You’ll Find Integrity on the 4th Floor of UT’s Main Building

I had met five University of Texas presidents—Drs. Norman Hackerman, William Cunningham, William Livingston, Robert Berdahl and William Powers—and the sixth would be Dr. Gregory Fenves. He was going to speak to a gathering of alumni at Seoul’s Intercontinental Hotel on June 18. The late Dr. Margaret Berry had spoken highly of him, but that was no surprise since she had kind words for everybody. It was the third such gathering I had attended, the others being in 2014 and 2016. Meeting fellow Longhorns and reminiscing about our days on the 40 Acres (in fact, there were some current students and even a few frosh soon to leave for Austin) is quite enjoyable. Fenves would be there along with Dr. Jay Hartzell (dean of the UT business school), Dr. Clay Johnston (dean of the UT medical school), Dr. Maurie McInnis (executive vice president and provost) and some other big shots. The purpose was to inform us about what was happening with our alma mater and discreetly seek donations.

Justin makes an introduction

I came a bit early and was directed to the hotel’s Allegro Room. Justin Michalka introduced me to the president, and I took that opportunity to sign a copy of A Seoul Miscellany (identifying myself as an “undistinguished alumnus”) for him. We had a 15-minute conversation that I will long remember. Of course, I informed him about myself, how I came to Korea, and so forth. Fenves was unpretentious and articulate. He told me how so many alumni ask him about the fortunes of the UT football team, to which I responded with exasperation: “Dr. Fenves, I would not dare offend you by asking such a dumb-dumb question. The football team will take care of itself just fine. I want to know how the students are being educated. Academics, not athletics! The tail has been wagging the dog for so long now, we have forgotten that UT’s purpose is education.” He concurred before reminding me about the positive and unifying effects of college football.

We talked a bit more about his background—growing up in the college town of Champaign, Illinois, attending Cornell University and the University of California, his decision to major in civil engineering and how he had climbed to the top of the UT administration. Four years my junior, he has sat in the president’s chair since 2015. I did not know then that his father was a Holocaust survivor; for that matter, I had not been aware that he was Jewish. Fenves impressed me very much that evening at the Intercontinental Hotel. Being the number one guy (or gal) at a place like UT is not easy. There are many constituencies to please, including alumni, students, faculty, the Board of Regents, the Texas legislature and the media. You have to speak with a different voice to each and yet retain a core honesty. You must have vision, thinking about today, next week and two decades down the road.

Discretion, honor, a true moral compass

Let me tell you something interesting about Greg Fenves. When he took the job three years ago, he was offered a base salary of $1 million, with a $120,000 bonus. That would have been a significant raise over what Powers, his predecessor, got. He quietly said no, suggesting $750K plus $100K for a total of $850K. The word got out and Fenves had to explain. He stated his concerns about costs and tuition, and the perception of him raking in all those bucks. “One million dollars is too high for a public university,” Fenves said. “It would attract widespread negative attention from students and faculty given the difficult budgetary constraints of the past five years.”

This is a rare, almost unheard-of thing. Whether it’s in the realm of sports, politics, entertainment or academe, the typical response is to get as much as you can. Forty-five years have passed since Pink Floyd came out with a song called “Money.” They sang: “Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.” It’s a very natural urge, but Fenves resisted. Others have not.

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, 59 presidents of private institutions and seven presidents of public institutions in the United States have compensation packages of $1 million or more. Dr. Nathan Hatch of Wake Forest University is paid $4 million per annum—that’s a four, followed by six zeroes. Fenves probably knows about Hatch and others who make far more than him. (Dr. James Wagner of Emory University makes $3.5 million, Dr. C.L. Max Nikias of the University of Southern California makes $3.2 million, Dr. Amy Guttman of the University of Pennsylvania makes $3.1 million, and on and on.) He undoubtedly knows he is not the highest-paid person on the UT campus—that’s football coach Tom Herman. He gets $5.5 million, with automatic raises of $250K; there are all sorts of bonuses by which he may be awash in even more money. I was deeply pained until I read that Alabama coach Nick Saban makes more than $11 million.

He earns every penny

I do not suggest that we hold a pity-party for Fenves. The $850,000 he currently makes is a healthy sum. He would agree, I think. He is unlikely to ever apply for food stamps, and when college presidents leave (even when they are asked to leave) they get golden parachutes that ensure comfort for the rest of their lives. But his choice to hold it down—relatively speaking—is admirable. He runs the state’s flagship institution, one with 51,000 students and an annual budget of nearly $3 billion. U.S. News & World Report has UT as the 32nd best college in the world, and you think I’m not proud of that?