The University of Texas System Board of Regents has named T. Taylor Eighmy, as the sole finalist for the presidency of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Eighmy is currently a vice chancellor for research and a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Eighmy was chosen following a national search for a successor to President Ricardo Romo. Romo resigned March 3 after accusations that he inappropriately hugged and touched several female employees.
The hiring of a new president comes as UTSA, with its 29,000 students, positions itself to become a Tier One research institution. Tier One is a prestigious designation conferred on nationally recognized research universities that enables the schools to attract greater funding.
Ernest Aliseda, a regent who served on the search advisory committee, said Eighmy was chosen from among an impressive list of candidates.
“The selection of Taylor Eighmy proves that UT San Antonio is a destination for our nation’s top leaders in higher education,” Aliseda said. “Eighmy will be unrelenting in his efforts to increase student success, faculty engagement and the national stature of UTSA. And his leadership style will be an ideal fit for a national leading city like San Antonio.”
Regents did not disclose the salary the system has proposed to pay Eighmy. The Chronicle of Higher Education lists Romo’s full salary in 2016 as $582,383.
Under state law, university governing boards must name finalists for a presidency at least 21 days before making an appointment. The UT system plans to coordinate several public meetings that will give the university and the people of San Antonio an opportunity to meet Eighmy.
