Public invited to offer input, nominations for UT Austin president

AUSTIN – Members of the public may submit nominations for the next president of the University of Texas at Austin via a UT System website launched today, Board of Regents Chairman Paul L. Foster announced.

The website also provides a tentative timeline for the search process and gives the public the opportunity to offer comments about the successor to UT Austin President Bill Powers, who announced he will step down June 5, 2015.

The UT Austin Presidential Search Advisory Committee, which was named in September, will hold its second meeting Tuesday. Though meetings will not be open to the public, updates will be provided on the search website.

Spencer Stuart, an executive search consulting firm, is assisting the UT System with the national search. The firm’s experts already have assembled an extensive list of potential candidates who they have sought out or have expressed interest in the position.

Ultimately, the search advisory committee will make recommendations for potential candidates to the Board of Regents, which will make the final decision.

“I encourage members of the UT Austin community and beyond to provide input as we make this very critical decision,” Foster said. “UT Austin is one of the most influential institutions in the world, and we want to do everything in our power to find an energetic and innovative leader who will continue to enhance and advance UT Austin’s education, research and health care missions.”

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities, six health institutions and an enrollment of more than 214,000. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $15.6 billion (FY 2015) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 90,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.