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.
“Dr. Patrick Bixler will be appointed as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin, with the LBJ School serving as Dr. Bixler’s academic home. This interdisciplinary appointment will contribute to the work of Planet Texas 2050, including collaboration with the Community and Regional Planning in the School of Architecture and the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School. As noted by Dean Addington at the School of Architecture, “Dr. Bixler’s scholarship and teaching will play an invaluable role in facilitating our partnership with the LBJ School as we work to build depth and breadth in the larger implications and impacts of climate change.”
Dr. Bixler’s fields of expertise include environment and natural resources, urban policy and governance, nonprofit and philanthropic studies, network science, and sustainability science. He has had previous academic positions at Texas A&M University, the University of Oregon, and a post-doctoral appointment at the Pinchot Institute for Conservation in Washington, DC.
Dr. Bixler teaches interdisciplinary courses such as Program Evaluation for Nonprofit, Public, and Social Impact Initiatives and Mobilizing the Community and Engaging Volunteers. He also directs the CONNECT Program, which matches the data projects of nonprofit organizations with graduate students seeking applied evaluation or measurement-related experience. The CONNECT Program has facilitated more than 77 projects serving local nonprofits to date.
“The students I’ve taught and worked with since being at UT are extraordinary in their passion and capacity for solving complex challenges and driving positive change," said Bixler. "I’m thrilled to continue at the LBJ School and the RGK Center in this new capacity, and continue to build collaborative projects with students and faculty in Community and Regional Planning.” Dr. Bixler’s appointment is part of a cluster hire through Planet Texas 2050, a university-wide Bridging Barriers initiative.
"Dr. Bixler is a highly accomplished scholar and well-respected teacher,” says RGK Center Director David Springer. "His appointment as an Assistant Professor strengthens the LBJ School of Public Affairs, the RGK Center, and President Johnson’s legacy, as Dr. Bixler will advance our efforts to engage in interdisciplinary work that serves our community, the state of Texas, and the nation.”