UTD’s School of Social Sciences Adopts New Name: School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
New ‘Brand’ Clarifies School’s Focus
RICHARDSON, Texas (July 24, 2006) — The University of Texas System Board of Regents and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board have approved a new name for the School of Social Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) – the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences – to better reflect the academic focus and offerings of the rapidly-growing organization.
The name change was prompted by the school’s dean, Dr. Brian Berry, a world-renowned geographer, economic and urban development expert and member of the National Academy of Sciences, who wanted a new “brand” for the school that provides a more accurate, transparent view of its activities.
“The change recognizes the school’s rapid development along a path that emphasizes commitment to strong analytic foundations, interdisciplinary scholarship and research and a broad and deep interface with public policy,” Berry said.
According to Berry, the new name was adopted by a majority vote of the school’s faculty from among several possibilities. “It was thought to better reflect the breadth of faculty interests and the strong public policy orientation,” he said.
The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences is one of seven schools at UTD and offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in a broad range of fields, including criminology, economics and finance, geography, geospatial science, government and politics, political science, public affairs and sociology.
The school has grown rapidly in recent years, with the number of student majors rising 65 percent since 2002 to the current level of 1,222. To keep pace with the student growth, faculty numbers are increasing, with seven new arrivals this year and 12 others scheduled to join the school in 2007.
Among the recent arrivals are a former program director for economics at the National Science Foundation, a world leader in geospatial science and a retiring deputy administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the federal Office of Management and Budget. Next year, a top-ranked economist from the University of Southern California is among those who will join the school.
Degree programs are expanding as well, as is the school’s research portfolio. The school recently began offering Ph.D. degrees for the first time in economics, geospatial science, political science and public affairs, and hopes to receive approval for a doctoral degree program in criminology. Total current research dollars awarded to the school’s faculty reached a record level of nearly $5 million with the recent addition of two grants totaling almost $1.5 million.
Berry said that it is not a coincidence that the adoption of a new school name occurred as UTD implements an ambitious university-wide strategic plan that articulates the institution’s goal of becoming a major public research university.
“The School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences will be an important contributor to UTD’s drive to become a top university,” he said. “We desire – and fully expect – to join the top echelon of our peer organizations throughout the nation.”
Berry said that the school was moving “expeditiously” to make the new name visible by placing it on letterhead, signage and the school’s web site.
About UTD
- Updated: July 26, 2006
