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Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363 Date: June 10, 1999 |
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Chronology of U.T. System Chancellor Cunningham |
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Chronology: A Selection of Events and Activities During the Tenure of Dr. William H. Cunningham as Chancellor of The University of Texas System
4-9-92 – The Board of Regents appoints Cunningham to the chancellorship, effective Sept. 1, after naming him the only candidate for the position.
9-1-92 – Cunningham succeeds Dr. Hans Mark as chancellor and forms his administrative team.
10-9-92 – Regents approve the first doctoral programs (in international business and educational administration) at U.T. Pan American, to be offered initially in collaboration with U.T. Austin.
October 1992 – The Board for Lease of University Lands begins a program to encourage bids on oil leases on "frontier" lands, where there has been little or no previous oil and gas exploration. Through May 1999, the program adds $8.2 million to the value of the Permanent University Fund.
1-6-92 – Charles A. Sorber is appointed president of U.T. Permian Basin.
11-6-92 – Robert M. Berdahl is named president of U.T. Austin.
3-1-93 – Bernard Rapoport is elected chairman of the Board of Regents, succeeding Louis Beecherl.
5-7-93 – Cunningham is named a distinguished alumnus of Michigan State University and receives an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Spring 1993 – The Legislature authorizes expansion of the South Texas/Border Initiative, with $161 million for construction of facilities and $35.2 million for development of academic programs at five U.T. institutions in the South Texas and Border regions. Total new funding for all higher education institutions in the regions is more than $300 million. Additional funding for the initiative is provided by the Legislature in 1995, 1997, and 1999. Through Fiscal Year 1999, the initiative will have provided a total of $440 million for the five U.T. institutions in the region, supporting the development of 68 new academic programs, construction of 15 new academic buildings, and five major renovation projects.
6-25-93 – Cunningham appoints Dr. Mario J. Gonzalez Jr., a U.T. Austin faculty member and administrator, to serve as associate vice chancellor for South Texas/Border area development.
7-1-93 – Cunningham appoints Lewis W. Wright III, a U.T. Austin administrator, to serve as associate vice chancellor for business affairs, in which position he will coordinate the Historically Underutilized Business program.
7-19-93 – The U.T. System joins with Texas A&M and Texas Tech in a consortium to advise the Department of Energy, the State of Texas, and the Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant in Amarillo on research and development in the post-Cold War era. The consortium later becomes the Amarillo National Research Center for Plutonium, focusing on the dismantling of nuclear weapons.
8-12-93 – Jack S. Blanton, former chairman of the Board of Regents, is named a recipient of the Santa Rita Award, the highest honor bestowed by the U.T. System.
8-12-93 – The regents approve a $3.86 billion operating budget for the U.T. System for FY 1994, a 12 percent increase over the previous year. The operating budget will grow to $4.88 billion by FY 1999.
Fiscal Year 1993 – The U.T. System cost savings initiative reports realized cost savings, cost avoidance, and revenue enhancement of $33.6 million for the fiscal year. The initiative continues throughout Cunningham’s tenure, with total realized savings of $137.8 million in 1994-95, $264.4 million in 1996-97, and $188.2 million in 1998. Projected savings for the period 1999–2002 are projected at $505.4 million. The total of realized and projected savings through 2002 is $1,129.4 billion.
December 1993 – The U.T. System holds a two-day conference of component institutions to discuss ways to enhance university interactions with the public schools. A total of $50 million worth of current collaborative programs with the public schools was identified. A task force was formed and made recommendations to Cunningham on ways to support and train school professionals, to improve delivery of educational services, and to support students and their families in attaining educational success. Recommendations were later included in strategic plans and legislative requests. The public school initiative has continued throughout Cunningham’s tenure as chancellor.
2-10-94 – Cunningham announces an initiative to increase the number of women and minorities in faculty and administrative positions throughout the U.T. System.
2-25-94 – The Board of Regents authorizes U.T. Austin to move to the Big 8 Conference (now known as the Big 12).
4-22-94 – Franklyn Jenifer is appointed president of U.T. Dallas.
6-10-94 – Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock is presented the first Frank C. Erwin Award for "distinguished leadership and extraordinary commitment" to higher education and the U.T. System.
7-18-94 – Moody’s Investors Service upgrades U.T. System revenue bonds to Aa1 – at the time, the highest rating for any public university bonds in the nation.
October 1994 – Alfred G. Gilman of the U.T. Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas receives the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He is the sixth Nobel laureate on the faculty of U.T. System institutions.
12-1-94 – The Board of Regents approves the naming of the new molecular biology building at U.T. Austin for Louise and James R. Moffett, and names the building’s two wings for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. and June and J. Virgil Waggoner of Houston. Cunningham had been instrumental in securing private donations to help construct the building.
12-24-94 – The Board of Regents approves a first series of measures to streamline the System’s administrative procedures. The changes resulted from a study led by Regent Lowell H. Lebermann Jr.
1-9-95 – A report on the economic impact of the U.T. System, commissioned by Cunningham, is published.
3-10-95 – Bernard Rapoport is re-elected chairman of the Board of Regents.
3-24-95 – Cunningham names Robert E. Witt, dean of the business school at U.T. Austin, to be interim president at U.T. Arlington, succeeding Ryan Amacher.
Spring 1995 – The Legislature votes to further expand the South Texas/Border Initiative.
5-23-95 – Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Investors Service upgrade U.T. System revenue bonds to AA+ -- equal to the highest rating then given to any public university bonds.
6-23-95 – Moody’s Investors Service upgrades Permanent University Fund bonds to triple-A – the highest possible ranking.
8-10-95 – The Board of Regents approves a $4.24 billion operating budget for the U.T. System for FY 1996, a 6.66 percent increase from the previous year.
9-1-95 – The U.T. System administrative offices in Austin expand their recycling program, which will divert more than 45 tons of paper and aluminum from landfills each year.
9-8-95 – Dale E. Klein, a professor of engineering at U.T. Austin, is appointed associate vice chancellor for special engineering programs, a position that recognizes his leadership role in the Amarillo National Research Center for Plutonium.
October 1995 – Fifty-nine Ph.D. programs in the U.T. System are ranked among the best in the nation in a study by the National Research Council.
11-9-95 – Cunningham approves recommendations of the U.T. System Committee on the Advancement of Minorities.
12-14-95 – Cunningham resigns from the board of directors of Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
2-8-96 – Robert E. Witt, interim president at U.T. Arlington, is named the sole finalist for the permanent appointment to the presidency.
3-18-96 – A panel from the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issues its ruling in the Hopwood case, banning affirmative action programs based on race in university admissions and financial aid.
3-26-96 – The Board of Regents asks the Texas attorney general to appeal the Hopwood ruling.
5-9-96 – John Mendelsohn, chairman of the department of medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, is appointed president of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He will succeed Charles A. LeMaistre.
5-28-96 – The Board of Regents announces the creation of the University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO). The U.T. System is the first public university to create an external investment corporation, a model that has long been in use at leading private universities.
6-11-96 – Standard & Poor’s assigns a triple-A rating to Permanent University Fund bonds, giving the bonds the highest possible rating from all three major rating agencies.
8-8-96 – The Board of Regents approves a $4.48 billion operating budget for the U.T. System for FY 1997, a 4.93 percent increase from the previous year.
8-29-96 – The Board of Regents renames the football stadium at U.T. Austin. The new designation is Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
9-4-96 – Joe and Lee Jamail of Houston donate $17 million to seven Texas institutions, including $5 million to U.T. Austin, $1 million to the U.T. Health Science Center at Houston, and $1 million to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
10-24-96 – Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock receives the Santa Rita Award from the U.T. System.
11-14-96 – Mario J. Gonzalez Jr. is named vice chancellor for telecommunications and information technology to coordinate U.T. System initiatives in this growing area.
11-14-96 – The Board of Regents approves a policy developed by Cunningham for periodic review of tenured faculty.
2-24-97 – Donald L. Evans is elected chairman of the Board of Regents.
3-18-97 – Former U.T. Austin President Peter Flawn is named by Cunningham to serve as interim president of the institution after President Robert M. Berdahl resigns to become chancellor at the University of California at Berkeley.
Spring 1997 – Cunningham leads a coalition of Texas higher education institutions in their "Back to Basics" legislative request – which includes a requested funding increase of $926 million to upgrade academic programs, improve faculty and staff salaries, and increase enrollment and graduation rates. The Legislature eventually approves 60 percent of the request.
Spring 1997 – The Legislature ends a decade-long erosion of funding for public higher education, approving an overall increase of 9 percent in higher education appropriations.
8-13-97 – John D. Stobo, a dean at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is named by the Board of Regents to be president of the U.T. Medical Branch at Galveston. He succeeds Thomas N. James.
8-14-97 – The U.T. System Office of Academic Affairs is reorganized, in a move designed to reduce costs and streamline administrative procedures.
8-14-97 – The Board of Regents approves a $4.76 billion operating budget for the U.T. System for FY 1998, a 6.28 percent increase from the previous year.
9-11-97 – Cunningham issues a statement taking issue with comments by U.T. Austin law professor Lino Graglia regarding the academic abilities of minority students.
9-16-97 – U.T. System revenue bonds are given the highest possible rating, AAA, by Fitch Investors Service.
9-9-97 – The Board of Regents holds a special workshop in Austin
at which seven of the nine
10-22-97 – Cunningham and other Texas higher education leaders announce the establishment of the Texas Commission on a Representative Student Body, which will focus on issues of increasing minority enrollment without the use of affirmative action programs.
10-29-97 – The U.T. System announces plans for development of the UT TeleCampus, the beginning of the "virtual university" of the future.
11-21-97 – Ronald F. Garvey, a retired hospital administrator from Dallas, is named interim chief administrative office of the U.T. Health Center at Tyler. He succeeds George A. Hurst.
November 1997 – Cunningham appoints the System-wide Committee on Student Retention and Graduation to make recommendations on ways to improve student success rates.
12-10-97 – The U.T. System hires the Kaludis Consulting Group of Washington, D.C., to advise on the selection of a site or sites for the Regional Academic Health Center which the Legislature has authorized the U.T. System to establish in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
12-16-97 – The Board of Regents appoints Larry R. Faulkner, provost at the University of Illinois, to be president of U.T. Austin.
12-23-97 – Standard & Poor’s upgrades U.T. System revenue bonds to triple-A, the highest possible rating.
Fiscal Year 1998 – The U.T. System begins its Institutional Compliance Initiative to ensure that the System and all of its components are in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and policies. Emphasis is placed on high-risk areas such as medical billings, grants and contracts, environmental health and safety, human resources, federal tax laws, student financial aid, endowments, the Year 2000 computer problem, and NCAA regulations.
Fiscal Year 1998 – The U.T. System begins a System-wide project for consistent development and revision of campus master plans for development of facilities, maintaining architectural integrity of each campus, and other facilities issues.
1-21-98 – The U.T. System assists the Texas Commission on a Representative Student Body in organizing its first meeting, in Austin.
1-22-98 – The U.T. System announces that minority enrollment in the four System medical schools is expected to increase in the fall as a result of revised recruitment and admissions procedures, without using affirmative action programs and without decreasing admission standards.
1-28-98 – Edwin R. Sharpe, a vice president at U.T. Austin, is appointed vice chancellor for academic affairs.
February 1998 – "Construction" begins on the UT TeleCampus, which will link all 15 U.T. System campuses with services for distance education.
2-12-98 – The Board of Regents adopts a resolution in support of U.T. System programs that assist public schools in teaching reading.
3-6-98 – Rodney H. Mabry, a dean at the University of Tulsa, is appointed president of U.T. Tyler. He succeeds George F. Hamm.
4-21-98 – The U.T. System sponsors a System-wide workshop on how university officials can develop mentoring programs for employees interested in administrative jobs.
5-13-98 – The Board of Regents votes to appeal the Hopwood decision and to seek approval from the attorney general to retain outside counsel.
5-14-98 – The UT TeleCampus is officially opened.
8-13-98 – The Board of Regents authorizes Regent Tony Sanchez to negotiate with Valley communities regarding location of the Regional Academic Health Center.
8-13-98 – The Board of Regents approves a $4.88 billion operating budget for the U.T. System for FY 1999, an increase of 1.52 percent over the previous year.
9-2-98 – The U.T. System completes an agreement with Microsoft to make the company’s software available to all U.T. System faculty, students, and staff at no cost or a nominal media cost (the cost of a CD).
9-9-98 – The U.T. System announces that the first two completely online graduate programs, in business management and educational technology, will begin in fall 1999. The programs will involve academic campuses across the U.T. System.
10-12-98 – Ferid Murad of the U.T. Health Science Center at Houston receives the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is the seventh Nobel laureate on the faculty of U.T. System institutions.
11-11-98 – The Board of Regents announces that Ronald F. Garvey is the sole finalist for the presidency of the U.T. Health Center at Tyler.
11-11-98 – The Board of Regents selects four sites for the Regional Academic Health Center – in Harlingen, Brownsville, Edinburg, and McAllen.
12-17-98 – Ronald F. Garvey is appointed president of the U.T. Health Center at Tyler. He had served as interim chief administrative officer since the previous January.
12-18-98 – U.T. El Paso and Texas Tech University form a partnership to own and operate a research center that will focus on border health issues.
Spring 1999 – Cunningham participates in the coalition of Texas universities in their "Access and Affordability" legislative program, which includes a request for $1.2 billion in new funding to help close the gap between Texas and other states in faculty salaries, retention and graduation rates, and other areas. The Legislature eventually approves almost 70 percent of the request.
Spring 1999 – For the second legislative session in a row, the Legislature approves appropriations increase that will help Texas higher education close the gap in funding in comparison with other states. Public universities and health science centers receive a 13.4 percent increase in state appropriations.
Spring 1999 – The Legislature approves a proposed constitutional amendment to make the Permanent University Fund a "total return" fund. If approved by the voters in November, the amendment will make it possible for the U.T. and Texas A&M Systems to spend a limited portion of capital gains from the PUF to support excellence programs and capital projects.
Spring 1999 – The Legislature creates endowments totaling $470 million from the state’s tobacco lawsuit settlement to help support medical research and other health-related activities at the six U.T. System health institutions, as well as at U.T. El Paso, which will participate in a new border health research institute. The Legislature also creates a separate $350 million medical research endowment, which will be shared by all state health-related higher education institutions.
2-10-99 – Ricardo Romo, vice provost at U.T. Austin, is named president of U.T. San Antonio. He succeeds Samuel A. Kirkpatrick.
2-16-99 – The UT TeleCampus begins a study of goals and projects for Phase II of its development.
3-18-99 – Donald L. Evans is re-elected chairman of the Board of Regents.
3-29-99 – In response to questions raised by the news media, Cunningham announces that UTIMCO will change its policies so that more information about private equity investments is available to the public.
4-1-99 – The U.T. System completes testing and implementation of technology to deal with the Year 2000 computer problem. Summary of Changes in Selected Statistical Benchmarks U.T. System, 1992 - 1999
U.T. System Enrollment Fall 1992 – 145,675 Fall 1998 – 145,604
System-wide Operating Budget FY 1993 -- $3.39 billion FY 1999 -- $4.88 billion
U.T. System Research Expenditures FY 1993 -- $707 million FY 1998 -- $871.5 million
Market Value of the Permanent University Fund FY 1993 -- $4.49 billion FY 1998 -- $7.1 billion
System-wide Private-Sector Donations FY 1993 -- $240 million FY 1998 -- $365 million
U.T. System Purchases from Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) FY 1993 -- $59.8 million FY 1998 -- $119.9 million Major Initiatives Undertaken or Broadly Expanded During the Chancellorship of William H. Cunningham
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Background Materials |
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The University of Texas System Office of Public
Affairs || 210 West 6th Street, Suite 2.100
Austin, Texas 78701 || p: (512) 499-4363 || f: (512) 499-4358 || email: adebruyn@utsystem.edu |
