-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.
The Political Transformation of UT Austin
2020 – 2026
● June 2020 — "Eyes of Texas" controversy erupts.
● August 2020 — Amid COVID restrictions, the UT System Board of Regents names Interim President Jay Hartzell the sole finalist for the permanent presidency — a departure from the Board’s typical national search process.
● September 2020 — Hartzell appointed President at $1.25 million/year, $255,000 (roughly 25%) over predecessor Greg Fenves.
● March 2021 — A UT report on "Eyes of Texas" finds "no racist intent," but the president says athletes and band members won’t be required to sing or participate.
● July 2022 — Civitas Institute founded with Hartzell’s cooperation and $6M each from UT and state/system funds, backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s office and the Texas Legislature.
● May 2023 — Board of Regents approves the School of Civic Leadership, a new college created to house the Civitas Institute.
● July 2023 — The Texas Legislature passes Senate Bill 17, which mandates the closure of all diversity, equity, and inclusion offices at state-funded institutions. The law prohibits DEI-related staffing, training mandates, and diversity statements, while requiring strict disciplinary measures and regular state audits for enforcement.
● January 1, 2024 — SB 17 takes effect: the Multicultural Center, Gender and Sexuality Center, Monarch Program, and other offices close.
● April 2024 — Hartzell fires roughly 60 staff formerly working in DEI programs.
● April 2024 — Hundreds of campus, city, and state police respond to Palestine protests on campus; 136 students and faculty are arrested.
● April 2024 — UT Austin AAUP, led by chapter president Pauline Strong, delivers a no-confidence letter signed by 500+ faculty (~16% of UT faculty).
● May 2024 — UT Austin lecturer Rich Heyman fired after having been arrested at Palestine protests.
● Fall 2024 — COLA Dean Ann Huff Stevens is not renewed. In an email, she says Hartzell prevented her renewal.
● Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 — Eight top administrators resign, are demoted, retire, or are not renewed — including five vice presidents, nearly half of UT’s 12 VP positions.
● January 2025 — Hartzell announces he is departing for SMU.
● February 2025 — Jim Davis is named interim president.
● Fall 2024 – Spring 2025 — Provost turmoil: Provost Sharon Wood asked to resign with no explanation; Rachel Davis Mersey (Dean, Moody School) becomes interim provost in Sept. 2024, is promoted to provost in Jan. 2025, then is pushed out; CNS Dean David Vanden Bout replaces her as interim provost in Feb. 2025.
● April 2025 — UT ends its flags program mid-semester with no replacement.
● June 2025 — Texas Legislature adopts SB 37, limiting shared governance: faculty senates exist only by board permission, presidents make half of appointments, and a new ombudsman can recommend cutting state funds for noncompliant schools.
● July 2025 — Interim President Jim Davis’s role is made permanent as sole finalist; salary $1.25 million/year.
● July 2025 — Texas Legislature adopts SB 2972, regulating campus speech and undoing 2019 legislation that designated campuses “traditional public forums.”
● August 2025 — William Inboden is named Provost as sole finalist; he previously led UT’s Clements Center and directed the Hamilton Center at the University of Florida.
● August 2025 — UT’s Faculty Council is abolished: going beyond SB 37, which would have allowed a 50% elected faculty senate.
● September 2025 — College of Education Dean Charles Martinez is not renewed.
● October 2025 — Senior Vice Provost for academic Affairs Art Markman is fired “due to ideological differences.”
● October 2025 — Graduate Student Assembly is blocked by UT from considering two resolutions opposing SB 17 and SB 37.
● December 2025 — Lillian Mills resigns as the first woman to serve as Dean of the McCombs School of Business.
● January 2026 — Claudia Mora departs her position as Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences.
● January 2026 — Provost Inboden closes the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Community Engagement, the Vick Advising Excellence Center, and the Office of Undergraduate Research.
● February 2026 — President Davis announces consolidation of three programs — including the School of Information — into one interdisciplinary unit within the College of Natural Sciences.
● February 2026 — Davis announces closure of seven COLA departments, merging into two new departments: Social and Cultural Analysis (African and African Diaspora Studies, American Studies, Mexican American and Latina/o Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies) and European and Eurasian Studies (Slavic and Eurasian Studies, French and Italian, Germanic Studies). Originally set for Fall 2027, the timeline is expedited to Fall 2026.
● April 2026 — LBJ School Dean JR DeShazo is not renewed. More than ⅓ of dean positions — 7 of 18 leaders — are now in flux.
● June 2026 — UT leaders fire KUT general manager Debbie Hiott.
● June 2026 — A new Vice Provost for the Arts position moves oversight of the Blanton Museum and Texas Performing Arts into the Provost’s office.
● July 2026 — New Center for Humanities appears online. The Center’s website indicates it will focus on teaching and research related to the Core Curriculum. The Center is housed under the Provost’s office but shares faculty ties with the School of Civic Leadership.
● August 2026 — President Davis announces the new core curriculum, created by a faculty committee including many members from the School of Civic Leadership. The proposal narrows general education to focus on topics like Western civilization and U.S. history, cuts required credit hours from 42 to 36, reduces STEM hours and reduces 10 areas of study into three pillars: Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and STEM. Full implementation planned for fall 2027.
● August 2026 — The School of Civic Leadership, now with 44 faculty, announces new degree programs for Fall 2027: Civics Honors, Great Books Honors, and Strategy & Statecraft.
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