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Reopening Texas Universities

Jay Hartzell named sole finalist for UT-Austin president

Hartzell, dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s business school, has served as interim president since April after former president Greg Fenves stepped down after five years at the helm.

by Reese Oxner

Interim President of the University of Texas at Austin Jay Hartzell.
University of Texas at Austin Interim President Jay Hartzell has been named sole finalist for president. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Daily Texan

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The University of Texas System's Board of Regents unanimously named Jay Hartzell the sole finalist for president of its flagship university on Tuesday.

Hartzell, former dean of the University of Texas at Austin’s business school, was named interim president in April after former university President Greg Fenves stepped down. Fenves served five years at the helm at UT-Austin and is now president of Emory University in Atlanta.

“His work has been outstanding in these critical times that we’re facing," Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said during Tuesday’s virtual meeting. "We’ve heard positive comments from members of the university community and the public about his effectiveness in his role."

The board typically conducts a national search and appoints a presidential search advisory committee to select a president of an institution, but in this case the board invoked an alternative selection process. Eltife will appoint a committee to offer advice and evaluation on the sole finalist.

The Board of Regents approved an annual salary of $795,000 in June for Hartzell as interim president. In 2018, Fenves earned $762,220 as UT-Austin's president.

Hartzell has a challenging semester ahead of him as leader of UT-Austin, overseeing the university’s pandemic response this fall and addressing calls from students and faculty about the racial inequity on campus.

“Leading The University of Texas as interim president has been an incredible honor, and I am equally honored to be named the sole finalist to lead this great university into the future,” Hartzell said in a statement after the board's decision. “I look forward to serving my alma mater any way I can as we seek to overcome today’s challenges.”

Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Reese Oxner’s staff photo