Jay Hartzell '91 B.S. Economics. Business
"I'm an outlier in my family," laughs Jay Hartzell, Ph.D. "My mother and sister are pianists and my brother is an artist. In my family, being a finance professor is a foreign concept." However, it's a concept Jay embraces wholeheartedly, as his successful career in academia confirms.
The seeds for an academic career were planted when Jay, an Oklahoma native, arrived at Trinity and switched his intended major from engineering to economics, where he enjoyed classes with professors Roger Spencer, and the late Bill Breit and visiting professor Walter Adams. "Somewhere along the line, I discovered that I could add a second major in business administration, and it was in those classes that I realized that finance was in many ways simply applied economics."
When business professor Phil Cooley secured a small grant enabling him to hire a student assistant, Jay landed the job and worked with Cooley during his junior an senior years, helping with his textbook, writing problems and solutions, building spreadsheets, and other duties. "At some level, everything that has followed in my career stems from the faculty-student interactions at Trinity and the opportunities I had to get to know a faculty member and be exposed to the life of a professor," he says.
Later, considering graduate school, Jay sought Cooley's advice. "He told me if I really wanted to push myself and be challenged, I should consider a Ph.D." Attracted by the challenge and the prospect of continuing to be around an academic environment, having a lifetime of learning, and being able to teach students, Jay took that advice, along with Cooley's suggestion of where to apply and his letter of recommendation. It wasn't until he began his Ph.D. program at the University of Texas at Austin, that Jay realized how academic research works and how important that aspect is for an academic career at a top research university. "Fortunately, I enjoyed research and found it to be a nice complement to teaching," he says.
Jay began his academic career as an assistant professor at NYU's Stern School of Business. He joined the McCombs School of Business in 2001 and moved steadily up the ranks to full professor as well as several leadership positions including chair of department of finance, where he led the creation of the 1-year Master's of Finance degree program and began a campus-wide undergraduate Real Estate program. Following a stint as Senior Associate Dean, Jay was appointed Dean and the Centennial Chair in Business Education Leadership in February of this year.
Today, Jay, a self-described extrovert—"at least by academic standards"— oversees more than 200 faculty, some 300 staff members, and roughly 6,000 students, on campuses in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Mexico City. "It's a complicated but exciting place, " he says. His primary role involves "setting the strategic direction of the school, providing faculty, staff, and students with whatever they need to be successful, and interacting with a variety of external constituents, most notably, the rest of the campus and our incredible alumni base." He also spends considerable time thinking how best to capitalize on the entrepreneurial energy that infuses Austin and the rest of Texas and proactively seeks opportunities to enhance the school's national and international reputation.
It's a big, demanding job, but Jay finds time for his "main hobby," playing tennis. He and his wife, Kara '91—"We met on my 18th birthday as her suitemates were helping me celebrate with a box of Twinkies"— whom he married four days after graduation, also enjoy traveling and spending time with their children 17 and 19. "We realize we'll be empty nesters in a year so we shouldn't take our time with them for granted."
He also makes time to serve his broader community, serving on the boards of Austin Habitat for Humanity and the Downtown Austin Alliance, "two great organizations that are trying to make Austin an even better place."
"Like many people, what motivates me is a desire to make an impact." While he finds making an impact through teaching and research very satisfying, "Now, as an administrator, I see the opportunity to have an impact on the institution I serve and to facilitate the impact of others in their respective roles."
You may contact Jay at dean.hartzell@mccombs.utexas.edu
Jay Hartzell, who joined the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin in 2001, was named Dean of the prestigious business school earlier this year.
You might be interested in
