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UT Health Science Center at San Antonio Presidential Search Committee Named

AUSTIN – The appointment of members of a presidential search advisory committee to advise The University of Texas System Board of Regents on the selection of a president for UT Health Science Center at San Antonio was announced today (Dec. 12) by Regents’ Chairman H. Scott Caven, Jr.

The committee will make recommendations on possible successors to President Francisco Cigarroa, M.D., who announced last October his decision to step down as the institution’s president. 

The advisory committee will be asked to present the names of no more than 10 candidates – unranked – to the board, which will make the final decision.

“The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio is a world-class, comprehensive academic health center and a tremendous catalyst for economic development in the San Antonio region.  Selecting the next leader of this institution is of utmost importance to the Board of Regents,” Caven said.  “The men and women who have agreed to serve on this search committee bring experience, a broad perspective and sound judgment to the selection process.  We are grateful to all of them for agreeing to serve and we look forward to receiving their recommendations.”

Committee members were selected in accordance with the Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations, which includes a provision for representation on such committees by various constituencies of the institution. 

Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., interim chancellor and executive vice chancellor for health affairs in the UT System, will chair the search committee.

Representing the Board of Regents on the committee will be Vice Chairman James R. Huffines of Austin, Printice Gary of Dallas, and Colleen McHugh of Corpus Christi.

Representing presidents of other UT System institutions are Ricardo Romo, Ph.D., president of UT San Antonio and Larry R. Kaiser, M.D., president of UT Health Science Center – Houston.

Eileen T. Breslin, Ph.D., R.N., dean of the School of Nursing and the Dr. Patty L. Hawken Endowed Professor of Nursing, will serve on the committee.

Representing the UT Health Science Center – San Antonio staff, as selected by the institution’s Staff Advisory Council, is Patrick Lazenby, an administrator in the Family Nursing Care department.

Neal Jackson, a second-year medical student, will represent the students on the committee.

James L. “Larry” Holly, M.D., of Beaumont, will serve on the committee by virtue of his leadership of the School of Medicine’s alumni organization.

The UT Health Science Center – San Antonio faculty representatives, as selected by the Faculty Senate, are:

  • George B. Kudolo, Ph.D., professor, Department of Clinical Lab Sciences, School of Health Professions
  • Margaret Brackley, Ph.D., R.N., professor and coordinator, nurse practitioner majors and director, Center for Violence Prevention, School of Nursing
  • Keith A. Krolick, Ph.D., professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Biomedical Sciences

The external community representatives are:

  • Alonzo Cantu of McAllen
  • William “Bill” Greehey of San Antonio
  • George B. Hernandez, Jr., of San Antonio
  • Kenneth Kalkwarf, D.D.S., dean, Dental School, UT Health Science Center – San Antonio
  • The Honorable Cyndi Taylor Krier of San Antonio
  • Teresa “Terry” Lozano Long, Ph.D., of Austin
  • Kenneth L. Wilson of San Antonio

Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, is assisting the UT System in the national search and advertisements for the position will be placed in various publications so the committee can carry out its search as expeditiously as possible.  

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio 

is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 24,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.

Serving the educational and health care needs of Texans for more than 125 years, The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $11.5 billion (FY 2009) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Student enrollment exceeded 194,000 in the 2007 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's healthcare professionals annually. With more than 81,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.