As Dr. George Fair prepared to retire after nearly five decades of service at The University of Texas at Dallas in December, he recalled his first visit to campus in 1975, before he joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the special education program.
“There was only one building, and they were building the [Erik] Jonsson [Academic] Center and the other three buildings,” said Fair, who was dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) from 1994 through summer 2022. “It was quite a neat thing to see a new university just beginning at that time. I knew that I would be a part of starting a new program, and that sounded exciting to me.”
A champion for equitable education, Fair has been there from the start for several key initiatives at UT Dallas, including the Academic Bridge Program, the College Readiness Initiative, Jumpstart Dallas and Kids’ University. He also served as vice president for diversity and community engagement from 2014 to 2021, overseeing what is now the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and its centers and programs, including the Multicultural Center, the Galerstein Gender Center and Employee Equity Initiatives.
“I think UT Dallas has exceeded the expectations that I had,” Fair said. “I had no idea what I would be doing almost 50 years later. It’s been quite a career. And no one at that time could predict what the University was going to be or how the growth was going to take place. It’s been a very interesting journey.”
Rosie Peterson, director of employee equity initiatives, said Fair played an essential role in shaping UTD’s diversity and community engagement goals and mission. He understood that the success of the programs relied on having a student-driven mission and consistently asked the directors: “How does this program or initiative benefit the student?”
Peterson recalled a time when a senior student lost a parent who was the sole provider of their tuition.
“He has been a true champion of the University and leaves behind a legacy that will not be forgotten. We will certainly miss his leadership and dedication.”
UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson
“Dr. Fair was not satisfied until he found a way to help this student find funding to complete their last semester at UT Dallas,” she said. “Dr. Fair rescued countless students who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks and not completed their education.”
Raul Hinojosa Jr., assistant vice president for equity policy, education and administration, met Fair when he joined UT Dallas in 2008 as director of community engagement through their involvement with the Academic Bridge Program (ABP).
ABP helps high-potential, first-generation college students complete a college education by providing advising, mentoring and tutoring. Approximately 160 students participate each year; most are from urban Dallas neighborhoods.
“Dr. Fair has played a foundational role in the University’s engagement and support of the community,” Hinojosa said. “He has always been focused on creating ways to increase student diversity at UT Dallas and to support the University’s mission as a public higher-education institution to serve our community.”
ABP director Soli Ghirmai has worked alongside Fair since the beginning of the program in 2000. She said Fair had the initial vision for ABP.
“ABP is such a phenomenal program, and its success speaks volumes,” she said. “The students whom we have the privilege to serve, guide and mentor in their pursuit of higher education and beyond are the ultimate accomplishment.”
Fair called the ABP’s success most representative of his time at UT Dallas.
“There are so many students we have assisted that have gone on to graduate and have their own very productive careers. And they might not have gotten the chance to do that if we didn’t have the ABP,” he said.
Dr. Barbara Ashmore, director of the Teacher Development Center (TDC) and professor of instruction in IS, met Fair in the late 1970s when she was the principal at a local private school for students with learning differences.
“The teachers had to figure out how to present the information without using textbooks so students who could not read had the opportunity to learn, demonstrate their learning and answer questions,” Ashmore said. “We were developing what teachers do now — hands-on learning. George used to come help us when some of the middle school kids were struggling with algebra because he was a big hands-on math teacher. Students connected with him.
“If I called George and said, ‘I have a student who needs you,’ he would come.”
Ashmore recalls one summer at UT Dallas when Fair was teaching 10 middle school boys a math lesson.
“He was just glowing,” Ashmore said. “Dr. Fair’s face sparkled when he was teaching those boys, especially when they understood the concepts and worked together to solve problems. I knew he was having way more fun than those boys were.”
“Dr. Fair rescued countless students who would have otherwise fallen through the cracks and not completed their education.”
Rosie Peterson, director of employee equity initiatives at UTD
Hinojosa remembers watching Fair shake hands with each Kids’ University participant as they crossed the stage during their end-of-camp graduation ceremony.
“His involvement in programs like Kids’ University leaves an enduring legacy of his time here at UT Dallas,” Hinojosa said. “He touched so many lives in small and large ways and did it without trying to draw a lot of attention to his acts of kindness and leadership.”
Fair began his education career as a math teacher in Pittsburgh public schools in 1966, before he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch of the U.S. Army in June of that year. He served on active duty from March 1967 to January 1969, including one year in Vietnam.
In 1970 he returned to teaching and earned a master’s degree in special education. After getting his PhD in special education and educational research from the University of Pittsburgh, he joined UT Dallas in 1975.
“Dr. Fair’s advocacy for public education and passion for helping all students attain a quality education is apparent when you look at what he has achieved in his nearly 50 years at UT Dallas. He has been a true champion of the University and leaves behind a legacy that will not be forgotten. We will certainly miss his leadership and dedication,” said UT Dallas President Richard C. Benson, the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership.
Fair plans to “take it easy for a while” and enjoy being part of the day-to-day community. He looks forward to spending more time with his family, including his 8-year-old great-granddaughter.
“I think I’ll miss the idea of providing an education and helping direct and guide education for students in general,” he said. “It has been very fulfilling for me and very productive. I’ll miss that daily contact I’ve had with students and faculty.”
