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UHS Board of Regents vote to appoint Dr. John M. Rudley interim UHS
chancellor and UH president

(May 18, 2007)     Dr. John Rudley, currently Vice Chancellor for Administration of the UH System and Vice President for Administration and Finance at UH, was appointed interim UH System chancellor and UH president May 17 at the spring Board of Regents (BOR) meeting. His appointment becomes effective June 1, 2007.

"Dr. Rudley is a seasoned university administrator who is ideally suited to lead the UH System and University of Houston through this interim period," said BOR chairman, Leroy Hermes during the May 17 announcement. "His understanding of the budget and financing of our universities is second to none, and he has a solid commitment to moving us forward on our UH System strategic plan and the newly adopted master plan for the University of Houston. We are grateful for his stepping up to help us ensure that we can continue pushing ahead to build a stronger UH System and meet our goals of bringing UH into the ranks of national flagship research universities."

Dr. Rudley came to Houston from Tennessee where he was vice president for business and finance at the Tennessee Board of Regents, the sixth-largest system of post-secondary education in the nation.  

He served as the Senior Technical Advisor to the U.S. Department of Education and has held administration and finance-related positions in both Tennessee and Texas. He acquired his public accounting experience from Coopers and Lybrand in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Dr. Rudley received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Toledo, and his M.Ed. in Administration and Supervision and his doctoral degree in Administration from Tennessee State University. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Tennessee. His wife, Docia, is a law professor at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University.   

The board hopes to complete its search for a new Chancellor/President during the fall semester, with an ambitious goal of bringing the new Chancellor/President on board by January 2008. Outgoing Chancellor/President Dr. Jay Gogue was recruited by Auburn University, his alma mater, to serve as president beginning Fall 2007.

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-DOWNTOWN
UH-Downtown is a public university of nearly 12,000 students, offering a wide variety of bachelor’s degrees, as well as master’s programs in criminal justice, professional writing, security management and teaching. One of four distinct universities in the UH System, Houston’s Downtown University is nationally recognized for its student diversity, wireless campus, outstanding academic opportunities and productive community partnerships. At UHD, the emphasis is on excellence in teaching and student success.

Please use UH-Downtown, UHD or University of Houston-Downtown when referring to our university.