George W. Magner

George W. Magner, a longtime professor and veteran administrator who helped set the course for higher education in Houston for three decades, has died.

Magner held a number of key posts during his tenure with the University of Houston System, including stints as interim president at UH from 1989-90 and interim president at UH-Downtown from 1991-92.

Magner died Sunday, Aug. 21, from complications following surgery. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at St Michael’s Catholic Church on Sage. A reception will follow at UH from noon to 2 p.m. at the Athletics/Alumni Center.

Magner, who earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1961, spent the early part of his career in the field of mental health. In 1966, he joined the University of Illinois at Chicago, serving as professor and as dean of the school of social work. He came to UH in 1978 to serve as provost and professor of social work.

“George Magner was passionate about justice for the poor. He was a staunch advocate for quality public services and believed that the University of Houston was a center for excellence,” said Ira Colby, dean of the UH Graduate School of Social Work. “He was an incredible friend who made everyone — students, staff, faculty and alumni — feel very special.”

He may be best remembered by some as the UH administrator who, in 1989, discontinued the practice of housing a live cougar on campus.

Among his many professional activities, Magner was the co-project director the Texas Consortium of Geriatric Education Centers, a member of the Texas Department of Human Resources' advisory board for programs for the aged and disabled and chair of the academic council of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. He also served as a consultant to the National Institute of Mental Health.

"I am a firm believer in the delivery of the major human services, including health care, via governmental/public organizations with ownership vested in the federal jurisdiction," Magner declared in a statement for his page on the faculty Web site. "This places me in opposition to the so-called privatization of such services now governed by the public sector."

Magner published two dozen articles related primarily to mental health and social policy. At the time of his death, Magner held the titles of professor and senior vice president emeritus of social work. UH has an annual award named in his behalf — the George Magner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Academic Advising — and provides the George W. Magner Endowed Scholarship in Social Work in his honor.

Eric Gerber
egerber@uh.edu