A group of regents appointed by then-Governor Rick Perry attempted to instantiate the "Seven Breakthrough Solutions" of Austin entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer.

[18] In the face of mounting pressure from the board of regents to implement Sandefer's program, Powers remained steadfast in his support for the university's traditional role and shape.

Such actions made him a target of various reformers, and at the same time an admired figure within the higher education community: Powers was elected to chair the Association of American Universities in 2013.

[20] Hall's interests as a regent centered largely on Powers's role as leader of its flagship campus in Austin, even though the University of Texas System includes fourteen institutions.

Having probed accounting procedures in its capital campaign and a forgivable loan program administered by a private foundation in support of its law school faculty, Hall turned his attention to external influence on admissions at the university.

[22] On July 4, 2014, an anonymous source reported that UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa had asked Powers to resign, prior to the impending meeting of the board of regents, or face termination.

[25] On February 12, 2015, an investigation ordered by the University of Texas found that Powers had helped certain applicants, including those with lesser academic credentials, gain admission if they had been recommended by legislators and influential people.

[26] President Powers and his Chief of Staff "each failed to speak with candor and forthrightness expected of people in their positions of trust and leadership," the report stated.

He told the Wall Street Journal that he had "intervened on behalf of a relatively small number of students" but denied that it was "undue influence.

He died on March 10, 2019, in Austin from complications from a fall several months earlier and from oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy, a rare adult-onset muscle disorder.