New Regents Named: Board Meets Here

Sam Houston State University's newest regents, announced Tuesday, will participate in their first official duties Thursday and Friday during a regular quarterly meeting of the university's governing body on the SHSU campus.

The new regents named by Gov. Rick Perry are Bernie Francis of Carrollton, and John E. Dudley of Comanche. Both will serve terms that expire in February 2009, and will be sworn in shortly before 2 p.m. Thursday in the Beto Criminal Justice Center Kerper Courtroom.

The regents will begin meeting Thursday morning, with a public discussion of a proposed name change for Angelo State University scheduled for 2 p.m. Their general motions session, also open to the public, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in the courtroom.

Francis is owner and chief executive officer of Business Control Systems, a professional services firm, and MEDunique, a medical staffing firm. He is past chair and current board member of the North Central Texas Workforce Development Board.

He served on the Carrollton City Council and is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, the Greater and North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Development Council. He served in the United States Air Force and received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dudley is a partner in the Dudley Brothers Ranch, a 75-year-old family ranching business. He serves on the Comanche National Bank Board and the Executive Committee of the National Cattleman's Beef Association.

He is past president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, past chairman of the Texas Beef Council, past president of the Comanche Chamber of Commerce and past director of the Trinity University Alumni Association.

Dudley also served in the United States Navy Reserves. He received a bachelor's degree from Trinity University and a master's degree from the American Graduate School of International Business.

Francis and Dudley replaced John P. Hageman of Austin and James L. Sweatt III of DeSoto, whose terms expired this year. Nancy R. Neal of Lubbock, whose term also expired, was reappointed.

Other members of the board are Sam Houston State University alumnus James A. Hayley of Texas City, Kent M. Adams of Beaumont, Patricia Diaz Dennis of San Antonio, Alan W. Dreeben of San Antonio, Dionicio Flores of El Paso, and Pollyanna A. Stephens of San Angelo.

The nine-member Texas State University System Board of Regents has oversight responsibility for Angelo State University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University-San Marcos, Sul Ross State University, Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College, Lamar State College-Orange, Lamar State College-Port Arthur, and Lamar Institute of Technology.

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SHSU Media Contact: Frank Krystyniak
Nov. 19, 2003
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