This is the first full meeting of the Board of
Regents since the announcement by Chancellor R. D. Burck on August 17 that he
plans to step down from the position of Chancellor no later than September 1,
2003. During the course of the next
year the Board of Regents will have a number of formal opportunities to thank
Chancellor Burck for his extraordinary dedication to the U. T. System and to
all of Texas higher education. We are
all deeply grateful, Dan, for your many years of distinguished service to this
organization, and we are mindful of how challenging it will be to identify a
worthy successor. We will be searching
for someone who will bring to this very important position your same level of
energy, your broad experience and understanding, and your unwavering commitment
to Texas and to all who are served by its universities.
There can be no more important role for this Board
than the selection of a Chancellor, the chief administrative officer for one of
the nation’s largest and most complex higher education enterprises. We will be devoting a major portion of our
time and energy to this responsibility.
In preparation for this challenge, I have acted in
my capacity as Chairman of the Board of Regents to issue a Request for
Proposals (RFP) from executive search firms across the nation that specialize
in higher education. The purpose of
this RFP has been to seek assistance in the identification of the very best
potential candidates for this position.
After careful review of the responses received, the
firm of Spencer Stuart has been hired to work with the Board on the search for
a new Chancellor.
Because of the extraordinary importance of the
selection of a Chancellor, I am hereby requesting that all members of the Board
of Regents serve as a Committee of the Whole to perform the function of a
search committee during a process that I foresee as an extensive and exhaustive
national search. I plan to serve as
Chair.
Our goal should be to conduct an open, inclusive, and
thorough search process, consistent with the traditions of excellence in the
U. T. System and the prominent role of the System in American higher
education. As an example of the open process that we are
anticipating, I have agreed with Counsel and Secretary Frederick’s recommendation
that a special, interactive section of the U. T. System’s World Wide Web site
be devoted to keeping university constituencies and the general public informed
about the search, as well as for receiving comments and recommendations from
them. This will be accessible at www.utsystem.edu/bor.
As part of this process, we welcomed the opportunity
to hear from the U. T. System Faculty Advisory Council on these and other
issues during the Board’s annual meeting with the Council held yesterday. I previously met with the officers of the
Faculty Advisory Council and the Employee Advisory Council and, at my request,
Mrs. Frederick met with the officers of the Student Advisory Council.
We are beginning a very exciting and demanding
assignment -- one that falls to relatively few members of the Board of Regents
over time. We must ensure an open
process, while also protecting the rights of those who may be considered for
this position and working to ensure that we are able to make the very best
selection possible. We are fortunate
indeed that Chancellor Burck will remain on board during this process, and we
are grateful that we will have the benefit of his wise counsel as we prepare
for the transition to a new Chancellor.