Dr. Howard Patterson serves as the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs External Relations at The University of Texas at Tyler. In that role, he has oversight over the athletics program at UT Tyler.

Patterson assumed his current position in June of 2007 after Dr. Dale Lunsford left to become the president of LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. Patterson was previously the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics.

Under Patterson's direction, UT Tyler has gone from no athletics program to 13 established sports competing and succeeding in the NCAA and the American Southwest Conference. Patterson has supervised the construction of almost $25 million in athletics facilities for the University

Born in Boston and raised in Massachusetts, Patterson graduated from Springfield College and immediately moved to Texas (Wichita Falls) to be a graduate student and head men's soccer coach at Midwestern University - the first intercollegiate soccer program in the State of Texas. After two years, Howard received his master's degree from Midwestern and was hired on full-time to coach soccer and teach in the Physical Education Department. During his time at Midwestern, Patterson also coached baseball and tennis.

Patterson left Midwestern to become the Director of Athletics and men's soccer coach at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas in January 1990. He coached the men's soccer team for eight years and the women's soccer team for one. As AD he oversaw the expansion of the athletics program from ten to seventeen programs. During his 11 1/2 years at Incarnate Word, Patterson completed his Ph.D. at the University of North Texas.

In the summer of 2001, Patterson left Incarnate Word for The University of Texas at Tyler to become its first director of athletics, along with being named assistant dean of student affairs, and to begin the implementation process of building an NCAA Division III athletics program. Patterson was promoted to interim dean of students in March of 2002, a little over seven months after he arrived on campus. In February of 2004, he was named the dean of student affairs.

In the summer of 2006, Patterson was promoted to Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics.

When not on campus, Dr. Patterson can be found coaching youth soccer with the Tyler Soccer Association, youth basketball with the Little Dribblers in Whitehouse, or youth baseball at Rose Capital West Little League. He is also a member of the Whitehouse ISD School Board and a member of the South Tyler Rotary Club.

Howard and his wife, Cathi, have three children ages 11, 13 and 15.