Hartzell Named New UT President

By unanimous vote, the University of Texas System Board of Regents has named Jay Hartzell as the next president of UT-Austin, effective immediately. Hartzell was the sole finalist for the job. 

Hartzell, a national leader in business education and real estate finance, has spent most of the past 25 years at UT-Austin, first as a graduate student, then as a professor and most recently as an academic leader. Before he was named interim president this past April, Hartzell served as dean of the McCombs School of Business.

“In the short time Jay has been interim president, he has led UT-Austin with a steady hand and an eye on the future,” Board Chairman Kevin P. Eltife said. “Jay continues to demonstrate that he is a leader who can manage enormous challenges and still maintain a focus on elevating the academic, research and clinical missions of a world-class institution.”

Hartzell, 50, earned his Ph.D. in finance from UT-Austin in 1998 and then returned in 2001 as a faculty member. Before being appointed dean, he held several administrative roles at the McCombs School of Business. 

“I’m humbled that Chairman Eltife, the members of the UT System Board of Regents and Chancellor Milliken have given me the honor of a lifetime, selecting me to serve as the next President of the University of Texas at Austin,” Hartzell said. “This is a dream come true for me because it means that I get the chance to go to work with students, faculty, staff and alumni and put all my energy into helping Longhorn Nation do what it does best — change the world.”