San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Ex-N.Y. educator tapped to head UT System
AUSTIN — University of Texas System regents selected James B. Milliken, who recently resigned as chancellor of the City University of New York, as the lone finalist to lead the largest network of universities in the state, with more than 230,000 students.
Milliken, 61, led the CUNY system from 2014 until May and previously served as president of the University of Nebraska.
“The University of Texas System is clearly among the leading university systems in the country, and it has great potential to do even more to serve the needs and ambi- tions of Texas and the world,” Milliken said in a statement. “I am honored to be the finalist for the position of chancellor of this remarkable institution, and I would welcome the opportunity to play a lead role in advancing this system of outstanding universities in the 21st century.”
Early on, there was speculation that the regents were considering high-profile candidates, including corporate exec- utive Rex Tillerson, President Donald Trump’s former secretary of state and ex-CEO of ExxonMobil; along with veteran educator Margaret Spellings, who was education secretary in President George W. Bush’s administration and currently is president of the University of North Carolina.
Instead, regents opted for a less publicly known but experienced education administrator with nation-
al credentials.
All of the regents except one, who wasn’t present, voted in favor of Milliken at Saturday’s meeting.
Milliken’s selection comes as the UT regents are trying to cultivate a strong relationship with the Legislature.
The system endured a strained relationship with legislators who criticized the former chancellor for spending money on initiatives not related to academics, including $215 million to buy land for a campus in Houston without a concrete plan for it.
“His experiences in higher education leadership are deep and broad, and he has very effectively guided university systems that have many of the characteristics and strategic aspirations embedded throughout UT’s academic and health institutions,” Sara Martinez Tucker, chairwoman of the regents board, said in a statement.
Milliken wasn’t made available for comment Saturday.
He and “a few” other candidates met with the UT regents Saturday morning in Austin, according to Randa Safady, a spokeswoman for the UT System, but she wouldn’t release their names or say how many were interviewed.
Milliken wasn’t present when the board voted to name him as the lone finalist.
In the months leading up to Saturday’s announcement, there was some talk that the regents were considering Tillerson and Spellings, two people with deep ties to Texas and with political experience.
There also was speculation that energy executive James Hackett of Houston was in consideration. But those names never were confirmed and the UT System didn’t release a shortlist of candidates.
Milliken, a lawyer by training, has worked in higher education for decades.
He headed the CUNY system, the largest public urban university system in the country with more than 500,000 students and 45,000 faculty and staff, for four years before leaving the post earlier this year.
Milliken announced he had throat cancer in 2017, and he cited “additional health challenges” when he announced in November that he would be stepping down at the end of the 2017-18 academic year.
In an open letter dated Nov. 21 published on the CUNY website, Milliken stated he’d received several months of radiation and chemotherapy and that his prognosis “remains very good.”
“I expect to be active and working for many more years, but there is no denying that the last nine months have been draining physically and emotionally,” he wrote.
For his new job, he has assured the UT regents that he has “a clean bill of health,” Safady said.
She added that Milliken shared a statement from his doctors with the regents saying that his cancer was “cured as of last summer.” All other medical issues also have been addressed, Safady said.
Texas’ Commissioner of Higher Education, Raymund Paredes, said it’s important the new UT chancellor have strong academic experience and also be able to foster a good relationship with state lawmakers.
“Developing a strong and credible relationship with the Legislature is key,” Paredes said. “I also don’t think anybody’s felt that there is a strong vision for the whole system. There’s got to be a good strategy for the system as a whole, how we educate the changing population of Texas.”
The UT System, one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, has 14 institutions, including UT-Austin, the state’s flagship university, and several medical schools. It employs more than 20,000 faculty members.
Regents and past chancellors have had differing visions for the system’s future.
Some board members believe the system should expand by creating new campuses and research centers.
Others disagree, saying it needs to pare back spending and focus on supporting its established institutions.
A committee of regents is evaluating the system’s mission, but executing that vision now will fall to Milliken.
Milliken’s selection comes nearly three months after Chancellor William McRaven retired.
McRaven’s tenure was marred by tensions with state leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott, after the system purchased the land for a new campus in Houston.
McRaven, a former Navy admiral who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, said his decision to resign was to focus on his health.
The search for McRaven’s replacement began soon after he announced he would resign in De- cember. It’s been overseen by a committee of five current and former regents.
Saturday’s vote to make Milliken the lone finalist was 8-0. The ninth regent, McCombs Partners CEO James “Rad” Weaver of San Antonio, was not present.
Milliken now enters a 21-day wait period during which he will negotiate his salary.
The UT regents will convene a special meeting to confirm his appointment. That meeting has not been scheduled.