Meet Jay Hartzell

Jay C. Hartzell proudly serves as president of SMU. A nationally recognized university leader with extensive expertise in business education and research, President Hartzell began his tenure on June 1, 2025. He guides the University at a time of significant opportunity and growth, working alongside students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and supporters to advance a bold new era of impact.

Along with University leadership, President Hartzell championed a comprehensive listening effort during his first year on campus to better understand what makes SMU distinctive. Informed by perspectives from across the Hilltop and far beyond, the resulting strategic framework and plan reflect shared pride, confidence and purpose while charting an ambitious path forward for the coming decade.

SMU is accelerating its academic ascent and advancing its position as a premier student-centered research university with national and global influence. Through transformative teaching and programs, research that matters, exceptional student experiences, the unifying power of athletics and the development of principled leaders, SMU empowers well-rounded graduates to lead with integrity and agility in a complex world defined by rapid change.

Momentum is evident in initiatives such as the August 2026 launch of the SMU Dallas Office, a new front door connecting corporations, civic organizations and community partners with SMU talent and expertise. Additional progress includes the recruitment of world-class scholars across disciplines as wide-ranging as art history, economics, English, geosciences, philosophy and political science, strengthening the University’s academic core. These and other early wins reflect a community building on real progress and aiming higher to reach the forefront of America’s universities, excelling across teaching, research, athletics and the arts.

Before joining SMU, President Hartzell served as president of The University of Texas at Austin, where he led the university to record highs in applications, enrollment, graduation rates, research expenditures and philanthropic support. His presidency followed more than 20 years on the faculty, including service as dean of the McCombs School of Business, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious business schools.

President Hartzell began his academic career as an assistant professor of finance at New York University’s Stern School of Business. A respected scholar, he has published research in leading journals centered on corporate finance, corporate governance and real estate. 

Beyond campus, President Hartzell serves on the Dallas Citizens Council, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas CEO Advisory Council, and the boards of MGIC Investment Corporation and Susser Bank. He previously served on the boards of Austin Habitat for Humanity and the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, and earlier in his career worked as a consultant with Hewitt Associates. He earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration and economics (cum laude) from Trinity University and a Ph.D. in finance from UT Austin.

President Hartzell is married to Kara Hartzell, a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice. They have two adult children and a rescue dog named Loba. The Hartzells find joy in calling Dallas home.