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

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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

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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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VICE PRESIDENTS UT ' s ' Tower of Power ' a Saga of Seven Sages FIRST ROW: William Livingston, Ronald Miles Brown, Shirley Bird Perry, Charles Franklin, Gerhard Fonken, Robert Mettlen. NOT PICTURED: James Colvin. The University of Texas ' Seven Towers of Power: who were these seven dedicated, hard-working leaders and what did they do? James Colvin became senior vice presi- dent after serving 19 years as business manager and vice president for business af- fairs. He conferred with the vice president for business affairs, Charles Franklin, on all phases of business operations. He undertook assignments from the president such as plan- ning for the development of Balcones Research Center and the Marine Science In- stitute, as well as long-range planning for campus development. William Livingston, a political science instructor since 1949, served as vice president and dean of the School of Graduate Studies. He was a specialist in British government, comparative federalism and comparative political systems. In addition to his ad- ministrative position, he was the author of several books, one of which was entitled Federalism and Constitutional Change. Ronald Miles Brown, who came to UT in 1971, served as vice president for student affairs. His job involved the administration of programs affecting student life on cam- pus, ranging from housing and financial aid to extracurricular activities. He held a doc- torate in higher education administration from the University of Michigan, where he studied on a Carnegie Fellowship. Gerhard Fonken, a member of UT ' s faculty since 1959, held the position of vice president for academic affairs and research. In addition to this administrative position, he was an organic chemist with research in- terests in chemical reactions caused by light and transformations caused by heat. His ar- ticles appeared in such publications as the Journal of Biological Sciences and the Jour- nal of Organic Chemistry. He also taught graduate courses as well as freshman level courses in the College of Natural Sciences. G. Charles Franklin held the title of vice president for Business Affairs. He serv- ed as a liaison between the Secret Service and the planning consultants in organizing the dedication ceremonies for the LBJ Lib- rary. An accountant, Franklin worked closely with the College of Business Administration. Shirley Bird Perry was named UT ' s vice president and coordinator of Centennial pro- grams. According to President Peter Flawn, The position will give Mrs. Perry the responsibility for coordinating the various externally-focused activities of the Universi- ty. These include the Development Office, News and Information, University Publica- tion, Centennial Programs and relations with the Ex-Students Association. Robert Mettlen, was promoted in September 1981 from executive assistant to the president to vice president for ad- ministration. This change in title reflected an increased responsibility for administration within the President ' s Office. Mettlen also was a professor of finance in the College of Business Administration and for this was awarded the Joe D. Beasley Teaching Ex- cellence Award. He was a lecturer in the field of financial institutions, serving on the faculty of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking and in UT ' s Management Develop- ment Programs. 134 Vice Presidents