UT-Austin President Greg Fenves leaving Texas flagship for Emory University, source says

University of Texas at Austin President Greg Fenves is expected to announce this week that he will leave the state’s flagship college for Emory University, according to one source with knowledge of the decision.

Fenves has been president of UT-Austin since 2015, after serving as executive vice president and provost, and as dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

During Fenves’ tenure, the university successfully defended its race-conscious admissions program before the Supreme Court and expanded the financial assistance it offers low- and middle-income undergraduates. His comparatively calm term succeeded years of strife between former President Bill Powers and regents and statewide leaders who were pushing to make the university more closely resemble a business.

Fenves received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, in civil engineering.

The current president of Emory, a private university in Georgia, announced last year that she would retire effective this August.

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