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NEWS
| JAN. 28
Witt's End
Students say they are not worried
about Witt
People around campus do not believe
much will change when the university president leaves.
By Brad
Rollins
Contribution to The Shorthorn
Virginia Holcombe says she’s lost
sleep over university President Robert Witt’s imminent departure.
“I’ve been really concerned about it,” the operations
management junior said. “I’ve been tossing and turning
over it every night.”
She said she was just kidding.
In truth, Holcombe had only just learned that Dr. Witt is the university’s
president — much less that he will leave by March 1.
“In all seriousness, I don’t see how it would affect the
average student,” she said. “Unless we got a bad one,
and he started undoing things — started taking steps back.”
More than two dozen interviews Monday reflected similar degrees
of disinterest among a cross section of students. Many didn’t
know Witt or his title, and the news that he would be leaving wasn’t
news at all.
“I haven’t ever met him or even seen him,” said Deana
Covel, a European history graduate student. “I really don’t
have any impression to give you.”
A very different reaction to the last presidency vacancy unfolded
eight years ago not far from where Covel ate lunch in the University
Center. After Ryan Amacher resigned his presidency in 1995, students
staged multiple protests in support of former Provost Dalmas Taylor’s
bid to be named interim president. More than 40 students blocked
traffic on Cooper Street and joined 30 others in blocking access
to a general faculty meeting.
There were no picket lines or protesters Monday, but the official
announcement did cast some shades of uncertainty among faculty uneasy
about Witt’s announcement and the interim selection process
that will follow.
“It is such a vast issue; it’s hard to know how to summarize
it,” said Steven Maizlish, Faculty Senate parliamentarian and
associate history professor. “Obviously, we hope the new president
would continue to develop the university and would respect faculty
governance. It’s clearly a major transition, but it’s
hard to say how things will change.”
The specifics of what might change under an interim, and then a
permanent, president are difficult to predict, other faculty agreed.
But for most students, the daily aspects of college life will likely
not change at all.
“In the classroom, the day-to-day business, I don’t see
that anything would change at all,” said Dan Formanowicz, Faculty
Senate secretary and biology professor. “The potential for
change is in the long-term.”
For most students whose association with the college is short-term
— the time it takes to get a degree — the transition will
likely pass as un-noticed at it came, students said.
“As long as stuff stays pretty much the same, I don’t
see it affecting my experience here,” undeclared sophomore
Greg Laywell said.
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“The important thing to keep
in mind is this was a surprise for everyone — including
system officials Dr. Witt reports to.”
Dana Dunn,
UTA vice president for academic affairs
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