AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Prominent University of Texas alumni and supporters on Monday rallied behind embattled President Bill Powers, who is under pressure to resign or possibly be fired when school regents meet later this week.

Powers has had a rocky relationship with Gov. Rick Perry and several members of the governor-appointed Board of Regents during his nine years leading the 50,000-student campus. While Powers has survived previous attempts to fire him, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa told Powers last week he should announce he will leave by October or risk being fired on Thursday.

Powers countered with an offer to leave in June 2015.

Billionaire Houston trial lawyer Joe Jamail, one of the school's top financial donors, said Powers called him after his conversation with Cigarroa and he told Powers not to quit.

"I advised Bill not to resign," Jamail said. "I think this is disgusting and the wrong thing to do for the University of Texas."

In a July 4 response letter, Powers told Cigarroa that a June 2015 departure would allow him to steer the university through major curriculum reforms, the startup of a new medical school and help negotiate the university's share of the next two-year state budget.

"For all these reasons, an abrupt change now would seriously disrupt the progress of UT Austin," Powers wrote, calling his plan a "graceful rather than abrupt departure."

Jodie Jiles, a Houston investment banker and former chairman of the influential Greater Houston Partnership investment group, said he wants Powers to stay on the job and should be allowed to leave on his terms.

Firing Powers would "hurt recruiting of world class teachers, researchers and students, who all would be asking what's going on down there?" Jiles said.

The Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, which includes Jamail and other donors who have given millions of dollars to the university, issued a statement Monday supporting Powers. The coalition noted that Powers is chairman of the prestigious Association of American Universities, a consortium of public and private research schools.

Go here to read the rest:
Supporters rally behind UT President Powers