UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven to step down in 2018

William McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System, says his future will be decided by whether regents will support him. William McRaven, chancellor of the University of Texas System, says his future will be decided by whether regents will support him. Photo: Gary Coronado, Staff Photo: Gary Coronado, Staff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven to step down in 2018 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven announced Friday he is leaving one of the most influential positions in Texas higher education after a sometimes stormy tenure that put him at odds with Texas political leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott.

His decision, which he attributed to his health, comes weeks before his three-year contract ends, though UT's board chair said McRaven would continue until the academic year concludes in May.

McRaven, the retired Navy admiral responsible for the raid that killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia when he was in Afghanistan. He was briefly hospitalized in November.

McRaven's future with the system had been questioned for months after a difficult legislative session and the controversial purchase of 300 acres in Houston for a system expansion. He did not commit to remaining on the job when asked over the summer.

He acknowledged Friday there would be speculation about the reasons for his resignation but said his health caused him to rethink his future.

The "difficult" decision, he said, was personal.

"As I enter the fourth quarter of my life there's still a lot of things I want to do," he told regents at a board meeting Friday. "I want to teach. I want to write. I want to do some traveling. As hackneyed as it sounds when someone is stepping down, I want to spend more time with my family."

Regents praised his leadership during the meeting and appointed a search committee to find his replacement.

"Your legacy for me, Chancellor, will be to think big and to think bold," board Chair Sara Martinez Tucker said at the meeting.

McRaven could not be reached for comment Friday.



Challenging year

McRaven and the UT System struggled through the legislative session earlier this year as lawmakers threatened major cuts to colleges and universities.

The state Senate criticized UT and McRaven for spending money on initiatives not directly connected to academics, including the Houston property, which documents later showed was part of an plan to develop a data science center.

The governor's relationship with McRaven soured over the chancellor's Houston push and never became as cordial as it had been before, according to people familiar with the situation. In a statement Friday, Abbott thanked McRaven for his service to the country and to the UT System.

"Chancellor McRaven has had an honorable career, and Cecilia and I wish him and (his wife) Georgeann all the best in the future," he said.

Privately, several people said McRaven had come to his own decision and was not forced out.

Months ago, they said, McRaven had been told that he could stay on as chancellor but without a contract. The UT System said he did not need a contract to stay and did not ask for one.

Regents this year had questioned whether the system should primarily support UT's academic and health institutions, or if it should continue to push for large-scale initiatives on its own.

McRaven and Tucker announced a task force earlier this month to review the system's own structure, functions, activities and staffing.

Regent Kevin Eltife, a former state senator who will lead the task force, said McRaven would have been a "big help" with that process.

"I would have liked to see him stay on," he said.

Eltife and other regents said that they were surprised by McRaven's decision.

Steve Hicks, a regent who has advocated for the system to focus more on its institutions, including the flagship University of Texas at Austin, said he took McRaven "at his word" in explaining why he will step down.

"There were a few people who wanted a different vision, but he didn't resign over a conflict with the board," he said.

UT-Austin President Gregory Fenves called McRaven a "great leader."

"From the day he became chancellor, Bill McRaven has been focused on the impact of the UT System in the state and beyond," he said in a statement.

Los Alamos

McRaven's announcement comes as the UT System is bidding to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, which would be the system's biggest out-of-state contract in its history.

McRaven said Friday that he remained "fully committed" to the bid, calling it one of the most important initiatives in system history. The high-profile national security institute has research arms that include supercomputing, renewable energy and space exploration.

McRaven said he would consider any position in a Los Alamos management team after his departure.

"We have put together a world-class team to run the lab," he told regents.

It's unclear whether the winner of the bid will be announced before McRaven's departure. The lab's current contract ends in September.

Regents said they would work to find a replacement before the state Legislature meets again in 2019.

"Ideally, we'd like to give the successor at least six months before the legislative session," Tucker said. "The chancellor has been very candid about how tough it was to start in January right as the legislative session was about to begin."

As Austin Bureau Chief, Mike Ward covers the Executive Branch, criminal justice and ethics issues, and does the weekly Texas Take Podcast with Quorum Report Editor Scott Braddock. Send Mike comments and story tips at mike.ward@chron.com. Get his updates on Twitter @ChronicleMike.