UT alumna Teresa Lozano Long honored with National Humanities Medal

AUSTIN, Texas - Teresa Lozano Long, a University of Texas Distinguished Alumna, was honored with the National Humanities Medal by President Donald Trump during a White House ceremony Thursday.

Long is the namesake of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at UT Austin, named for her after she and her husband Joe R. Long, also a UT alumnus, created a $10 million endowment for the institute in 2000.

"This is our way of acknowledging the importance of Latin America in the future of this country and, therefore, the critical role that the institute continues to play in forging closer ties to Latin America," Teresa Lozano Long said at the time.

LLILAS, part of UT Austin's College of Liberal Arts, is widely regarded as the best Latin American studies program in the United States, according to a release from UT Austin.

"Teresa Lozano Long's dedication to her alma mater has helped make The University of Texas at Austin a premier international center for teaching, research, and public service in Latin American studies," said Ann Huff Stevens, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "Both Teresa and her husband Joe are prime examples of how alumni support helps us continue to enhance learning and discovery opportunities for our students and faculty."

Long is also the first Hispanic woman to receive a doctorate in health and physical education at UT Austin. She and her husband's philanthropy was recognized by the UT System Board of Regents in April 2018 when they each received the board's highest honor: the Santa Rita Award.

UT President Gregory L. Fenves sent a letter to the campus community saying:

The National Endowment for the Humanities awards the medal annually to honor "individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation's understanding of the humanities and broadened our citizens' engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects."

Long received the medal alongside three other recipients: California-based think tank The Claremont Institute, chef and restauranteur Patrick J. O'Connell, and best-selling author James Patterson.

The medal hasn't been awarded since 2015.

Recent Texas recipients of the award include author Larry McMurtry (2014), UT Austin alum and architect Everett L. Fly (2014), UT Austin alum Ramón Saldívar (2011), historian and law professor Annette Gordon-Reed (2009), and UT Austin alum and Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis (2005).