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Jay Hartzell has entered the Transfer Portal


Ghost of LL

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Just received the announcement:

 

January 7, 2025

Dear SMU Community,

It is our distinct honor, as Chair and Vice Chair of the SMU Board of Trustees and co-chairs of the Presidential Search Committee, to announce the election of Dr. Jay Hartzell as the next president of SMU. Dr. Hartzell is a well-respected academician and higher education leader with a strong track record of accomplishments that make him the ideal candidate to build upon the tremendous energy and momentum we are experiencing here on the Hilltop.

As the current president of The University of Texas at Austin – our state’s premier public flagship university and one of the leading research universities in the world – Dr. Hartzell has the experience and vision that will help propel SMU to even greater heights in the future. During his time as president of UT Austin, he has led the university to record-breaking applications, enrollment, research funding and philanthropic support while advancing new degree programs and key fields like advanced computing, energy and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Hartzell, a seasoned faculty member and former dean of UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business, understands the transformative impact higher education plays in the lives of students, employees, alumni and the broader community. His commitment to excellence in academics, research, student life, service and intercollegiate athletics positions him extremely well to serve as SMU’s eleventh president.

We invite you to read more about Dr. Hartzell’s background and what others are saying about this remarkable moment in SMU’s history online here.

On behalf of the entire SMU Board of Trustees, we wish to thank members of the Presidential Search Committee for their invaluable assistance in identifying our next president. We also express gratitude to many of you – our students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters – who took the time to participate in one of our campus listening sessions or who sent us your feedback online. Your thoughts and perspectives helped us immeasurably during the search process.

We are fortunate to have benefited from the outstanding leadership of Dr. R. Gerald Turner, who will transition to the role of President Emeritus, supporting the new president and the University's development and external affairs. His incredible stewardship and care of SMU over the past three decades have helped transform the University into the very special place that it is for so many of us, the city of Dallas, our state and nation. The Board of Trustees and the entire SMU community are grateful for his and Gail’s enduring commitment and service.

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Hartzell, his wife, Kara, and their family to the Hilltop when he assumes the presidency on June 1, 2025.

Now is a pivotal time in the life of our great University, and we invite you to share in the excitement and optimism for the remarkable achievements and excellence that lie ahead for SMU.

Sincerely,

David B. Miller ’72, ’73
Chair, SMU Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Presidential Search Committee

Richard K. Templeton
Vice Chair, SMU Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Presidential Search Committee

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11 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Interdasting. This may indicate that he's not exactly happy about being shoved to the right by the BOR.

Assuredly, SMU's governance is right-leaning, but probably not completely in the thrall of Abbott-Paxton-Dunn-Wilks axis of evil.

I'm not sure how "right-leaning" SMU's governance is.  It is in protracted litigation against the Methodist Church in an effort to sever ties after the Methodists (or at least that branch of the Methodists) went all anti-gay.  The case is set for oral argument before the Texas Supreme Court pretty soon (maybe later this month--I can't remember).  But it doesn't reflect a university that is particularly right-leaning.

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4 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

I'm not sure how "right-leaning" SMU's governance is.  It is in protracted litigation against the Methodist Church in an effort to sever ties after the Methodists (or at least that branch of the Methodists) went all anti-gay.  The case is set for oral argument before the Texas Supreme Court pretty soon (maybe later this month--I can't remember).  But it doesn't reflect a university that is particularly right-leaning.

Well, the UMC has changed that policy since.  And notwithstanding that, the UMC is far left of the aforementioned axis of evil.  And there are other reasons for seeking the "divorce."

And, we both know damn well that the power that be at SMU are bidness types that are right-leaning.  But more in the intelligently right-leaning, to the extent that exists anymore.

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13 minutes ago, Gucci_Suit said:

I know everyone wants to make it political, and there is certainly some of that. But really it’s about taking an easier job for more money. Jay is a good dude. And not an idiot. 

I dunno, I question his leadership during the student protests. At the same time I recognize it was a very challenging situation. 

Edited by YChang
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4 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

It ain't Yankee Atheist University that's for sure

It doesn't have to be, the state is going full theocracy and is being way more heavy handed than private schools. Having spent 3 years at SMU, the only way I even noticed that it was religiously affiliated (at the time) was that we got Good Friday off from class. It's not like Oral Roberts where I think chapel is still a requirement for all students.

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20 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, the UMC has changed that policy since.  And notwithstanding that, the UMC is far left of the aforementioned axis of evil.  And there are other reasons for seeking the "divorce."

And, we both know damn well that the power that be at SMU are bidness types that are right-leaning.  But more in the intelligently right-leaning, to the extent that exists anymore.

Yeah--I'm not disagreeing with any of this.  And I will definitely acknowledge that I am not the resident Surly expert on Methodist politics or the finer points of Protestant sectarianism in general.  So I don't exactly know all the ins and outs and what-have-yous of the divorce between the University and the Church.

But in any event--I agree with @Bozo_Casanova.  This is hugely embarrassing for UT.

But it's also really, really good for SMU.

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1 minute ago, 'stache said:

It doesn't have to be, the state is going full theocracy and is being way more heavy handed than private schools. Having spent 3 years at SMU, the only way I even noticed that it was religiously affiliated (at the time) was that we got Good Friday off from class. It's not like Oral Roberts where I think chapel is still a requirement for all students.

That's interesting. I always thought it was like Baylor in that respect.

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9 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Are you kidding? This is like leaving Cal to take the same job at Pepperdine. Nobody makes this move who is happy with their oversight situation and it’s incredibly embarrassing for Texas.

unless they are someone who likes money... SMU pays twice what UT does.

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Didn’t we lose our last president to Emory University? I guess it would be a larger concern if our presidents were leaving for other public universities, but if they don’t like dealing with the additional government oversight that comes with being public then there’s not much we can do about that 

Edited by perfectchaos007
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2 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

That's interesting. I always thought it was like Baylor in that respect.

Ha--definitely not.  

The only thing you notice by way of a religious affiliation is that there is a school of theology.  And I will say that the Perkins Library at the theology school was a great place to study for the bar exam.

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1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

Jay Hartzell has accepted the position of president at SMU.  Which--huh.  That's interesting.  Since when did The University of Texas at Austin lose administrators to SMU?

 

abbott is going to tear down the woke university of texas and rebuild it as he sees fit !!!!!

 

IMG_2632.jpeg

Edited by tx 3 putt
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58 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Interdasting. This may indicate that he's not exactly happy about being shoved to the right by the BOR.

Assuredly, SMU's governance is right-leaning, but probably not completely in the thrall of Abbott-Paxton-Dunn-Wilks axis of evil.

 

smu is trying to break away from the methodist church over their anti lgbtq policies 

 

 

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12 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

Didn’t we lose our last president to Emory University? I guess it would be a larger concern if our presidents were leaving for other public universities, but if they don’t like dealing with the additional government oversight that comes with being public then there’s not much we can do about that 

Yep. Both Fenves and Hartzell will have served as president at UT for 5 years before bolting for a job at a private equity university.

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57 minutes ago, 'stache said:

I got the email and thought it was odd, but I can definitely see going private and out from under the thumb of the Governor and Legislature seemingly trying to turn UT into Public Liberty or something.

 

someone from liberty u makes a lot of sense 

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Hartzel is trading reporting to a Chancellor and 10 System Board of Regents who have expiring terms for being the top dog and reporting to 47 Board of Trustees who don't have expiring terms.

He's trading public Regent meetings for very, very private Trustee meetings.

He's also trading being held accountable by the Legislature, the THECB, the Board of Regents, and big donors to only being held accountable to the Board of Trustees and big donors (many of whom are one in the same).

The one thing he may not be as aware of is he's leaving a relatively weak faculty power structure for a very strong faculty power structure. The Faculty Senate at SMU is very powerful compared to what you have at a public university.

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Just now, perfectchaos007 said:

No official state politics but you do have to stroke egos of aspiring politicians like distinguished alum Craig James
 

CJK5H 

I can assure you no one gives a rats ass about Craig James at SMU.  He's not rich enough for them to care about.

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20 minutes ago, royiv said:

Yep. Both Fenves and Hartzell will have served as president at UT for 5 years before bolting for a job at a private equity university.

5 years may be more in line with what you'd expect - I think Powers serving for almost 10 was out of the norm. 

But like I said in the transfer portal thread - he probably has enough lege connections to see how hostile the upcoming sessions is going to be to both higher ed in Texas and singling out UT

Edited by Js1
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1 hour ago, Longhornfan1024 said:

This is the move of someone who wants to get the fuck away from the politics.  My worry is that this means SMU is going to try to money whip CDC into being their new AD.

My first thought.

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