Jay Hartzell

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

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]

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]

References

  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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.
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