University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

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CHANCELLOR Walker Works to Improve UT System Addressing some of his greatest ac- complishments as chancellor of one of the nation ' s largest university systems, E. D. Walker included his work in gaining the ex- emption of the University of Texas from windfall profits taxes, which allowed the money that would have gone for taxes to build the University system ' s overall academic programs and resources. Former President Jimmy Carter, who signed the ex- emption into law, presented Walker with the pen used for doing so. Walker also mention- ed the increase in faculty salaries as approved by the Texas State Legislature as well as the ability of the University to attract private funds; 1982 donations rose 26 percent from the previous year, ranking the University of Texas third in private donations among American universities. Walker was most proud of an achieve- ment called the UT Centennial Scholars Pro- gram. This program provided for matching funds from the available fund and University sources whenever a private donation was made toward an endowed academic posi- tion. Walker called this program one of the single events in the University ' s history which will help it to achieve even a greater degree of excellence. Among his greatest disappointments, Walker spoke of his failure to get constitu- tional amendments approved which would permit the University to use the permanent fund and available fund to improve the academic quality of all the University of Texas System. Responding to the exceptionally high rating the University of Texas received in the 1982-83 New York Times Guide to Colleges, Walker spoke of the unprecedented resources the University had available to it and the way in which those resources were to be utilized. The perception of a lot of the education community in the country is that the University of Texas is really moving for- ward in academic quality and excellence the type of people we ' re recruiting on facul- ty, the programs that we ' re developing and the performance of graduates as, of course, the ultimate test of the kind of University we have. I think it ' s all a very positive thing . . . And you can ' t forget about the Cotton Bowl too, Walker jokingly added. Walker ' s duties as chancellor demanded a gr eat tleal of his time to be spent away from his office in Austin. He visited various col- Chancellor E. D. Walker lege campuses, giving talks or attending conferences as well as participating in of- ficial events around the state and nation. Two major meetings in 1981-82 included the National Health Policy Committee and the executive committee of the Land-Grant Policies. Both held in Washington, D.C., these meetings had as their primary source the examination of the federal budget and its potential impact on higher education na- tionwide, an example being the student aid program and its proposed reductions. Walker realized that the president and leadership of the country were facing a ma- jor problem in bringing the economy under control, but the proposed reductions disturbed him. It bothers me and I hate to see what I perceive as the real strength of the future of this country (the educational struc- ture) affected. I realize we have to cut back, but it seems to me that the cutback is pretty severe almost 50 percent and it ' s too much at one time . . to absorb . . I think in some instances it might have a very significant impact on the enrollment in the future on various institutions (of higher education), both public and private, he said. Walker began working with the Universi- ty of Texas system in 1955 when he first handled administrative duties for the Medi- cal Branch at Galveston. In 1965, Walker left Galveston for Austin where he worked to- ward the development of a state-wide uni- versity system. After serving as chief finan- cial officer and deputy chancellor of the system, Walker became head of all operating procedures for the University in 1975. This freed the chancellor to concentrate more on responsibilities of a wider scope. In 1977, Walker became president and chief operating officer of the University of Texas System before becoming chancellor in 1978. Before his work with the University of Texas, Walker served on the faculty of Sam Houston State and on the administrative staff of Texas Tech University. 132 Chancellor

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REGENTS Regents Pursue Excellence for UT System - ::.;; .: ' . ' ' : -::. FWM I L ; rfdb itti ( MWMO (topis : ' :-.( I The Board of Regents at the University of Texas System was dedicated to the pursuit of excellence through the promotion of outstanding teaching, research and service. The Board of Regents, appointed by the governor and approved by the state legislature, oversaw the 14 schools in the UT system. For the 1981-82 year, the regents established goals and major planning pro- grams. Two of the goals planned included improving the performance of ad- ministrators, facilities, staff and students within each UT school, and to encourage each institution to utilize the opportunities, challenges and resources available in each community surrounding the schools. The main functions of the regents were handling monies, making appointments and formulating policy decisions. The regents approved a $344,835,737 budget for the UT system, with the total UT Austin budget total of $193,341,141. The most visible out- come of the funds was the construction of new buildings. The Pharmacy building, located behind the Experimental Science building, was the newest on the Austin cam- pus. The new engineering building on 26th Street was under construction. The Robert E. Lee building, formerly housing TA of- fices, was demolished to accommodate a classroom facility to handle the overflow of business students from the Business- Economics Building. Monies received from private citizens and corporations were used to create scholarship funds and endowed professorships. The regents approved the ap- pointments to these endowed professor- ships. The allocation of funds consumed most of the regents ' time. The most recent policy decision, and the one having the most impact on UT Austin- bound students, was the altering of the ad- mission standards. The changes were made to increase the academic quality of the stu- dent body and to stabilize enrollment of students on the UT Austin campus. The regents amended its Rules and Regulations to create two new offices of ex- ecutive vice chairmanship. Dr. Bryce Jordan of Dallas was elected vice chancellor of Academic Affairs and Dr. Charles Mullins to vice chancellor for Health Affairs. The regents took a special interest on the impending teacher shortage and declining quality in public education. These condi- tions in the public schools affected teacher recruitment and retention. The Board of Regents requested the UT System ' s Office of Academic Affairs to make a thorough study of the requirements for education degrees in the UT system. They also wanted increased encouragement of capable people to enter teaching as a midlife second career. To do this, they considered reorganizing teacher training programs within the UT System. FIRST ROW: Janey Briscoe, Sterling H. Fly Jr., James L. Powell, Beryl Buckley Milburn.Jane Weinert Blumberg. SECOND ROW: Howard N. Richards, Tom B. Rhodes, Jess Hayjon P. Newton. Regents 1}1

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PRESIDENT MtW rto .jTTitetlKwiW ' o- rfl .( In I 1 rffctoU 15 cto 71 President Tops UTs Tower of Power ' Reigning atop the University of Texas ' Tower of Power was UT President Peter T. Flawn. Flawn assumed the president ' s of- fice in 1979, succeeding a string of short- term presidents. The short life cycle, which averaged three years, of previous UT presidents did not bother Flawn, nor did he feel pressured to grovel to keep his job. I serve at the pleasure of the Board of Regents and my own pleasure, so I can ' t predict how long I will sit here, Flawn said. Several new administrative programs came up for review by the president ' s office in 1981-82. After much student protest, a proposal was taken to Flawn to elect student members to the University Council. Previously, the six student members con- sisted of two from the Senior Cabinet and four appointed by Flawn himself, upon the recommendation of candidates from college deans. The Council approved the bill calling for election of student representatives and the proposition returned to Flawn for review. Flawn amended the bill by setting out the minimum requirements for Council membership full-time status and good stan- ding. With the amendment, Flawn approved the bill and sent it on to the Board of Regents for their approval. However, the ap- parent revival of student government at the University threatened to make the point of electing students to the Council a moot one. Another new program was the Student Services Fee Committee. This Committee was comprised of a group of students elected by the University student body. The Committee studied the required and op- tional fees and made recommendations to Flawn on how to allocate these funds. The major problem concerning the allocation of fees was that UT had already instituted the maximum amount allowed by the state legislature, and with inflation, there was a shortage of money for important services. This shortage resulted in many cutbacks around the campus. Money for student services was not the only sluggish cash flow that was causing problems. Faculty salaries were lagging way behind the national average until the legislature approved both raising faculty salaries 25 percent and using the Available University Fund to match gifts for endowed faculty positions. These were important developments because, as Flawn said, There is nothing more important to morale than adequate compensation. Flawn tried to keep communication with students open. In an informal lunch at the School of Law, Flawn discussed the ad- ministration ' s decision not to serve beer in the new snack bar at the law school. The snack bar, run by the Texas Union, was equipped with kegs and had planned to serve beer but Flawn and Vice President Ronald Brown considered it inappropriate. Flawn received his bachelor ' s in geology from Oberlin College and he earned his master ' s and doctorate in geology from Yale University. He came to UT in 1949 as a research scientist and geologist. He has received several awards for his work in- cluding the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Award and election to the National Academy of Engineering. President Peter T. Flawn President 1