To celebrate the Patman Center’s one year anniversary, we are highlighting two LBJ students who have taken classes at The Patman Center. In the past year, The Patman Center has offered six courses at The LBJ School.
Racheal Bukowski is a part-time second year MPAff student. She took Skills for Civic Leadership, taught by Professor Emily Bhandari, in the spring semester and is taking Politics and Issues of the Moment, taught by Professor Evan Smith, this fall. Something that stood out to her the most in these classes was an emphasis on vulnerability.
“The space that Emily (Bhandari), but also the class, was able to create in terms of how we think about our civic leadership skills and how we interpret what was said by the guests that were so gracious to come in, I think that really made the practice of vulnerability possible,” Bukowski said.
Kevin Roberts, another second year MPaff student at LBJ, has taken three Patman Center classes: Skills for Civic Leadership in the spring, and Politics and Issues of the Moment and Skills for Winning Campaigns and Elections in the fall. One of the biggest things he learned was the necessity of working together.
“I think the biggest takeaway was the nature of being civil in our discourse…the ability to work with people who you disagree with and try to find compromise and solutions to the problem that we face,” Roberts said. “It takes cooperation and genuine goodwill to get things done,”
In both Skills for Civic Leadership (Spring 2023) and Skills for Winning Campaigns and Elections (Fall 2024) guest speakers are political professionals from both sides of the aisle. They share real stories of their experiences with students. In turn, students are encouraged to ask questions and interact with viewpoints that may not be their own.
“I really appreciated the forum to engage with our peers,” Bukowski said. “I think the relationships we were able to build with our peers in that course was really powerful.”
Bukowski is only six weeks into Politics and Issues of the Moment, but this course has left an impact as well. In this class, Professor Evan Smith brings in political professionals, many of whom are on the ballot this November, to speak about hot topics in the political world.
“There’s a kind of professionalism to it (the class),” Bukowski said. “It’s an interesting mindset I go into with that class of having a more well thought out question that I need to ask…but what’s really cool about Politics and Issues of the Moment is the way that we’re prompted to stay on top of current events and understand the application of them through the guest speakers that come in.”
While the classes may be different, Bukowski says they both humanize the speakers. Some speakers that have stood out to her are State Senator Sarah Eckhardt (D-Austin), Errin Haines, editor-at-large for the 19th*, Ben Leffler, Chief of Staff for Austin City Council District 5, and Nirav Shah, Chief of Staff for Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard.
“A lot of the speakers have really shown up as humans. And I think that’s really powerful,” Bukowski said. “I think that we have in our head sometimes that, ‘Oh, this is what a politician is, and this is how they show up.’ But I feel like in both classes, the speaker stuck out to me in a different way, just because of how they would show up as themselves.”
“The best part of class is the speaker. Every week we hear from someone new, someone different. And just hearing their perspectives on some of the challenges that they face, or providing us insights of things that will be helpful for our own future career, goals, and aspirations, has been the best part,” Roberts agreed.
One goal of The Patman Center is to inspire students to take civil action in their own lives. Roberts, who serves as president for Austin Young Dems and works in the Texas Legislature, says that while the classes didn’t encourage him to take more civil action, they did change his way of thinking.
“This class has given me a different perspective in it (civic leadership). I think part of it was the whole nature of working together and finding solutions and comprising with people. In my civic dialogue that I do, I’ve taken that more in”
Bukowski says these classes have opened her mind to the different roles that people play in society, and the different ways that she can take part.
“After hearing from them (the speakers), I think I definitely don’t want to be a politician,” she said. “But I think it opened my eyes to the things that you can still do to make an in impact in your community. One of those things is volunteering…and also participating in community property ownership association meetings or community association meetings and things like that.”
Registration is coming up, and Patman Center classes and a Maymester in Washington, D.C. will be available in the spring semester.
“I absolutely recommend Patman Center classes,” Bukowski said. “Skills for Civic Leadership gave me so many practical skills that I will carry with me forever. And Politics and Issues of the Moment is so powerful to help you understand how you think about what’s going on right now.”
And if students do choose to take Patman classes, Roberts and Bukowski have some advice.
“When we have speakers, take notes!” Roberts said. “One thing I remember I took a note of is when we had Sarah Eckhardt come by last semester, she said she had a value or a framework on how/if she was going to vote for a bill or not. She went through those metrics of what it would take for that to happen.”
“Take them (the classes) and really put your energy into it,” Bukowski said, “The Patman Center courses are meant to make you feel a little uncomfortable and engage in a different way, but I feel like you grow so much from that. So being truly present in them can really make the experience of them so impactful, but also maybe change your perspective a little.”
It's been a great year, and we can’t wait for the rest of the semester! Make sure to check The Patman Center website and social media for a full event schedule, class information, and important updates.