Report: McRaven a Candidate for UT Chancellor
Paul Burka over at Texas Monthly is reporting (although he doesn’t name his source or sources, and he doesn’t say how good the information is) that the UT System regents have narrowed down the candidate pool for the next chancellor to Richard Fisher and Adm. William McRaven, BJ ’77, Life Member.
Fisher leads the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; McRaven is commander of U.S. Special Operations command, a Navy SEAL, and a Distinguished Alumnus of UT-Austin. He led the operation that resulted in killing Osama bin Laden. He also gave an unbelievable commencement speech at UT’s graduation this year that has been viewed more than 2 million times. His advice for graduates derived from his SEAL training.
Fisher is not a UT grad. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford.
A spokeswoman for the UT System declined to comment on the report, saying candidate names are confidential.
Both men would represent departures from a pronounced trend in Texas higher education toward former politicians becoming chancellors. Either man would be replacing Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who announced his resignation earlier this year. Cigarroa intends to return to transplant surgery in San Antonio once a new chancellor is found.
Contributing reporting by Chris O’Connell. File photo of William McRaven.
