Dean's Office

Manuel J. Justiz

Dean, College of Education
The University of Texas at Austin

A.M. Aikin Regents Chair in Education Leadership
Lee Hage Jamail Regents Chair in Education

Dr. Manuel J. Justiz, a former director of the National Institute of Education, has been Dean of the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin since January 1, 1990.

       Dr. Justiz was appointed by President Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 1982 as Director of the National Institute of Education in Washington, D.C., where he served from 1983 to 1985 under former Secretary of Education Terrel Bell.  In that capacity, he served as principal spokesman for educational policy and research to the President, Secretary, Congress, and education associations.  While in Washington, Dr. Justiz worked with the National Commission on Excellence in Education to produce the celebrated study A Nation at Risk, which warned of declining standards in American schools and the consequent economic dangers to society.  He also appointed a study group in 1984 which produced The Involvement in Learning Report, calling for greater student involvement in the learning process and recommending that institutions of higher education establish higher standards for student achievement.

       From 1985 to 1989, Dr. Justiz was a Chaired Professor of Educational Leadership and Policies at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and in 1988-1989 he served as the Martin Luther King-Rosa Parks Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

       At UT Austin, Dr. Justiz has focused on building the academic programs of the College of Education and on partnering with public schools to improve preparation programs for future teachers and educational leaders.  Under his leadership, the College has consistently ranked among the best schools of education in the nation.  The 2009 U.S. News & World Report rankings placed the College 3rd among the nation’s top public graduate schools of education, and 7th among public and private universities; his College’s research and development expenditures increased from $2.3 million in 1990 to approximately $32 million today. Dr. Justiz has made substantial progress in building technology capabilities within the College and in integrating instructional technology into undergraduate and graduate curricula.  He has also supported an interdisciplinary approach to teacher education resulting in a partnership with the Colleges of Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, and the Cockrell School of Engineering in the nationally acclaimed UTeach Program.

       He has advanced development efforts significantly over the past 19 years, raising the College’s endowment level to a market value of over $50 million in 2009.  Dr. Justiz also became the State’s “commissioner” to the Education Commission of the States under two former governors, Bill Clements and Ann Richards.  In October, 2001, Dr. Justiz was appointed by President George W.  Bush to the Board of Directors of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) in Washington, D.C.  He was reappointed to this Board in May 2002 and again in May 2003.  His appointment continued through May 24, 2004. Dean Justiz serves as the Senior Dean (Dean of Deans) at The University of Texas at Austin.

       Prior to his Washington experience, Dr. Justiz was on the faculty at the University of New Mexico, where he directed the Latin American Programs in Education.  In that role, he established the only Spanish-language M.S. program in educational administration in the nation and provided liaison with American embassies, the U.S. Department of State, federal agencies, and ministers of education in Latin American countries.

       Dr. Justiz earned a Ph.D. degree in higher education administration from Southern Illinois University in 1977.  He received a bachelor of arts degree in political science in 1970 and a master of science in education in 1972 from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.  Honorary doctorates have been conferred upon him by Emporia State University, Texas Southmost College in Brownsville (now the University of Texas at Brownsville) and St. Leo’s College in Florida.

       Dr. Justiz has published extensively in edited book series and professional journals on topics relating to diversity in education, partnerships between education and business, improving education through research, and higher education policy.