The University of Texas at Arlington has announced the appointment of a new acting president: Dr. Archie Holmes.
Last week, former UTA president Jennifer Cowley delivered her final State of the University address, the university said. Cowley announced her departure in August after serving in the role for over four years. She was UT Arlington’s first female president.
According to UTA officials, under Cowley’s leadership, the university advanced transformative initiatives, including new student success outcomes, a strengthened research enterprise, the development of UTA West, and the opening of Maverick Hall.
Following Cowley’s tenure, Holmes will step into the role of acting president. He is the first Black man to serve as president of the university.
UTA officials said Holmes previously served as the UT System’s Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, where he provided strategic leadership, oversight, and guidance to the UT System academic institutions/
Holmes received his bachelor’s degree from UT Austin and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Before joining the UT System, he served as vice provost for Academic Affairs at the University of Virginia and held faculty appointments at both UVA and UT Austin, officials from UT Arlington said.
While at UT Austin, he received the Texas Excellence Teaching Award in Engineering. His engineering research focuses on the development of novel optoelectronic devices and has been supported by multiple federal agencies. He has co-authored more than 110 peer-reviewed technical publications over the course of his career.
According to University officials, Holmes has provided tremendous support to UTA over the years and has worked extensively with Cowley.
Holmes will begin his role at UTA on Sept. 15.
The UTA Board of Regents will also begin the process of identifying UTA’s next president, officials said.