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Field Guide UT Austin

Who is UT Austin’s president

Who leads UT Austin, when he took office, his background, the previous president, and how to contact the office

Contact the president’s office

  • Office phone512-471-1232
  • Office address110 Inner Campus Drive, Stop G3400

Recent UT Austin presidents

UT’s past-presidents page lists these years.

  • James E. Davis · 31st. Interim from Feb 19, 20252025–now
  • Jay C. Hartzell · 30th2020–2025
  • Gregory L. Fenves · 29th2015–2020
  • William C. Powers Jr. · 28th2006–2015
  • Larry R. Faulkner · 27th1998–2006
  • Peter Tyrrell Flawn · 26th, ad interim1997–1998
  • Robert M. Berdahl · 25th1993–1997

James E. Davis’s background, as UT states it

  • UT degree · Bachelor of Arts in History, highest honors. Phi Beta Kappa1996
  • Law degree · Harvard Law School, with honors1999
  • Joined UT · Vice President for Legal Affairs and Business Strategies, then Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer2018
  • Before UT · U.S. Navy cryptologist; law practice at Locke Lord; Texas Deputy Attorney General
  • First · The first UT president with a UT undergraduate degree
Who is the president of UT Austin?James E. Davis, the 31st president.

UT’s Office of the President names James E. Davis as the 31st president of The University of Texas at Austin. UT News quotes the Board of Regents chairman calling him Jim Davis.

About the President

When did Jim Davis become UT’s president?Interim on Feb 19, 2025. Named president Aug 20, 2025.

Chancellor James B. Milliken named Davis interim president on Feb 19, 2025, effective immediately. The regents named him sole finalist on Jul 21, 2025, then appointed him president on Aug 20, 2025.

UT News: appointment

What is Jim Davis’s background?A UT history graduate, Harvard-trained lawyer, and Navy veteran.

Davis earned a UT history degree in 1996 and a Harvard law degree in 1999. He served as a Navy cryptologist, worked as a Texas Deputy Attorney General, and joined UT in 2018.

Before he became president, he was UT’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. UT’s bio says he is the first president with a UT undergraduate degree.

UT’s full biography

Who was UT Austin’s president before Davis?Jay Hartzell, 2020–2025.

UT’s past-presidents page lists Jay C. Hartzell as the 30th president, 2020–2025. Before him came Gregory L. Fenves, 2015–2020.

UT’s past presidents

How do I contact the UT president’s office?Call 512-471-1232 or use UT’s feedback form.

Call the Office of the President at 512-471-1232. Mail goes to 110 Inner Campus Drive, Stop G3400, Austin, TX 78712-3400. The office’s email address is at the bottom of president.utexas.edu.

The office also takes feedback and questions through an online form.

Send feedback to the president’s office

SourcesUT’s president and news pages

UT Austin guidesApplying to UTUT rankings