Former University of Texas Austin President Bill Powers Dead at 72

AUSTIN, TX. (THECOUNT) — Bill Powers, a former University of Texas president who held the position from 2006-2015, has passed away, current UT President Greg Fenves tweeted Sunday morning.

Powers, 72, is survived by his wife, Kim Powers.

“It is with deep sadness that I share the news that former UT President Bill Powers has died,” President Fenves announced on his Twitter page Sunday morning. “Bill was a fierce champion for UT and an incredible friend for me and Carmel. We’ll all miss him dearly,” Fenves said on Twitter.

In a published letter to Longhorn Nation Sunday morning, Fenves detailed all of Powers’ accomplishments from his time served as President of the University of Texas, and the legacy he leaves behind with his death.

“As president from 2006 to 2015, Bill was an eloquent and fierce champion for UT students, faculty and staff. Never was this more evident than in the early and mid-2010s, when Bill put every ounce of himself into defending the soul of our university. He bravely stood up for what was right, and he fought against a view of higher education that would have compromised UT’s constitutional charge to be a ‘university of the first class,’ while setting a dangerous precedent for public research universities across the nation. source

“Bill Powers was the driving force behind the transformation of UT’s undergraduate curriculum and set us on a path to increase our four-year graduation rate to 70 percent.

He launched the Dell Medical School and led UT to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the university prevailed in defending the educational benefits of diversity,” source

In 2015, an investigation of the University of Texas at Austin found the president likely swayed admissions decisions to aid well-connected applicants. “Everybody does it,” President Powers said at the time.

Geo quick facts: Austin is the state capital of Texas, an inland city bordering the Hill Country region. Home to the University of Texas flagship campus, Austin is known for its eclectic live-music scene centered around country, blues and rock. Its many parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming and boating. South of the city, Formula One’s Circuit of the Americas raceway has hosted the United States Grand Prix – wikipedia.