You can change the world one iSchool student at a time

What starts here changes the world. And this fall, The University of Texas at Austin’s School of Information is launching a brand-new undergraduate program in Informatics — the first bachelor’s degree offered at the school. And we’re inviting you to be one of the first to invest in its successful launch! 

Right now, we plan to have 100 students admitted for the Fall 2021 semester. These will be 100 outstanding future world-changers who need the support of 100 proud Longhorns like you.

So we’re inviting you to give today, knowing that your donation by March 15 will be doubled by a $10,000 matching grant from the dean’s office. Seeing 100 friends like you respond by this deadline will help the school as we budget for the launch of the program in the fall. 

Here’s the power of your donation today…

• $25 helps a student with printing or supplies for a poster presentation.
• $100 covers a semester’s worth of supplies for a student taking a conservation class.
• $250 covers half of a student scholarship for one semester.
• $500 helps a student cover the cost of textbooks for a semester.
• $1,000 allows the school to hire a professional photographer to take headshots of our students for their use upon graduation.

Students who enroll in the iSchool’s interdisciplinary undergraduate program can choose to pursue either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science in Informatics (BSI) degree and select from six major concentrations: human-centered data science and user experience (UX) design, social justice informatics, health informatics, cultural heritage informatics and social informatics.  

“This Informatics program is the perfect opportunity for students to earn a degree in a field that intersects with every aspect of the digital world we live in,” says Natasha Saldaña, the iSchool’s undergraduate program coordinator. “iSchoolers graduate prepared to use their training in informatics to change the world.”

Informatics is a unique discipline with a wide-ranging impact on society, according to Jeffery Willett, the undergraduate academic advisor at the iSchool.

“Our program will prepare students to secure, analyze, design and implement information while also providing them with strong, people-focused skills,” says Jeffrey Willett, undergraduate academic advisor at the iSchool . “In other words, we go beyond educating our students in technical fluency by equally emphasizing social justice, equity and the importance of a people-first approach to information and technology.”

Ken Fleischmann, professor and director of undergraduate studies at the School of Information, shares…

“We have never been more reliant on information technologies, nor more aware of the potential downsides of disinformation, cybersecurity risks, algorithmic bias and digital inequality. 

“We need to leverage the power of information to do good in the world, which requires innovative educational programs. 

“The iSchool’s new undergraduate major in Informatics will prepare students for high-tech careers where they can design more user-centered information technologies, leverage data to benefit society and serve the public interest. They will design partnerships between humans and artificial intelligence-based technologies that respect human rights and values and create a more equitable and just society."

This is a tremendous opportunity for you to impact the lives of Longhorns today who will change the world tomorrow. So please give generously by the March 15 deadline — knowing that any gift you give will be doubled, up to $10,000.

Thank you, and hook ’em!