Interim president for UT Austin named during board meeting
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin now has an interim president. On Wednesday, Chancellor James B. Milliken named James E. Davis as the interim president, which is “effective immediately,” according to the UT System.
This comes after Southern Methodist University announced in January that Dr. Jay Hartzell was stepping down as UT president to serve as the next president at SMU in Dallas.
“I am grateful for the leadership and support of Chairman Eltife, the Board of Regents and Chancellor Milliken, and I am honored by this opportunity to further serve our university,” Davis said about the appointment.
Davis is currently the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, according to UT. Before that, he was UT’s vice president for legal affairs and business strategies.
Before he joined the university, Davis was tapped in as Attorney General Ken Paxton’s deputy attorney general for civil litigation, according to The Austin American Statesman.
Davis is a graduate of UT Austin, as well as Harvard Law School, according to UT. The university said he was “pivotal” in some of its “most innovative and complex activities.”
“In each of his leadership roles, Davis has driven positive outcomes for UT. Some examples include the development of UT’s Innovation Tower, the university’s first seed investment fund for startup companies to support researchers’ discoveries, solutions for faculty and student housing, development of the Moody Center, and UT’s move into the SEC Athletic Conference, among others,” the UT System said.
