Jay Hartzell leaving UT to become the next president of SMU

University of Texas at Austin president is leaving the 40 Acres to become the next president of SMU effective June 1, 2025, he announced on Tuesday.

[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]

Hartzell was the 30th president of UT-Austin and took over as interim in April 2020 when Greg Fenves left for Emory. He became permanent president in September 2020 after receiving unanimous approval by the University of Texas Board of Regents.

“I am honored to serve as the next president of an exceptional institution like SMU in one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing cities in the nation, and excited to see how I can make the greatest impact as a leader,” Hartzell said in a statement. “SMU’s stellar – and rising – national reputation, decades of extraordinary internal and external leadership, strong board of trustees, accomplished alumni, and impressively strong and diverse students and faculty made this an opportunity that Kara and I could not pass up. I look forward to building upon the University’s remarkable momentum and leading SMU into its next era.”

Hartzell said the following this morning in a letter to the UT community.

When students ask for advice, I typically respond thematically: Follow your passions, take some chances, stretch outside your comfort zone, and think of how you would like to make an impact.

Today, I am writing to let you know that I am following my own advice, which has led to my decision that this semester will be my last as the president of The University of Texas at Austin. The Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University has offered me the opportunity to serve as that institution’s next president starting June 1, 2025, and I have accepted their offer.

I am very grateful to Chairman Kevin Eltife and the UT System Board of Regents for the incredible opportunity they provided me to serve UT Austin in this role. As I look back on the last five academic years, with their support, our University has accomplished a great deal. This has been a team effort, including the leadership of our great state, the Board of Regents, the Chancellor and UT System staff, UT Austin’s faculty, staff, students, and their families, and of course, our amazing alumni. Working together, we created many highlights that give us all reason to be proud, including:

• Achieving all-time highs in applications, enrollment, graduation rates, research expenditures, and philanthropic support.
• Announcing and planning for UT Austin’s Academic Medical Center, driven by the Dell Medical School, that will also bring an MD Anderson Cancer Center hospital to Central Texas.
• Delivering the next phase of innovation in semiconductors, led by the Texas Institute for Electronics, with unprecedented investments by the State of Texas and DARPA.
• Offering more accessible UT housing, including our first housing scholarship program, the acquisition of Dobie, a new residence hall underway on Whitis, our first new graduate housing project in roughly 40 years, and our first foray into faculty housing given our acquisition of the Boulevard on Town Lake apartments.
• Harnessing the breadth and depth of expertise across the Forty Acres to increase our reach and impact across key research areas, including Artificial Intelligence, Computing, and Energy.
• Commencing construction for two new, important academic facilities – the Engineering Discovery Building and the McCombs School’s new undergraduate and faculty building, Mulva Hall.
• Commemorating and communicating about our history, including the pending East Mall space dedicated to the Precursors, and the important work to help us better understand the history of our school song, The Eyes of Texas.
• Kicking off the renovation of our most iconic building, the Tower.
• Creating many new academic programs, including the School of Civic Leadership, and an innovative honors program for undergraduates in robotics.
• Investing in our students’ experiences, including the arts, live music, and the West Campus Ambassadors program.
• Navigating COVID, while protecting our core academic and research missions.
• Winning 11 NCAA national championships (and counting) and three Directors’ Cups, and joining the Southeastern Conference.

Behind all of these, at the core of our University, are exceptional people. There are too many for me to properly thank or recognize here, but I am continually inspired and energized by the talented individuals I have the honor of working with and learning from.

I will be eternally grateful for my 29 years at UT as a student, faculty member, and administrator. My wife, Kara, and I will always be Longhorns — as alumni, parents, passionate supporters, and fans — even when we are no longer on the faculty or staff.

Thank you all for enriching our lives, and for all you continue to do for this great University and our students.

Hook ‘Em!

Jay Hartzell
President

The University of Texas made numerous strides under Hartzell’s leadership, including several in athletics. A face front-and-center at many of the biggest Texas Longhorns’ sporting events, Hartzell was one of the key power-brokers who helped hire current football head coach Steve Sarkisian and usher the Longhorn athletic department into the Southeastern Conference. In addition, Hartzell helped facilitate an early exit from the Big 12 and was key in moving the Longhorns to the SEC on year early, all by being raked over the coals by Texas lawmakers and administration from other institutions.

[Join Inside Texas TODAY and get 7 days for just ONE DOLLAR!]

This is a developing story