In June Gregory L. Fenves assumed the role of president of The University of Texas at Austin. He had been provost and executive vice president since 2013.
Fenves oversaw the creation of the Dell Medical School and launched a “Campus Conversation” intended to redefine the residential college experience in the 21st Century by identifying the essential learning elements of a high-quality degree and increasing the role of student discovery and research in undergraduate education.
He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the highest national honor awarded to engineers in the United States. Former President Bill Powers stepped down after a nine-year tenure.
Other people news:
- C. Reynold Verret has been appointed the next president of Xavier University (La.), replacing retiring President Norman C. Francis, who served for 47 years—the second longest-tenured leader of an American higher ed institution. Verret is joining Xavier from Savannah State University (Ga.), where he has served as provost and chief academic officer since 2012.
- The Rev. John Lo Schiavo, president and chancellor of the University of San Francisco from 1977-91, died peacefully at age 90 on May 19. Lo Schiavo presided over a financial and academic resurgence of USF and gained national attention with his decision to suspend the university’s Division I men’s basketball program in 1982 after a series of NCAA violations.
- Geoffrey Kirles is now vice president and treasurer of the University of Miami. He was previously an executive director with J.P. Morgan’s Investment Bank. —L.W.
