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May 29, 2009
Perry names 11 students to boards
Gov. Rick Perry today announced the appointment of 11 students to serve on higher education boards. Such students do not vote or count toward a quorum but are permitted to participate in all discussions, including closed-door meetings.
Here’s the announcement from the governor’s office:
AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry has appointed 10 student regents to their respective university systems, and one student representative to serve on the Higher Education Coordinating Board for terms to expire May 31, 2010.
Higher Education Coordinating Board Heather A. Morris of Lubbock is a student at Texas Tech University. She is a member of the American Society for Public Administrators and National Council of University Research Administrators. Morris received a bachelor’s degree in English and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University. She replaces Charles E. “Trey” Lewis III of Houston.
Midwestern State University Leonard Benton of Wichita Falls is a student in Midwestern State University’s Honors Program. He is student representative vice president in the Student Government Association and a Student Ambassador. He also volunteers as a student peer counselor and welcomes incoming foreign students to the university. Benton is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business from Midwestern State University. He replaces Haley Lain of Wichita Falls.
Stephen F. Austin State University Morgan A. Tomberlain of Longview is a student at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU). She is an alumnus of Alpha Chi Omega, member of the Student Foundation Association and East Texas SFA Alumni Organization Golf Tournament Committee, and decorations chairman for the Longview Habitat for Humanity Raise the Roof Fundraiser. Tomberlain received a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and is pursuing a master’s degree in family and consumer sciences from SFASU. She replaces Lacey Claver of Nacogdoches.
Texas A&M University System Hunter Bollman of Katy is a fellow in the Mays Business School Fellows Program at Texas A&M University. He is a past member of the Texas A&M Student Government Association Executive Council, and a member of Beta Upsilon Chi, Texas A&M Honor Council and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. He is also a volunteer Fish Camp counselor and attended the 2008 KPMG Fast Forward Leadership Conference. Bollman is in the Professional Program at Mays Business School, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s degree in finance. He replaces Anthony Cullins of Commerce.
Texas Southern University Patrice A. McKenzie of Houston is a student at Texas Southern University, where she is a Ronald McNair Post Baccalaureate Scholar and a Frederick Douglass Honors Program Scholar. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and was elected Miss Health Care Administration Homecoming Queen. McKenzie is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health care administration, and plans to pursue a master’s degree in health care administration and business administration at Texas Southern University. She replaces Kris Krishna of Houston.
Texas State University System William Clayton Patterson of Richardson is a student at Texas State University and former U.S. Marine. During his service, he was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. He is president and founder of the Texas State University Veteran’s Alliance, a member of Phi Delta Theta, Texas State University Student Foundation and Ducks Unlimited, and an Eagle Scout. Patterson is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international business. He replaces Nicole Lozano of Huntsville.
Texas Tech University System Kyle R. Miller of Plainview is a medical student at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. He is a class representative for the Texas Tech University Rawls College of Business Health Organization Management Student Association. He is also a student member of the Texas Medical Association, and an alumni member of Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board. Miller received a bachelor’s degree, and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration and medical degree from Texas Tech University. He replaces Kelli Stumbo of Lubbock.
Texas Woman’s University Rae Lynn McFarlin of Bonham is a student at Texas Woman’s University (TWU). She is a tutor and student assistant in the TWU Science Learning Resource Center and Math and Computer Science Department. She is also past president and current vice president of Kappa Mu Epsilon, a member of the TWU Honors Scholar Program, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and TWU Leadership Institute, and a recipient of the National Science Foundation S-STEM Scholarship and Harlan C. Miller Memorial Scholarship. McFarlin is pursuing bachelor’s degrees in math and chemistry from Texas Woman’s University and replaces Scarlett Pope of Grapevine.
University of Houston Kristen A. Lindley of Spring is a student at the University of Houston - Victoria. She is president of the Student Senate, and a member of Gamma Beta Phi and the President’s Climate Control Committee. She is also a volunteer middle school math mentor for Help One Student to Succeed and co-captain of the University of Houston - Victoria softball team. Lindley received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and will attend graduate school at the University of Houston - Victoria. She replaces Tamara K. Goodwin of Houston.
University of North Texas Jennifer Ozan of Fort Worth is a medical student at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. She is student president of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine Class of 2010, and a member of the American College of Family Physicians, Texas Osteopathic Medical Association, and American Association of Osteopathic Women Physicians. She is also a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Bowl for Kids Sake. Ozan received a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and is pursuing a doctorate of osteopathy from the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She replaces Meghan Vittrup of Lewisville.
University of Texas System Karim A. Meijer of Katy is a medical student at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. He is vice president of the class of 2010, director of Healthcare Finance Elective and president of the Orthopaedic Student Interest Group. He is also a volunteer with UT Southwestern’s United to Serve. Meijer received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business, where he played on the 2005 National Champion Longhorn Football Team, and is pursuing a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. He replaces Benjamin Dower of Austin.
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May 13, 2009
Governor swears in UT System regents
Gov. Rick Perry administered the oath of office today to three new regents of the University of Texas System and one regent whom he reappointed.
The setting for the swearing-in ceremony was the wood-paneled, high-ceiling board room of the regents’ offices in Ashbel Smith Hall in downtown Austin.
A quintet from the University of Texas at Austin played trumpets, a trombone and other instruments as guests filed in and took their seats for the ceremony. The audience included Darrell Royal, the former UT football coach; state Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, who chairs the House Higher Education Committee; and Katharine Armstrong, former chairwoman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
The new Perry appointees to the Board of Regents are R. Steven Hicks of Austin, the chairman of a private investment firm; William Powell, a businessman from San Antonio; and Robert Stillwell, a lawyer for an energy-oriented investment firm in Houston. Perry reappointed Regent James Huffines of Austin, a banker and one of his longtime advisers. The Board of Regents has elected Huffines chairman.
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April 20, 2009
Prospects shaky for giving student regents a vote
The Texas Legislature is considering a proposal to grant student regents a vote on public university governing boards. Prospects for the measure are doubtful, though. Click here to read more.
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January 8, 2009
J.L. Huffines dies; served on two boards of regents
James Lecil “J.L.” Huffines Jr., who served as a regent for two state university systems, died Wednesday at his home in Dallas of complications from prostate cancer.
Huffines was something of a Texan’s Texan, steeped in commerce, football, and military and civic service. He built a flourishing network of car dealerships, owned four banks and was in a partnership with legendary oilman H.R. “Bum” Bright that owned the Dallas Cowboys in the 1980s. He was a philanthropist and civic leader, and he served in the Army during World War II and the Korean War.
Huffines was chairman of the Texas State University System, having been appointed to that board of regents in 1963. Until he stepped down last month for health reasons, he was a regent on the governing board of his alma mater, Texas A&M University. He also served on the board of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation
“J.L. was an inspiration to me as an Aggie, an American and a Texan,” Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement. “He devoted his life to his family, served his country in time of war and built a business that employed countless Texans over the years.”
One of Huffines’ sons, James, a University of Texas System regent, said: “My father was deeply committed to service of his community and state. He was most honored to have been appointed by and to serve four different governors. His state service totaled about 18 years on three different boards.”
Services will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.
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December 18, 2008
UT regents' meeting begins late
A meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents got started nearly four hours late today. The reason: Fog at Love Field in Dallas delayed the flights of Regents Robert Rowling and Printice Gary.
Regent Janiece Longoria delivered this one-liner as Rowling walked into the regents’ board room at Ashbel Smith Hall in downtown Austin:
“Bob, I waited for you longer than I waited for my husband.”
The regents are scheduled to interview candidates for chancellor behind closed doors and could name a finalist for the position today.
My story about the chancellor search is here.
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November 12, 2008
3,800 UTMB employees to be laid off
University of Texas System regents today ordered layoffs of about 3,800 employees at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston, declaring that financial losses stemming from Hurricane Ike make that painful action essential.
At the same time, the regents affirmed their commitment to the future of UTMB.
“That school is going nowhere,” said Regent Colleen McHugh. “We are going to keep UTMB on Galveston Island.”
The campus employs more than 12,000 people, who have been carried on the payroll since Ike wracked Galveston and other parts of the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 hurricane on Sept. 13.
But with the institution’s hospital largely shut down, UTMB’s expenses have exceed revenues by $40 million a month and reserves will be exhausted shortly, said Kenneth Shine, the system’s interim chancellor and executive vice chancellor.
“We simply cannot allow this institution to go bankrupt. I believe the regents have no choice but to make a painful decision,” Shine said shortly before the regents’ unanimous vote to commence layoffs.
Shine said the employees to be dismissed would learn their fate in the next few days or early next week, adding that they would be carried on the payroll until mid-January.
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A dispatch from 'Bhutan on the Border'
I’m writing from the University of Texas at El Paso, where the UT System Board of Regents will meet today and Thursday. The regents, who oversee nine academic and six health campuses, like to visit the sprawling empire from time to time, and it’s El Paso’s turn.
Couple of quick observations about this place. It’s beautiful. Distinctive, too.
El Paso is in a high desert, hard by the Rio Grande and Mexico. UT-El Paso is nestled in the foothills of the Franklin Mountains, and so the views of mountain and sky are quite nice.
The distinctive part is the architecture, which features overhanging roofs, high inset windows and massive sloping walls. The predominant color, beige, is accented by bands of reddish-brown brick with mosaic-tiled mandalas, which are symbols of unity and wholeness.
The architecture is in the style of Bhutan, a Himalayan kingdom. You might ask: Huh?
It turns out that, when the school was founded in 1914 as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, Kathleen Worrell, wife of the first dean, came up with the idea of building in Bhutanese style. She had been taken by a photo essay of Bhutan that appeared in the April 1914 issue of National Geographic magazine.
UT-El Paso likes to call itself Bhutan on the Border. More information on the Bhutanese influence is at this link on the university’s Web site.
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August 14, 2008
Of privilege and rubber ducks
University of Texas System regents honored two presidents of health institutions who are stepping down.
James Willerson (right) of the UT Health Science Center at Houston was his ever-gracious self, delivering brief and soft-spoken remarks at the regents’ meeting in Austin this week about how his work has been “the privilege of my life.”
Kern Wildenthal (left), who has been president of the UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas for 22 years, presented a slide show of pithy quotes. My favorite was this line, uttered in Wildenthal’s presence by the late lieutenant governor, Bob Bullock, on the evening before adjournment of the 1997 legislative session:
“Dealing with some of these people feels like being pecked to death by a flock of rubber ducks.”
Neither Willerson nor Wildenthal is retiring.
Willerson was named president of the Texas Heart Institute last month, and he will retain a faculty appointment in cardiology at the Houston Health Science Center.
Wildenthal will retain a faculty appointment as well, and becomes president of the nonprofit Southwestern Medical Foundation, assistant to the president for community affairs at UT Southwestern and special assistant to the UT System’s executive vice chancellor for health affairs. In the latter position, Wildenthal will provide advice on medical education and research opportunities in the Austin area.
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Change likely at Brackenridge tract, UT regents chairman says
The governing board of the University of Texas heard an update this morning about the ongoing review of the Brackenridge tract, a parcel of about 345 acres in West Austin.
The briefing was essentially a short version of a public presentation Monday evening by officials of Cooper, Robertson & Partners LLP, a New York City planning firm hired by the UT System Board of Regents to prepare recommendations for future development at the tract.
I covered Monday’s meeting, and you can read my story about it here.
H. Scott Caven Jr., chairman of the regents, made a point this morning of declaring that the “likely result” of the master planning exercise would be change of some sort, which he predicted would entail “strong feelings” and “many different challenges.”
He asserted that the regents don’t know what that change will be, and he said no promises or commitments have been made to anyone. He reiterated his view that the regents have a legal duty to manage the tract for the maximum benefit of UT-Austin.
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August 13, 2008
UT regent tries to keep it light
James Huffines, a University of Texas System regent, couldn’t resist the opportunity to poke fun at lawyers during today’s meeting of the regents in Austin.
Fellow Regent James Dannenbaum had asked about measures to protect documents at the UT-Austin School of Law in the event of a fire that triggers a sprinkler system that will be installed.
“Does that mean you’re assuming all those legal documents the lawyers prepared are valuable?” asked Huffines, who is chairman of the regents’ Facilities Planning and Construction Committee.
UT-Austin President William Powers Jr., a former dean of the law school, quickly jumped in to defend the profession: “Yes, Mr. Chairman.”
A few minutes later, Huffines, who is something of a history buff, challenged fellow regents to find out why UT-El Paso’s campus was built in the architectural style of Bhutan, a kingdom in the Himalayas.
“Just trying to have a little levity here,” Huffines said.
The regents won’t have to look hard to find the answer. UT-El Paso’s Web site helpfully explains that the architectural connection to Bhutan was inspired by a 1914 issue of National Geographic magazine that contained a photo essay about the kingdom:
“The wife of the first dean of the Texas School of Mines (now UT-El Paso) saw the article and suggested that Bhutanese-style buildings were well suited to the foothills of the Franklin Mountains.”
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May 22, 2008
Dick Armey soldiers on
One thing about Dick Armey: You don’t have to ask him what he really thinks.
I was reminded of that on Wednesday when the retired House majority leader addressed university system regents called to a “summit” on higher education by Gov. Rick Perry.
You can read my story about the summit here.
Armey, echoing some of the fiery rhetoric he employed as a Republican congressman from Dallas, opened with the premise that higher education costs have steadily climbed in America as quality has gone down.
He charged that universities serve “the comfort and security of the faculty” rather than the educational needs of students. And he urged regents to require university presidents and other administrators to scale back the authority of faculty members in university governance.
Here are a few zingers from Armey, himself a former professor and chairman of economics at the University of North Texas:
“Ninety-nine percent of all bad ideas are born in universities.”
Ph.D. stands for “privileged higher than deserved.”
“A lot of hogwash is generated and they call it research.”
Tenure “gives everyone who has it” the ability “to be a bully to everyone who doesn’t have it. I believe tenure actually diminishes academic freedom.”
The faculty lounge is “one of the most brain-dead locations in the United States.”
Many of Armey’s lines drew chuckles from the audience, and he received a nice round of applause at the conclusion of his remarks.
Oh, I almost forgot. In counseling regents to compel chancellors and other administrators to reform higher education, Armey warned that there would be criticism from the media. He singled out the American-Statesman:
“Read the paper. They don’t understand much of anything.”
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May 21, 2008
Perry urges university regents to pursue reforms
Gov. Rick Perry urged regents of the state’s major public university systems today to pursue a series of higher-education reforms outlined at a conference organized by his office and a conservative think tank, including new requirements for tenure, merit pay for teachers and a funding model that would essentially amount to vouchers for students.
“I’m not saying these are a dictate to you. One size does not fit all.” But “the time is right for these types of reforms to go forward,” said Perry, who appointed all of the regents to their positions.
Officials described the conference at the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel in Austin as a first-of-its-kind joint meeting of the governing boards of the University of Texas System, the Texas A&M University System, the Texas Tech University System and other university systems.
H. Scott Caven Jr., chairman of the UT regents, said the session raised important issues that merit further discussion. “I haven’t formed any firm opinions about any of the recommendations,” he said.
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February 6, 2008
UT stadium to get 4,000 additional seats
Plans for a $25 million overhaul of the south end zone area at the University of Texas’ Royal-Memorial Stadium, including the addition of 4,000 bleacher seats, are expected to be approved by the school’s governing board this week.
The expansion of seating “will permit additional patrons to view football games and increase the revenues for Intercollegiate Athletics, which will provide the source of funds for the project,” according to UT System documents.
The documents say $21 million will be covered by bonds and $4 million by gifts.
Other modifications will include replacement of a tent structure above the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center, enclosure of a covered walkway between the tent and an office wing, renovation of the academic center and coaches’ offices, and improvements for safety, security and waterproofing.
A committee of the Board of Regents is expected to approve the plan today at a meeting at UT-Pan American in Edinburg, and the full board will consider the matter on Thursday.
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December 8, 2007
How Murano first impressed A&M regents
Jottings from a reporter’s notebook after a day in Aggieland:
The seeds for Elsa Murano’s ascension to the presidency of Texas A&M University might have been planted a couple of years ago, when she had to present her first “budget programmatic review” to the A&M System Board of Regents.
That exercise required her to sketch out, in dollars and cents, where she intended to take the agriculture programs she oversees at the university.
“We have received that information over the years in varying degrees of understandability and success,” recalled regents’ Chairman Bill Jones. “With Dr. Murano, it was clear, it was concise. It told us exactly where she was. It told us exactly where she was going. And it told us exactly how she was going to get there.
“(Then-Chairman) John White and I looked at each other after she finished, and we said to each other almost simultaneously, ‘That is what we have been looking for.’ “
On Friday, the regents named Murano the sole finalist for president of the College Station campus. State law requires them to wait 21 days before making the appointment final.
Although Murano was among 140 candidates considered by a search committee, she didn’t make the cut to 10. That’s because she didn’t want to apply for the job.
She said it was too soon for her to seek the position, in part because she had a number of initiatives, including a strategic plan, under way as the A&M System’s vice chancellor of agriculture and A&M University’s dean of agriculture and life sciences. As the search dragged on and the regents sought additional candidates, her name came up again.
Faculty members are upset that the search panel never got to interview her, but Murano said she hoped and expected to smooth over relations.
On a personal note, Murano lives in Bryan with her husband, Peter Murano, who teaches nutrition and food science at A&M and directs its Center for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation. They have a cat named Pepper.
“I’m going to do my best to convince my niece and nephew to become Aggies,” Elsa Murano said. “They live in Miami right now — they don’t know what’s coming to them.”
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December 7, 2007
A&M set to name its first female president
Elsa A. Murano, vice chancellor at Texas A&M since 2005, has been named the sole finalist to become president of the university. She would be the school’s first female president.
“We have a world-class individual who’s going to lead this world-class institution forward,” said Regent John White.
Murano was named sole finalist this afternoon by the A&M system board of regents. The vote was 8-1 with Regent Gene Stallings opposed.
Under state law, the regents cannot appoint her to the presidency for another 21 days. Because she is the sole finalist, her appointment is all but guaranteed.
Murano began serving as vice chancellor of Agriculture and Life Sciences for the Texas A&M University System in January 2005.
From October 2001 through 2004, Murano was under secretary for food safety with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As the highest-ranking food safety official in the U.S. government, she provided oversight and direction for the 10,000 employees of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, working to improve public health through the application of science in policy decisions, according to the school’s Web site.
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December 6, 2007
UT regents limit tuition increases
The governing board of the University of Texas System, in a surprise move today, sharply scaled back a pending tuition increase for the flagship campus, with one member of the board saying the action was in response to complaints from state legislators.
The UT System Board of Regents voted unanimously at a meeting in Austin to limit any tuition increases to 4.95 percent for each of the next two academic years. An advisory committee of students, administrators and faculty members at UT-Austin had recommended increases of 7.8 percent next fall and 6.9 percent a year later.
Regents said they wanted to maintain a balance between meeting the university’s needs and maintaining affordability and access. However, Regent Robert Rowling said “a little bit of a legislative backlash” was also a prime factor. Rowling said that he had heard from many legislators and that there was concern that lawmakers might try to rescind the tuition-setting authority they granted to public university governing boards in 2003.
“I think this is the right move as well-based on the political situation, quite frankly,” Rowling said.
UT-Austin President William Powers Jr. had another take on the decision: “I’m disappointed.”
Powers said he had supported the recommendation of the advisory committee and had been prepared to forward it to the UT System. He defended the recommendation, saying it would have helped fund essential elements such as faculty salary increases, student scholarships and a faculty expansion designed to bring the school in line with its peers across the nation.
Powers said faculty salaries would be his No. 1 priority under the tighter budget rules, with student support a close second.
The resolution adopted by the regents appears to apply to all 15 academic and health campuses in the UT System, but there was little doubt that it was directed at the flagship campus in Austin.
Regent James Huffines, who offered the resolution, noted that UT-Austin’s tuition and fees run lower than the charges imposed by many of its competitors, including Pennsylvania State University and the University of Michigan.
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December 3, 2007
A&M regents to mull presidential prospects
The next president of Texas A&M University might be named this week. Or not.
The A&M System Board of Regents is scheduled to meet in closed session on Thursday to consider, as the board’s heavy-on-capitalization agenda puts it, “Consideration of Any and All Things Leading to the Selection of the President of Texas A&M University, including Possible Action to Name the Finalist(s) for the Position of President of Texas A&M University.”
You can forget about more than one finalist being named from a short list of four or five.
“You will have no candidates if I were to call this group and tell them you have to go around campus ahead of time,” A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney said last week. “They don’t want to be embarrassed. They don’t want to have their loyalty to their current university questioned.”
Under state law, boards of regents must name at least one finalist for president publicly, and the job cannot be awarded until 21 days after that.
It’s unclear how — and whether — the regents plan to resolve a dispute with the Faculty Senate, which wants to provide input on candidates added to the list after a search committee made recommendations. Doug Slack, professor of wildlife and fisheries science and the committee’s leader, is expected to participate in the closed-door discussion.
It’s also unclear whether the regents will name a finalist after the closed-door discussion.
“Whether or not they’ll take action on that item we won’t know until Friday,” when the regents resume meeting in open session, said Tina Evans, a spokeswoman for the university.
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