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The University of North Texas Board of Regents has named Harrison Keller, Texas’ higher education commissioner, the sole finalist for president.
Keller will succeed Neal Smatresk, who announced in February that he would step down after 10 years at the helm of the system’s flagship university. UNT has 47,000 students and is the third largest university in Texas.
The vote from the Board of Regents kicks off a 21-day mandatory waiting period before they can formally appoint Keller as the next president.
"Harrison Keller has spent his career committed to improving Texas higher education," Chancellor Michael R. Williams said in a press release. "His ability to lead, innovate, and partner both statewide and nationally has helped transform Texas higher education and will have an invaluable impact on UNT.”
In Keller’s 5-year tenure as the commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas was one of the first states to set goals to get students to complete degrees in high-demand fields. Keller also led the state to increase support for community college students that intend to transfer to a four year university through a program called Texas Direct.
Keller has dedicated his professional work to boosting the success of students from low-income backgrounds and of students who are the first in their family to go to college.
He previously was a high-level administrator at the University of Texas at Austin, where created a program to provide college-level courses for high school students, called OnRamps.
Keller said in the release that he was honored to be named finalist.
“Across the nation, not many universities have the scale, capabilities, and potential of the University of North Texas. For the Dallas-Fort Worth area and across the state, UNT is uniquely positioned to expand opportunities through innovative, excellent programs and strategic partnerships,” he said.
The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.
Disclosure: The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the University of Texas at Austin and University of North Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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