President Jay Hartzell will not allow the dean of the College of Liberal Arts to serve a second term because she did not have “a grand enough vision” for the college, according to an Oct. 2 article from the Austin American-Statesman.
Hartzell announced the decision to the UT community in an Oct. 2 email. Dean Ann Huff Stevens will step down when her term ends in August 2025.
Stevens did not respond to The Daily Texan’s multiple requests for comment.
During her term, Stevens has overseen the creation of multiple new programs in the college, including a behavioral and social data science major and a master’s program in medical and health humanities. COLA enrollment also grew by 12.5% since 2019 to 11,428 students enrolled in 2023, according to student demographic data.
According to University policy, an “evaluation committee” reviews a dean’s work at the end of their six-year term and submits a report to the executive vice president and provost. The report is “advisory” and only one aspect of the University’s evaluation process.
University spokesperson Mike Rosen said reviews are not required at the conclusion of a dean’s term.
The evaluation committee mirrors the consultative committee that selects possible deans for colleges, as both are made up of faculty and students from the appropriate college.
In an email to COLA leaders obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, Stevens said she prepared documents for a review but they are “not relevant for that purpose any longer.”
The UT chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemned the University for denying Stevens “due process” in an Oct. 13 open letter to Hartzell.
“Just as the selection of an administrator requires careful joint action,” the Association’s executive committee said. “The evaluation of administrators must also involve faculty, staff and students of the unit concerned.”
This development is the most recent in a series of University leadership changes. UT Police Department Chief Eve Stephens resigned on Sept. 20, and Assistant Chief Shane Streepy replaced her. In early September, Sharon Wood, former executive vice president and provost, also stepped down, with Moody Dean Rachel Mersey named as her replacement in the interim. The University also laid off 19 to 20 communications employees in June as part of
department restructuring.
