With the departure of David Daniel as president of the university, the wheels have already been set in motion for the administration and university to move forward.
Daniel, who will assume the role of Deputy Chancellor of the UT system on July 1, will be replaced by Hobson Wildenthal , who was appointed as interim President to the University on May 6. Wildenthal has served as Provost for the last 23 years. This experience will allow the normal administrative functions of the university to continue under his supervision while the search for the next president begins.
Wildenthal said he hopes to sustain the progress the university has experienced during the last few years.
So far, plans have been put in place for a nation-wide search by the Board of Regents, and there will be a special committee formed for this task. The Presidential Search Advisory Committee will include three faculty members, one dean, one student and one non-faculty member as well as ancillary positions for external members.
Meanwhile, Wildenthal will oversee the day-to-day administrative tasks of the position.
The newly appointed Provost and former Vice Provost, Inga Musselman, said Wildenthal has helped prepare her for her new role.
“Since 1992, Dr. Wildenthal has hired many outstanding faculty, created innovative degree programs, started institutes and centers, and initiated prestigious scholarship programs for UT Dallas students,” said current Provost Inga Musselman. “Personally, Provost Wildenthal has been an invaluable mentor, and I am most grateful for his willingness to share his insights regarding the building and operation of a major research university such as The University of Texas at Dallas.”
One of Daniel’s operations was to work closely with the leaders of Student Government. SG vice president Grant Branam said this interaction between administration and SG will continue under Wildenthal.
“With Dr. Wildenthal soon becoming the interim president, we have noticed that he is gradually taking over the roles of current president Dr. Daniel,” Branam said. “We look forward to working with the Provost and expect the teamwork between him and SG to be as strong, if not stronger, than in the past.”
Aiming to keep the current direction of the campus stable, maintaining his administrative tasks and continuing his work for the university lay high on Wildenthal’s current ledger. With the search for the University’s next president approaching, Wildenthal said he wants to follow in Daniel’s footsteps.
“I and the very numerous other important key leaders of UT Dallas are continuing to do our jobs as before, and we will work that much harder to continue the paths we were following under President Daniel,” said Wildenthal. “The university is in essence the students, the faculty and the staff, much more than any individual or group of individuals.”
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