AUSTIN – The University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell announced he will be leaving the Forty Acres to become the next president of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, a move that has sent shockwaves through the university.
Hartzell’s surprise announcement comes after a turbulent year at UT, marked by student protests, legislative battles over diversity initiatives, and a nationwide decline in college enrollment.
“The announcement was very surprising, I hadn’t anticipated this,” said Pauline Strong, a UT Austin professor and president of the UT Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors, “I think everybody’s surprised by this news.”
One of the most significant events during Hartzell’s tenure was the pro-Palestine protests last April, which gained national attention when Governor Greg Abbott deployed state troopers to campus.
The protests led Hartzell to ban the Palestine Solidarity Committee from campus. In a statement to CBS Austin, the group said, “Hartzell leaves Austin shamefully and without answering for the injustices he committed against the people who trusted him to lead.” While Longhorn Students for Israel reacted to the news by saying, “I think [Hartzell] made us feel heard and seen it’s very upsetting to see him go.”
“It was a trying year, to say nothing about demonstrations,” said Bob Stein, professor of political science at Rice University.
But why would the president of a flagship university like UT, a position many consider a dream job, make such a sudden exit?
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Experts believe it’s a sign of the times. Public universities in Texas are facing mounting pressures, including:
- Declining enrollment rates: Fewer students are graduating from high school, leading to increased competition for students.
- Skyrocketing college costs: The price of college continues to rise, making it increasingly difficult for students to afford higher education.
- Political interference: State legislatures, particularly in conservative states like Texas, are increasingly interfering in university affairs, imposing restrictions on curriculum, diversity initiatives, and even tenure.
“When you’re in a public institution, you sort of live and die by what your state legislature wants to do,” explained Stein, highlighting the limited autonomy of public university presidents. SMU, on the other hand, as a private institution, offers a level of freedom and flexibility that may have been appealing to Hartzell.
Strong agrees, noting that Hartzell himself noted in his departure letter, “Private universities can be more nimble.” She points out that “The president of a private university has more autonomy than the president of a state university.”
However, she expressed concern about the impact of Hartzell’s departure on faculty members, “What that does for a faculty member is put projects that you may be working on on hold or under a question mark.”
Strong acknowledged that the past year at UT has been “eventful and difficult,” with a string of events that felt “kind of like one thing after another.” The combination of protests, legislative actions targeting DEI programs which resulted in the layoffs of dozens of UT staff, and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding higher education funding have created a sense of unease on campus.
She emphasized the need for strong leadership to defend academic freedom in Texas, a unique challenge faced by public universities in the state. “What we need is really strong leadership to educate legislators about why academic freedom is so important for quality education,” Strong said.
Stein, reflecting on the challenges facing university presidents, described the job as “Tiring and not always as rewarding as you might think.” He likened the constant pressure to raise money and navigate political minefields to “Rolling a rock up a hill and you just hope it doesn’t come crashing down on you and everybody else.”
Stein signaled Hartzell’s move to SMU may offer a reprieve from these pressures. As the president of a private university, he will have more autonomy and less direct accountability to state lawmakers.
Hartzell will begin his new role at SMU on June 1st, and the timeframe for finding his replacement at UT Austin remains uncertain.
“Many of my colleagues will tell you that coming to Texas for an academic institution is going to be a little bit more trying,” warned Stein, referencing recent legislation that has sparked concerns about academic freedom.