AUSTIN – The appointment of members of a presidential search advisory committee to advise The University of Texas System Board of Regents on the selection of a president for UT Medical Branch - Galveston was announced today (Nov. 16) by Regents’ Chairman James R. Huffines.
The committee will make recommendations on possible successors to President John D. Stobo, who announced last month he plans to retire by Aug. 31, 2007. The committee will be asked to present the names of no more than 10 candidates – unranked – to the board, which will make the final decision.
“Selecting the next leader of UT Medical Branch - Galveston – the oldest medical institution within the UT System and one with a great history and excellent national reputation – is considered one of the board's most important responsibilities,” said Chairman Huffines. “The men and women who have agreed to serve on this search committee bring a wealth of experience and proven sound judgment to the selection process. We are grateful to all of them for their acceptance of this responsibility and we look forward to receiving their recommendations.”
The committee membership is made in accordance with the Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations, which includes a provision for representation on such committees by various constituencies of the institution.
The committee will be chaired by Kenneth I. Shine, M.D., executive vice chancellor for health affairs in the UT System.
Representing the Board of Regents on the committee will be Regents’ Vice Chairman Rita C. Clements of Dallas and Colleen McHugh of Corpus Christi.
Representing presidents of other UT System institutions are Kern Wildenthal, M.D., president of UT Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas, and Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., president of UT Health Science Center - San Antonio.
Garland D. Anderson, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and Jennie Sealy Smith Distinguished Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, will serve on the committee.
Pamela G. Watson, RN, ScD, Dean and Professor, Rebecca Sealy Distinguished Centennial Chair (Apointment of Dean Watson to the search committee was approved by The Board of Regents on December 7)
Representing the UTMB staff, as selected by the institution’s Support Staff Professionals association, is Melanie Loving, administrative manager of the Office of Educational Development.
Dustin Porter, a second-year medical student, is the 2009 class president of the School of Medicine and will represent the students on the committee.
Ned Snyder III, M.D., president of the School of Medicine Alumni Association and a professor of internal medicine in the division of gastroenterology at UTMB, will serve on the committee by virtue of his leadership of the alumni organization.
The UTMB faculty representatives, as selected by the Faculty Senate, are:
- Tom Albrecht, Ph.D., director of the Infectious Disease and Toxicology Optical Imaging Core in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine
- Helen K. Li, M.D., associate professor of vitreoretinal diseases and surgery in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Medicine
- Richard R. Rahr, Ed.D., PA-C, Dibrell Family Professor in the Art of Medicine and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, School of Allied Health Sciences
The external community representatives are:
- Mrs. Patricia W. Burns of Galveston
- Mr. Michael Jackson of Galveston
- Harmon W. Kelley, M.D., of San Antonio
- Mr. John Kelso of Galveston, president of the Sealy & Smith Foundation Board
- Mr. Harris L. “Shrub” Kempner, Jr., of Galveston
Spencer Stuart, an executive search firm, is assisting the UT System in the search and advertisements for the position will be placed in national publications so the committee can carry out its search as expeditiously as possible. Chairman Huffines has set a goal of naming a new president of UT Medical Branch - Galveston by May 2007.
UTMB is dedicated to educating health science professionals and researchers, caring for patients, and advancing human health through research. Established in 1891 as the University of Texas Medical Department, UTMB has grown from one building, 23 students, and 13 faculty members to a modern health science center with more than 70 major buildings, more than 2,900 students and house staff, and more than 1,000 faculty.
The 84-acre campus includes four health sciences schools, three institutes for advanced study, a major medical library, a network of hospitals and clinics that provide a full range of primary and specialized medical care, an affiliated Shriners Burn Hospital, and numerous research facilities that include the only full-sized maximum containment laboratory for the safe study of infectious diseases. In addition, UTMB is home to one of only two national biocontainment laboratories – and the only national lab in Texas – currently under construction.
UTMB is one of six health institutions and nine academic institutions that comprise The University of Texas System, one of the nation’s largest higher education systems. The UT System educates and trains three-fourths of the state's health care professionals annually and confers one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $10 billion and has more than 76,000 employees, making it one of the largest employers in the state.
