Longhorns Country

SMU Hires University of Texas President Jay Hartzell

The SMU Mustangs have hired University of Texas president Jay Hartzell effective this summer.

Matt Galatzan

University of Texas President Jay Hartzell delivers the State of the University Address at Hogg Memorial Auditorium Wednesday September 18, 2024.
University of Texas President Jay Hartzell delivers the State of the University Address at Hogg Memorial Auditorium Wednesday September 18, 2024. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The University of Texas will now begin a search for a new president.

On Tuesday, university president Jay Hartzell announced that he would be stepping down from his position on the 40 Arces and accepting the job with the SMU Mustangs.

Hartzell will officially take office in Dallas on June 1, 2025.

"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 said in a release. "Today, I am writing to let you know that I am following my own advice, which has led to my decision that this semester will be my last as the president of The University of Texas at Austin. The Board of Trustees of Southern Methodist University has offered me the opportunity to serve as that institution's next president starting June 1, 2025, and I have accepted their offer."

University of Texas President Jay Hartzell delivers the State of the University Address at Hogg Memorial Auditorium
University of Texas President Jay Hartzell delivers the State of the University Address at Hogg Memorial Auditorium Wednesday September 18, 2024. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He will be taking over for former SMU President, Dr. R. Gerald Turner.

Hartzell had held his position as the president of the University of Texas since 2020, during which time, the school saw record numbers in enrollment and graduation rate.

Texas has also achieved Ivy League status in 2024, solidifying them as one of the premier academic institutions in the country.

Now, he aims to do the same at SMU.

“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 separate statement. “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 Kara and I could not pass up. I look forward to building upon the University’s remarkable momentum and leading SMU into its next era.”

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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