SMU is hiring University of Texas President Jay Hartzell as its next leader, a major shakeup in higher education that will open a vacuum at one of the state’s most influential public institutions. The Southern Methodist University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Hartzell its next president,

University of Texas President Jay Hartzell is leaving UT to become the next president of Southern Methodist University, the private university announced Tuesday.

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,