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,

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

After five academic years as the president of the University of Texas, Jay Hartzell is stepping down to become the next leader at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Jay Hartzell, current UT Austin president, will become SMU's 11th president in June 2025, following a unanimous vote by the SMU Board of Trustees.

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

Jay Hartzell didn’t set out to leave the University of Texas’ flagship campus for a smaller private college near downtown Dallas. But after SMU board members began aggressively recruiting him for their soon-to-be-vacant president job,