Only one week into the new semester, the president of the University of Texas (UT) at Austin announced his resignation. After 29 years at UT as a student, staff member and administrator, Jay Hartzell has accepted the president position at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
Hartzell took over as the 30th president of UT in 2020, during the global pandemic. He is set to become the 11th president of SMU, the private research university in Dallas, replacing R. Gerald Turner, who has been president of the university since 1995.
Before Hartzell became the university’s president, he served as the dean and centennial chair in business education leadership at the McCombs School of Business and performed as the chair of finance and an associate finance professor, along with serving as a board member of both the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association and the Texas Exes.
During Hartzell’s time as president, UT saw record applications, enrollment and graduation rates. New accessible housing and the beginning of construction on two new academic buildings were also overseen under his administration. The university also unveiled plans for UT Austin’s Academic Medical Center, led by the Dell Medical School, which will establish an MD Anderson Cancer Center hospital in Central Texas. This was all achieved while navigating through and post the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2024, over 600 UT staff members signed a vote of no confidence against him following the pro-Palestine protests that took place on campus that same month. The protest included more than 500 students walking out of class to demand the university stop investing money in companies that produce weapons or military equipment used by Israel in its military actions against Gaza. The protests ended with the arrests of 57 people, but all charges later dropped.
“There has been a lot of betrayal to the student body and staff,” UT senior Oliver Engel said. “I would love to see someone who isn’t afraid to speak out against the Texas legislature because a lot of their bills go after higher education in ways that will not attract good staff members. I’ve had a few professors leave because the environment is too threatening for them.”
In compliance with recent Senate Bill 17 — the new state law prohibiting Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) offices, programs and training at public universities — UT closed a multicultural center and discontinued a scholarship for undocumented students.
Following the bill, the university laid off nearly 60 employees, with 49 positions directly affected by the DEI ban. This action comes as the Texas legislative session, which began on Jan. 14, and will run through June 2, commences. Over the 140-day period, lawmakers will engage in debates and work to pass hundreds of laws, many of which are expected to further shape higher education in Texas.
Hartzell is to begin his position at SMU on June 1, 2025. UT has not announced a new president yet.
