The University of Texas System Board of Regents named Austin campus Provost Gary Fenves as the sole finalist to be school president on Friday.
Fenves was approved on a 5-3 vote after a months-long search to replace Bill Powers, who leaves office June 1 after a decade in the job. Powers was pressured to resign from one of the nation's largest and wealthiest public universities after years of clashes with several board members and former Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa.
State law requires the board to name a finalist, then wait at least 21 days for make a formal hire.
Fenves, 58, is the university's chief academic officer and ranked No. 2 behind Powers. He also would come to the job as the perceived second choice. The board had appeared to favor Oxford Vice Chancellor Andrew Hamilton, but he instead took the job as president of New York University last week.
Voting against Fenves on Friday were regents Wallace Hall, Brenda Pejovich and Alex Cranberg, who were three vocal critics of Powers over admissions practices, tuition rates and graduation rates at the flagship campus of the 15-institution system.
A report released last month found that Powers had ordered a small number of students admitted each year despite the objections of the admissions office. Some of them had subpar academic credentials but were recommended by donors, regents or state lawmakers. The admissions office reports to Fenves.
New Chancellor William McRaven said he recommended Fenves for the job. "Greg brings a formidable intellect and charismatic and strategic leadership to the position," McRaven said.
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Board chairman Paul Foster did not vote but said he would have supported Fenves if needed to break a tie. Foster said that despite the split vote, he is confident the board will be able to work with Fenves. Foster would not comment on the board's private deliberations before the vote.
Fenves, a structural engineer and former dean of the Texas engineering school, has been at he university since 2007.
"UT Austin is unmatched in its potential to educate and inspire leaders. I would be honored to lead this university," Fenves said in a statement released by the school.
Hall had been outspoken about his desire to find someone outside the current administration. After the vote, he appeared frustrated by the selection and mocked the school motto of "What starts here changes the world."
"Our new tagline should be `What starts here stays the same,"' Hall said.
Once formally approved, Fenves would have to contend with state lawmakers, who have criticized what they say are skyrocketing tuition costs at public universities.
The Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, a group that includes influential several of the university's top financial donors, praised the selection of Fenves and called him the "perfect choice."
