UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell resigns, named next president of SMU

This story was updated to add more information.

University of Texas President Jay Hartzell is leaving UT to become the next president of Southern Methodist University, the private school announced Tuesday.

The announcement is the latest in a string of leadership changes at UT, including the abrupt resignations of the university police chief and provost last fall.

Hartzell has served as UT’s president since 2020. Before then, he was the dean of the McCombs School of Business.

SMU’s Board of Trustees unanimously named Hartzell president, the school announced Tuesday morning. He will finish the spring semester at UT and take on his new role June 1.

“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,” Hartzell wrote in an announcement to the campus Tuesday. “Today, I am writing to let you know that I am following my own advice.”

His departure comes at a time when the university is at an all-time high in its competitiveness and national rankings, with its highest ever applicant pool this semester and its largest ever total enrollment. Hartzell’s last day will be May 31.

The UT System Board of Regents late Tuesday morning expressed gratitude for Hartzell’s service and said it will continue to work closely with him to ensure a smooth transition to the next leader.

“We congratulate UT Austin President Jay Hartzell on being named the new president of Southern Methodist University,” UT System board Chairman Kevin Eltife and Chancellor J.B. Milliken said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate his service as UT Austin’s president since 2020 and on its faculty since 2001.”

SMU is in Dallas and has about 12,000 students – about a quarter of the size of UT – with about half the research expenditures. As a private university, it is not subject to the same legislative scrutiny or requirements as the University of Texas, the state’s top public university by some rankings.

As the flagship university of the UT System, the 54,000-student institution has been put under a microscope by the Legislature and by activists, who have both at times criticized the university for its policies. Hartzell’s departure announcement comes a week before the next legislative session begins.

Hartzell entered UT’s presidency in September 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing the university’s reopening. He also led the university through the heated controversy of the “Eyes of Texas” song in 2021; its compliance with Senate Bill 17, a controversial anti-DEI law that eliminated some support programs for students of color and LGBTQ+ students; and UT’s response to the pro-Palestinian protests that roiled college campuses across the country.

After the April pro-Palestinian protests, in which more than 130 people were arrested, UT’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors authored and circulated a letter of no confidence in Hartzell, which garnered 600 signatures and criticized the sudden termination on April 2 of 49 faculty members who used to work in former diversity, equity and inclusion-related roles. The Faculty Council condemned the layoffs, as did the Texas NAACP and some local lawmakers.

Hartzell also led the university to higher national prominence and recognition. He launched the university’s “Change Starts Here” 10-year strategic plan, which aims to make UT the highest-impact public university, and, under his leadership, UT exceeded $1 billion in research expenditures last year.

He also expanded university housing scholarships and options for students; oversaw UT’s entrance into the Southeastern Conference in 2024; pushed new, innovative programs such as robotics and capital projects like the $70 million renovation of the UT tower, and set out plans for a new UT Austin Academic Medical Center and an Austin-based MD Anderson Cancer Center.

SMU in North Texas is ranked No. 91 in national universities by U.S. News and World Report, and it hopes to grow its research endeavors and national prominence under Hartzell’s leadership, SMU Board of Trustees Chairman David Miller said in a news release, adding that Hartzell was chosen for his “strong track record of accomplishments.”

“His leadership at UT Austin and commitment to advancing programs across diverse disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, arts, education, business, law, student life, and intercollegiate athletics, make him an excellent choice as SMU’s eleventh president,” Miller said. “He also understands the vital role Texas and its universities play in the nation’s vibrant economy.”

Hartzell praised SMU’s growing reputation and strong community, and he said he is honored to be its next president in the private university’s news release.

“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 (wife) Kara and I could not pass up,” he said.

Hartzell is succeeding R. Gerald Turner, who has been SMU’s president for 30 years and who will continue at the Dallas university as president emeritus beginning June 1. In his announcement to the campus Tuesday, Hartzell said he is grateful for the chance to have led UT and is “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,” Hartzell said. “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.”

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday that Austin’s relationship with UT under Hartzell’s leadership has led “to incredible success, innovation and opportunity for all of Texas” and praised his commitment to bolstering heath care infrastructure and innovation in Central Texas.

“I appreciate President Hartzell’s enormous contributions to this community and wish him all the best at SMU,” Watson wrote.

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