End of an Era for UT

It seems that UT Austin President Larry Faulkner will finally call it quits at a press conference tomorrow morning. After almost a decade serving as the head of the university, the 60-year old is visibly ready for retirement.

When he leaves next Spring, Faulkner - the 27th UT President - will have served the second longest term in the school's history. Since his tenure began in 1998, the university has seen marked improvements in many aspects. Most noticeable was the hugely successful "We're Texas" donation campaign, which through over half a million contributions managed to raise an astounding $1.63 billion. The positive ramifications of this cash influx will continue to be felt well into the next decade, as the university expands its science and engineering departments and already vast arts and museum collections.

Faulkner leaves on the cusp of UT's re-adoption of Affirmative Action - during the entirety of his administration, the university saw meager if not stagant growth in minority enrollment - as part of the metric for undergraduate admissions. Time will tell whether this is actually able to encourage the flourishing of diversity among the predominantly white and Asian student population.

Faulkner will step down next March. As of yet, no successor has been named.

Austinist welcomes your comments: What will Faulkner's legacy be?

* image from TexasSports.com