Stephen F. Austin State University

Longtime Stephen F. Austin State University finance administrator Danny Gallant was named vice president for finance and administration by the president Tuesday after serving one year as interim.

“I have had the opportunity to work closely with Danny over the past year, and I have every confidence that he will excel in his new responsibilities,” SFA President Dr. Baker Pattillo said of the appointment.

“Danny is intimately familiar with the financial and administrative affairs of the university, and he has earned the utmost respect from the faculty and staff, as well as leaders across the state.”

SFA’s Office of Finance and Administration directs the university’s accounting and purchasing functions, human resources, the campus safety office and the physical plant. One of the vice president’s primary responsibilities is overseeing SFA’s annual operating budget, which totals $186.5 million for the 2008-09 academic year.

Gallant said his goal is to support the university’s academic mission through the thoughtful, efficient use of financial resources.

“Stephen F. Austin State University has a board of regents, president, vice presidents, faculty and staff who are committed to the academic success of the institution,” he said. “It is a privilege for me to help promote the academic mission of the university as vice president for finance and administration.”

Gallant served in the U.S. Army from 1973 to 1976 and has been a part of SFA for 28 years, first arriving as a student in 1980. He graduated cum laude in 1983 with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting and earned a master of business administration degree from SFA in 1986.

In 1982, Gallant began working as a student assistant in SFA’s business office. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, he accepted a full-time position as an accountant. He was promoted to assistant business manager in 1987 and became business manager in 1989. Gallant became director of financial services in 1993 and was named associate vice president for budget and finance in 2006. He was named interim vice president for finance and administration in July 2007.

In addition to his administrative roles, Gallant served as adjunct faculty from 1986 to 1992 in the Department of Economics and Finance, and he taught SFA 101, a freshman success program, for eight years.

From 2001 to 2004, Gallant served on the university’s salary equity committee, which focused on faculty and staff compensation issues. More recently he served on the strategic planning committee, which crafted a six-part plan to guide the university through the year 2013. The plan was adopted by SFA’s Board of Regents this week.