University of Texas President Jay Hartzell is leaving his post atop one of the state’s most influential public schools and will join Southern Methodist University (SMU) as its next leader.
The SMU Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Hartzell its next president, the university announced Tuesday morning. He will begin his new job on June 1.
“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 longtime president, R. Gerald Turner, announced in August that he was stepping down after 30 years. He was credited with restoring the university’s football program with a membership to the Atlantic Coast Conference and securing the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
The UT-Austin president faced widespread criticism from hundreds of faculty who said they lost faith in his leadership following layoffs related to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and the heavy police presence at a student-led pro-Palestinian protests last April.
In an open letter, the UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University professors said they “no longer have confidence” in Hartzell.
The letter pointed to Hartzell’s decision on April 2 to shutter the Division of Campus and Community Engagement in response to Texas law banning DEI offices and programs at public universities and colleges, which resulted in 49 staff members being laid off. They also said they no longer trusted the UT presidentafter his decision to call in law enforcement agencies to respond to a peaceful protest on campus calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Still, the outgoing president of SMU praised the school’s new pick. “With Dr. Hartzell taking the reins, I am confident that SMU will continue building on a generation of remarkable success,” Turner said in a statement.
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SMU, a private school that costs about $86,000 for tuition, fees, housing and food, has seen its enrollment grow over the years to roughly 12,000 students. More than half of its undergraduates hail from outside Texas, according to its profile. UT-Austin, in comparison, has about 54,000 students.
The private institution recently made headlines for its battle with the United Methodist Church, which is now trying to regain control over the university. The UMC and SMU have been engaged in a nearly six-year legal battle over how the school should be governed.
