Abbott signs bill allowing SFA to join UT System

The bill went into effect immediately after unanimously passing both houses of the Texas Legislature.

UT System board chairman Kevin Etife and chancellor James Milliken released a joint statement this week thanking SFA’s regents, Nichols and Reps. Travis Clardy of Nacogdoches and Trent Ashby of Lufkin.

“The University of Texas System welcomes Stephen F. Austin State University into the UT family. We are committed to helping SFA continue the traditions and programs that have made the university unique for a century, while adding resources to help bolster the strengths and ultimately serve more Texans,” the statement said in part.

Regents on Wednesday announced that Oglesbee will take over as interim president June 1. She is currently SFA’s vice president for finance and administration and will fill the vacancy left by the May 31 retirement of university president Steve Westbrook.

Oglesbee will not be a candidate for the permanent presidential position that will be filled by the UT System.

“It is an honor to serve as the interim president during this historic time with the transition to The University of Texas System and the centennial celebration,” Oglesbee said in a written statement.

Westbrook is a longtime SFA vice president who was named the 10th official leader of the university in February. He has been interim president twice, once following the death of Baker Pattillo in 2018 and again following the departure of Scott Gordon in 2022.

He politely but firmly told regents that he would lead the university though this semester but would retire at the end of May.

“I have worked with Gina during her entire tenure at SFA. Her knowledge of the university and the surrounding community uniquely qualifies her for this role,” Westbrook said. “Her in-depth knowledge of the affiliation evaluation process and the transition work that has been underway over the past few months, as well as her established relationships with key UT System executives, will be highly beneficial as the university’s transition into the system proceeds over the coming months while the presidential search is underway.”

Oglesbee participated in the system affiliation evaluation process last fall and has been involved with the work surrounding the transfer of management and control of the university into the UT System.

“The SFA community has worked with Gina for almost 20 years,” Karen Gantt, chair of the board of regents, said in a written statement. “She has a deep knowledge of the university’s business operations, finances, culture and traditions, and she is an ideal candidate to lead SFA in its transition to the University of Texas System.”

Oglesbee currently serves as a member of the SFA/UT Transition Steering Committee and as a member of the Core Transition Support Team.

She was the chief audit executive at SFA from 2005 to 2022, when she was promoted to vice president. Oglesbee is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor of business administration in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and a master of public administration from SFA.