Academy of Distinguished Alumni

  • Alumni Image #1:
  • Image Caption Title #1: UT Permian Basin - Odessa, Texas
  • Image Caption #1: Sorber was appointed as the fourth president of The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) where he served from 1992 until 2001. He is considered one of those responsible for the success of creating UT Rio Grande Valley - he moved himself and his family to help advance excellence in the Valley.
  • Alumni Image #2:
  • Image Caption Title #2: Sandia National Laboratories - Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Image Caption #2: After stepping down as president at UTPB, Sorber remained with The University of Texas System offices, involved in various aspects of developing relationships between the System and Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
headshot of Charles A. Sorber

Charles Sorber

Charles A. Sorber

Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin, 1971
M.S., Penn State University, 1966
B.S., Penn State University, 1961

Charles Sorber’s distinguished career in academia spans three decades. He was a veteran academician and administrator who successfully served as the chief administrative officer of three University of Texas System academic institutions. His research in environmental and water resources engineering was also widely recognized. 

He began his professional career with the U.S. Army, serving in a number of positions in Europe with the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. His service earned him the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters as well as other honors.

He joined the UT System in 1975, serving in a number of academic, research, and administrative positions at UT San Antonio; he was Associate Dean, College of Engineering at UT Austin from 1980 to 1986 when he was appointed Dean of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. 

He returned to the UT System in 1993 when he was appointed as president of UT Permian Basin, serving as the fourth president of the institution from 1992-2001. He also served as interim president of The University of Texas at Arlington from 2003 to 2004. In 2009, he was asked to come out of retirement to serve as interim president of The University of Texas-Pan American.

Sorber authored or co-authored more than 130 papers and reports in the areas of land application of wastewater and sludge, water and wastewater reuse, water and wastewater disinfection, and higher education.

He was a member of several honorary societies and received a number of awards for his teaching and professional service, including the Gordon Maskew Fair Award of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and the Orchard Medal of the Water Environment Federation.

In addition, he was named Outstanding Engineering Alumnus of The Pennsylvania State University and was named a Fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers, and served as President of the Water Environmental Federation during 1992-93. He was recognized as a Distinguished Engineering Graduate of the Cockrell School of Engineering. 

Dr. Sorber passed away in October 2013.