Moody Dean Jay Bernhardt to say goodbye to Forty Acres
UT-Austin Dean Jay Bernhardt speaks at a Moody College of Communication event during the fall 2022 semester. Bernhardt has been a UT dean since 2016.
January 16, 2023
On Jan. 12, Dean Jay Bernhardt announced in an email that he would be leaving UT and the Moody College of Communication at the end of the spring 2023 semester to become the 13th president of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
“This decision was not an easy one, as I have genuinely enjoyed my time at Moody, and I am extremely proud of the significant accomplishments that we have achieved together,” Bernhardt said in the email statement.
According to the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost in a statement from June, Bernhardt greatly increased staff diversity during his time at Moody, increasing representation of Black faculty by 50% and Hispanic faculty by 63% since his appointment to the position in 2016. As a college, Moody’s graduation rate also grew to over 80% — one of the highest within the University.
“The last seven years as Moody Dean have been the most rewarding experience in my career to date,” Bernhardt said in an email statement to The Daily Texan. “I am proud of our many accomplishments and how Moody College has grown, improved and become more diverse. Still, I am most proud of how we have established a community and shared culture of inclusive excellence and mutual support.”
Bernhardt’s introduction of the Communication and Leadership bachelor’s degree, the Moody Honors Program and UTNY program assisted in providing communication students with access to greater educational opportunities, the Provost’s office said in the statement. The college also surpassed the University’s capital campaign by raising over $145 million for its undergraduates under Bernhardt.
The college has not yet announced Bernhardt’s replacement, though he said he plans to work with the Provost to make the transition to new leadership as smooth as possible.
“I look forward to learning more about Emerson’s culture and history and applying the lessons I’ve learned at Moody College to one of the nation’s leading institutions for communication and the arts,” Bernhardt said in the statement to the Texan. “There are many similarities between Emerson and Moody, most notably the talented and passionate students, faculty, staff and alumni. While I am excited to engage with my new colleagues, I will sorely miss my countless friends and colleagues from Longhorn Nation.”
