Top Philanthropist Questions Regent’s Silence on UT President
Kenneth Jastrow II, chairman of UT’s Capital Campaign and the man who led the Commission of 125, criticized UT Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell’s “overt lack of support” for President Bill Powers in a July 8 letter to Powell.
As the Austin American-Statesman reported last night, Jastrow’s letter praises the success of the Capital Campaign, which has raised $342 million for UT this fiscal year. Since its inception in 2006, the campaign has raised $1.6 billion toward a $3 billion goal.
“Clearly, 191,000 plus donors believe President Powers and others at UT are doing a good job, and they believe in the mission and core values of the University of Texas,” Jastrow wrote, adding that no other UT president has ever raised as much or as much in a single year.
Jastrow goes on to question the chairman’s support of the president, pointing out that Powell’s June 28 statement on the University’s $70,000 settlement with controversial reformer Rick O’Donnell supported only Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, “purposely” failing to voice support for Powers.
“Your overt lack of support for Bill Powers is troubling,” Jastrow wrote, noting that Powell voted to support both the chancellor and the system presidents in a May Board of Regents meeting.
“You voted to support President Powers, and you should honor your vote,” Jastrow says.
Read the full letter here.
Jastrow Letter to Powell
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6 Comments
Probably because the UT President is not infallible. In fact, he made a major error in the way he initially hunkered down on reform, rather than just (feigning, even) welcoming suggestions and realizing that UT must get ahead of the curve, as D Magazine has suggested this month. Just google “Why UT and A&M Need to Change Their Ways: Texas has two middling public universities. It’s time they reward professors who can actually teach” or click the link I’ve put by my name.
Graduation rates are too low. Costs are going up too much. There are too many overhead costs and bureaucrats. Not enough classroom focus. Even the research is not what it seems, with a tiny fraction doing nearly all of the productive research. UT may not be unique in some of these aspects, but it can be unique in getting out in front of the issue and preventing a big bubble from popping in higher education. Believe me, a college bubble is here, and it is about to pop if we don’t see serious change in higher ed, very, very soon.
Charlie,
President Powers is not infallible. No one ever claimed he was.
Obviously you have no clue what kind of reforms have been going on over the years. Both Faulkener and Powers have been following the Commission of 125 Report which, among other things, calls for UT to be a better university with higher graduation rates. That report came out long before TPPF burped out its 7 deadly sins for higher ed.
The article “Why UT…” is a terrible, poorly researched article. The author has no clue what they’re talking about.
You need to read up on what UT itself has been and already is doing at the moment.
The only college bubble is the one that surrounds all the “reformers” who refuse to investigate these matters fully. They only listen to each other and only read poorly written articles that reinforce their dogmas. They represent the antithesis of what a university is all about, genuine dialogue that explores all ideas. They are intellectually incestuous just like creationists who think that man walked with dinosaurs long ago, and they only accept the data that can be twisted and misinterpreted their way. This college bubble must burst, and the reformers must learn to get a better handle on what’s really going on at UT.
What’s really troubling is the overt lack of support for students that are being crushed by record student loan debt. How much debt will be too much before these administrators wake up and do something about skyrocketing tuition costs?
What proof do you have that Powers does not support students?
Why is Jastrow in favor of someone who likes to waste his fund raising efforts in a broken system?
Lauren Pierce, why on earth do you say that UT is a broken system? Do you mean to say that thousands of alumni are just not as smart as you are in realizing that UT is broken? Wow. You must have some awesome insight that they don’t have. Please enlighten us.