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Colleen McHugh Elected Chairman of the UT System Board of Regents

AUSTIN –The University of Texas System Board of Regents today (March 3) elected new officers at its board meeting held in Austin.

Colleen McHugh of Corpus Christi was named chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. McHugh succeeds James R. Huffines of Austin, who twice has served as chairman: from June 2004 to November 2007 and from April 2009 to March of this year. Huffines, who also has served as the Board’s vice chairman, will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Regents. Paul Foster of El Paso was named vice chairman and Janiece Longoria of Houston was also named vice chairman of the Board.

“I am a deeply honored to have been chosen by my fellow regents and I will work hard to be worthy of the trust they have placed in me,” McHugh said. “I know the Board is committed to following through on the initiatives begun during the last several years and reaffirming its shared commitment to transparency and excellence. Our work remains unchanged:  ensuring that The University of Texas System serves our students, the people of Texas and the nation well.”

McHugh was appointed to the UT System Board of Regents in 2005 by Gov. Rick Perry and was elected vice chairman of the Board in 2009. She is the chair of the Health Affairs Committee and is a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, and she recently completed service on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Co. McHugh is the first woman to be elected as chairman of the UT System Board of Regents.

McHugh is the vice president for compliance and risk management and privacy manager for the CHRISTUS Spohn Health System. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Texas Public Safety Commission, where she served as chairman. McHugh received her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University and her law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law.

Foster was appointed to the UT System Board of Regents in 2007 by Gov. Rick Perry. He was named a vice chairman of the Board in 2009. He chairs the Finance and Planning Committee and serves as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee as well as the Audit, Compliance and Management Review Committee. Foster serves on the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Co.

Foster is president and chief executive officer of Western Refining Company. He graduated with a degree in accounting from Baylor University and received certification by the Arizona State Board of Accountancy.

Longoria was appointed to the UT System Board of Regents by Gov. Rick Perry in 2008. She chairs the Academic Affairs Committee and serves as a member of the Health Affairs Committee and the Audit, Compliance and Management Review Committee. Longoria is also a member of the Board of Directors of The University of Texas Investment Management Co.

Longoria, a partner in the Houston law firm of Ogden, Gibson, Broocks & Longoria, L.L.P., is one of seven commissioners for the Port of Houston Authority. She is an honors graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, and received her law degree from the UT Austin School of Law.

Established by the Texas Constitution in 1876, the Board of Regents is composed of nine voting members who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Terms for Regents are scheduled for six years and staggered so that three members' terms will usually expire on February 1 of odd-numbered years. In addition, the Governor appoints a Student Regent for a one-year term that expires on May 31 of each year.

About The University of Texas System

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 $11.9 billion (FY 2010) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Preliminary student enrollment exceeded 202,000 in the 2009 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 health care professionals annually. With more than 84,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.

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