The Gateway Tower on June 1, 2023, at the intersection of UTA Boulevard and Cooper Street.
File photo / The Shorthorn staff
Archie Holmes, UT System executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, will serve as acting president of UTA starting Tuesday, according to an email from the Office of the Chancellor.
Jennifer Cowley, who has served as president of UTA since February 2022, will serve as a special advisor to Holmes.
Photo courtesy of the UT System
Cowley announced her intention to step down from the role of president on Aug. 31. She said she planned to return to a teaching role and engage directly in mentoring students, according to previous Shorthorn reporting.
Holmes will continue in his leadership position with the UT System.
“Concurrently, the Board of Regents and I will undertake the process of identifying UTA’s next president. We consider the selection of top UT presidents among our most important responsibilities,” UT System Chancellor John Zerwas said in the email.
He graduated with his bachelor’s degree and his doctorate in electrical engineering from UT Austin and the University of California at Santa Barbara, respectively.
Holmes joined the UT System in October 2020 and has provided oversight and guidance for the nine academic institutions in the system, according to the UT System website.
According to the email, he is credited with helping advance institutional growth and excellence through initiatives focused on student success, research growth, workforce development and academic innovation.
Holmes has co-authored over 110 peer-reviewed articles and 70 conference presentations and has received numerous awards for teaching and advising, according to the UT System website.
Before working in the UT System, he served as vice provost for Academic Affairs at The University of Virginia and had faculty roles at Virginia and UT Austin, where he led or served in many committees and task forces related to academic advising, curriculum reform and faculty recruiting.
“UTA is very well positioned for its best days ahead,” Zerwas said.
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