New President Named for UT Tyler
Posted/updated on: October 12, 2016 at 4:30 pmTYLER – The lone finalist has been named to succeed Dr. Rodney Mabry as President of the University of Texas at Tyler. Following an executive session on Tuesday, the board announced Dr. Michael V. Tidwell has been picked for the post. Tidwell is currently the Dean College of Business at Eastern Michigan University. The board must now wait 21 days to make the decision final. Dr. Mabry, after 18 years on the job, is stepping down at the end of the year.
The decision followed an executive session where regents interviewed several candidates and considered recommendations of a presidential search advisory committee that reviewed nominations and applications for the position. The search for a new leader for UT Tyler began earlier this year, when President Rodney H. Mabry, Ph.D., announced in February his plans to retire.
Tidwell has held a number of faculty appointments at colleges across the country and has also served as a visiting professor in India and Kenya. He currently leads more than 100 faculty members and 3,500 students at the Michigan university, where he has served since 2012. Tidwell served in the same position at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and was assistant dean at Clayton State University’s School of Business in Georgia, beginning in 2007.
According to a news release from the university, UT System Chancellor William H. McRaven said the selection was not easy for the Board of Regents who reviewed an impressive list of potential candidates, but Tidwell’s presence and charisma stood out. “Dr. Tidwell is a visionary leader with a clear passion for student success,” McRaven said. “President Mabry has done such a wonderful job leading UT Tyler for nearly two decades and will, no doubt, leave big shoes to fill. We believe Dr. Tidwell has the enthusiasm, experience and vision to lead UT Tyler into the future.”