Who We Are
At the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, it is our mission to provide career-defining opportunities for students, to bring leading policymakers to Austin, to support essential research that informs public policy, to connect departments across the Forty Acres, and to act as a catalyst for the study and practice of national and international security across the University of Texas enterprise.
We accomplish this mission every day through our engaging student fellowships, supporting student travel and research opportunities, providing public speaker series on myriad policy issues, and hosting conferences covering everything from U.S.-Mexico border studies to space environmentalism to cybersecurity, at home and in Washington, DC.
Who We're Fundraising For
The heart of the Strauss Center's work is our students. In addition to providing opportunities for them to engage with our guest speakers during public talks or private coffee sessions, we run three student fellowship programs: our Brumley NextGeneration Fellows and Scholars, our Cybersecurity Fellows, and our National Security Law Fellows.
During the 2024 40 for Forty Campaign, the Strauss Center is fundraising to build up its student programming. What does this look like?
- Bringing guest speakers to campus more frequently to engage in small-group conversations and visits with our fellows.
- Providing travel funding for fellows to attend professional organization and developmental conferences in their fields.
- Offering stipends for students in fellowship programs currently without a stipend.
- Holding essay award contests for our fellows and scholars' original research.
- Hosting a student fellows trip to Washington, DC or abroad.
- Expanding our fellowship programs to welcome more students.
The possibilities are endless with the generous support of our Longhorn community.
Your Impact
“Through the guidance of Dr. Holmsten and Dr. Mosser, the community in our cohort, and the life-changing experience of the DC trip, being a Brumley Scholar has fundamentally changed my time at the University of Texas and my life.” – Brumley Scholar Mia Weissbluth
At the Strauss Center, we have been touched by the immense generosity of Jon and Rebecca Brumley over the last decade, which has allowed us to develop and grow the Brumley NextGeneration Scholars and Fellows program into a once-in-a-lifetime personal and professional development opportunity for our students.
“The Brumley Fellowship creates a space where passionate and creative individuals come together to strategize ways to create a better world. Since I was a young girl, I always dreamed of one day finding a solution to the issues that haunt my community at the U.S.-Mexico border. This fellowship allowed me to understand the issues and begin to search for sustainable solutions.” – Brumley Fellow Maureen Rendon
As we look ahead to the coming years, we aim to not only continue bringing exceptional and unique spaces for growth and professional connection for our Brumley Scholars and Fellows, but for our National Security Law and Cybersecurity Fellows as well.
"I would do this program again in a heartbeat. It was without a doubt among the most intellectually stimulating, edifying, and interesting law-related experiences I have had since entering law school." - National Security Law Fellow Andrew Gabel
Although the Strauss Center is already on track for this goal, the support and generosity of our Longhorn community through Forty for 40 would allow us to elevate the quality and reach of our student programming to provide long-term impacts on their studies, professional development, and career goals.
On behalf of the students, faculty and staff, and leadership of the Strauss Center, thank you for your support!
