University of Texas Austin President Jay Hartzell is leaving his position to become the next president of Southern Methodist University. He begin that position on June 1.

Hartzell leaves UT-Austin after four years of tense political battles and legislative efforts to implement a more conservative vision of public higher ed.

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.

DALLAS — University of Texas President Jay Hartzell will become SMU’s next president. SMU’s Board of Trustees approved Hartzell’s hire Tuesday and he will become SMU’s next president effective June 1, 2025.

Jay Hartzell, the man who held the key to Texas’s bid to the SEC, announced on Tuesday in an email to students his decision to resign at the end of the semester to join the Texas NIL powerhouse, South

After spending more than two decades at The University of Texas at Austin, UT President Dr. Jay Hartzell will soon serve as the next president of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, SMU announced Tuesday.

University of Texas president Jay Hartzell announced Tuesday that he's leaving to helm Southern Methodist University in Dallas at the end of the semester. Why it matters: Hartzell, who became president in April 2020,

Hartzell served as UT Austin president since 2020 but faced calls to step down in spring 2024 as pro-Palestine protests broke out across campus. Back in April of last year, roughly over 600 faculty members signed a letter of having "no confidence" in Hartzell after they said he called for police assistance during the protests.

Under Hartzell's leadership, UT Austin joined the Southeastern Conference and achieved new highs when it comes to applications, enrollment and graduation rates. His time as president was also marked by challenges and controversy as he led the university through a state-mandated ban on diversity,