In a previous blog post, I provided a brief commentary on Admiral William McRaven‘s commencement address at the University of Texas earlier this year, with a link to a video of that address. Head of the Joint U.S. Special Operations Command, he is a 36-year SEAL who has been at the tip of the spear in the war on terror since 2001. He has commanded a squadron in the fabled Naval Special Warfare Development Group, better known as SEAL Team Six, and he oversaw planning and execution of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

The Board of Regents at UT, McRaven’s alma mater (Class of 1977), have just selected him to serve as chancellor of the vast UT System. There are several reasons why it is a brilliant selection that could not come at a better time. Here are three:

1. McRaven is highly intelligent and well-educated with superb leadership and management skills. He will be that rare statesman among career-driven politicians and knuckle-dragging bureaucrats.

2. He is fearless. This state urgently needs public officials who, in a moral crisis, will not preserve their neutrality.

3. He cares deeply about education and just as much about core values that cannot be compromised.

I commend the Board of Regents on their selection.