Dr. Franklyn Jenifer To Retire As President of UTD, Will Remain in Post Until Successor Is Named

ICHARDSON,
Texas (Oct. 2, 2003) – Dr. Franklyn G. Jenifer announced today that he was retiring as president
of The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) but would remain in the post until The University of Texas
System Board of Regents appoints his successor.

Jenifer, who will turn 65 in March, joined U. T. Dallas
as president in 1994. UTD’s enrollment has increased more than 61 percent during his tenure – from
less than 8,500 students to nearly 14,000 — and the campus has undergone a dramatic physical transformation
as major new facilities have been constructed – including buildings for the School of Management,
the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the Callier Center for Communication
Disorders as well as a Student Activity Center, athletic facilities and hundreds of student apartments.

During the same period, the university has grown in
prestige and, in recent years, increasingly been recognized for the high quality of its faculty and
students and the administration’s unwavering commitment to excellence. UTD has emerged from its standing
as what Jenifer often called “the best-kept secret in Texas” and has begun to gain attention
outside The Lone Star State for its burgeoning research capabilities, its championship collegiate
chess team and such academic innovations as the Eugene McDermott Scholars Program and the Academic
Bridge Program.

Jenifer is a nationally respected educator who previously
served as president of Howard University in Washington, D.C., as chancellor of higher education in
Massachusetts, where he was responsible for 27 public colleges and universities with a total enrollment
of approximately 180,000 students, and as vice chancellor of the New Jersey Department of Higher
Education, a system composed of 32 public institutions of higher education with an enrollment of
nearly a quarter-million students.

“I have had a wonderful and, I believe, fruitful
career, and I have very much enjoyed my nearly one decade in Texas,” Jenifer said. “But
I have reached that point in my life when I would like to spend more time with my family and engage
in some of my personal interests, such as reading and writing. The time is right for me, and I think
it is right for UTD as well. To ensure that there is an orderly transition, however, I will remain
as UTD president until my successor is named and assumes office.”

Jenifer, who is only the third president in UTD’s 34-year
history, said he and his wife, Alfleda, most likely eventually would move back to the northeastern
part of the United States to be closer to their three grown children. He said they probably would
settle in New Jersey.

Jenifer’s announcement today that he plans to retire
came three months after UTD reached an historic agreement – called “Project Emmitt” —
with Texas Instruments and the State of Texas that will bring the university as much as $300 million
and enable it to move much more quickly toward its goal of becoming a first-tier research institution.

University of Texas System Chancellor Mark Yudof praised
Jenifer’s leadership of U. T. Dallas and called Jenifer “a sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful
man of reason who has been a delight to work with.”

“UTD has grown dramatically in both depth and
breadth under Dr. Jenifer,” Yudof said, “and today it is one of the best universities of
its kind – with a growing reputation nationally. It is a place for serious people with serious ideas.
Frank oversaw UTD’s development from an upper-division school into a full-service university. He
will leave The University of Texas at Dallas in an excellent position, both in terms of teaching
and research. All of us in the U.T. System recognize and applaud his tremendous leadership and accomplishments
for the institution and for the State of Texas.”

Yudof said that he and the regents hoped to have Jenifer’s
successor in place by August 2004, the beginning of the 2004-05 academic year. He said a national
search will be conducted by the System to fill what the chancellor called “this critically important
position in higher education in Texas.”

Charles Miller, chairman of the Board of Regents, echoed
Yudof’s praise of Jenifer.

“Dr. Jenifer’s accomplishments at UTD have been
extraordinary,” Miller said. “During his tenure, the university has grown tremendously
and has become one of the most selective universities in Texas, with average SAT scores of entering
freshmen now in the 1225 range. At the same time, UTD has become nationally recognized for its work
in such areas as space sciences, audiology, nanotechnology, brain science, telecommunications and
sickle cell disease research. Franklyn’s decision to make this announcement permits the board to
conduct a thorough national search for a new president and an orderly transition at a very important
juncture for the university. The entire board is grateful to him for his leadership and for his decision
to remain until a successor is named.”

That under Jenifer UTD has excelled in such areas should
be a surprise to no one, since his background is rooted in scientific research. He received his Bachelor
of Science degree and his Master of Science degree, both in microbiology, from Howard University.
He was awarded his Ph.D. in plant virology from the University of Maryland and then went to work
for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pioneering Laboratory in Plant Virology in Beltsville, Md.

Jenifer began his career in academia at Rutgers University
in New Jersey. He started as an assistant professor of biology at the Livingston College campus in
New Brunswick in 1970, became an associate professor the following year and a full professor in 1976.
He also served as chairperson of the biology department and as chairperson of the university senate.
Later, he served as associate provost at Rutgers’ Newark campus.

Through the years, Jenifer has been a member of many
distinguished educational, scientific, civic and corporate organizations. He was appointed by then-Gov.
George W. Bush to the Texas Science and Technology Council, and he serves on the Board of Directors
of ChevronTexaco, Inc., the Board of Directors of the North Texas Commission and the Board of Trustees
of the Texas Health Research Institute, as well as the Public Advisory Committee of the Texas Higher
Education Opportunity Project. He served as chairman of the American Council on Education, the preeminent
national education organization, and on the board of directors of the United Way of Metropolitan
Dallas. Jenifer also is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce,
the Advisory Council of Jacob’s Ladder, the Dallas Center for Performing Arts’ President’s Advisory
Council and the Monitoring Committee for the Louisiana Desegregation Agreement.

Jenifer’s contributions to society have brought him
many honors and awards. Among them are honorary degrees from Babson College, Boston College, Mount
Holyoke College, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Bowdoin College, Kean College
of New Jersey, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Essex County (N.J.) Community College.

Jenifer has published numerous articles, ranging from
writings in scientific journals on plant viruses to newspaper commentaries on such topics as Afrocentricity,
residential schools for at-risk youngsters, black entrepreneurship, “political correctness,” the
academic preparation of student athletes, the enduring value of predominantly black colleges and
universities, the aftermath of the Rodney King incident and, most recently, UTD’s emergence as a
top research institution, tuition deregulation in Texas and the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings this
year on affirmative action.

Dr. Murray Leaf, president of UTD’s Faculty Senate,
said Jenifer’s announcement signified both “a sad day for the UTD family and a triumphant day
for a great man and wonderful friend who has earned the enrichment of a happy — and, I hope, long
– retirement.”

“Frank,” Leaf said, “has presided over
great growth at U. T. Dallas combined with enhanced academic productivity and standards. But important
and difficult as this is in itself, what is more important, and what actually underlies it, is a
consistently increasing sense of community and community commitment to the highest ideals of education
and humanity. He has helped make this a remarkably cohesive academic community, and for that very
reason his absence will be felt especially sharply.”

About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart
of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor,
enrolls more than 13,700 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront
of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment
of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please
visit the university’s Web site at http://www.utdallas.edu/.