Provost Captain David Ruth, USN (Ret.), on the four duties of UATX students — and how we can all learn from Nehemiah.
This lecture was delivered during UATX Orientation on August 24, 2026.
00:00 — We need stewards of the American experiment
00:27 — Good evening — and flashback to July 1, 1987
02:17 — UATX's mission
04:39 — Provost Captain David Ruth's story
07:20 — The Book of Nehemiah
10:19 — Duty: What do you owe?
14:10 — UATX students have four duties
16:36 — Character traits of strong men and women
24:30 — What is leadership really?
27:17 — Three leadership traits to cultivate
28:16 — Sea story: What to do when an aircraft carrier loses power
33:02 — Closing: Nehemiah built a people, not just a wall
37:19 — Q&A: What should UATX borrow from the service academies?
39:02 — Q&A: A leadership failure aboard a nuclear-powered submarine
44:19 — Q&A: Can UATX scale beyond Austin?
47:38 — Q&A: Who is today's Nehemiah?
48:42 — Q&A: Nehemiah in Pope Leo's AI encyclical
50:22 — Q&A: How to handle conflicting duties
52:35 — Q&A: Look at your own logs first
Watch more
Why study Rome? Because it offers us a twisted mirror of ourselves — and it's up to us to decide whether we like what we see.
UATX Professor Isabella Reinhardt takes students from the founding to the Third Century Crisis, treating Rome's great historians as witnesses we must cross-examine.
Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome. Coming this fall.
Watch the trailer on YouTube
“Do we still hold these truths to be self-evident?” Leo Strauss posed the question in 1953. Natural Right and History remains the most powerful account of why it’s hard to answer.
A symposium free for undergraduates. Austin, TX. Jan. 8–10, 2027.
Apply by Oct. 26.
Learn more
Free, one-day pre-college programs: a UATX faculty-led seminar, meals with peers, and an afternoon presentation, Q&A, and reception for families.
