For more than 100 years, the Board of Regents has been the governing body of the UT system; 214 Regents have governed the UT System since its establishment.

Currently the board consists of nine individuals.

A closer look at these individuals reveals one common factor: none of them has a background in education.

These nine individuals make all policy and operations changes for the UT system.

Each of the Regents is selected by the Texas Governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Regents are serve a six-year term that is staggered so that three members’ terms will expire on Feb. 1 of odd-numbered years. The Governor also elects a Student Regent for a one-year term beginning June 1 each year.

The current roster consists of Paul L. Foster (Chairman), Wm. Eugene Powell (Vice Chairman), R. Steven Hicks (Vice Chairman), Robert L. Stillwell, Alex M. Cranberg, Wallace L. Hall, Jr., Brenda Pejovich, Ernest Aliseda and Student Regent Nash M. Horne.

While the appointment of the eight regular Board members is left to the determination of Gov. Perry, the Student Regent election process involves the cooperation of the nine universities and six health institutions in the UT system.

Each university recommends a student that has submitted an application for the position. All applications are submitted by that university’s president on behalf of that university’s student government.

The Student Regent is granted the same rights as the other eight appointed board members except one: the right to vote.

The Board members are divided into committees. According to The University of Texas Systems Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents Rule 10402, there are six committees “to consider policies for the government of all major areas.”

The six committees are the “Academic Affairs Committee,” the “Audit, Compliance, and Management Review Committee,” the “Facilities Planning and Construction Committee,” the “Finance and Planning Committee,” the “Health Affairs Committee” and the “Technology Transfer and Research Committee.”

Each committee is appointed a chairman by the Chairman of the Board of Regents. The duties of each committee are to report, review, consider and recommend matters concerning their specific committee to the Board as a whole.

Paul L. Foster was originally appointed to The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Gov. Rick Perry in November 2007, and was reappointed to the Board by Gov. Perry in Feb. 2013. In 2009, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Board and was reelected as Vice Chairman in 2010 and 2011. On Aug. 23, 2013, he was elected Chairman of the Board.

As Chairman, Foster is a nonvoting member of all committees. In the past he was Chairman of the Finance and Planning Committee, Vice Chairman of the Audit, Compliance, and Management Review Committee and was a member of the Academic Affairs Committee as well as the Health Affairs Committee. Foster graduated with a degree in accounting from Baylor University.

WM. Eugene Powell was appointed the Board of Regents by Gov. Perry in Feb. 2009. He served as Chairman since Feb. 8, 2011 until he was elected to Vice Chairman on August 32, 2013. Powell serves as a member of the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee and the Health Affairs Committee. Powell earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Finance at The University of Texas at Austin.

R. Steven Hicks was appointed to a term on the Board of Regents in Feb. 2009 and was reappointed in Feb. 2011 when he was elected Vice Chairman. Hicks is Chairman of the Academic Affairs Committee and is a member of the Audit, Compliance, and Management Review Committee, the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee, and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s degree in Government.

Robert L. Stillwell began his stint with the Board in Feb. 2009. Stillwell is the Chairman of the Health Affairs Committee and serves on the Academic Affairs Committee and the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee. Stillwell holds an undergraduate degree from UT Austin and received his Juris Doctor from the UT Austin School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Houston Bar Association.

Alex M. Cranberg was appointed to the Board of Regents in Feb. 2011. Cranberg is currently the Chairman of the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee, and serves as a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. Cranberg graduated from U.T. Austin with a Bachelor’s in Petroleum Engineering and received an MBA from Stanford University.

Wallace L. Hall was appointed in Feb. 2011. He is Chairman of the Technology Transfer and Research Committee and serves on the Audit, Compliance, and Management Review Committee and the Finance and Planning Committee. He graduated from The U.T. Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He previously served as a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on the Committee for Strategic Planning and Policy and as Chair of the Committee on Agency Operations.

Brenda Pejovich was appointed in July 2010 and was reappointed in Feb. 2011.

Pejovich is Chairman of the Audit, Compliance, and Management Review Committee and serves on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Finance and Planning Committee and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. Pejovich holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from UT Austin and received certification by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.

Ernest Aliseda was appointed to the Board of Regents in February 2013. Aliseda serves on the Academic Affairs Committee, the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee, the Health Affairs Committee and the Technology Transfer and Research Committee. Aliseda earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University and his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a licensed attorney in Texas and Illinois and also licensed to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law, along with being a certified mediator, arbitrator and litigation management professional.

Nash M. Horne is the current Student Regent of the Board of Regents. He was appointed by Gov. Perry and began his one-year term on June 1, 2013. Regent Horne is an undergraduate at UT Austin studying Political Communications in the College of Communication. Horne has been heavily involved in student government. He served as the External Finance Director of the Executive Board and was most recently elected as a University-wide representative in the Spring 2013 elections. Regent Horne’s involvement with student government led to founding the Bastrop Fire Relief effort of over 8,000 student volunteers aiding the Bastrop fire victims, and being the student founder of the Jessica Fertitta Endowment Fund. He was also Chair of the Excellence Fund Committee.