Former President Jay Hartzell, who served in the position from 2020 to mid-February, spoke about his accomplishments and potential regrets during his time at UT on Monday.
Hartzell sat down with Evan Smith, LBJ School of Public Affairs professor and Texas Tribune co-founder, for an exit interview about his time at UT. Smith first asked Hartzell the reason as to why he was leaving UT, and if he was “leaving (UT) or going to (SMU).”
“I wasn’t looking for a job,” Hartzell said. “It wasn’t ‘I gotta go find something.’… I’m really excited about the opportunity. It’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna be a challenge. It aligns more with what, I hope in the long run, I’ll be happy doing.”
Smith then asked Hartzell to grade himself on his performance as president in the last five years as if he were one of his former students. Hartzell praised the “amazing direction” the University is headed in, citing the high levels of applications, research funding and philanthropy projects. Hartzell briefly touched on some of the controversial events of his tenure, including the pro-Palestine protests that occurred on campus last April.
“In a directional sense, I feel like we were right,” Hartzell said. “Could we have communicated differently, gotten there differently? Probably, in hindsight. If you ask me,‘Do I feel good about what happened here versus Columbia or UCLA?’ Yes.”
Smith then asked about the pushback that Hartzell received for complying with certain legislative rulings, such as Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and practices at public Texas universities.
“There are people who wish I would have gotten myself fired from the beginning,” Hartzell said. “I get that, it’s part of the job, but in the long-run interest of the University, I have to follow SB 17.”Hartzell said he received backlash from some members of faculty and community members regarding his choices as president.
“A few hundred signed a no-confidence letter about me,” Hartzell said. “The highs and lows of the job are about the job, not the human. I got the praise I probably didn’t deserve as a person. I got yelled at (and) my garage painted. I don’t think I deserved that as a person either, but it’s a job.”
Hartzell said despite campus disagreements, he hopes students can find a common ground in caring for each other.
“Remember (students) are the center of the University; they are why we do what we do,” Hartzell said. “At times, any of us can get worried about what’s immediately in front of us, and (students should) know that there are people who are doing their very best to worry about the student outcomes and experiences in the long run. … I love (the) University. I’ve loved it from the beginning. I got the job because I wanted to teach, and students are the special sauce of why we do what we do.”
