AUSTIN, Texas — Former University of Texas President Bill Powers has died at age 72.
Powers was the second-longest serving president in the university’s history, holding the position from February 2006 to July 2015.
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He passed away on Sunday in Austin from complications from a fall several months ago and from oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, a rare adult-onset muscle disorder, UT said in a statement.
In an announcement on Sunday, UT President Gregory Fenves said Powers 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,” Fenves wrote. “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.”
Powers succeeded Larry Faulkner, becoming the 28th president of the university in 2005. Prior to his appointment, he served as the dean of the University of Texas School of Law.
UT alum Andrew Clark was President of the UT Senate of College Councils for the 2013 to 2014 school year. He said he worked closely with Powers and got to know him pretty well.
"He always was a Longhorn diehard. He always had a prediction about the score of the football game upcoming," Clark said. "Getting to form that personal connection with Bill, being able to feel like you were a leader, you were respected, you were at the table and your opinion was always valued and always heard was really a hallmark for him."
State and city leaders are also expressing their condolences on social media.
Texas State Senator Kirk Watson told KVUE in a statement:
"Bill Powers was a smart and fun person who was a natural teacher and excellent leader. He led the state's flagship university into the 21st Century with emphasis on its established success, adding important new programs and with fundraising. I will personally miss him. I feel lucky that I had the chance to work with him and to have him as a friend."
Current UT President Gregory Fenves praised Powers in his statement Sunday morning for accomplishments like raising the four-year graduation rate up to 70 percent and launching the Dell Medical School.
Powers was forced to resign from his position as president in 2015 as external pressures mounted regarding admissions practices at the university.
The University of Texas System released the following statement from Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife and Chancellor James B. Milliken:
"The Board of Regents and the entire University of Texas System mourn the loss of Bill Powers, one of the great champions of higher education in Texas and American history. For nearly a decade, he led the state’s flagship university with an unquenchable passion, great intellect, and unwavering principle.
He will be missed within and well beyond the Forty Acres, and his impact will be felt for generations. President Powers embodied the best of academia, leadership and friendship. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, and the many people around the world who loved and admired him."
Powers is survived by his wife Kim, their five children and six grandchildren and his sister Susan.
A public memorial will be held at a later date.