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NEWS
| JAN. 29
Administration
Interim president search begins
University President Robert Witt
says he will help the interim become acquainted and adjusted before
leaving for Alabama.
by Amber
Tafoya
Contributor to The Shorthorn
While Chancellor Mark Yudof researches an interim to replace university
President Robert Witt, UTA employees say the interim president must
be prepared to balance the budget.
Dr. Witt will be in his Alabama office March 1.
Interim presidents for UT System universities are usually found
within the system, officials said.
This may relieve administrators and faculty who believe the interim
should be well-versed in system policies, if not the university’s.
Dan Williams, senior vice president for finance and administration,
said the interim president will have to play the role of a magician.
“The interim will have to be asked to do the impossible, be
all things to all people — at the lowest possible cost,”
he said.
Williams served as interim president at UT-San Antonio in 1989 and
said that because the president had already been selected, his job
was easier.
“Now we are going into a situation in which we don’t know
who the president will be, are facing a $6 million cut in our budget
and must still keep institution moving ahead,” he said.
UT System officials said Yudof will appoint an interim after gathering
information and opinions from administrators and faculty here.
As Dr. Witt prepares for his move to Alabama, faculty and administrators
believe the interim president should be ready to support UTA during
the state’s legislative session, in which legislators are struggling
to balance the state’s budget with a $9.9 billion deficit on
their shoulders. UTA is asking for funding to support about 41 percent
of the budget.
In addition to state funding requests, UTA and other state agencies
will have to cut Gov. Rick Perry’s requested 7 percent from
their budgets.
Engineering Dean Bill Carroll said the change in presidency is not
as a big concern as the budget.
He said the interim will have to be a strong advocate in the legislature
this spring and have a good relationship with Yudof.
“We need to find someone who has the ear of the chancellor
— someone the chancellor will listen to and respect,”
he said.
The interim should be familiar with the campus and its initiatives
to have a good transition, Carroll said.
He or she will be expected to report to the governor and make decisions
based on the governor’s decisions, such as the 7 percent budget
decreases announced Friday. The interim president will have to relay
that information to the campus.
Kent Gardner, vice president for student affairs, said the interim
must do well with these responsibilities to face the biggest challenge
— balancing UTA’s budget.
“The interim should have a good working relationship with the
legislature,” Dr. Gardner said, adding that whoever represents
UTA needs to know the university well.
“I hope the interim president will have a positive relationship
with student leaders,” he said.
Witt said he will spend most of his time this month preparing for
the interim president’s transition and wrapping up loose ends.
When Yudof names the interim, Witt said he will take the administrator
under his wing.
Witt was in Austin today to talk to legislators and to speak with
the UT System developmental office. He said he is not sure when
a interim president will be appointed.
“I imagine they will find one soon,” he said. “We
need one as soon as possible.”
“I think when dealing simultaneously with moving into a new
job, with a budget roll back and getting fully and rapidly engaged,
the interim will have a very full plate.”
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