Chancellor McRaven Welcomed New Members at TAMEST’s 2015 Annual Conference

The TAMEST Membership is honored to have new University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven kick off its new member event at the 12th annual conference on Wednesday evening, January 21, 2015, at Houston’s Omni Hotel. The new member event was added to the agenda at TAMEST’s 2012 Annual Conference in Houston and quickly became a popular tradition for acknowledging the previous year’s members who were either elected to the National Academies or relocated to Texas.

We look forward to Chancellor McRaven’s welcoming remarks at the Wednesday evening event. He will be introduced by TAMEST’s Co-founder and Honorary Chair Kay Bailey Hutchison. As noted in Chancellor McRaven’s bio, his last assignment with the Navy was Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, during which time he led a force of 69,000 men and women with an annual budget of more than $10 billion. We understand from his comments to the media there are many parallels between his previous position and his new one as head of The University of Texas System. He also is a recognized national authority on U.S. foreign policy and has advised the president, secretary of defense, secretary of state, secretary of homeland security and other U.S. leaders on defense issues. He has worked extensively with leaders on Capitol Hill, and as a three- and four-star admiral, he was routinely involved in national policy decisions during both the Bush and Obama administrations.

Of particular interest to TAMEST Members are Chancellor McRaven’s remarks regarding the value of research recently made to the UT System’s community commenting, “I understand and value the work in a way that others may not, because a lot of the research that starts in Texas has saved lives on the battlefield. I have seen it firsthand.” He is committed to collaborative efforts between academia and industry stating, “I am also excited about the prospects of partnering with the other great academic and research institutions and with industry in the state and beyond. I will quickly reach out to leaders in these areas to find ways to improve collaboration and cooperation for the good of all the people of Texas.” The full text of his message is available here.

Chancellor McRaven created quite a stir in the media with his May 2014 commencement speech to his alma mater at UT Austin going viral with over 3 million views on YouTube.

We envision a long and productive relationship with Chancellor McRaven advancing scientific research and innovation across the UT System, TAMEST Member Institutions, and industry throughout Texas.