course series, RGK Center fellow and associate adjunct faculty member Dr. Becky Lentz explores with her students the question: “How has philanthropy been used to address root causes rather than just the symptoms of systemic and structural inequality?” 

RGK Center faculty and staff are collaborating with Texas Water Foundation to develop an interactive map of the Texas water systems landscape.

The RGK Center is excited to announce the addition of a new position on our team. We welcome back one of our talented graduate students to help us grow our data programs and collaborate with the LBJ School of Public Affairs.  

RGK Center assistant professor Ji Ma recently developed a state-of-the-art machine-learning classifier that can automate the coding process for nonprofits, ultimately remapping the U.S. nonprofit sector.

David Springer, director of the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service, has been appointed as interim dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs beginning in January 2021.

AVANCE CEO Dr. Teresa Granillo reflects on her recent experience with CONNECT and her mentorship with RGK Center director David Springer.  

Austin Area Sustainability Indicators (A2SI) was recently selected for the 2020 Community Project Impact Award from the Community Indicators Consortium.

The RGK Center is excited to announce that Dr. Patrick Bixler has been appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Below is an excerpt from the LBJ School’s official announcement regarding Dr. Bixler’s appointment. 

The Austin Area Sustainability Indicators project (A²SI) is releasing its 2020 Austin Futures report focused on climate and community resilience in the Austin metro area.

Black Lives Matter and social justice advocates deserve a complete commitment from the RGK Center network to protect human life and dignity, battle inequality, dismantle systemic racism, enact meaningful policy reform, and engage in sustainable community leadership.  

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and now, more than ever, it is important for us to take time to assess and address our mental health needs.

The report, called the Greater Austin Civic Health Index, was published by the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, in partnership with the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin and the National Conference on Citizenship.

Austin’s nonprofit sector is experiencing booming growth, with community need rapidly rising and geographically expanding to levels that far outpace the delivery of service.