University of Texas at Dallas President Announces Intent to Resign

University of Texas at Dallas President Richard Benson has announced that he is stepping down after eight years at the helm of the university. KERA’s Toluwani Osibamowo reports that Benson will remain president until the University of Texas Board of Trustees finds a replacement.

Benson’s tenure at UTD mirrors the challenges facing universities across the country. That includes the COVID-19 pandemic and the statewide ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Most recently, he’s been criticized for arrests of students and faculty during a campus protest of the war in Gaza. Michael Kesden is the president of UTD’s faculty senate. He hasn’t commented in detail on how Benson handled those situations. But he says Benson has managed the university well. “I can certainly say that if I were President Benson, I would have had a hard time handling them any differently than he did.” Benson’s announcement comes just a week into the fall semester. I’m Toluwani Osibamowo in Dallas for KERA News.