Following an extensive national search, the SMU Board of Trustees named Jay Hartzell the 11th SMU president, effective June 1, 2025.

In what’s been among the most transformative period in SMU’s history, the school marked another transformative moment on Tuesday when it hired University of Texas President Dr. Jay Hartzell. The school announced the move in a release after the board unanimously voted for him to be the school’s next president.

University of Texas President Jay Hartzell is leaving his post atop one of the state's most influential public schools and will join Southern Methodist University (SMU) as its next leader. The SMU 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.