Each new year brings new resolutions. Whether it be a change to one’s external appearance or internal attitude, some of the student body’s favorite professors divulged what they hope to accomplish with this new year.

John Daly, College of Communication professor

“My first resolution was not to make any resolution, but after a while I came up with one related to my job: try to answer all my emails each day.”

Homero Gil De Zuniga, College of Communication professor

“My resolutions for 2012 are pretty simple: be a better person, a better professor and a better researcher. But above all things, be a good father to the baby Karolina that my wife and I are expecting for May. This is definitely challenging as it is completely new for me.”

Karen Kelton, Department of French and Italian senior lecturer

“I’m not much of a resolution maker, but I did resolve to go to the pool more this semester, at least three times a week. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

Regina Lawrence, School of Journalism professor

“I gave up on resolutions long ago because I never seemed to follow through on them, the expectation to make a resolution started to seem oppressive. Sure, we all realize in the back of our minds every day that we are failing, sometimes abjectly, to live up to our goals and ideals. So why punish ourselves with the yearly routine of making promises we will fail to keep?”

Elizabeth Richmond-Garza, Department of English professor

“My 2012 New Year’s resolution is to give equal time to relishing what is good and to working on what is not … I tend to devote my time to editing myself and my world, trying to change things for the better. While I want to continue to improve and to champion changes in which I believe, I am resolving to take time more fully to appreciate what is positive and good already. Oscar Wilde remarked that ‘To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.’ I resolve to live in the world for 2012, and hopefully beyond.”

Beatriz Schleppe, Department of French and Italian lecturer

“My resolution is to go to both South By Southwest and ACL because I’ve lived in Austin for almost 23 years and never have been. Overall, to go out more and have more fun.”

Lawrence Speck, School of Architecture professor

“I was in Guangzhou, China on New Year’s Day and it struck me how different it is to experience another culture firsthand than it is to just read or hear about it. We think we know enough to form an opinion when the information we receive is so full of inaccuracy and other people’s agendas that it is not a good basis for judgment. My New Year’s resolution is to get out and see more myself and to reserve judgment when I cannot.”

J. Craig Wheeler, Department of Astronomy professor

“Most astronomers are workaholics, and I’m badly infected with that. My resolution involves trying to carve out time on weekends for my other interests, mostly writing. I want to post my novel ‘The Krone Experiment’ as an e-book and then do the same with the written but unsold sequel, ‘Krone Ascending.’ I’d like to write a memoir of my father who worked on guided missiles, the first hydrogen bomb, the atomic airplane, weather satellites and finally, the Apollo program.”