James B. (“J.B.”) Milliken is chancellor of The University of Texas System, where he also holds the Lee Hage and Joseph D. Jamail Regents Chair in Higher Education Leadership.
Milliken is a national leader in public higher education with more than 30 years of experience. As chancellor, he oversees one of the largest public university systems in the United States, comprised of 14 academic and health institutions, including seven medical schools and five Carnegie R1 research universities. UT institutions enroll more than 254,000 students and employ more than 116,000 faculty, health care professionals, researchers, support staff and student workers. Total annual research expenditures across the UT institutions exceeds $3.8 billion, and the UT System ranks No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the nation in federal research expenditures among public higher education systems.
At UT, Milliken has led efforts to meet the needs of a growing and diversifying state and nation, including a commitment to growing training, education and research programs in fields of economic and national security importance, like cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.
As a sought-after voice in public higher education leadership, he is a member of the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Council on Foreign Relations, and he serves on the board of the American Council on Education, the executive committee of the Council on Competitiveness, and the Texas Economic Development Corporation’s CEO Council.
Prior to joining the UT System, Milliken served as the chancellor of The City University of New York (CUNY), the largest urban university system in the country. Earlier, he was the first Nebraskan and alumnus to serve as president of the University of Nebraska. He also served as senior vice president of the University of North Carolina, now 17 campuses.
