A University of the First Class: Charles Miller

By Charles Miller in A University of the First Class, Features, May | June 2013 on April 30, 2013 at 9:55 am | No Comments

On the occasion of the Alcalde’s 100th anniversary, we asked Longhorns what “a University of the first class” means to them.

A University of the First Class

Charles Miller

BA ’59, Life Member
Former UT Regent

The Constitutional mandate that UT should be “first-class” is also a very clear mission statement. As a regent, your number-one duty is to represent the state of Texas. Not the professors, the students, or the administrators—but everybody in Texas.

Currently, we’re experiencing tension, and some people are saying that the board is micromanaging the University. I think the Legislature is actually micromanaging the board. The Board of Regents has the legal and constitutional ultimate authority to run the universities in the system. A lot of the current debate is about personalities, and that’s unfortunate. The effect it’s having on the brand of Texas is that we’re having a fraternity fight. If everybody took a step back and thought about what’s good for the institution, rather than the personalities involved, we wouldn’t be having this disagreement.