University of Texas President Jay Hartzell will become SMU’s next president. SMU’s Board of Trustees approved Hartzell’s hire Tuesday and he will become SMU’s next president effective June 1, 2025. The announcement comes after SMU President R.

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 will approve Hartzell’s hiring Tuesday morning,

The University of Texas will now begin a search for a new president. On Tuesday, university president Jay Hartzell announced that he would be stepping down from his position on the 40 Arces and accepting the job with the SMU Mustangs.