UT Austin President Leaves for Top Job at Southern Methodist

University of Texas at Austin president Jay Hartzell is moving 200 miles up the interstate to take the helm of Southern Methodist University, the private Dallas college announced Tuesday. Hartzell has spent 24 years at the flagship Texas university, working as a faculty member and then dean of the business school before he became president in September 2020. He’ll start at SMU on June 1, taking over from President R. Gerald Turner, who led the university for 30 years. The job change comes as Hartzell has faced criticism for his handling of campus protests last spring and wrangled with state lawmakers, who are increasingly interested in the operations of the state’s public universities.