UT System Expected to Name New Chancellor on Tuesday

The University of Texas System Board of Regents has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, when they are expected to name the sole finalist to be the system's next chancellor. Sources with knowledge of the search told the Tribune that Admiral William H. McRaven is likely to be chosen.

McRaven is a Navy Seal best known for coordinating the successful operation to kill Osama bin Laden. He is currently the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, which is headquartered in Florida. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Richard Fisher, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, has also been under consideration for the chancellor post. Following the announcement in February of Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa's intended resignation, Gov. Rick Perry initially pushed for Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek to get the job, but according to sources, the board did not take to the idea.

The finalist named on Tuesday will have to wait a state-mandated minimum 21-day period before being officially confirmed as the next chancellor.

Once the next chancellor is finally installed, Cigarroa plans return to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio — where he was formerly the president — and head the pediatric transplant surgery unit.