Leader of University’s Meteoric Campus Development Retires

As vice president for facilities and economic development, Dr. Calvin D. Jamison ushered in more than $4 billion in construction and development over nearly 19 years at UT Dallas. He retired May 4.

Before Dr. Calvin Jamison, The University of Texas at Dallas was only a collection of concrete buildings.

There were no reflecting pools. No sweet perfume of magnolias or escape from the searing sun. No residence halls for students to live on campus. No food trucks, and few places to eat.

"It looked like an old corporate headquarters," Jamison said. "But there was plenty of adjacent land."

As vice president for facilities and economic development, Jamison ushered in more than $4 billion in construction and development over nearly 19 years at UT Dallas. He retired May 4.

"The best decision I made in my career was to come to a place where I could make a significant difference," Jamison said. "Working at UT Dallas was a great opportunity and a true highlight of my career."

Under Jamison, who was a former city manager for Richmond, Virginia, UT Dallas grew from a bundle of brutalist buildings into a campus teeming with trees and life.

Jamison served under four University presidents, and during his tenure, UT Dallas added more than a dozen educational and recreational buildings. Other additions included five residence halls, two apartment buildings, three parking structures, expanded dining options, trees, trails and transportation, such as the Comet Cab, Comet Cruiser and the UT Dallas Station on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Silver Line. Jamison also led the creation of an off-campus community at Northside, where students can live, eat, shop or experience nightlife.

By Jamison's count, 75% of campus was renovated or built during his tenure while the student population doubled to more than 30,000.

The University grew so quickly in just under two decades that it wasn't uncommon for Jamison and other administrators to race from groundbreakings to ribbon cuttings for new buildings - all on the same day.

"I remember one occasion where in about two hours we cut the ribbon on four different facilities," Jamison said. "We were growing with such energy, such excitement, that it galvanized people around this prideful enthusiasm."

Jamison credited the positive growth to supportive presidents and the relationship he built with Richardson city leaders and the surrounding community.

"The campus grew, but not without a great town-and-gown relationship between the University and the city of Richardson," he said. "They were an integral part of that growth."

"UT Dallas became a powerful economic engine for Richardson and the region," said Jamison, who added that it will be important to maintain that relationship in the future.

His influence on UT Dallas also surfaced in more subtle gestures, such as picking up trash Jamison encountered while he walked around campus. His motto is: "Service is not what we do. Service is who we are."

"People want to work in a positive, clean environment," Jamison said. "My philosophy is: 10% is what happens to you; 90% is how you choose to respond. If you embrace that philosophy, people do as well. You establish that right tone and tenor."

UT Dallas President Prabhas V. Moghe, who holds the Eugene McDermott Distinguished University Chair of Leadership, said he was moved by Jamison's kindness when he first arrived at the University.

"He would ask, 'Is there something I can do to make things better for you?'" Moghe said during Jamison's April retirement celebration. "Calvin Jamison gave so much of himself, so much of his life, to UT Dallas so we could flourish."

Before UT Dallas, Jamison's career crisscrossed city government, higher education and the private sector.

Jamison came to Texas from his home state of Virginia, where he was a senior administrator at Hampton University from 2005 to 2007. He also served in other administrative roles at Virginia Commonwealth University and his alma mater, Virginia Tech, where he worked in recruitment and retention of students, with an emphasis on African American students.

But his influence at UT Dallas was likely forged when Jamison was Richmond city manager, where he oversaw nearly $4.5 billion in new development, a $2 billion budget and 4,500 employees from 1998 to 2005.

"I really believe if it was not for him, we would not have made so much progress at UT Dallas," Pirkul said.

Dr. David E. Daniel, president emeritus of UT Dallas, hired Jamison and relied on his experience to guide the University's growth.

"Running a university is a lot like running a city," Daniel said. "But there's also a visionary aspect: An administrative leader is expected to see the future of the university and prepare for that. Calvin did that seamlessly and superbly."

When problems arose, Daniel said, Jamison focused on finding solutions - even if it meant going directly to a company leader to resolve an issue.

"He sold people on why The University of Texas at Dallas was so important - why it was worth their while to fix a problem and make it right," Daniel said. "He caused us to hold our head up high."

While a comet may be the University's official mascot, Jamison symbolizes its meteoric development.

"UT Dallas was a passion more than a place where I went to work. It was a place to master my craft, work with a great team of caring professionals and create something unique," Jamison said. "I'm most appreciative of the opportunity to build something special for the next generation of students, faculty, staff and visitors. And I'm honored that I was part of that legacy."