UT-Austin President Powers resigns but gets to stay until June

University of Texas president Bill Powers has agreed to resign. University of Texas president Bill Powers has agreed to resign. Photo: Associated Press Photo: Associated Press Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close UT-Austin President Powers resigns but gets to stay until June 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa said Wednesday he had accepted the resignation of UT-Austin President Bill Powers effective June 2, 2015 — an arrangement that lets Powers stay on the job longer than Cigarroa seemed willing to accept as recently as Monday.

Cigarroa's statement came amid widespread speculation that the chancellor planned to recommend the UT System Board of Regents fire Powers this week after years of tension with the president over his resistance to some of the priorities of regents appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and over what Powers' defenders considered a witch hunt for dirt on Powers by a faction of the board.

Powers had asked to stay in office until after the 2015 legislative session but Cigarroa had indicated he wanted Powers to step down in October.

Powers' preference apparently won out.

“While ultimately productive, the past years have not been without struggle and, at times, conflict and controversy,” Cigarroa's statement Wednesday said. “There was no single incident that prompted my decision to ask President Powers for his resignation last week, but a long history of issues with communication, responsiveness and a willingness to collaborate.”

“President Powers, who has led great advancements for the University, has expressed a desire to remain in his position long enough to complete several important initiatives, lead the University through the upcoming legislative session, and allow for a smooth transition to new leadership,” Cigarroa said. “I honor his commitment to UT Austin and agree that this is the best course forward.

Powers, reached by phone Wednesday, said “several conversations over the last 24 hours” led to the agreement. He thanked Cigarroa and UT System regents Chairman Paul Foster “for their leadership in getting this worked out.”

Speaking at a meeting of UT-Austin's Faculty Council, he said stepping down next summer makes sense for him and said the faculty's support “was very inspiring and meaningful to me.”

“I've done a lot of talking over two-year period with my wife Kim and my family,” Powers said, adding that he would teach in the UT law school after leaving the presidency.

In recent days, faculty, alumni and students had rallied behind Powers, arguing his ouster would be a major blow to the university. An online petition had gathered more than 14,000 signatures since Friday. State legislators also made calls and sent letters in support.

It must have influenced the chancellor's decision, said Kornel Rady, student body president, calling the news a “win for the University of Texas and higher education in general.”

“I can't thank students enough for how quickly and forcefully we all worked together to really push our support out there to the public,” Rady said. “I definitely think it had a large influence. I don't know what else would have.”

Faculty Council chairwoman Hillary Hart, who had been in the midst of a council meeting to rally support for the president when the announcement was made, said, “I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.”

She confirmed that some deans had offered to step down if Powers had been fired at Thursday's scheduled regents meeting. Roderick Hart, the Moody College of Communication dean, said Powers had told those considering resigning in protest that doing so would be “unwise.”Cigarroa said Foster next month “plans to initiate an exhaustive national search process that will utilize a search advisory committee to assist in the selection of UT Austin's next president,” which will include representatives from the faculty, deans, students and community representatives, two presidents of other UT schools and at least one regent.

“There is no doubt that UT Austin is the crown jewel of public higher education in Texas,” Cigarroa said. “President Powers is an admired leader who, as I've said before, has advanced the University in many ways. ... It is, however, time for an orderly change in leadership.”

jlloyd@express-news.net

Twitter: @jlloydster

Houston Chronicle reporters Lauren McGaughy in Austin and Benjamin Wermund in Houston contributed to this report.