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| Title | William P. Hobby Jr. |
| Description | William "Bill" Pettus Hobby, Jr., son of Oveta Culp and William Pettus Hobby was born in Houston. He graduated from Rice University in 1953 with a bachelor's degree in history. Hobby served longer as lieutenant governor (18 years) than anyone else in Texas history. Known as an advocate of order in the often-fragmented state budget process, he earned a reputation as a key supporter of public schools and higher education. As a member of UH's Board of Regents from 1965 to 1969, Hobby had a reputation for being outspoken. While lieutenant governor, in 1990 he called for the closure of Texas Southern University, saying the state should not be in the business of perpetuating a segregated system of higher education, and two years later supported the Rice University faculty's attempt to jettison athletics. He relinquished his seat at the head of the Texas Senate in 1991, choosing not to seek re-election. Four years after ending a celebrated political career Hobby was named chancellor of the University of Houston System. In a financial position to forego a salary, he accepted the sum of $1 annually during the two years he agreed to serve. Hobby's first assignment as chancellor was to set in motion the organizational studies regents had agreed to conduct before deciding whether to change the system's structure. Ever the student of numbers, Hobby told regents he first wanted to analyze the budget to make sure he understood system finances. For him, the chancellorship was an opportunity to make a significant contribution to academia and in the future of Texas. During his term he oversaw the review and overhaul of the system's governance. He established a panel to envision UH's future as it moved to narrow the gap between an increasingly technological world and a population whose education level was static or eroding. With the rapidly growing population of Fort Bend County, Hobby established UH's Fort Bend program. When his tenure as chancellor ended, Hobby represented UH's interests in Austin during the 1997 Legislature. He also was instrumental in forming and leading the Back to Basics coalition of Texas higher education officials, an effort that added many millions of dollars in state funding for colleges and universities, including UH. |
| Date | [1995-1997] |
| Genre | black-and-white photographs
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| Subject (Name) | Hobby, William P., Jr.
University of Houston
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| Subject.Topical (SAA) | administrators
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| Subject.Topical (AAT) | chancellors
lieutenant governors
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| Subject (Geographic) | Houston, Texas
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| Original Collection | UH Photographs Collection, 1948-2000 http://archon.lib.uh.edu/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=58 |
| Repository | Special Collections, University of Houston |
| Use and Reproduction | This image is in the public domain and may be used freely. If publishing in print, electronically, or on a website, please use the citation button above. To request higher resolution images, please use the Request High Res button above. |
| Digital Collection | reformatted digital |
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