Previous Provosts
Dr. Hobson Wildenthal, 1992-2017
Dr. Hobson Wildenthal held many titles at UT Dallas — vice president, provost, executive vice president, president ad interim.
He was instrumental in the University’s development into the academic powerhouse it is today.
When it came time to chronicle the University’s first 50 years, he oversaw the project.
UTD’s Honors College is named after him in recognition of his many contributions.
Upon Wildenthal’s passing in 2021 at 83, UT Dallas President Dr. Richard C. Benson said his predecessor’s name “is synonymous with that of UT Dallas. His work, in great part, built the University into what it is today. He was a tireless advocate who was determined in his efforts to elevate the institution’s reputation and recruit top faculty, staff and students. His leadership helped build a well-rounded university with academic rigor at its core.”
Wildenthal’s successor as Provost in 2017, Dr. Inga Musselman, put it this way:
“I consider Dr. Wildenthal to be a colleague, one of my professional mentors, a true friend and an ally for UT Dallas, its faculty and students. I’ve seen firsthand his efforts to not only build upon the University’s success, but also to innovate.
“He has led efforts to create new academic programs and new departments and schools and to build critical partnerships with state and national leaders in academia, industry and the private sector. He poured his intellect and soul into UT Dallas throughout the years, and we are all beneficiaries of his service to this institution.”
Among Wildenthal’s many achievements was the establishment and endowment of the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program. He also played a key role in formulating the undergraduate curriculum.
Dr. Alexander Clark, 1974-1991
It takes only one number to demonstrate what Dr. Alexander Clark did for the University: He hired more than 130 faculty members in his 17 years as vice president of academic affairs.
But another number is even more remarkable. In 1975 alone, he conducted an estimated 550 interviews. That’s an average of more than two per business day.
“At the time, a lot of talented candidates were available,” he said in a 1991 interview. “There were 5,000 faculty applicants for 130 positions, and we set up interviews in six cities around the country and made the circuit three times. We ended up hiring 82 percent of our first choices.”
Clark also designed numerous academic programs and oversaw the introduction of UTD’s undergraduate instructional efforts. He even served as acting president from September 1981 to May 1982, between the administrations of Dr. Bryce Jordan and Dr. Robert Rutford.
He retired in 1997, after serving for six years as the first executive director of the Cecil and Ida Green Center for the Study of Science and Society, and passed away in 2009 at age 80.
Dr. Lee H. Smith, 1971-1974
Dr. Lee H. Smith was only 36 when he was named UT Dallas’ lead faculty administrator on March 1, 1971. Three years later, at age 39, he became the youngest president of a major university in the U.S. when he took over at Texas State University, then Southwest Texas State University.
Smith left Southwest Texas State in 1981 to embark on what would become a corporate career spanning more than two decades. He was president of Travelhost, Voyager Expanding Learning, and Standard and Intercontinental Life Insurance.
His athletic career also was noteworthy. He was selected to the All-City and All-Greater Dallas basketball teams while at Sunset High School in the early 1950s, and he attended Texas A&M University on both academic and basketball scholarships, earning a degree in mathematics in 1957.
In 2014, he and his wife, Eva, were honored by Texas State for their contributions to the university with the creation of the Lee H. and Eva L. Smith West Campus. Lee Smith died in 2018 at age 83.