The University of Texas System has named a 17-member advisory committee of system regents and administrators, a student, a former student and North Texas residents to search for the next president of UT Arlington.
That's a tough pick. James Spaniolo, UTA's president since 2004, announced June 18 that he had decided to "pass the baton" to a new leader.Pedro Reyes, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs in the UT System, will chair the committee.Spaniolo's impact on the university and on Arlington has been profound. He has led growth in every way a university can grow: its number of students, its academic quality, its course offerings, its faculty, its research and, certainly, its student housing, classrooms, laboratories and other facilities.Spaniolo may have said it best in his 2011 President's Report: "UT Arlington may well be one of the few institutions in the nation today where progress in facilities and infrastructure is measured not in square footage but in acres."So the committee has a difficult task ahead. Here are some suggestions for conducting the search:Stall. Spaniolo said he would stay until his replacement is named. Push that pledge as far as you can.It's been two months since Spaniolo announced his plans. What if it took two more months until the committee meets for the first time? Maybe two months to get organized? The search is bound to take a while. In the meantime, UTA has a perfectly good president who promised he would still be there, working hard.Eventually get serious. There are heavyweights on this committee, including UT System regents, presidents of other UT institutions, experienced professors and business leaders. They know how to separate the wheat from the chaff, and there should be no shortage of applicants.Momentum. UTA has it. Don't lose it.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
