Texas Tech University - La Ventana Yearbook (Lubbock, TX)

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Student Life lU Homecoming lb Election 3Z Time Capsule DU Graduation CAUGHT IN B-E-T-WEEN On dead day, Jacque Widmer and Kristyn Coody take a break from studying to play in a sprin- kler. iPhoto by Greg Hump- hries) Student Life

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FROM THE UNIVERSITY TO THE WHITE HOUSE, TEXAS TECH IS LEFT CAUGHT IN BETWEEN PRESIDENTS INTERIM PRESIDENT ELIZABETH HALEY TAKES OVER AS CAVAZOS LEAVES FOR THE WHITE HOUSE The appointment of Texas Tech Presi- dent Lauro Cavazos as U.S. secretary of education was a boost for Tech. but it left students caught in between w ithout a presi- dent. It definitely was a year for transitions. In January 1989 the nation adjusted to the change in presidents: the Reagan years were gone and the Bush administration was in. Tech, however, was way ahead of the game. In September 1988, Cavazos re- signed after eight years at the helm, which left the university in search of a leader. Elizabeth Haley, dean of Tech ' s College of Home Economics, was chosen to serve as interim president of the university and the Tech Health Sciences Center. The majority of the Tech community supported President Reagan ' s nomination of Cavazos in August 1988. An article in The University Daily quoted Wendell Maye s, chairman of the Tech Board of Regents, as saying Cavazos is a caring person in the field of education. In the same article, Richard Ishler, dean of the College of Education, said. It ' s a real coup for us. As secretary of education, Cavazos will be asked to do what he excels at - working with legislators and various constituencies. Ishler said Cavazos had supported the College of Education and was aware of the problems in educating teachers. Cavazos will effectively use his skills to open doors to teacher professional groups - doors that have been closed under (outgo- ing Education Secretary) William Ben- nett, Ishler said. Cavazos appeared before the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Re- sources to answer questions about his nomi- nation. U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm. a 1 96 1 Tech graduate, spoke on behalf of Cavazos as did U.S. Rep. Larry Combest and U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm. Immediately following Cavazos ' appear- ance before the congressional committee. the consensus was that the committee chairman, U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, would make a recommendation for Cavazos which would go before the Senate for a full vote. Lauro Cavazos was unanimously con- firmed for the position of U.S. secretary of education. President Reagan ' s nomination of Cav- azos received some criticism as a political move to increase Hispanic votes for the Republican Party in the 1988 presidential election. Many wondered whether Cavazos would serve for only the three months remaining in the Reagan administration, but Cavazos was one of only two cabinet members that new President George Bush kept from Re- agan ' s administration. Gramm and Combest strongly supported the appointment of Cavazos, and most peo- ple speculated prior to the presidential election that either Bush or Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis would keep Cavazos as secretary of educa- tion if elected. A University Daily article quoted Comb- est as saying, Dr. Cavazos is a hands-on- educator who understands not only the problems of the administrative side of edu- cation, but the student ' s viewpoint as well. Cavazos earned his B.A. degree in zoolo- gy in 1949 and his master ' s in cytology in 1951, both from Tech. He was inaugurated as Texas Tech ' s 10th president and the Texas Tech Health Sci- ences Center ' s third president on April 15, 1980. Being a Tech graduate and serving as Tech president made Cavazos the epitome of Texas Tech. It also made his representa- tion of the university on the national level even more important. Cavazos ' national appointment certainly turned attention to Tech, something Cav- azos always worked hard to do. — Jamie Stewart 8 — Farewell, President Cavazos