As regents prepare to replace the top leader, faculty ask to be involved in the process and students say they hope a new leader will prioritize them.

SMU is hiring University of Texas President Jay Hartzell as its next leader, a major shakeup in higher education that will open a vacuum at one of the state’s most influential public institutions. The Southern Methodist University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name Hartzell its next president,

Hartzell leaves UT-Austin after four years of tense political battles and legislative efforts to implement a more conservative vision of public higher ed.