Welcome to Get to Know..., where we feature UT System Administration staff as they offer insights into their lives in and out of the office. Each new edition will be published here.
Dan Sharphorn
Vice Chancellor and General Counsel
Office of General Counsel
What are your primary job responsibilities?
I manage the UT System’s legal affairs and the attorneys within the Office of General Counsel, and serve on the Chancellor's executive management team. I work directly with all 14 UT institutions to serve their varied legal and business needs.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
Working with people who truly care about what we are doing to help our remarkable institutions succeed.
What was the most challenging project you’ve worked on and how did you ensure a successful outcome?
Not sure anything was "ensured" with the situation that comes to my mind, but the outcome was the correct one. My North Star when things get complicated is “do the right thing.”
What is a book or movie that has inspired you – and why?
It may not be considered great literature, but as a high school kid in 1962 in a blue-collar, all-white school in the suburbs of Grand Rapids, Michigan, I was very much affected by reading, Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. In hindsight, I'm also impressed that my 10th grade high school teacher introduced us to it.
What do you do to disconnect or de-stress?
Fish, play with grandkids and watch Britbox mysteries, college sports and British Premier League Football (sorry, soccer).
What was your first car?
A 1961 Rambler, 3-speed on the column. I had to put three or four quarts of oil in it every time I got gas. I bought it in Monterey, California, for $125. Only 10,000 miles and four used tires later I sold it outside of West Point, New York, for $125.
What's the best advice you ever received and who gave it to you?
Colonel William Caldwell III, later General, told me that leaders should never surround themselves with people who only agree with them
What was your favorite vacation destination and if you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
Martha's Vineyard. On the 45-minute ferry boat ride, I was able to disconnect from the rest of the world and truly relax. A visit now to Nha Trang, Viet Nam, to see what it looks like today.
