Jay Hartzell

Last updated
Jay Hartzell
Jay Hartzell 2019.jpg
Hartzell in 2019
30th President of the University of Texas, Austin
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 23, 2020

Jay Carter 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]

Contents

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 a tenure-track assistant professor of finance at New York University's Stern School of Business between 1998-2001. [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]

2024

On April 2, 2024, Hartzell announced additional adjustments in compliance with Senate Bill 17, [11] particularly in response to a March 26 letter 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, in response to mounting criticism, Hartzell stated the additional changes were made in response to 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] The decision and subsequent statements received sharp backlash 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] A total of 57 protesters were arrested, including a photojournalist for Fox 7 Austin, with several more detained. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] Charges were 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. [35] The protest occurred amidst 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 an official motion of no-confidence against him. [36] [26] [37] On April 29, the letter was formally delivered to Hartzell with over 500 signatures, including several department chairs and a dean for the College of Liberal Arts. [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]

A report later released by the UT Austin Committee of Counsel on Academic Freedom and Responsibility (CCAFR) on July 17, 2024 found that UT Austin administrators, under the explicit direction of Hartzell, violated its own institutional rules in clear disregard of freedom of speech and expression protections. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Texas at Austin</span> Public university in Austin, Texas, US

The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 52,384 students as of fall 2022, it is also the largest institution in the system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Texas at Dallas</span> Public university in Richardson, Texas

The University of Texas at Dallas is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is the northernmost institution of the University of Texas System. It was initially founded in 1961 as a private research arm of Texas Instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Erwin Center</span> Arena in Texas, United States

The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center was a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It was also sometimes referred to as "The Drum" or "The Superdrum", owing to its round, drum-like appearance from outside.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Eyes of Texas</span> School spirit song

"The Eyes of Texas" is the school spirit song of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad". Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the university sing the song at Texas Longhorns sports games, before the fireworks and other events.

The McCombs School of Business is a business school at The University of Texas at Austin, a public research university in Austin, Texas. In addition to the main campus in Downtown Austin, McCombs offers classes outside Central Texas in Dallas, and Houston. The McCombs School of Business offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs for their average 13,000 students each year, adding to its 98,648 member alumni base from a variety of business fields. In addition to traditional classroom degree programs, McCombs is home to 14 collaborative research centers, the international business plan competition: Venture Labs Investment Competition, and executive education programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Gymnasium</span>

Gregory Gymnasium is the 4,000-seat current home of the University of Texas Longhorn women's volleyball team, and former home of the Longhorn basketball and swimming teams. The basketball teams moved out in 1977 to the Erwin Center. It also served as the home court for the Austin Aces of World Team Tennis from 2014 to 2015.

The University of Texas at Austin was originally conceived in 1827 under an article in the Constitución de Coahuila y Texas to open a public university in the state of Texas. The Constitution of 1876 also called for the creation of "The University of Texas” By the late 1990s, the university had the largest enrollment in the country and contained many of the country's top programs in the areas of law, architecture, film, engineering, and business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Building (University of Texas at Austin)</span> Tower in the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, United States

The Main Building is a structure at the center of the University of Texas at Austin campus in Downtown Austin, Texas, United States. The Main Building's 307-foot (94 m) tower has 27 floors and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the university and the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUT</span> Public radio station at the University of Texas at Austin

KUT is a listener and community supported public radio station based in Austin, Texas. KUT is owned and operated by the University of Texas at Austin. It is the National Public Radio member station for central Texas. Its studio operations are located on campus at the Dealey Center for New Media. KUT is one of three radio outlets based on UT campus alongside student-run KVRX 91.7 FM and KUTX 98.9 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moody College of Communication</span> American college at the University of Texas at Austin

The Moody College of Communication is the communication college at The University of Texas at Austin. The college is home to top-ranked programs in advertising and public relations, communication studies, communication and leadership, speech, language and hearing sciences, journalism, and radio-television-film. The Moody College is nationally recognized for its faculty members, research and student media. It offers seven undergraduate degrees, including those in Journalism, Advertising, and Radio-Television-Film, and 17 graduate programs. The Moody College of Communication operates out of the Jesse H. Jones Communication Complex and the Dealey Center for New Media, which opened in November 2012.

West Campus is a neighborhood in central Austin, Texas west of Guadalupe Street and its namesake, the University of Texas at Austin. Due to its proximity to the university, West Campus is heavily populated by college students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory L. Fenves</span> American engineer and college administrator (born 1957)

Gregory Louis Fenves is an American engineer and academic who is the 21st president of Emory University. He previously served as the President of the University of Texas at Austin from 2015 to 2020.

William H. Cunningham is an American academic administrator, a university faculty member and a business executive. He served as the 24th president of the University of Texas at Austin from 1985 to 1992. He served as the seventh chancellor of the 15-campus University of Texas System from 1992 to 2000. He holds the James L. Bayless Chair for Free Enterprise at UT Austin's McCombs School of Business, and he is a director of Southwest Airlines. and other companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physics, Math, and Astronomy Building</span>

Physics, Math, and Astronomy Building is a high rise building on the University of Texas at Austin campus, in the U.S. state of Texas. The building was completed in 1972, and houses the astronomy, mathematics, and physics departments, as well as the Kuehne Physics Mathematics Astronomy Library.

Lillian F. Mills is an American accountant and the first female dean of the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses</span>

Pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses started in 2023 and escalated in April 2024, spreading in the United States and other countries, as part of wider Israel–Hamas war protests. The escalation began after mass arrests at the Columbia University campus occupation, led by anti-Zionist groups, in which protesters demanded the university's disinvestment from Israel over its alleged genocide of Palestinians. In the U.S. over 3,100 protesters have been arrested, including faculty members and professors, on over 60 campuses. On May 7, protests spread across Europe with mass arrests in the Netherlands. By May 12, twenty encampments had been established in the United Kingdom, and across universities in Australia and Canada. The protests largely ended as universities closed for the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 University of Texas at Austin pro-Palestinian campus protests</span> Starting on April 24, 2024

Pro-Palestinian protests at the University of Texas at Austin began on April 24, 2024, organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee in response to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War. The protests have included sit-ins, marches, and encampments on campus, calling for the university to divest from companies linked to Israel's actions in Gaza. The demonstrations escalated when university officials, with support from local and state law enforcement, intervened to disperse protestors, leading to multiple arrests and sparking criticism over the suppression of free speech on campus. Despite arrests and clashes with police, the protests have continued, drawing significant attention and raising debates about civil liberties and the role of university administration in managing campus protests.

References

  1. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 "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 25, 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 25, 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 . Archived 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 . Archived from the original on April 26, 2024. 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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.
  41. ↑ McGlinchy, Audrey (July 31, 2024). "UT Austin committee says administrators violated own rules when handling protests". KUT News . Retrieved August 1, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.