University Lecture Report
Monday, September 22, 2025, 6:00-7:00 PM
Cultivating Community in a Changing World
with Dr. Richard Reddick, Dr. S. Craig Watkins, Mark Strama
Hogg Auditorium
Dr. RICHARD REDDICK, Ed. D.
Dr. S. CRAIG WATKINS, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Information and Media, Moody College of Communication
DIRECTOR MARK STRAMA
Director, Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life Professor of Practice, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Moody College of Communication
Tonight, we will explore ways to create opportunities and engage with campus life, foster authentic relationships in virtual and hybrid spaces, and participate in civic life to shape the communities were part of.
The 3 dynamic speakers exploring the theme: You Belong Here: Cultivating Community in a Changing World
First Speaker- Dr Richard Reddick
serves as Sr vice provost for career education
worked at MIT and Emory, and Harvard
teaches signature course called “black austin matters”
He shouts out his class, UGS 303 black austin matters
1000 ppl in Hogg auditorium rn
He leads Texas Fight chant: Texas on right side of stage, and Fight on left side of stage
Starts his speech
we are social animals, were better off in groups rather than by ourselves
over 30 yrs ago he was in our shoes
getting involved and engaged in our community is important
Professor achievements are lifetime, day to day items are not as overwhelming.
Dr shows us pictures on slides
shows a picture of him and his mom
tells us that family is here in college with us in spirit
recommends parents attend parent weekend
we all got here because someone at home supported us
another picture is one of him at leadership texas union
The union is a place where you can show up and say “wahts going on”
there are events, concerts, lectures
not limited by major or year
can get involved in campus through the union
Bottom left hand corner
orientation advisor with group
a mentor helped out the Dr previously by telling them to become an OA
he was not very extroverted, but we need OAs from every possible background and identity
go to know what PCL and FLC stood for
learned a lot through working as an OA about UT and you might work with people that end up working at UT
Sanger Learning Center hires students
On campus jobs are more understanding of student’s schedule
middle picture is dr in texas silver spurs outfit
he took care of bevo (2 ton steer)
coolest thing that happened to him
spirit orgs are many to be involved in at ut austin
theres a spirit org for everyone
More pictures on next slide
left hand corner picture upper left hand
you need 3 ppl to form a student org
Started Texas Blazers
One day wheel of fortune was there on campus, and dr tried it out, was on college team, and won thousands of dollars in money from it.
ended up being an entry way to game show experience, he got on jeopardy and other game shows through this experience
Dr was an RA for four years bc he loved to help students and got to do a lot
super rewarding
some ppl that worked w him as an RA even attended his wedding
Bottom left hand corner
Cartoon strip
he knew somoene that drew for cartoon newspaper and they drew him for the comic strip.
This guy goes on to make Chowder and so on, and dr got to know him through getting involved
one of us in the audience will be doing this lecture in the future
Speaker concludes with..
Run your race at your own pace
Both applying heavily and not applying at all to catch up is ok
Build community
connect with peers, professors, staff, alumns (2 of each! per semester!)
Access the resources you paid for alr
sanger learning center
UT things are challenging
accept it and acknowledge it, BUT YOU BELONG HERE
Second Speaker -Dr. S. CRAIG WATKINS, Ph.D.
Comments on wonderful packed house
was a UT graduate himself
lived all over the country but always intended to come back to Texas
congratulated everyone in audience for getting into UT (it is competitive!)
introduces dilemma we all face:
5 yrs of so ago the US study showed that loneliness has become an epidemic in this country
This epidemic is NOT a disease, yet it has an impact on our mental wellbeing
Loneliness is something that has been 40 or 50 years in the making
mentions book called “Bowling Alone”
Have you ever seen someone bowling by themselves?
NO! this is usually a social activity
we mostly go there for the community and social convenience to share an event with family and friends
this book shows americans participate in events that bring us together, we chose to go bc we knew that there would be ppl there that share a connection with
This can be related to faith based orgs,
these kinds of social activities have been declining recently= we are more and more isolated from each other.
we spend more time on our phones than interacting with our colleagues?
Why do we experience such loneliness in our lives?
Some of us come from culture shock of surrounded by so many ppl doesnt correlate with us immediately being connected with them
The loneliness epidemic ISNT from physical proximity (ex: class, lectures, etc), but from no connection to others in a way that makes them feel cared for
We shouldn’t feel ashamed to feel lonely
How do we respond to this feeling?
As we begin to use artificial intelligence, we usuallly use it for academic achievement. (ex: paper or hw) this was an issue, violating ethical principles. However, we should use ai to enable us to flourish
some ppl use this ai as companions
you get advice from ai, hangout, etc as shown in news
some ppl spiral, and develop a deep emotional connection in what is essentially a machine
many ppl feel a deep connection to this tech bc we can say things to them that we cannot share with others for a variety of reasons
ai doesnt mock
ai doesnt judge
tendency to feel more relaxed and open with things that may be private or personal
Dr suggests that technology is a part of life, but establish boundaries as to what a safe connection and relationship is.
dont let ppl down when theyre at their most vulnerable
find ppl that care, support, and connect you to other resources that bring you out of a tough moment
WE ALL experience tough moments, its part of dealing with adversity and part of life
Anxiety and stress is not something to feel ashamed of
It’s ok to have tech integrated into our lives, but figure out a way to do it that’s safe.
UT, like many universities, have dedicated resources to provide you with support
each college has a health counselor
you are not alone, even if at times it may feel that way
Make sure to know when to and when not to depend on technology
dr concludes by wishing us success and congratulating once more on admission to UT
Third Speaker- DIRECTOR MARK STRAMA
teaches signature course titled “pathways to civic engagement”
director introduces concept of imposter syndrome
mentions how all hes got is a bachelors, hes not a doctor like the other speakers onstage
EVERYONE experiences imposter syndrome, unless theyre a pathological narcissist
when you’re in a room where you feel out of place, everyone else does too!
worked at google for 10 yrs and was a politician for 10 yrs
whoever feels imposter syndrome the most is the most important in the room
shows us slides about polarization- ways we can come together across political divides
shows picture of a left facing duck/ right facing rabbit on slides
he says for audience to guess
audience is undecided
he points out BOTH animals are there
shows infamous blue/black/white/gold dress
audience laughs at internet reference
he says for audience to guess while raising hands
this picture launched neuroscience field research
this research uncovered the pic was taken on old cam, through window, highly pixelated, and badly lit
shows that there is not enough info to know what color it is or isnt.
if we saw the dress irl, we’d all see it the same colors
dress is in acutality blue and black
when brain is encountered with ambiguity, it replaced that ambiguity with conviction and certainty.
even after seeing that the dress is actually blue and black, director says he still thinks its gold and white
metaphor for politics, despite it being explained
shows picture of strawberry dessert with filter
brain uses its priors to cause u to see red, when theres no red pixels in the image
shows HOW MINDS CHANGE BOOK-
shows letter written to daughter to encourage audience
there is someone somewhere as proud of you as the director is of his daughter
everyone has imposter syndrome
say yes
the next 12 years of your life, youre a sponge, youll learn and grow so much, that every time you are given a choice to say yes or no, always say yes.
director in his 20s had a practice to always say yes
sometimes this would result in a thing he didnt enjoy
however, rare times lightning struck and found a lifelong friend or mentor he wouldnt have found if he had said no
put yourself in the path of opportunity
in camp, daughter was scared everyone was going to be phone zombies
youve never been lost, we used to be lost all the time, bc most audience was born 2007, but so was phone
what advice would u give ur former self if u were in college
take more photos
what advice would u give ur former self if u were in college today
take less photos
you cant take away your phone and expect to be connected to peers bc peers mihgt also be on phones
we’re not designed to scroll past many items on social media
social media is a rollercoaster run
you have to find a way to slow that down put that phone down
youll get back from the world the energy you put into it
everyone feels unwelcome at first, so still make the first move to make others comfortable
concludes by congratulating audience on being admitted to UT
Host speaker asks for round of applause for all three speakers and then starts q & a section
first speaker responds to first Q by stating that he wishes he studied abroad
third speaker responds by stating that he worked for small time senator over large senator. Sometimes the road less traveled is the right path, he had a longer resume than if he would have gone with the other choice, find mentors along college journey
Second Q: waht was y=something u struggeld w the first yer of college
second speaker says that youre discovering yourself barely, and thats a fine place to be and thats where he was at
it wasnt until his 2nd or 3rd yr he figured out exactly what he wanted to do
treat this first year as a year of discovery
learn about yourself, explore diff orgs, diff events, diff activities
theres nothing like a university campus
be exposed to ideas, events, and other things you wouldnt get exposed to otherwise
you can also reinvent yourself
you can figure out eevrything your first year
FIRST speaker talks about struggling academically
was ashamed and embarrased and just took it, didnt take resources
that led to depression
he “crashed out” (audience laughs)
you have to learn to get help when you need it, and prioritize your mental health if youre not making any studying progress
run your own race at your own pace
some ppl take a bit longer to blossom
just know its ok to have some dificulties bc life happpens
YOU HAVE ASSISTANCE, help, and many resources on campus to avoid suffering in silence.
THIRD SPEAKER- you have already acheived alot so making a B here will be a setback at first
however, that first setback is proof that youve been overcoming
HOst speaker thanks eevyrone and wishes everyone a wonderful rest of semester