Jay Hartzell

Jay C. Hartzell is an American economist and the 30th President of the University of Texas at Austin.^[1] Additionally, he holds the Centennial Chair in Business Education Leadership and the Trammell Crow Regents Professor in Business at UT Austin.^[2][3]

Jay Hartzell
30th President of the University of Texas at Austin
Incumbent
Assumed office September 23, 2020
Preceded by	Gregory L. Fenves
Personal details
Born	(1969-09-01) September 1, 1969 (age 54) Kansas, U.S.
Education	Trinity University (BS) University of Texas at Austin (MS, PhD)
Signature

Early life and education

Hartzell was born in Kansas and grew up in Oklahoma. He graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio cum laude with a B.S. in business administration and economics. After receiving a doctorate in finance from UT Austin, he served as an assistant professor of finance at New York University's Stern School of Business.^[4]

University of Texas at Austin

In 2001, Hartzell returned to UT Austin as a faculty member in the McCombs School of Business. Since then, he has served in various capacities, including as the senior associate dean for academic affairs, the executive director of the business school's Real Estate Finance and Investment Center, and as the chair of UT Austin's finance department.^[5] In 2016, he was named dean of the McCombs School of Business. As dean, Hartzell launched the Goff Real Estate Labs, elevated the Canfield Business Honors program and opened Rowling Hall, the home of UT Austin's MBA program. He helped create many significant partnerships with colleges and schools across campus including the Dell Medical School, the College of Fine Arts, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences and the Moody College of Communication. He established the position of Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at the McCombs School and the McCombs Diversity and Inclusion Committee.^[6] He also established McCombs’ one-year Master of Science in Finance degree, created the Undergraduate Real Estate Certificate Program and oversaw the completion of the fundraising, construction and opening of Rowling Hall, a 500,000-square-foot graduate business facility.^[7]

In April 2020, the University of Texas System's Board of Regents appointed Hartzell to serve as interim president of UT Austin.^[7]

In July 2020, in response to concerns raised by student athletes, alumni and other UT Austin community members, Hartzell announced a series of measures designed to create a more diverse and welcoming campus at UT Austin.^[8] The measures included: working with a group of students, faculty members, staffers and alumni to allocate a multimillion-dollar investment from Athletics’ revenue to UT Austin programs to recruit, attract, retain and support Black students; renaming the Robert L. Moore Building as the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building; honoring Heman M. Sweatt, UT Austin's first Black student, in a variety of ways on campus; commissioning a new monument for the Precursors, the first Black undergraduates to attend UT Austin; erecting a statue for Julius Whittier, UT Austin's first Black football player; and renaming Joe Jamail Field for Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.^[9] He has at the same time also received criticism from Black lawmakers and UT students concerning his defence of the song "Eyes of Texas" although considered a racist tradition of the university by some.^[10]

Throughout the summer of 2020, Hartzell led UT Austin's response to the COVID-19 crisis, and on August 13, 2020, the UT System Board of Regents announced Hartzell as the sole finalist for the position of UT Austin president.^[5]

On September 23, 2020, the UT System Board of Regents unanimously voted to name Hartzell the 30th president of UT Austin, effective immediately.^[1]

On April 2, 2024, Hartzell announced additional adjustments in compliance with Senate Bill 17,^[11] particularly in response to a letter from March 26, 2024 from Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton,^[12] which led to the layoff of approximately 60 individuals, most of whom formerly worked in DEI-related programs, and the elimination of the newly-renamed Division of Campus and Community Engagement.^[13] Critics denounced the university's over-compliance with the anti-DEI law, since the university had already been compliant since January 1, 2024.^[14][15] This decision led to on-campus protests and a petition from over 500 concerned parties calling for additional transparency, along with requesting a town hall, to which Hartzell did not respond.^[16] At a UT Austin Faculty Council meeting on April 15, 2024, in response to mounting criticism, Hartzell stated the additional changes were made in response to the threats from the Republican-led State Legislature and the University of Texas System Board of Regents, and to restore "confidence" in the university, reacting to changing tides in public opinion towards higher education amongst Republicans.^[17]

On April 24, 2024, the university, under Hartzell's explicit directive,^[18][19][20] requested the assistance of the Austin Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, in coordination with Texas Governor Greg Abbott, in an attempt to quell large student-led pro-Palestinian protests and an "occupation" of the university,^[21][22] in contrast to free speech on campus laws praised by Abbott and the university in prior years.^[23] This decision, along with the subsequent statements, received sharp backlash, including from faculty, staff, students, several Democratic legislators for the region, and First Amendment advocacy groups,^[24][25] including an official statement from the UT Faculty Council Executive Committee denouncing it,^[26] in part due to the extreme, chaotic, and violent police response that ensued and alleged violations of First Amendment rights.^[27][28] This led to the confirmed arrest of 57 protesters, including a photojournalist for Fox 7 Austin, with several more detained.^{[28][29][30][31][32]} Charges were then dismissed against 46 protesters the next day leading to their subsequent release,^[33][34] with the charges against the remaining 11 protesters dropped on April 26, 2024.^[35] The protest occurred amidst the ongoing nationwide demonstrations on college campuses.

On April 25, 2024, more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff protested outside of the UT Austin Main Building calling for Hartzell's resignation, along with the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors circulating a petition for a official motion of no-confidence against him.^[36][26] Within 72 hours, more than 500 professors and instructors, around 13% of all faculty, had already signed the petition, including several department chairs, such as Diana Marculescu, and a dean for the College of Liberal Arts.^[37] On April 29, 2024 at 8:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time, the letter was formally delivered to President Hartzell, with 539 signatures, with the form remaining open for further signatures.^[38] A separate group of at least 165 faculty, including Steve Vladeck, also signed an open letter condemning Hartzell's actions for quelling free speech and endangering the campus community.^[39][40]

References

1. Mekelburg, Madlin (September 23, 2020). "Jay Hartzell named UT Austin president". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
2. "Jay Hartzell named Dean of McCombs School of Business". utexas.edu. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2016.
3. "Jay Hartzell". Retrieved December 11, 2016.
4. Korte, Lara (August 13, 2020). "Meet Jay Hartzell, a loyal Longhorn and UT's interim president". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
5. Britto, Brittany (August 13, 2020). "UT-Austin names interim president Jay Hartzell sole finalist for presidency". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
6. "About the President". Office of the President. November 4, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
7. "McCombs Business Dean Hartzell named interim president of UT Austin". April 8, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
8. Luna, Marcy de (2020-07-14). "UT-Austin will keep "Eyes of Texas", make several changes to address call for change". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
9. Cramer, Maria (2020-07-14). "University of Texas Won't Drop Song With Racist History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
10. McGee, Kate (29 March 2021). "Black lawmakers, NAACP and students push back on UT-Austin's "The Eyes of Texas" report, urge school to lose the song". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
11. Boyette, Kaanita Iyer,Chris (2023-06-15). "Texas governor signs bill to ban DEI offices at state public colleges | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
12. Creighton, Brandon (March 26, 2024). "Senator Brandon Creighton Announces Oversight on Senate Bill 17 Implementation". The Texas State Senate. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
13. Alonso, Johanna (April 4, 2024). "UT Austin Closes Former DEI Division". Inside Higher Ed.
14. Nietzel, Michael T. "University Of Texas Laying Off Staff To Comply With State's DEI Ban". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
15. "UT Austin lays off around 60 staffers to comply with Texas DEI ban". KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station. 2024-04-02. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
16. Adams, Char (April 18, 2024). "UT Austin students protest school's DEI layoffs amid state ban". NBC News. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
17. "April 15, 2024, Faculty Council Meeting Transcript" (PDF). The University of Texas at Austin Faculty Council. p. 15. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
18. The Daily Texan [@thedailytexan] (April 26, 2024). "BREAKING: UT President Jay Hartzell's messages with a state senator and the UT System Chancellor reveal he requested additional help from DPS at yesterday's protest because "our police force couldn't do it alone," according to messages obtained by The Austin American-Statesman" (Tweet). Retrieved April 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
19. Chandler, Ryan [@RyanChandlerTV] (April 26, 2024). "It was President Hartzell himself who called in DPS to respond to the protests yesterday, UT tells me. "That was President Hartzell. That was President Hartzell. Along with his leadership team and UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife," Comms Director Mike Rosen said" (Tweet). Retrieved April 25, 2024 – via Twitter.
20. Plohetski, Tony; Wagner, Bayliss (2024-04-26). "Austin protest: Texts reveal why UT president called in DPS help". Austin American-Statesman. from the original on 2024-04-26. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
21. Dey, Sneha; Mohamed, Ikram; Xia, Annie; Melhado, William (April 24, 2024). "Police arrest more than two dozen pro-Palestine protesters on UT-Austin campus amid tense standoff". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
22. Leija, Ren (April 24, 2024). "Hundreds of UT Austin students, faculty gather on campus for pro-Palestinian protest". The Daily Texan.
23. Irwin, Lauren (April 24, 2024). "Abbott says pro-Palestine protesters at UT Austin 'belong in jail'". The Hill.
24. Grant, Matt (April 25, 2024). "Press freedom advocates want change following Austin photojournalist protest arrest". KXAN-TV. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
25. Elbein, Saul (April 25, 2024). "Texas Gov. Abbott faces backlash after mass arrest at UT Austin pro-Palestine protest". The Hill. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
26. Downen, Robert; Mohamed, Ikram; Melhado, William (April 25, 2024). "Faculty petition to hold no-confidence vote in UT-Austin president after protest response". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
27. Perry, Nick; Vertuno, Jim; Coronado, Acacia (April 24, 2024). "Dozens arrested on California campus after students in Texas detained as Gaza war protests persist". AP News.
28. Downen, Robert (April 25, 2024). "UT-Austin faculty criticizes response to pro-Palestine walkout as students plan new protest". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
29. Velez, Abigail (April 24, 2024). ""This was supposed to be peaceful": Dozens detained at UT Austin protest". CBS Austin. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
30. kvue.com (April 24, 2024). "At least 50 arrested at pro-Palestine protests on UT Austin campus". KVUE Austin. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
31. FOX 7 Austin Digital Team (April 24, 2024). "University of Texas Palestine protest leads to more than 30 arrests, including FOX 7 photographer". FOX 7 Austin. Retrieved April 24, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
32. Paul, Kari (April 24, 2024). "Fox journalist among dozens arrested at Texas university as protests swell". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
33. Weber, Andrew (April 25, 2024). "Charges dismissed against 46 arrested during pro-Palestinian protest at UT Austin". KUT News.
34. Kepner, Lily; Moreno-Paz, Bianca (April 25, 2024). "Live: UT-Austin professors plan protest with students, PSC calls for Hartzell's resignation". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
35. Weber, Andrew (April 26, 2024). "Charges dropped against all 57 pro-Palestinian demonstrators arrested on UT campus". KUT News. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
36. Brager, Sarah; Rouser, Mason (April 25, 2024). "Faculty protest student arrests in front of Tower, call for Hartzell resignation". The Daily Texan. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
37. Fogel, Becky (April 26, 2024). "More than 200 faculty say they've lost confidence in UT Austin President Jay Hartzell". KUT News. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
38. Kepner, Lily (April 29, 2024). "500+ faculty members sign letter of no confidence against UT president over protests, DEI". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
39. Free Speech UTexas (April 26, 2024). "Open Letter from UT Austin Faculty to President Jay Hartzell Regarding April 24". Medium. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
40. Srivastava, Naina (April 26, 2024). "165 UT faculty sign letter to Hartzell, condemn University's response to pro-Palestine protest". The Daily Texan. Retrieved April 26, 2024.