Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Russel Rains. He currently is the Digital Media Management program director at St. Edward’s and advisesdigital and entertainment law with a firm inAustin, among other things (has 2 utility patents and 1 design patent, deals in China pending).
During our talk, we covered Austin’s future in tech, St. Edward’s future, and undergraduate engagement.
On changes in the Austin Tech Scene
Dr. Rains made it a point to stress that Austin is a creative center. We’re seeing a lot of job growth and a lot of good people doing amazing things. There is a caveat, however, because most of the investors are from the coasts (East, West) so when there is a breakthrough or a really creative and awesome development here, it is exported. We aren’t the rockstars of the Tech World, but we could be.
[Austin is currently ranked #1 in the world for startup environment]
[Austin also ranks number one in creation of tech jobs]
With new buzz coming out every day about the opportunities in Austin, there will be a lot of changes coming to the Austin area.
On changes at St. Edward’s
Citing changes that have recently taken place at the School of Business, Dr. Rains highlighted the agility of the school and the willingness of St. Edward’s to adapt to serve the needs of the students and the businesses in Austin.
“We are no longer at the tipping point. Digital has transformed business in every aspect. It was changing in 2000. We have already arrived.”
Dr. Rains himself had been on the cusp on that change in the early 2000s. He built the St. Edward’s Digital Media Management program at a time when there really nothing like it. In an environment where a company does half of its business online, digital marketing, understanding computing and networking processes, and working towards an online experience are all necessary tools for a career in business.
Today, he says, St. Edward’s has leaders who are looking into the future and trying to anticipate changes in the Austin area: the economy, the demographics, the culture.
“They are strategically positioning themselves to lead development of professionals in Austin.”
Dean Schreiber is making ambitious strides to integrate the school of Business into the Austin tech business scene (partnerships with Capital Factory, etc.)
On competing with UT Austin
The Digital Media Management degree was one of the first of its kind.
UT Austin still doesn’t require digitally focused classes as part of its core for all students. Many other universities in Texas are still playing catch up.
“I think we didn’t just compete with UT, we exceeded them.”
On inequlity in the industry
We discussed the need for a change in the make up of tech workers. Dr. Rains referred to the university mission and its roots in social justice. The bare bones of the university have an ethical foundation prescribed by the Holy Cross Congregation.
“This mission manifests ethics as a core component in every class you take, not just at the School of Business, but in Humanities, Sciences. There are ethical outcomes for every class, every major.”
Undergraduate Success
Wrapping up the interview, I had to ask some purely selfish questions. Coming from an undergraduate who hasn’t developed any experience with the tech companies in Austin, I wanted to know in what activities students like me should be engaging in order to succeed after graduation. Dr. Rains gave me 3 tips:
- Get involved with clubs and interact with professors
Rains suggested that using Austin Technology Council and Captial Factory to find events outside of school - Explore your interests while you still can
Because college is a time of security and reasonable amounts of free time. - Take advantage of faculty’s experience
Talk to them about everything tech and business related. They like this stuff. It’s their job to like it.
Final Thoughts
We talked more about Japanese culture. He had lived in Japan for a number of years, and I am currently studying Japanese here at Stedwards. I told him about my experience with the complexities of the Japanese culture and we agreed on its mystery and intricacies.
I felt that overall Dr. Rains was wise and insightful. From what I could tell, no one single project commanded too much of his attention: he was a man with a long game. He’s soft spoken, but I could tell that his mind was bursting with knowledge.
I’m looking forward to diving into the suggestions he made and utilizing the resources he gave to me.