Strauss Center Press Conference
Remarks by President Bill Powers
LBJ Library
Monday, September 24, 2007
Good morning and welcome, everyone. We are pleased that all of you could join us on this special occasion.
Today I am happy to announce a very generous gift of $7.5 million that will have a significant impact on the study of global affairs here at The University of Texas. The contribution includes a $5 million gift from Ambassador Robert S. Strauss and a $2.5 million gift from the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Ambassador, thank you. Friends from Akin Gump, thank you.
This generous gift will be used to establish a new research center on global affairs named in honor of the Ambassador – the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
I would like to thank several people who have supported this initiative and have played key roles in the Strauss Center’s creation. Today we are honored to have with us:
- Ambassador Bob Strauss and his family
- His son, Rick Strauss, and Rick’s wife, Diana
- The Ambassador’s daughter, Susan Strauss Breen
- The Ambassador’s brother, Ted Strauss
- Members of the Akin Gump law firm – Jim Langdon, Alan Feld, Bruce McLean, Sandy Kress, and Demetrius McDaniel, among others
- Larry Temple, President of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation
- Jim Lindsay, director of the Strauss Center
- Frank Gavin, director of studies at the Strauss Center
- Members of the Strauss Center governing board, Provost Steve Leslie, Dean James Steinberg, Dean Larry Sager, Dean Randy Diehl, and Admiral Bob Inman
- And I am also pleased to recognize Regent Scott Caven, who is here to represent the UT System Board of Regents.
Thank you all for being a part of this special event!
At UT, we are fond of saying “What starts here changes the world.” In creating the Strauss Center, we are living up to our promise.
The Strauss Center will engage the best minds in the academy, government, and the private sector in developing practical solutions to the pressing problems of our increasingly globalized world. The Center seeks to enrich the public debate and give guidance to decision-makers on how to respond to dangers and opportunities in global affairs.
The Strauss Center will foster a strong cross-campus collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the School of Law. It will be a place where global issues are examined in-depth, from fresh perspectives and by new voices. It will build upon, encourage, and promote ideas from UT’s many top academic programs that are central to an understanding of the complex world we live in. Our students and faculty will benefit from interacting with scholars and practitioners who work on the front lines of these issues every day.
The Strauss Center will do one more thing. Bob Strauss is a great Texan and American. We are proud he is a Longhorn. And we are proud his name will be forever enshrined at UT as the name of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
Larry Temple and the LBJ Foundation have been involved from the very outset in our discussions to establish the Strauss Center. Larry is a UT graduate who has had a distinguished career in public service and a special relationship with both the Law School and the LBJ School. When great ideas are incubating on this campus, Larry is usually there to participate and share his experience and wisdom. Please welcome Larry Temple, president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation.
And now it is my pleasure to introduce Jim Langdon, a UT graduate and partner at Akin Gump and a recognized expert on energy law.
Akin Gump has been a great supporter of this university. They are a leading global law firm with offices in 15 cities and more than 950 attorneys and professionals worldwide. Akin Gump was founded by Bob Strauss and Richard Gump in 1945.
Please welcome Jim Langdon.
Thank you, Jim. We appreciate the generous contribution from Akin Gump to help establish this Center.
And now it is my honor to introduce Ambassador Robert Strauss. He is a renowned attorney, public servant, and distinguished UT alumnus. He served under President Jimmy Carter as the U.S. Trade Representative and special envoy to the Middle East. And he was selected by President George H. W. Bush to be the last U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union and the first Ambassador to Russia. In 1981, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.
Please welcome Ambassador Bob Strauss.
Thank you, Ambassador Strauss. We are deeply grateful to you for your generosity and leadership. Throughout your career, you have championed civil, non-partisan, responsible discourse, always encouraging the free and open exchange of ideas. This new Center will be a tribute to your integrity and your dedication to global awareness. And it will prepare a new generation of public servants to follow in your footsteps.
Thank you again.
And thank you all for joining us today. This is a great day for the University.
We will be happy to take questions from the media.
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