U-T Dallas President Richard Benson announced he's stepping down after eight years leading the university. KERA's Toluwani Osibamowo reports Benson will remain president until the University of Texas board of regents finds his replacement.
Benson's time leading UTD has reflected challenges faced by universities nationwide. That includes the COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Most recently, he faced criticism for the arrests of students and faculty during an on-campus demonstration protesting the war in Gaza. Michael Kesden is speaker of UTD's faculty senate. He didn't comment in detail on how Benson handled those situations. But he says Benson has managed the university well. I can certainly say that if I had been in President Benson's shoes, I would have struggled to, to handle them any differently than he did. Benson's announcement comes just a week into the fall semester. For KERA News, I'm Toluwani Osibamowo in Dallas.
