The University of Texas at Dallas > About Us > Governance

Governance

Governing Board and Authority

The governing board of The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) is the University of Texas Board of Regents. The University of Texas Board of Regents is established in the Texas Constitution, sections 10 through 13.

The Board of Regents was authorized to “establish and maintain a state-supported general academic institution of higher education to be known as The University of Texas at Dallas” by the Texas Legislature in 1971 (Texas Education Code Title 3, Chapter 70). This further provides that “The board may prescribe courses leading to customary degrees offered at leading American universities and may award those degrees. It is the intent of the legislature that those degrees include bachelor’s, master’s, and doctor’s degrees, and their equivalents.” However, no “department, school, or degree program” can be instituted without the “prior approval” of the Coordinating Board, Texas College and University System.

The legislature also provided that “The board may adopt other rules and regulations for the operation, control, and management of the university that are necessary for the conduct of the university as one of the first class.” These additional rules and regulations are published as the Regents’ Rules.

According to Regents’ Rule 20201, the president is the chief executive officer, reporting to and responsible to the chancellor of the UT System.

Administration – President

At UT Dallas, officers of the central university administration are defined as those officers reporting directly to the president. These include the 11 vice presidents and the director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis. The Office of Internal Audit reports indirectly to the president and directly to the UT System.

Administrative Officers

The vice president and chief of staff serves as deputy to the president and as a liaison with campus leadership. Responsibilities include developing policy recommendations, assisting in outreach to the University’s community partners and supporters, and providing oversight of several university-wide administrative functions, including: human resources; legal affairs; environmental health and safety; information security; internal audit; institutional compliance, and Title IX initiatives; and the UT Dallas police.

The vice president for academic affairs and provost is the chief academic officer for the University, responsible for the formulation and implementation of educational policy. The provost oversees faculty hiring, evaluation, and advancement; budget priorities and budget allocations for the schools; and academic facilities. The provost serves as the University’s primary contact with the UT System Office of Academic Affairs.

The vice president for facilities and economic development oversees facilities, buildings, parking, transportation and real estate management.

The vice president for budget and finance is responsible for all financial functions, including budget, finance, payroll, procurement and expense reimbursement.

The vice president for information technology provides the physical, personnel, and financial resources for information technologies that support students, faculty, and staff in accomplishing the research, instructional, and public service functions of the University.

The vice president for public affairs is responsible for the coordination and oversight of the University’s government and community relations, with an emphasis on state legislative affairs.

The vice president for research and Innovation oversees the Office of Research and Innovation, which includes the Office of Research Development, the Office of Sponsored Projects, the Office of Research Compliance, the Office of Technology Commercialization, and various labs, institutes, and centers.

The vice president for student affairs oversees the Division of Student Affairs, which supports the University’s commitment to produce engaged graduates prepared for life, work and leadership through co-curricular and extracurricular programs, services and support related to all aspects of campus life.

The vice president for development and alumni relations leads the University’s fundraising efforts, working closely with deans and program directors.

The vice president for communications provides strategic leadership to shape the character, direction and principles of institutional communications at UT Dallas and organizes resources in the areas of communication and marketing, brand identity and positioning, internal and external communications, message content, media visibility/media relations and crisis communication.

Academic Organization – Schools

Academic administrators report to the provost. These officers include the deans of UT Dallas’ seven schools, the dean of undergraduate education, the dean of graduate studies, and the deans of the Honors College and the Eugene McDermott Library.

UT Dallas consists of seven schools, each headed by a dean:

The schools, in turn, consist of teaching and research programs that provide the disciplinary foundations of the University. Degrees are awarded by programs.

In addition to the usual disciplinary approaches, the University has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary study at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Most faculty members teach in both graduate and undergraduate areas so that all instruction is informed by critical examination of the most recent developments in all fields.

The Office of Undergraduate Education and the Office of Graduate Studies coordinate undergraduate education and graduate studies respectively across the University; they also develop and implement educational policy.

For more detail about University governance and policies, go to the UT Dallas Policy Navigator: Handbook of Operating Procedures website.