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Statement from Chancellor William H. McRaven on UT Austin tragedy

AUSTIN—The entire UT System is saddened by the tragic death of UT Austin freshman Haruka Weiser. Haruka was an incredibly gifted student and the loss of her precious life deeply affects the entire UT family.  As chancellor and as a parent, I offer my deepest sympathies to Haruka’s parents, family and friends, as well as to her classmates and faculty in the College of Fine Arts. I applaud President Fenves for his strong leadership during this difficult time.  He has acted quickly to ensure the safety of other students and faculty.  Additionally, he is bringing together all the resources of UT and the broader law enforcement community to ensure the individual who committed this terrible act is brought to justice.   I would also like to personally thank the UT Austin Police Department, UT System Police, the Austin Police Department and the Texas Rangers for their relentless and continued work on this investigation. My gratitude also goes out to the UT Austin community who I know will work together to keep the campus as safe as possible and ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 217,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $16.9 billion (FY 2016) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates – and more than 70,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.

News Contact Information

Jenny LaCoste-Caputo: jcaputo@utsystem.edu  • 512-499-4361(direct) • 512-574-5777 (cell) 
Karen Adler: kadler@utsystem.edu  • 512-499-4360 (direct) • 210-912-8055 (cell)
Ken Ma: kma@utsystem.edu  • 512-499-4778 (direct) • 954-621-7961 (cell)
Melanie Thompson: mthompson@utsystem.edu • 512-499-4487 (direct) • 832-724-1024 (cell)