UT System top academic leader to step down

AUSTIN – Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Pedro Reyes, Ph.D., a long-time champion for student success, is stepping down to return to full-time teaching and research at The University of Texas at Austin.

Reyes, who previously served on the faculty at The University of Kansas and at his alma mater, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, joined the UT Austin faculty in 1991. He was named associate vice chancellor for academic planning and assessment for the UT System in 2003, and in January 2012, he was appointed executive vice chancellor for academic affairs to provide strategic and administrative leadership to the presidents of UT’s nine academic institutions.

Throughout his tenure at the UT System, Reyes has continued to teach part-time and is the Ashbel Smith Professor of Education Policy at UT Austin. He also has served as the director of the UT Austin Texas Education Research Center since 2009.

“Working with the UT System’s academic presidents to make significant improvements in student success on such a wide scale has been one of the richest and most rewarding experiences of my professional career,” Reyes said. “But now it’s time for me to return to my other passion – teaching and research.”

As the top academic leader in the UT System for the last several years, Reyes led a far-reaching – and successful – effort to increase student success and retention at every academic institution. He and his team coordinated funding, training and resources to help each campus set and strive to reach its targets.

“Dr. Reyes has been a tremendous advocate for our students, focusing his efforts on activities that have furthered student excellence across all our campuses,” said Vistasp M. Karbhari, Ph.D., president of The University of Texas at Arlington. "His passion and commitment for student success have been inspirational, and we will miss his quiet and unassuming yet determined manner of ensuring that we exceeded our goals.”

Reyes also was instrumental in the establishment of the new UT Rio Grande Valley, which will open its doors this fall. UTRGV will combine the resources and assets of UT Brownsville and UT Pan American, and for the first time, make it possible for residents of the Rio Grande Valley to benefit from the Permanent University Fund.

“Establishing UTRGV has been an exciting and complex process, and we would not be poised to open this historic institution without Dr. Reyes’ formidable leadership,” Chancellor William H. McRaven said. “I have only known Dr. Reyes a few short months, but it doesn’t take long to see the impact of his commitment on Texas higher education. The UT System and each of its academic institutions have made significant advancements under Dr. Reyes’ guidance, and I am grateful for his extraordinary service.”

UTRGV President Guy Bailey, Ph.D., has worked very closely with Reyes over the past year and also when he served as provost of UT San Antonio from 1998 to 2005.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr. Reyes while serving at two different UT institutions. I'm so impressed both by his broad understanding of higher education and higher education policy and by his commitment to students and their success,” Bailey said. “It is an honor to work with him and for him.”

In addition to Bailey, Reyes has overseen the appointment of two other academic presidents and has left his mark on numerous other initiatives, including the establishment of the Institute for Transformational Learning, which, in part, leverages technology to make education more accessible and affordable. And the Academy of Distinguished Teachers was established in 2013 to recognize outstanding educators and to provide a venue to foster innovation and share best practices throughout UT academic institutions.

“We will always be thankful for Dr. Reyes’ amazing dedication to students, staff and faculty throughout the UT System,” Regents Chairman Paul Foster said. “While we’ll miss him in his current role, I’m so pleased that he will continue his good work at UT Austin.”

Though he will be leaving his current role when a successor is named, Reyes will continue to serve as a special assistant to the Chancellor through December 2015 to provide guidance on UTRGV, UT System’s engineering and computer science initiative, the establishment of the Americas Institute and other high-profile projects. Following a sabbatical at Princeton University, Reyes will return to teaching at UT Austin in the fall of 2016.

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 213,000. 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.