Asian-American Council Pays Tribute to Dean

On Saturday night, the DFW Asian-American Citizens Council (DFWAACC) honored Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, with its annual Person of the Year award.

Announcing Kratz’ award, KERA executive vice president and chief content officer Sylvia Komatsu said, “The DFW Asian-American Citizens Council recognizes the vision of [Dr. Kratz], who made the Confucius Institute a reality.

“Since its establishment, the Confucius Institute continues to promote and hold significant public activities that truly benefit the community by providing real and valuable education on Asia to the public.”

Other award recipients are:

• U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison – Key Person in Key Places award.
• Dr. K S Lu, CEO of Diodes Inc. – Corporation of the Year.
• Maher Maso, mayor of Frisco – City of the Year.
• Pat Evans, former mayor of Plano – Civil Servant of the Year.
• Katherine Dress – Member of the Year.

The DFWAACC is a non-profit organization whose membership is made up of professionals and leaders from the general Asian community and major Asian-American organizations. The council’s program of work includes cultural promotion, leadership training and voter education.

Under the leadership of Dean Dennis Kratz, the School of Arts and Humanities opened the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas in 2007. The center is part of a global network to promote the study of Chinese language, culture and history.

Under Kratz’ leadership, the school opened the Confucius Institute at UT Dallas in 2007. The center is part of a global network to promote the study of Chinese language, culture and history.  It plays a key role in his vision of a global humanities program that fosters international understanding and respect.

“I’m deeply honored that the DFWAACC chose me as their Person of the Year,” said Kratz. “I am, however, merely the symbolic representative of the many individuals from UT Dallas and the greater community who worked so harmoniously to foster understanding of China’s history, culture and language.”

“This will be an expansive and exciting year for the Confucius Institute, in terms of lectures and cultural events. From Dr. Da Hsuan Feng’s upcoming visit and talk on global brain movement to the spring Jade Symposium and exhibition in partnership with the Crow Collection of Asian Art, we are endeavoring to fulfill our goal as a catalyst of knowledge and appreciation.”

Kratz’s scholarly research focuses on medieval and modern literature.  He has written four books, authored numerous articles and is the co-editor of the scholarly journal Translation Review.  A popular teacher, he received the 1992 University of Texas System Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award.

From 1987-89, he served as president of the American Literary Translators Association.  He is a past president of the Texas Association of Deans of Liberals Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Kratz joined the UT Dallas faculty as a professor of literary studies in 1978.  Before being named dean in 1997, he served as dean of undergraduate education and was a co-director of the University’s Center for Translation Studies.  During his tenure as dean of undergraduate education, he led a team that designed and implemented a rigorous undergraduate honors program called Collegium V.

He received a bachelor of arts, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College and earned both his master of arts in classical studies and his doctorate in medieval Latin from Harvard University.  He is currently working on a book about curiosity.