Search starts for UT-Arlington president

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The University of Texas System Regents' chairman Gene Powell on Tuesday named members of a presidential search advisory committee charged with identifying candidates for president of The University of Texas at Arlington.

The advisory committee will recommend a list of potential candidates – unranked – for the Board of Regents to consider.

The next president of the institution will succeed President James Spaniolo, who announced in June his intention to step down from the top post once his successor is in place.

“I am very pleased these individuals have agreed to serve on this very important search advisory committee,” Powell said. “The selection of a president to lead a University of Texas System institution is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Regents. I am confident the search committee will be able to identify the very best candidates to lead UT Arlington and build upon the remarkable accomplishments of President Jim Spaniolo."

The committee membership is made in accordance with the Board of Regents’ Rules and Regulations , which includes a provision for representation on such committees by various constituencies of the institution.

The committee will be chaired by Pedro Reyes, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in the UT System. Other advisory committee members are:

• Regent Wallace L. Hall, Jr. , of Dallas, president, Wetland Partners, L.P.
• Regent Alex M. Cranberg of Austin, chairman and CEO, Aspect Holdings, L.L.C.
• Ricardo Romo, Ph.D., president, The University of Texas at San Antonio
• KIirk Calhoun, M.D., president, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
• Dan Formanowicz, Ph.D., professor, department of biology, UT Arlington
• Tom Ingram, Ph.D., associate professor, department of communication, UT Arlington
• James Campbell Quick, Ph.D., professor, department of management, UT Arlington
• Pam Jansma, Ph.D., dean, College of Science, UT Arlington
• Stephen Lunce, conference coordinator, UT Arlington
• Jennifer Fox, president, Student Congress, UT Arlington
• Bob Watson, president, UT Arlington Alumni Association

The community members of the search advisory committee are:

• H. Franklin Alexander, D.D.S., of Arlington
• Robert A. Estrada of Ft. Worth, chairman and chief executive officer, Estrada Hinojosa & Company, Inc.
• Shirlee J. Gandy of Ft. Worth, president, RPM Commercial
• Ralph H. Hawkins of Dallas, chairman and CEO, HKS, Inc.
• Ashley M. Purgason, UT Arlington alumna and Student Regent

Russell Reynolds Associates, an executive search firm, is assisting the UT System in the national search and advertisements for the position will be placed in publications so the committee may carry out its search as expeditiously as possible.