AUSTIN, Texas—Dr. William S. Livingston, senior vice president at The University of Texas at Austin since 1995 and former acting president of the university, will retire on Aug. 31.
Livingston, a political scientist and professor emeritus, has been a faculty member at the university since 1949. He was vice president and dean of graduate studies from 1979 to 1995, and in 1982 was named to the Jo Anne Christian Professorship in British Studies.
Livingston, 87, was acting president of The University of Texas at Austin from September 1992 through January 1993 while continuing to serve as vice president and dean of graduate studies. In September 1995 he was appointed senior vice president.
"For 58 years Bill Livingston has given great service to this university," said William Powers Jr., president of The University of Texas at Austin. "More than that, he has been a big portion of UT’s heart and soul. No one has loved the university more, and no one has given more to make UT what it is today. He is a wonderful friend: charming, loyal, erudite, witty and profound. I congratulate him on a stellar career, and I wish him all the best in retirement."
Livingston is a former president of the Southern Political Science Association and of the Southwestern Social Science Association. He served twice on the council of the American Political Science Association and for four years was editor-in-chief of the Journal of Politics. He is the author or editor of half a dozen books and about 25 articles on federalism, democracy and education. In 2006 Livingston received the Daniel Elazar Award from the American Political Science Association for distinguished contributions to the study of federalism.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1943 from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. degree from Yale University in 1950. He served as visiting lecturer in political science at Yale in 1955-56, and as visiting professor at Duke University in 1960-61.
He is listed in Who’s Who in America, The Dictionary of National Biography, Contemporary Authors and other reference works, and in 1980-82 was national president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.
During the Second World War, he was a field artillery officer in Europe, where he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
For more information contact: Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847.
