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Leadership and Ethics Institute (LEI) Programs and Initiatives

The University of Texas Leadership and Ethics Institute

Swing Out Awards

Become Part of the Swing Out Award Tradition!

The Swing Out Awards are given by the University of Texas Leadership and Ethics Institute (LEI) to student organizations that have demonstrated excellence in leadership on campus. Organizations can apply to different categories that best fit their student group. Award winners will be recognized at the Evening of the Stars ceremony on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, in the Student Activity Center (SAC) Ballroom.

Important dates concerning the 2012 application process include:

  • January 23: Applications available ONLINE at 8 a.m.
  • February 1: Optional Information Session in SSB 3.406 at 5 p.m.
  • February 24: Applications due online by 5 p.m. (no late applications will be accepted)
  • March 26: Organizations contacted regarding their status
  • March 30: Finalist Interviews , 5-10 p.m.
  • March 31: Finalist Interviews, 12-10 p.m.
  • April 24: Evening of the Stars Ceremony

READY TO APPLY ONLINE?

Please follow the four easy steps below to ensure your application is submitted correctly:

  1. Review the 2012 Swing Out Award Application Questions (PDF)
  2. Prepare Swing Out Award Application Answers Prepare your answers for the Swing Out Award categories that best fit your organization. It is recommended that you save this in an electronic format for easier transmission to the online application.
  3. Ensure you can answer YES to the following questions
    • Is your organization currently registered and active with Student Activities?
    • Are you an authorized representative for your organization?
    • Is the secondary contact for the application an authorized representative for your organization?
    • If you answered "no" or are unsure about any of the above questions, please visit the Student Activities student organization database. If you need to make any corrections or changes, please visit the Student Organization Center (SOC) on the 4th floor of the Student Services Building BEFORE applying for any Swing Out Awards.
  4. Apply Online

    5. IMPORTANT NOTES:

    • Once you enter the application by clicking on the above link, your answers will be available and saved as long as the browser window is open. Once that browser is closed, any information you completed in the past will NOT BE SAVED.
    • IF you do close the browser before submitting your application, you WILL be able to apply for a Swing Out Award, but you will have to start the application from the beginning. (NOTE: This is why we highly recommend saving your answers in an electronic format).
    • Once you hit SUBMIT at the end of the application, you will not be able to go back to your application to make any changes, so please ensure your organization is ready to turn in their application before you submit.

    If you have any questions, please contact the University of Texas Leadership and Ethics Institute (LEI) by telephone at (512) 471-9700 or via e-mail at UTLeadershipandEthicsInstitute@austin.utexas.edu

    2010-2011 Swing Out Award Winners

    All categories receive $300
    Most Outstanding receives $1000

    • Best Academic/Departmental Organization: Communication Council
    • Best Artistic Organization: University Fashion Group
    • Best Cultural Organization: Hindu Students Association
    • Best Political/Activist Organization: University Leadership Initiative
    • Best Professional Organization: Student Consulting International Organization
    • Best Recreational Organization: Texas Ballroom
    • Best Service Organization: Best Buddies
    • Best Social Organization: Texas Sweethearts
    • Best Spirit Organization: Texas Spirits
    • Best Graduate Organization: Consortium for Research in Teacher Education
    • Best New Organization: One Note Stand
    • Best Risk Management Program: Undergraduate Business Council
    • Most Improved Organization: Indian Students Association
    • Outstanding Advisor: Stephanie Hinojosa-Galvan with Undergraduate Business Council
    • Most Outstanding Organization: Best Buddies

    2009-2010 Swing Out Award Winners

    All categories receive $300
    Most Outstanding receives $1000

    • Academic/Departmental: Undergraduate Business Council (UBC)
    • Artistic: Blanton Museum of Art Student Guild
    • Cultural: Hindu Students Council
    • Political/Activist: Face AIDS Austin
    • Professional: Hispanic Health Professions Organization
    • Recreational: FLAGS
    • Service: Best Buddies
    • Social: Black Graduate Student Association
    • Spirit: Orange Jackets
    • Best Risk Management: Hindu Students Council
    • Most Improved: American Institute of Architecture Students
    • Outstanding Advisor: Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK); advisor: Dr. Phil Schmidt
    • Best Graduate: CleanTech Group
    • Best New: FLAGS
    • Most Outstanding: Hindu Students Council

    The past winners of Swing Out Awards are prominently displayed on plaques in the Student Services Building, near the Student Organization Center (SSB 4.102A).

    Categories

    Each organization must apply for one of the 9 primary categories:

    • Academic/Departmental
    • Artistic
    • Cultural
    • Political/Activist
    • Professional
    • Recreational
    • Service
    • Social and
    • Spirit

    In addition, there are 7 Special Categories:

    • Best New
    • Best Risk Management Program
    • Best Graduate Organization
    • Best Organizational Ethics
    • Most Improved
    • Outstanding Advisor and
    • Most Outstanding

    Student organizations must apply for one primary category, and may choose to apply for as many of the Special Category Awards as they would like, aside from the Most Outstanding Award, which is selected from the winners of the Primary Categories. The category for which an organization applies should reflect the strengths and accomplishments the organization has demonstrated in that year. Referring to the separate category questions in the application may help determine how to best present an organization.

    Choosing the Swing Out Winners

    The University of Texas Leadership and Ethics Institute considers the manner in which organizations use the resources available to them. We consider aspects such as the dedication of an organization's membership, the scope and success of the events and activities in which an organization participates, how the organization enriches the experiences of its members and others, and how organizations exceed the scope of their normal activities and categories. Through an application and interview process, LEI members familiarize themselves with student organization activities to select Swing Out Award winners.

    Each member of LEI signs a pledge to remain objective and ethical throughout the Swing Out process. LEI members represent diverse campus involvement. However, if organizations in which LEI members are involved apply for Swing Out Awards, they agree to refrain from participation in the application preparation and process. Additionally, LEI members will not review the category(ies) in which the organization applied.

    History

    The Swing Out tradition began in 1922 as a ceremony to honor outstanding women students on campus and to pass on UT Austin traditions from one generation to the next. Cap and Gown, a senior women's organization, originally sponsored the Swing Out Awards, which became an annual tradition as part of the University Senior Week. The ceremony was extended to honor men's and coed organizations in 1955. Swing Out remained a campus tradition for recognizing student leaders and a symbolic gesture of transferring leadership from one class to the next until 1963.

    In 1991, the University of Texas Leadership Board (UTLB), a student organization sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Students, revitalized the tradition, broadening the scope of the Swing Out Awards to include all student organizations on campus.

    Building on the success of UTLB, the University of Texas Leadership and Ethics Institute (LEI) was created in the fall of 2008 as an initiative through the Office of the Dean of Students, to serve as a comprehensive leadership development program serving all undergraduate and graduate students. LEI incorporated the leadership opportunities previously offered through UTLB, including the annual Swing Out Awards.

    LEI continues to support the tradition of the Swing Out Awards to honor outstanding student organizations and the students who drive them, for their commitment, leadership, and excellence at The University of Texas at Austin.