William C. Powers Jr. named president of University of Texas at Austin

Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Dec 29, 2005

AUSTIN, TEXAS

William C. Powers Jr., dean of the University of Texas at Austin's law school, was officially named president of the university on Dec. 5 by the LIT system board of regents.

Powers, who will succeed President Larry R. Faulkner on Feb. 1, was named the sole finalist for the position by the board in November.

"The board of regents is delighted that Bill Powers has agreed to serve as president of this great institution," says board chairman James R. Huffines. "Bill Powers has an outstanding record and broad national stature in law, teaching, administration and public service. We believe he is the right person for the job and will continue to lead the university into even greater excellence and prominence in the state and nation."

Powers, who has served as dean of the law school since 2000, is also a university distinguished teaching professor, and holds the Hines H. Baker and Thelma Kelley Baker Chair in Law and the John Jeffers Research Chair in Law. He joined the law school faculty in 1977 and has held several faculty chairs and other administrative appointments. He served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1984 to 1987 and 1994 to 1995. Powers received his law degree from Harvard University and his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley.

"The board has chosen an excellent leader in Bill Powers and I feel very good about his selection," says Chancellor Mark G. Yudof. "Being president of a large, complex institution such as UT Austin is a tough job, and I am confident in his abilities. Bill Powers has excelled in dealing with the challenges and opportunities of leading one of the country's outstanding law schools, recruiting a world-class faculty and admitting the most highly diverse and talented students in the history of UT Austin. He will be an excellent president."

Faulkner praised the selection of Powers as the university's next leader. "Bill Powers is a superb choice to lead the university in its next era. This will be a time of diverse opportunities and challenges. To match them, the regents have tapped a leader of fine intellect and courage. I look forward to working with him on the smoothest possible transition."

As president, Powers will oversee a major research university that is home to over 48,000 students, 2,700 faculty and 17,000 staff members. The campus operating budget for fiscal year 2006 is $1.65 billion.