The University of Texas System
 |
|
The STATE OF TOMORROW� crew interviews Thomas W. Burke, M.D., Executive Vice President and Physician-in-Chief at M. D. Anderson
|
Texas� 13 public television stations reach eight million households across the state. With its new television series, STATE OF TOMORROW�: Rising Challenges. Higher Education Solutions., The University of Texas System hopes to be an invited guest in a healthy number of those households.
�We want people to understand that higher education doesn�t only enhance individual students� lives,� says Mark G. Yudof, Chancellor of the UT System. �Across the state, public universities and health institutions contribute significantly to the lives of all Texans.�
It is highly unusual for a university system to produce a television series, Yudof says, and this effort is being watched by colleges and universities across the nation. �We�re very grateful for the private support we�ve received to launch this series � and for the support of the Board of Regents to move forward with this initiative,� Yudof says.
In addition to receiving support from title sponsors AT&T Inc., and its philanthropic arm, AT&T Foundation, and Exxon Mobil Corporation, the series was made possible by distributions from the Chancellor�s Excellence Endowments.
STATE OF TOMORROW�, UT System�s 13-part series of half-hour programs will be driven by issues critical to 21st century Texans: diverse and significant challenges such as energy, the environment, globalization, urban planning and transportation, K-12 education, and health care.
In each episode, STATE OF TOMORROW� will highlight significant work going on at the state�s major public universities and health institutions that addresses these challenges. The series will focus on research and service to the public provided by the UT System�s nine academic and six health institutions, as well as by other leading public universities in Texas.
�We want to make a strong, entertaining series � something people want to watch,� says Randa Safady, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs of the UT System, who is the executive producer of the series. �To do this, each segment will focus on telling very personal, human stories. A story about a new cancer treatment is interesting � but a story about that treatment�s effect on the lives of patients and their families is compelling.
�We have fresh, wonderful stories to tell. We�re very excited by this opportunity. It�s a chance for us to reach a far larger audience than we�ve ever reached before.�
To produce the series, the UT System is working with an experienced, highly regarded production company, Alpheus Media.
The first episode of STATE OF TOMORROW� will air statewide in early 2007, with the subsequent 12 programs running through late spring. The UT System plans to promote its new initiative in a variety of media, including advertising, a companion website, and viewing parties.
