Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363

Date: August 17, 2001

UT System News Release

Burck to Step Down as Chancellor of U.T. System

Print version (on letterhead)

AUSTIN -- R.D. Burck, Chancellor of The University of Texas System, announced today that he intends to step down as Chancellor by Sept. 1, 2003, as part of an orderly plan for leadership succession. Burck made his decision public today following an exchange of letters with Charles Miller, Chairman of the U.T. System Board of Regents.

“I strongly believe it is time for The University of Texas System to plan for succession in leadership,” Burck wrote to Miller. “Realizing that the selection of a new Chancellor may take as long as two years, I am willing to serve as Chancellor until Sept. 1, 2003, or such a time as the new Chancellor has been selected by the Board of Regents and is in position to assume the responsibilities of the office.”

From Sept. 1, 2003 until Aug. 31, 2005, Burck will continue on as a special advisor to both the Board and the new Chancellor, on a part-time basis. He was appointed interim Chancellor in June 2000 and unanimously elected by the Board in December 2000 to become the eighth Chancellor of the U.T. System. Prior to becoming Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer for the U.T. System he was vice chancellor and then executive vice chancellor for business affairs. He joined the System in 1988 after a 33-year distinguished career as a business executive with Getty Oil, ESPN, and Block Watne Texas, Inc., a builder of residential housing.

"I have nothing but the deepest admiration for the leadership and tenacity that Dan Burck has brought to the U.T. System over the past 13 years, and particularly for the past year as Chancellor," Miller commented. "He came in at a particularly uncertain time for the System with the departure of Chancellor Cunningham last year. As interim Chancellor, he led the System admirably and was the natural choice to continue that leadership through the 77th Legislature. The results of those efforts alone speak volumes of the respect in which he is held around the State and in the nation as leader of one of the nation's largest public university systems."

In his time as both executive vice chancellor for business affairs and then as Chancellor, Burck has championed increased effectiveness and efficiency in operations throughout the System, including many cost-saving and cost-avoidance initiatives. He instituted a comprehensive compliance program, modernized the System’s stewardship of its West Texas lands operation, and completed a campus master planning program. He also launched a business assistance program targeted at small and historically underutilized businesses to increase their opportunities to compete for U.T. System contracts. Building on his leadership in business affairs while Chancellor, the U.T. System achieved the only triple-A rating from all three bond rating agencies given to a university system.

“I also take enormous pride in the appointment of key executive officers and component presidents who will lead the System well in to the 21st century,” Burck commented. “Our work with the 77th Legislature, passage of the largest budget and Capital Improvement Program in the history of the U.T. System, and our K-16 education initiatives will continue to provide the highest quality education, research, and scholarship for the State of Texas and the nation.”

According to Regent Woody L. Hunt of El Paso, “Dan’s initiative gives us a workable timetable to conduct a thorough national search for a new Chancellor while providing continuity in leadership for the System through the next legislative session in 2003. Having Chancellor Burck at the helm while we conduct this exhaustive search and having him here working with the Board and a new Chancellor for a period of time afterward is the right thing to do. I wholeheartedly endorse it and look forward to working with Dan on this transition over the next two years.”

After stepping down as Chancellor in 2003, Burck will continue in a special advisory role on a half-time basis, according to Miller. “I’ve talked to members of the Board and we are in agreement that we want to keep Dan Burck’s expertise close at hand to advise both the new Chancellor and the Board of Regents,” he commented. “This will ensure a smooth transition of leadership and continuity for several special projects currently underway under Dan’s leadership and some others that we’re contemplating in the future.”

A product of the U.T. System, Chancellor Burck graduated in 1956 from U.T. Austin with a degree in business administration. While at U.T. Austin, he was twice elected president of his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, and was a member of the Silver Spurs. He also attended the South Texas School of Law in Houston.

Born in Mississippi, Burck is a native of Austin, graduating from the Austin High School in 1951. He played halfback for the Austin High Maroons football team while attending school there.

He has been a member of the board of the Texas Department of Information Resources; the board of directors of the Texas Life, Accident, Health, and Hospital Service Insurance Guaranty Association; the Formula Advisory Committee of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board; The University of Texas Investment Management Company; and the Advisory Council of the U.T. Austin College of Natural Sciences.

He is a former director of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, a former member of the executive committee of the Greater Austin/San Antonio Corridor Council, and a former member of the board of directors of the American Cancer Society.

Biography of R.D. Burck
Large Photo of R.D. Burck
History of U.T. System
List of Chancellors

Previous Releases:
R.D. Burck is Named Chancellor of the U. T. System - December 6, 2000
Regents Name Burck as Sole Finalist for Chancellor - November 15, 2000
Interim Chancelor Appointed for U.T. System - April 14, 2000
Statement by R.D. Burck on Appointment as Interim Chancellor - April 14, 2000