UT filmmaker Paul Stekler to step down from department chairmanship

Paul Stekler, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and chairman of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas since 2010, will step down from leading the department after the current academic year.

‘”It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” said Stekler, who added that he and Jay Bernhardt, dean of the Moody College of Communication, agreed on the timetable jointly. “It seems like a good time. I’m not retiring.”

Stekler, who will continue teaching, came to UT in 1997 to head the RTF Department’s production area.

“The Department of Radio-Television-Film is consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the country — much of this owes to his leadership and dedication to students and faculty members,” said Nick Hundley, a UT spokesman.

A Harvard-trained political scientist, Stekler has produced an impressive body of work over the years, winning three Emmy Awards among other honors for his films. His latest project is “Postcards from the Great Divide,” nine short films about the dynamics of politics in nine different states. The films have been launched online by The Washington Post and PBS Digital.