James E. Davis was named the interim president of the University of Texas at Austin by UT System Board of Regents’ Chancellor James Milliken Wednesday, effective immediately. Davis is currently UT’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, and has previously worked as UT’s vice president for legal affairs and business strategies. Before working at UT, Davis was a deputy attorney general under Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“There’s no question Jim Davis is the right leader to serve as interim president,” Milliken said in a UT System press release. “He knows the campus and the state well, and he’s already leading the institution’s efforts to address some of the most critical opportunities and challenges.”
Davis’ appointment came at the recommendation of the UT System Board of Regents and Chairman Kevin Eltife. He is the first president in 120 years to assume the role without prior teaching experience, the last of which was William Lambdin Prather, UT’s third president who served from 1899-1905.
President Jay Hartzell announced in January that he would leave UT to become Southern Methodist University’s next president at the end of the academic semester. A UT spokesperson said in an email statement that “Hartzell will remain at the university through the spring semester to assist with the transition,” which will be the “totality of his role.”
In an email sent to the UT community, Hartzell said he will continue to be a member of the faculty through May 31 and congratulated Davis on the appointment.
“Jim has been a fantastic strategic partner and counselor, and a key part of our leadership team since before I became President,” Hartzell said in the email. “Given his history … it is no surprise that he approaches all decisions with the best interests of the University in mind, and I know he will do the same as Interim President.”
Davis received a bachelor’s degree in history from UT in 1996 before attending Harvard Law School, after which he worked as a briefing attorney for Justice Alberto Gonzales of the Supreme Court of Texas. Davis was then a partner at Locke Lord law firm in Austin. He served in the U.S. Navy as a cryptographer for four years before attending UT.
Davis’ father, Robert Davis, was chair of the radio-television-film department for 12 years while Davis was growing up, further establishing his UT ties.
“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 in the press release.
