Dr. David Daniel Named President Emeritus of UT Dallas

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Nov 16, 2018, 14:00 ET

RICHARDSON, Texas, Nov. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. David E. Daniel, who served as president of The University of Texas at Dallas for 10 years, has been appointed President Emeritus of UT Dallas by The University of Texas System Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents approved the honor at its Thursday meeting.

"Dr. Daniel guided UT Dallas through a decade of significant growth and change that put the University on the path to Tier One status," UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. "This recognition bestowed on him by the UT System Board of Regents is a testament to his exceptional service both to UT Dallas and Texas higher education."

Daniel said he is humbled by the honor and appreciates his time with UT Dallas and the UT System, as both a student and an administrator. Daniel earned his bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees from The University of Texas at Austin.

"I am humbled and honored to be granted the title of President Emeritus and am very grateful to (UT Dallas) President Benson and the Board of Regents," Daniel said. "I am especially proud to be associated with the exceptional faculty, staff and students of UT Dallas."

During Daniel's term as UT Dallas president, the University enrollment grew from 14,500 to 24,500 students. Research expenditures nearly tripled, and more than $1 billion in construction of new buildings and infrastructure was initiated and/or completed during his presidency.

He also led the development of UT Dallas into one of the nation's top-tier research universities through the hiring of exceptional faculty members, attracting top students, and delivering quality education. The University's work was recognized in July 2018 when it qualified for funding from the National Research University Fund (NRUF), an exclusive source of research support available to the state's "emerging research universities."

"Every day I get to see the incredible handiwork of David Daniel," said Dr. Richard C. Benson, the fifth president of UT Dallas and Daniel's successor. "His tenure has left an indelible mark on the University's growth, both physically and in national prestige. The inspiration for all of us is to keep UT Dallas on the trajectory he set in motion."

Daniel was a faculty member at UT Austin for 15 years before moving to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as department head of civil engineering and then dean of the College of Engineering. In 2005, he returned to Texas to become the fourth president of UT Dallas. Daniel left UT Dallas in 2015 to become deputy chancellor of the UT System, a position he held until he retired in August. In that role, he provided daily oversight of the operational aspects of UT System administration, including personnel and fiscal matters.

SOURCE University of Texas at Dallas