The Walker Webcast Jay Hartzell, President of SMU
11 snips
Nov 13, 2025 
Jay Hartzell, the 11th president of Southern Methodist University and former leader at UT Austin, brings a wealth of experience in finance and education. He shares insights on how AI is reshaping SMU's curriculum and fostering a renaissance in liberal arts. Jay discusses the impressive rise in applications since joining SMU, the strategic move to the ACC, and the unique benefits of being an urban university in Dallas. He emphasizes the importance of ethics in education and his vision for well-rounded student development amidst the challenges of housing and competition.
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Chance Mentorship Changed His Path
- Jay Hartzell recounts being guided into a PhD by a Trinity professor who wrote him a letter to UT and changed his career path.
- That mentorship led to his PhD, NYU job, and a lifelong academic-administrative trajectory.
First Administrative Pivot Sparked Leadership
- Hartzell describes his first administrative pivot running UT's real estate center after tenure.
- That role revealed he enjoyed people-facing leadership and scaled student impact more than pure research.
Smaller Schools Can Move Faster
- Hartzell argues smaller institutions can turn faster and implement ideas quicker than massive publics.
- He values knowing "what great looks like" from prior big-campus experience when building at SMU.