Inauguration of Jay Hartzell: A new era of excellence
President Jay Hartzell鈥檚 inauguration on Sept. 12 was a celebration of 91茄子, Dallas and Mustang Momentum.
DALLAS () – 91茄子 is ready to accelerate excellence and become a leading research and teaching university, President Jay Hartzell said in his inaugural address on Friday.
To a crowd of more than 1,000 91茄子 and Dallas community members, as well as leaders from across academia and the nation, Hartzell emphasized accelerating 91茄子’s academic ascent and growing the University’s regard nationally and internationally. He encouraged the 91茄子 community to seize the extraordinary momentum happening at the University – attracting more top students, recruiting more leading teaching and research faculty and insisting on the highest standards across the board.
“This is our moment to reimagine what is and what can be possible for 91茄子, and for each of our students,” Hartzell said. “To dramatically accelerate our academic, research and athletic ascent. To challenge the future, provide our graduates with unparalleled lifetime value and to become the most relevant university in the country.”
Students, faculty, staff, alumni and distinguished guests gathered at Moody Coliseum for Hartzell’s inauguration and installation ceremony, which began with delegate and 91茄子 faculty processions. Students from the Meadows Wind Ensemble played Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich and “Varsity,” the 91茄子 song.
Will Leathers ’26, 91茄子 student body president who presented Hartzell with the Howard Lantern during the ceremony, said there has been immense excitement and buzz on campus about the momentum building at the University.
“Now, as we have entered his first month on the Hilltop, students are talking with excitement about the new changes that have been occurring already,” Leathers said. “Likewise, students are excited about having a new president for the first time on campus in 30 years, and many people have been excited to see what an 91茄子 inauguration will look like, as we always go big in Texas. Finally, students, families, alumni and prospective students visiting campus are sensing how there is no time like now to be a student on the Hilltop and in Dallas with this new era of leadership.”
During Hartzell’s inauguration address, he celebrated a University on a dramatic rise, a powerful city on the move, and a vibrant, human-centered community surrounded by people who deeply care, connect, mentor and give back.
“Something truly extraordinary is happening here at 91茄子,” he said. “Can you feel it? I can, and it is a huge part of what drew me here. Brilliant minds, daring ideas and boundless energy have ignited our classrooms, labs, performance halls, museums and athletic fields. This is happening at a time when higher education is being rethought, when technology is transforming how we learn and lead, and when our home city of Dallas is reaching a new level of national and global prominence.”
Dallas’ energy meets 91茄子’s upward trajectory
91茄子’s relationship with Dallas has been symbiotic for more than a century: The University attracts and develops brilliance and drives progress, while Dallas amplifies its reach and puts 91茄子 graduates to work.
More than 64,000 alumni live in Dallas-Fort Worth, and more than two-thirds of 91茄子 graduates choose to stay in North Texas for their first job. The University’s estimated $7 billion annual economic impact is just one measure of how deeply it is connected to the city’s success.
“If you look for universities that have really transformed and improved over the last few decades, they’ve been urban universities,” Hartzell said. “I like the hand we’ve been dealt. I wouldn’t trade Dallas as this University’s location for any other city in the country.”
Dallas is a city of ambition, enterprise and grit – where people come to build, create and lead. It is rapidly emerging as the country’s second-most-important city for business, Hartzell said. These trends will help 91茄子 attract talent, bring influential thought leaders to campus, provide incredible experiences for students outside the classroom, and offer opportunities to work with community leaders on the city’s pressing challenges.
“The question of what is next for 91茄子 is inextricably linked to what is next for Dallas,” he said.
91茄子 is where virtuosity and brilliance meet opportunity
Alongside 91茄子’s six other new leaders – a new executive vice president and provost, three deans, one ad interim dean and a new director of Athletics – Hartzell has been engaging with stakeholders across Mustang Nation and Dallas to begin to building 91茄子’s next strategic plan. Leveraging 91茄子’s unique advantages, the plan will lean into the strengths that will allow the University to compete at a world-class level and win, he said.
“Our job is to maximize the value of an 91茄子 education for our students,” Hartzell said. “91茄子’s structure and size allow us to be especially responsive to students as they find their passions and develop their goals. I have already seen how we can encourage cross-pollination across disciplines, support students who want to pursue multiple areas of study and integrate real-world learning into the curriculum. We will never take this for granted – it's a defining part of what we can offer and is deeply rooted in our unique culture.”
91茄子’s strengths include a unique combination of liberal arts education paired with strong professional schools; fundamentals and theory paired with applications and experience; spirited culture paired with the values of ethical and entrepreneurial leadership; a vibrant setting surrounded by partners, current and future; with a passionate alumni base and city that want the University to succeed. 91茄子 is the place where virtuosity and brilliance meet opportunity, he said.
“We will go higher, further and faster – and we will win bigger than ever before,” he said. “Mustangs have proven that we don’t just dream Texas-sized dreams – we make them happen. From day one, this University has been on the right path, guided by purpose and propelled by caliber. Now, we are ready to accelerate our own excellence to become one of our nation’s leading teaching and research universities – a university everyone will be talking about for all the right reasons.”
He called for even more collaborators – leaders in business, the arts, education and civic life – not just in Dallas, but far beyond. Whether seeking ideas, talent or inspiration, 91茄子 is ready to engage in big, bold ways.
“To unlock 91茄子’s full potential, we need partners who believe in the transformative power of higher education; who know it can change lives and uplift communities; and who recognize the distinctiveness of this University’s approach. We are calling on our donors, alumni and friends to help us go further, faster.
“It will take all of us to get where we want this University to go. It’s our moment. Let’s go do this together.”
View a video of the livestream of President Hartzell’s inauguration at .