Today, students return to The University of Texas at Austin for the 2022-23 academic year. Our University’s celebrated motto is “What Starts Here Changes the World.” Whether our students are pursuing degrees in law, policy, engineering, business, or government, one thing is certain: the world they will seek to change will look very different from today’s. For we confront a world in flux: Russian troops in Ukraine. Taiwan under threat. Artificial intelligence augmenting, or even replacing, humans in war and espionage. Cyber-insecurity reshaping homeland security, intelligence collection, and military affairs. 

Our Center honors Robert Strauss, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Moscow during a similarly dramatic change: the end of the Soviet Union and the birth of the new Russian Federation. Ambassador Strauss embodied bipartisanship, pragmatism, and optimism about the future of Texas and America. 

In his spirit, the Strauss Center seeks to prepare students for the world of today and the future that is being born. In 2022-23, we will continue our groundbreaking work on interdisciplinary cybersecurity education, with an exciting announcement planned for this fall. We’re strengthening our focus on technology and national security, including electronic surveillance, AI ethics, and blockchains and national security. We’re developing new programs to launch UT students into national security careers. And there is much more to come. 

We, and our students, thank you for your support, which makes this pivotal work possible. 

With best wishes from all of us at the Strauss Center,

Adam Klein
Director