The thought of going back to university maybe isn’t so bad. For Texans, it’s ‘alright, alright, alright’ after Wednesday’s announcement that Matthew McConaughey would be joining the University of Texas at Austin’s (UTA) ranks this fall as its newest full-time faculty member, as the university’s newest professor of practice at the school’s Moody College of Communication.
According to the the university’s tweet, McConaughey will be teaching “Script to Screen” film production class at the university, in UT’s Department of Radio-Television-Film. McConaughey and faculty member and director, Scott Rice, have been co-teaching the Script to Screen film production class, but now the actor’s name is solely on the syllabus.
Source: UT News
McConaughey’s decision to leave entertainment and film behind and take on academic teaching, combines two things he’s passionate about–the Lone Star State and his extensive background in film.
“It’s the class I wish I would have had when I was in film school. Working in the classroom with these students gives me a chance to prepare them,” McConaughey said in an interview with CNN.
The Texas native attended UT Austin, graduating in 1993 with a bachelor’s of science in radio, television, and film, according to the university. He has been a visiting instructor at UTA since 2015, serving as the school’s “Minister of Culture” to help create an epic fan experience for UT’s new basketball arena opening in 2021.
Of course, McConaughey is more than qualified to teach such a course as a subject-matter expert, as he has an Academy Award and over 50 films under his belt.
“We are proud to welcome Professor McConaughey to officially join our world-class faculty,” said Moody College Dean Jay Bernhardt. “Matthew cares deeply for our school and our students, and we are thrilled that he shares his time and talent to help prepare the next generation of media leaders and innovators.”
Eight years ago, McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, moved their family to Austin due to the city’s “wonderful growing pains.” In a video Alves posted on her Instagram, the couple explained their decision to move to the young-professionals town, emphasizing the city’s potential for being more than just a university town and government town.
“Now with our massive growth we’re more than just a university town and a government town,” he said in the video, which was filmed at an event for the couple’s Just Keep Livin Foundation. “We’re a tech town; we’re a business town; we’re a banking town and we’re a congested traffic town… but we don’t honk horns!”
