Robert Witt agreed to take the job as chancellor of The University of Alabama System under one unusual condition: that he could return to teaching as a marketing professor when he finished his tenure. As a man with a passion for education, this has been the condition every time he’s been offered an official university position.

“I never aspired to be a university administrator,” said Witt, who spent 35 years in official positions at the University of Texas and nine years as the president of The University of Alabama. “I joined the faculty at Texas in September of 1968, and all I planned to do was teach and do research.”

Mark Nelson, vice provost of academic affairs at The University of Alabama said during his tenure at the University, Witt was responsible for its dramatic expansion.

“Dr. Witt transformed the very DNA of our campus,” Nelson said. “The impact of his leadership can be seen in every facet of the University, from the quality of the student body and academic programs to the improvement and development of our campus.”

With 239 National Merit Scholars in the freshman class this year and a fourth of that freshman class entering with a perfect 4.0 GPA, Witt said the quality of the student body has significantly improved since he became president in 2002.

“Our goal was to make The University of Alabama a choice for the best and brightest,” Witt said. “I think we accomplished a significant portion of what we hoped to, but a university is always a work in progress. It doesn’t mean we still can’t improve.”

Witt is now looking to improve not just the main campus of the University, but also the other two schools in the system, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

“One of the most satisfying aspects of being a president is that you have an opportunity to serve a relatively large group,” Witt said. “However, as chancellor you have an opportunity to serve a far larger group.”

Witt said that is exactly what he will do in his coming years as chancellor, by working to improve the cooperation among all three universities so that they begin to function more as a system.

According to The University of Alabama System’s web page, the job of the chancellor is to direct the planning, development and appraisal of all activities of the system and is responsible for their coordination and implementation. Witt says he therefore plans to coordinate library systems, purchasing and information technology in order to get the three systems working closer together.

Witt said the biggest single difference between his previous position as president and his new position as chancellor is the lack of student contact.

“As president you are able to reach out,” said Witt, who reached out to students throughout his time as president by travelling around the country to recruit top students.

This year the number of freshman applicants was 18,000 more than the year he became president.

Another area of progress the University made under Witt was in the physical growth of the campus, with an addition of 48 new facilities in nine years.

“Place is an important factor in the attractiveness of a university,” Witt said. “There is a very nice sense of place here.”

Though chancellor of The University of Alabama System will be Witt’s last official position, he said he does not have any plans to leave the place he has impacted so greatly.

“I still want a position as a professor of marketing at The University of Alabama,” Witt said. “That was the most important part in accepting this job.”