Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363

Date: November 11, 1998

UT System News Release

Dr. Ronald Garvey Proposed as Permanent President of U.T. Health Center

HOUSTON -- Dr. Ronald F. Garvey, who has served as interim director of The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler since January, was proposed by the Board of Regents on Wednesday for consideration as the permanent chief administrator of the center.

The regents authorized the appointment of a special committee to advise them on Garvey's permanent appointment. The regents also decided to change the title of the center's chief administrator from director to president.

The Regents' Rules allow for appointment of such special advisory committees under the rare circumstances that the board already has a candidate or candidates to advance for consideration and does not find it necessary to have a search conducted for additional candidates. This procedure was last used in 1996, when Dr. Robert E. Witt was appointed president of U.T. Arlington after serving as interim president.

"Dr. Garvey has served with high distinction as interim director of the Health Center," said Donald L. Evans, chairman of the Board of Regents. "He has gained the confidence of the campus community, and he has demonstrated a great afinity for Tyler and the East Texas region. It is clear that Dr. Garvey is eminently qualified for the presidency of the Health Center and that he would be an outstanding leader for the institution."

U.T. System Chancellor William H. Cunningham said: "Dr. Garvey has shown an immediate grasp of the issues and challenges facing the Health Center, and he has demonstrated a superb ability to work with the faculty and staff of the institution and to relate to its external community. These are the kinds of skills that have been evident throughout Dr. Garvey's career, and I am delighted with the prospect of this continued service at the Health Center."

The special committee wil include faculty, staff, community representatives, U.T. System administrators, and others. The committee will be charged with assessing campus and community views regarding the appropriateness of Garvey's being named president, and it will advice the Board of Regents based on that assessment.

Background on Garvey

Garvey was president and CEO of Zale Lipshy University Hospital in Dallas from 1987 to 1991. From 1960 to 1993, he served on the staff of the U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, where he was a professor of surgery.

Garvey, a native of Olean, N.Y., received a bachelor's degree from Harvard College in 1949 and a medical degree from the University of Buffalo in 1953. He received a master's of business administration degree in health care administration from the University of Dallas in 1986.

He began his medical career in Dallas with an internship at Parkland Memorial Hospital in 1953. After service in the Air Force he returned to Parkland for his residency in 1956. From 1959 to 1960 he was a research fellow, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, at Parkland Hospital in the areas of arthritis and metabolic disease.

Garvey joined U.T. Southwestern in 1960 as an instructor of surgery and held a succession of academic and administrative appointments. He maintained a private practice in surgery from 1961 to 1983, and he was the team physician for the Dallas Cowboys from 1963 to 1972 and a consultant for the team from 1972 to 1993.

In addition to his service at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, Garvey also held staff appointments for more than 30 years at Parkland and St. Paul Hospital.