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UT System's State of Tomorrow™ PBS Series Wins Three Lone Star EMMYs

Lone Star Emmy

HOUSTON –The PBS documentary series  State of Tomorrow ™, produced by the University of Texas Foundation and Alpheus Media, won in all three categories for which it was nominated for National Association of Television Arts and Sciences  Lone Star EMMY ®  awards recognizing outstanding effort in broadcasting in Texas.   

State of Tomorrow ™ was recognized for three episodes of the 13-part series: “Shadow of a Doubt,” about the innocence clinics formed within public higher education institutions in the wake of scientific advancements in DNA evidence; “Aging With Dignity,” in which physicians explore treatments for age-related illnesses; and “The Future of Energy,” regarding higher education experts across the state working to solve the world’s energy crisis.

The series also received two Lone Star EMMY® awards in 2007.

"We are extremely honored the series continues to be recognized by this prestigious organization," said  Randa S. Safady, UT System vice chancellor for external relations and the series' executive producer. "Public higher education plays a critical role in developing solutions to today's major challenges, and we feel the series successfully showcases how Texas' public universities and health institutions provide solutions and contribute to the quality of life for all people, whether or not they ever set foot on our campuses or receive treatment in our hospitals."

State of Tomorrow ™ examines some of the most exciting and innovative work being done by researchers and academics in public higher education to address major challenges facing Texans, including public health, homeland security, energy policy, economic development and education, and highlights new research in biosafety, nanotechnology, and proton therapy.

To learn more about the public television series, visit the  State of Tomorrow™ website.

The awards were presented during the 6th Annual Lone Star EMMY® Awards Gala on Saturday (Oct. 18) at Verizon Wireless Theater in Houston. The awards are given annually by the Texas chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, representing all disciplines of the broadcast industry and all of Texas’ 19 television markets.

The  State of Tomorrow™ series was produced in partnership with PBS affiliate KLRU, and in collaboration with the UT System, Texas A&M University System, Texas State University System, Texas Tech University System, University of Houston System and the University of North Texas System. The series was sponsored by AT&T, ExxonMobil and IBC Bank.

State of Tomorrow™ was nominated for five and received two Lone Star EMMY® awards in 2007. The academy recognized the series in the area of graphic arts-animation and singled out one episode in the public/current/community affairs category.

Last year, with a grant from the Meadows Foundation and in partnership with the Texas Library Association, the series was distributed to public middle and high schools across the state. The boxed sets included a curriculum guide so that the series may be incorporated into lesson plans at secondary schools in each of the state’s 1,040-plus public school districts.

Since its airing in 2007, the series has been recognized with a national award from the American Academy of Nurses, which recognized one of the series’ episodes for its profile of the Smart Hospital™ clinical learning center at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing, and also featured a nursing program at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

And, earlier this year the Texas Library Association honored the series with its Branding Iron award for broadcast coverage.

The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $11.5 billion (FY 2009) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Student enrollment exceeded 194,000 in the 2007 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's health care professionals annually. With more than 81,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.

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