Lunchtime Lectures is an event series intended to give alumni a taste of their college days.
March 2026 Lunchtime Lecture – In-Person
“Better Meetings, Stronger Teams: The Art of Facilitative Leadership”
Dr. Larry Schooler
Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Communication Studies, Moody College of Communication
Tuesday, March 31 | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
This is an in-person lecture
Register to attend
Registration closes Monday, March 23 at midnight
Why do some conversations bring people together, while others leave teams divided? Join Dr. Larry Schooler for our highly interactive March Lunchtime Lecture on facilitative leadership, a people-centered approach that helps leaders create trust, encourage participation, and move groups forward. You’ll learn simple techniques for guiding discussions, inviting different perspectives, and building consensus without losing momentum. Perfect for professionals, volunteers, and anyone who wants to lead more collaborative and productive conversations.
Dr. Larry Schooler is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Communication Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. He teaches courses in conflict resolution and facilitation in Communication Studies, the Communication and Leadership degree program, the Bridging Disciplines program, and the Plan II Honors program. He also serves as a mentor for students in the Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies Bridging Disciplines Program and as advisor to Plan II thesis students.
Dr. Schooler’s research interests include restorative and transitional justice, truth and reconciliation commissions, dialogue and deliberation, mediation, and public participation in public policymaking. He is the author of a forthcoming book on North American truth and reconciliation commissions and a manual on facilitating public meetings.
Outside of teaching, Dr. Schooler works with governmental and nonprofit agencies as a mediator, facilitator, and communications consultant. He serves on the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation and the Dispute Resolution Center of Austin, and the advisory boards for IssueVoter and Unify America.
*Please note: Our March Lunchtime Lecture will be hosted in person at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. Tickets are $30 for Texas Exes members and $40 for non-members, and include a catered lunch. Registration closes at midnight on Monday, March 23. We are unable to offer refunds within seven days of the event.
April 2026 Lunchtime Lecture – Virtual
“The Complexity of Consciousness and AI”
Dr. Michelle Montague
Professor, Department of Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts
Thursday, April 23 | Noon–1 p.m.
This is a virtual lecture
Register to attend
Registration closes Sunday, April 19 at midnight
The very sophisticated behavior of Large Language Models (LLMs) is supposed to make it seem plausible that AI can be or is conscious, but as theorists we often focus on simple sensory experiences in discussions of consciousness. To demonstrate how our conscious experience is so much more than the sensory all one needs to do is consider the complexity and richness of one’s thinking over a 30 second span of time. Do we have any reason to think AI has the sophistication of consciousness required for understanding a language or for experiences of value?
Dr. Michelle Montague is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin in the Philosophy Department. She earned her PhD in philosophy from University of Colorado, Boulder in 2002. Over her career she has held positions at several institutions: previously at University of California, Irvine, at University of Bristol, and she has had visiting appointments at places such as Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Australian National University, Boston University, and universities in Copenhagen and London. Her main areas of specialization are philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and philosophy of language.
May 2026 Lunchtime Lecture – Virtual
“The New Playbook on Concussions”
Brian Farr
Director, Athletic Training Program
Clinical Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, College of Education
Thursday, May 7 | Noon–1 p.m.
This is a virtual event
Register to attend
Registration closes Sunday, May 3 at midnight
Concussions have moved from the sidelines to the center of the national conversation — reshaping how athletes train, compete, and recover. But despite growing awareness, many questions remain.
In our May Lunchtime Lecture, Professor Brian Farr explores how our understanding of sport-related concussions has shifted over time—from early myths to today’s cutting-edge research—and what breakthroughs may be on the horizon. With insight grounded in science but relevant to anyone who loves sports, this talk examines what’s changed, what hasn’t, and why the future of athlete safety is still being written.
Brian Farr has been the director of the Athletic Training Program since its inception in 2002. He was instrumental in creating the ATP and has led the program through its initial JRC-AT candidacy (2002), CAAHEP accreditation (2006), transition to CAATE accreditation (2006), and CAATE re-accreditation (2011). He received a Teaching Excellence Award in 2012 and 2022, was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2013, named Clinical Associate Professor in 2018, and promoted to Clinical Professor in 2023. He received the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Athletic Trainer Service Award in 2016, the NATA's Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2019, the Southwest Athletic Trainers' Association Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award in 2019, and was inducted to the Texas State Athletic Trainers' Association Hall of Honor in 2022. He is the co-director and co-founder of the Longhorns Sports Medicine Camp and director and founder of the Longhorns Lecture Series for Continuing Education, a professional CEU program for area healthcare professionals. He has delivered more than two dozen professional presentations on a variety of sports medicine topics at the local, state, district and national levels. He was lead author on a chapter in Clinical Orthopedic Rehabilitation - An Evidence-Based Approach, 3rd ed and Clinical Orthopedic Rehabilitation - A Team Approach, 4th ed, and co-authored peer-reviewed, published articles in professional journals.
Prior to his faculty position, Farr spent three seasons as the athletic trainer for the Longhorn Men's Basketball team. In addition to tending to the basketball team, he assisted with medical care for UT's football and cheer and pom student-athletes, coordinated the athletic training student internship program, coordinated the educational in-service program, and taught for the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.
Farr came to UT by way of Oklahoma State University where he served as assistant coordinator of Sports Medicine working with the Cowboys Men's Basketball and Football teams. He served as an adjunct clinical assistant professor in OSU's College of Education, where he taught athletic training courses. Farr also coordinated OSU's staff in-service educational series and assisted in the clinical education of OSU's athletic training students.
Farr also spent one year as the head athletic trainer for the Columbus Chill, a minor league professional ice hockey team; one season as the assistant athletic trainer with the World League of American Football's (NFL Europe) Scottish Claymores; and as an intern athletic trainer at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY. Farr was named to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sports Medicine Staff for the 2011 Para Pan-Am Games in Mexico and the 2019 Games in Peru. He also served as the athletic trainer with USA Sitting Volleyball at the 2023 Pan-Am Zonal Championships in Canada, 2022 World Championships in Bosnia, 2012 WOVD International Cup in Cairo, Egypt, the World Super 6 Tournament in Tabriz, Iran, and a number of international and national tournaments and training camps.
Farr earned his B.S. in Physical Education and Exercise Science from Michigan State University in 1993. He completed a two-year graduate assistantship and his M.A. in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation from Ohio State University in 1996.
Farr is a nationally certified athletic trainer (ATC), a state licensed athletic trainer (LAT) and a nationally certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS).
