UT-Dallas President Richard Benson to step down

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Richard Benson, the president of the University of Texas at Dallas, announced on Monday his plans to step down after eight years at the helm of the nearly 31,000 student campus. In a letter to the campus community, Benson, 73, said the University of Texas System Chancellor J.B. Milliken has accepted his decision and the UT Board of Regents will start a search for a new president soon.

Benson will stay on until a successor is named and ready to start their term, which he noted might take the entire academic year. He will remain a member of the UT-Dallas faculty.

In his letter, Benson said serving as UT-Dallas’ fifth president was the “pinnacle” of his 45-year career in academia, praising the entire university community for their efforts to improve the public university.

“Thanks to your superb work, our new president will inherit a university with near-record enrollment numbers, record levels of research activity, record levels of community engagement, a record endowment, and its highest rankings and reputational scores,” Benson wrote.

Benson came to UT-Dallas from Virginia Tech University, where he served as the dean of engineering for 11 years. He started his career in higher education as an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester in New York. He also taught at Penn State University before heading to Virginia Tech in 2005.

Under his tenure, UT-Dallas saw continued enrollment growth and the university continued to enhance its research prowess after earning the prestigious Carnegie 1 research designation in 2016. In 2018, the university qualified for the state’s National Research University Fund, a fund that provides state money to universities to continue improving their research and development.

During the last few years of his tenure, higher education increasingly found itself in the political crosshairs of many state leaders, whose vision for Texas’ public universities clashed with that of many students.

This spring, Benson shocked the campus community when he eliminated 20 staff positions in response to the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public colleges and universities.

“Our actions ensured that we were fully compliant with SB 17 as of January 1, 2024, the effective date of the legislation,” Benson wrote to the campus. “Since then, we have continued to evaluate our SB 17 response.” Benson had previously told the Dallas Morning News that “no one will lose a job at UTD” because of the DEI ban.

When protests over the Israel-Hamas war erupted on campus last spring, 17 people were arrested by DPS troopers 12 hours after pro-Palestinian students set up an encampment, causing more tension between students and university leaders.

The Israel-Hamas war had already sparked tensions on campus last fall. After student groups took turns painting pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian messages on the surfaces of three large rocks — long used as an unofficial campus billboards — the university in November quietly removed the rocks overnight.

While the university said it promoted free speech, a university statement said that the paintings related to the Middle East conflict strayed too far from the original purpose of the public message board.

In his message, Benson said he would help the next president with the transition, if requested.

“Looking ahead, our new president will find a home on one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses, a campus enriched by modern, state-of-the-art facilities … from residence halls … to classrooms … to laboratories … to offices … to study spaces … to sporting venues … and to places where the principal attribute is artistry,” he wrote, noting the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, a new cultural district built during his tenure.

“Look for me there in the future,” Benson added, “in quiet contemplation of the awe-inspiring art, the awe-inspiring music, and the awe-inspiring people who make up UT Dallas.”

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: University of Texas-Dallas and University of Texas System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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