Life is Full of Ironies: University of Texas president Jay Hartzell departing for SMU

Friends:


Life is full of ironies. Fortunate for President Jay Hartzell, he will, in effect, not only be shielded from anti-DEI politics in his new role as Southern Methodist University (SMU) President, but he will be a supporter of the university's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. From SMU's website:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At SMU, we strive to embrace diversity in its multiplicity. By thoughtfully combining ground-up initiatives with robust governance, we continuously seek to promote an inclusive community, where all individuals, regardless of who they are, can pursue excellence on their own terms. Through close consultation with students and employees, we have developed a range of policies, processes and facilities to promote equitable and inclusive practices on our campus.

Belonging

SMU is a place for study, work and belonging. Through various programmes and initiatives, we are nurturing an inclusive culture, where our employees and students feel valued for who they are and excited about who they can become and what they can achieve with us. 

This is great for SMU that based on this page to its DEI office, there is a public-facing expression of valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, it is not so great for UT and other public institutions (e.g., see my Texas Observer article posted to this blog). This includes the Dallas area in places like the University of North Texas (UNT) Denton that is currently under attack, having to still deal with the wreckage that anti-DEI legislation (Senate Bill 17) has wrought. 

All of this shows, among other things, how a vote of no confidence by a university's faculty—atop protests, opinion pieces, press coverage, advocacy, testifying in committee, writing policy briefs, etc.—matters.

As faculty, we must now insist on a national search to replace him so that we can recover some of our voice and standing as faculty by being part of the process.

I further recommend that we advocate for the passage this next legislative session of two bills. 

First, is Texas State Representative John Bucy's Senate-Bill-17-repeal bill, House Bill 393, which, if passed, will eliminate all language in Texas' code (Section 51.3525) that eliminates diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, initiatives, so-called "loyalty oaths," and DEI contractors. Whether more can be done to protect DEI once re-established is an open question.

Second, let's lend our support to Texas State Representative Christina Morales' Ethnic Studies House Bill 178 (HB 178). She has been a consistent champion for Ethnic Studies at the legislature.

I sincerely wish President Hartzell well at SMU and hope that he can now use his leverage in support of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in our state. Contrary to SB 17, I would most certainly hope that he resoundingly disagrees with the false justification for anti-DEI legislation that it's "polarizing and work[s] against the goal of inclusion," using SMU as an example.

If it works for SMU, it can work well for UT-Austin and Texas universities statewide.

-Angela Valenzuela

University of Texas president Jay Hartzell departing for SMU

Illustration: Axios Visuals

University of Texas president Jay Hartzell announced Tuesday that he's leaving to helm Southern Methodist University in Dallas at the end of the semester.

Why it matters: Hartzell, who became president in April 2020, will be a lame duck just as the state's flagship university will play defense at the Texas Legislature.

• Expanding on the 2023 law to outlaw diversity initiatives on campus, Texas lawmakers are now threatening to stamp out what they call "DEI-related curriculum."
• Meanwhile, UT named its new provost — essentially the second-in-command — only days ago, leaving the leadership team in flux.

What they're saying: "When students ask for advice, I typically respond thematically: Follow your passions, take some chances, stretch outside your comfort zone, and think of how you would like to make an impact," Hartzell wrote in his announcement.

• "Today, I am writing to let you know that I am following my own advice," he wrote.

Follow the money: Hartzell is likely to get a pay bump.

• Hartzell's salary is roughly $1.4 million. As of 2016, per the most recent data available, SMU's president made at least $3.3 million.

Between the lines: Hartzell was blamed by some faculty and students for the arrests of at least 130 people on campus after he partnered with state and local police to quell pro-Palestinian protests last spring.

• An April letter signed by hundreds of faculty members accused Hartzell of having "needlessly put students, staff and faculty in danger" by calling police to campus, adding that he "has violated our trust."
• The letter also said Hartzell "capitulated to political pressure" in shutting down a university division related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of that 2023 law.

Yes, but: Hartzell had appeared to weather the polarizing year with the support of the UT System Board of Regents and Texas Republicans.

• Under Hartzell's stewardship, UT embarked on an effort to build institutes and centers that cater to conservatives.

Flashback: He faced other crises in his tenure.

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, some university staff argued he should be doing more to protect them by establishing stricter testing and masking protocols. On Tuesday, he pointed to the way he navigated COVID as a highlight of his presidency.
• In 2020, in the wake of social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, Hartzell announced that "The Eyes of Texas" would remain the school song, despite its racist origins. The issue pitted wealthy donors against upset students.

The other side: During his tenure, UT achieved record highs in applications, enrollment, graduation rates, research expenditures and donations.

• He also oversaw a partnership that will bring an MD Anderson Cancer Center hospital to Austin; expanded student housing options; undertook the construction of two new academic buildings; and kicked off a renovation of the UT Tower.

What's next: Hartzell, who has served on the Texas faculty since 2001 and previously served as dean of UT's business school, starts his new job June 1.

• "I am honored to serve as the next president of an exceptional institution like SMU in one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing cities in the nation, and excited to see how I can make the greatest impact as a leader," Hartzell said in a statement.

The bottom line: He's going from a world-class research institution of nearly 54,000 students to a private school of roughly 12,000 students — but he will be insulated from the politics that follow around the leader of a school like UT.