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Tech Titans Announces Dr. Richard Benson as 2025 Hall of Fame Honoree

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Tech Titans has announced it will induct Dr. Richard Benson, recently retired president of The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), into the organization’s Hall of Fame. Benson served the university as president from July 15, 2016, through August 1, 2025. He will be recognized at the 2025 Tech Titans Awards event on Sept 12.
 
“Dr. Benson is a formidable, visionary leader of UT Dallas and a tremendous supporter of Tech Titans and the North Texas technology community. Thanks to his leadership, UT Dallas sends about two-thirds of its STEM graduates into the local workforce,” said Paul Bendel, executive director of Tech Titans. “Under his leadership, UT Dallas grew in enrollment, moved up to NCAA Division II in 2025, qualified for elite research dollars from the National Research University Fund in 2018, and secured several important government projects. In addition to his support of technology, Benson led efforts to infuse arts and culture into the university, making it highly attractive to internationally recognized artists and performers. Today, UT Dallas boasts nationally ranked programs in STEM, management, liberal arts and social sciences majors.”
 
His accomplishments are many at UT Dallas, including:
 

  • Despite significant challenges, notably the COVID pandemic of 2020-2021, UT Dallas has advanced during the nine years of Benson’s presidency – academic years 2017 through 2025. Notable metrics include an 11% increase in enrollment, 12% increase in tenure-system faculty, 14% increase in academic space, 125% increase in federal research expenditures, and 96% increase in endowment.
  • Support of UTDesign Capstone, a pioneering program that facilitates dynamic academia-industry collaboration. The program has won 11 national championships and seven second-place awards in national competitions since 2014, and the program was honored with the 2024 Tech Titans of the Future Award.
  • Sponsor and host of many Tech Titans programs and events, including the organization’s STEM program for North Texas elementary, middle and high school students.
  • Numerous industry/university collaborations including the Richardson Innovation Quarter, or Richardson IQ.
  • International partnerships including establishing new student recruitment offices in New Delhi, India, and Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Benson achieved his vision to transform UT Dallas from a STEM to a STEAM university, excelling in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. That goal was realized with completion of the first phase of construction of what will eventually be a three-building arts and performance district at UT Dallas – the Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum. The first building opened in fall 2024 and is devoted to the visual arts. The centerpiece is the Trammell and Margaret Crow Museum of Asian Art of The University of Texas at Dallas, gifted to the university in 2019. The second building, which will open in late 2026, will accommodate the performing arts with a 680-seat concert hall. A third building, still in preliminary design, will open around 2030 and will focus on the visual arts.
  • Benson has long supported major new initiatives that bridge engineering, science, and medicine. At UT Dallas, he advanced the growing partnership with UT Southwestern Medical Center, highlighted by the shared new facility on the UT Southwestern East Campus, the Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building.
 
Since moving to North Texas in 2016, Benson has been an active member, including various stints with the respective boards of directors, with major business organizations that advance the success of the region. These include Tech Titans, the Dallas Regional Chamber and the Dallas Citizens Council.
 
Benson’s role as UT Dallas president also provides connection with The University of Texas System, which includes 12 additional UT System institutions and their presidents, as well as UT System leaders in Austin. Especially during Texas Legislative sessions, Benson is a frequent visitor to the state capital to advocate on behalf of UT Dallas and the business community of North Texas.
 
Benson, whose interests include music, nature hikes and photography, came to UT Dallas from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he served as dean of the College of Engineering beginning in 2005. Before that, he was head of mechanical and nuclear engineering at The Pennsylvania State University for 10 years. He previously served as chair of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester (UR) and prior to that was the associate dean for graduate studies at UR.
 
Benson’s research at UR was primarily focused on the mechanics of highly flexible structures. Before beginning his university career, he worked for Xerox Corp. as a technical specialist and project manager.
 
In 1998, he was named a fellow of The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). In 2009, he was elected to a three-year term on the ASME Board of Governors. He also has held editorial positions with the ASME Press, ASME’s Journal of Applied Mechanics and ASME’s Applied Mechanics Reviews.
 
Benson holds a Bachelor of Science and Engineering in aerospace and mechanical science from Princeton University, a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
 
For more information about the 2025 Tech Titans Awards or to purchase tickets, visit Tech Titans Awards - Tech Titans.
 
 

Tech Titans Announces Dr. Richard Benson as 2025 Hall of Fame Honoree

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