About

Commissioner Harrison Keller set to take office Aug. 1 as the university’s 17th president.

The University of North Texas System Board of Regents officially appointed Dr. Harrison Keller to lead the University of North Texas – the system’s flagship campus and the third-largest university in Texas. Today’s unanimous vote comes after Texas’ mandatory 21-day waiting period for a presidential appointment.

Dr. Keller, who currently serves as the commissioner and chief executive officer of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, will become the 17th president in UNT’s history, effective Aug. 1. He will succeed Dr. Neal Smatresk who became president of UNT in 2014.

"Having spent his career committed to elevating Texas higher education, Harrison Keller is a natural leader and innovator who is uniquely qualified to lead UNT through new levels of excellence,” Chancellor Michael R. Williams said. “Dr. Keller will bring new opportunities and national awareness to UNT that will help advance the university to its next tier of success, and he has the experience and strategic vision to strengthen UNT as a Tier One research university that puts students first.

“Dr. Keller is committed to collaborative leadership and has a deep passion for student success, and I am excited to see what UNT will accomplish next.”

Since 2019, Dr. Keller has provided statewide leadership and coordination of higher education budget and policy for the world’s eighth largest economy, and he is responsible for overhauling Texas’s strategic plan for higher education and overseeing an annual budget of more than $1.7 billion. Under his visionary leadership, he has advanced policy and programs that improve college readiness and student success — especially for low-income and first-generation students.

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead the state’s third-largest and fastest-growing university and am inspired by the openness to innovation and commitment to students among UNT System leadership, faculty and staff,” Dr. Keller said. “I look forward to engaging with the UNT community and advancing the rich history, values-centered leadership, and amazing capabilities of the University of North Texas.”

The UNT Presidential Search Advisory Committee was led by UNT System Board of Regents Chair Laura Wright, with Chancellor Williams serving as vice chair. “Dr. Keller is a leader who will build strategic partnerships, recruit world-class talent, and advance UNT’s role in meeting the demands of our region, state and nation,” Chair Wright said. “I am certain he will advance the university while remaining committed to student success, academic excellence, and growing our presence as a Tier One research university.”

Appointed by the UNT System Board of Regents and reporting to the UNT System Chancellor, the president serves as the chief executive officer of the university. The president oversees university administration and operations and sets the institution’s vision and strategic objectives, including enhancing the university’s academic excellence, strengthening its portfolio of research, scholarship, and creative activity, and fostering the university’s student-focused identity.

More about Dr. Keller

Dr. Harrison Keller is currently commissioner and chief executive officer for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He is a sixth-generation Texan with more than 25 years of experience in state budget and policy, university administration, fundraising, and building coalitions among higher education institutions, school districts, and policymakers to expand opportunity through education.

Since becoming commissioner in October 2019, Dr. Keller has led major initiatives and innovations, including working with higher education leaders, employers, and policymakers to develop the state’s current strategic plan for higher education, Building a Talent Strong Texas.

With adoption of this plan in January 2022, Texas became the first state to condition its goals for awarding higher education credentials on the economic value of those credentials to students. Dr. Keller also has worked with the governor, legislators, and higher education leaders to accelerate innovation and increase state support for student financial aid, transfer, workforce education, and research and development.

Dr. Keller is a recognized innovator in policy and programs to improve college readiness and student success, especially for low-income and first-generation students. He is the founder of the OnRamps dual enrollment initiative that provides college-level courses to tens of thousands of high school students across Texas each year. He also founded Texas OnCourse, which supports thousands of college and career advisors across the state.

Dr. Keller came to the coordinating board from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was deputy to the president for strategy and policy and a professor of practice. At UT Austin, Dr. Keller also served as vice provost for higher education policy and research and executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Earlier in his career, Dr. Keller was a legislative aide in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, director of research for the Texas House, and senior education advisor for the Speaker of the Texas House.

Dr. Keller has taught at Georgetown University, St. Edward’s University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University. From 2005 to 2015, he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He and his wife, Gena Nivens Keller, currently live in Austin with their three children.

About the UNT Presidential Search Advisory Committee

The UNT Presidential Search Advisory Committee was led by UNT System Board of Regents Chair Laura Wright, with Chancellor Williams serving as vice chair. The committee also convened a series of listening sessions to solicit feedback across a spectrum of internal and external UNT stakeholders, whose input was fundamental to the development of guiding principles that helped set the aim for the committee.

The Advisory Committee members were:

• Laura Wright (’82), UNT System Board of Regents chair – Search Chair
• Dr. Michael R. Williams, UNT System Chancellor – Search Vice Chair
• Sam Golden (’74), UNT Foundation Board Secretary
• Shannon Goodman, UNT Vice President for Enrollment
• Andy McDowall, UNT Student, Student Regent 2022-2023
• Carlos Munguia (’79), Regent
• Lindy Rydman (’72), Regent
• Terri West (’82), Regent
• Dr. Marilyn Wiley, UNT Dean of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business
• Adam Chamberlain, Associate Professor and Faculty Senate Chair
• Megan Wheeler, Senior Director for Special Events and Projects and Staff Senate Secretary

Staff supporting the Advisory Committee included:

• Alberto Pimental, Managing Partner SP&A Executive Search – Search Consultant
• Rey Rodriguez, UNT System Chief Strategy Officer
• Rachel Barone, UNT System Chief of Staff

The UNT Dallas College of Law Community Lawyering Centers have received $500,000 in new funding, as part of a spending package signed by President Joe Biden over the weekend. The legislation totaled $460 billion, including $10,476,031 for various projects in Texas's 30th Congressional District, represented by Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

“The Community Project Funding will pay for 11 transformational projects for the people of TX-30,” said Rep. Crockett. 

The Community Lawyering Centers provide free legal services to eligible residents. Students from UNT Dallas College of Law handle cases, which are supervised by faculty from UNT Dallas College of Law and experienced attorneys from Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Dallas Public Defender’s Office, and other qualified attorneys.

“This funding will support a critical part of the UNT Dallas College of Law curriculum. The Community Lawyering Centers allow us to provide valuable practical experience to our students and much-needed legal services to our community while meeting ABA standards that require experiential education. I am grateful to Rep. Crockett for her advocacy,” said UNT Dallas College of Law Dean Felicia Epps.  

Legal matters handled by the CLC include:

• Housing/evictions
• Family law
• Child support 
• Child custody 
• Immigration
• Wills and probate

“We are very grateful to Congresswoman Crockett for her work to secure this funding for our Community Lawyering Centers. The crown jewels of the law school, the centers reflect the intentional integration of innovative education and community service that are foundational pillars of the school. With these funds, we will be able to expand our outreach as we begin a new phase of delivering legal assistance while continuing our neighborhood-based program,” said UNT Dallas College of Law Professor Cheryl B. Wattley.

Through the CLCs, UNT Dallas law students:

• Serve as Guardian Ad Litems or Amicus attorneys for children who were in the care of Childrens Protective Services (CPS)
• Represent individuals in family, eviction, juvenile, and probate cases
• Mediate cases through the Dallas County Dispute Mediation Services, Tarrant County Homeless Coalition, and Justice of the Peach Judge Mike Jones
• Represent juveniles charged in City of Dallas Municipal Court, seeking resolution that focuses on rehabilitation and education rather than criminalization.

The Community Lawyering Centers were founded in 2016 and offer day and evening appointments during the week, and Saturday appointments.

4716 Elsie Faye Heggins Street
Dallas, Texas 75210
469-351-0024
469-351-0025

511 North Akard St., Suite 102
Dallas, Texas 75201
214-855-7892

The Community Lawyering Centers have strong relationships with other local organizations. These partnerships allow the CLC to broaden the resources it offers to residents and businesses. Legal services are provided by:

1. UNT Dallas College of Law
2. Legal Aid of Northwest Texas 
3. Dallas County Public Defender’s Office Legal Action Works (L.A.W.)

Others offering services to the centers or to residents of the community through the centers include:

• El Centro College Paralegal Program Dallas County Juvenile Justice
• Frazier House
• Children at Risk
• YMCA

UNT Dallas Urban SERCH Institute DISD

In addition to the federal funding just announced, UNT Dallas College of Law gratefully acknowledges generous donations to the Community Lawyering Centers program from:

• Texas Bar Foundation
• Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
• Texas Real Estate Council

The combined funding from donations, the federal government, and other sources ensures the continuous operation of the Community Lawyering Centers and the important services they provide to Dallas area residents in need of legal assistance.

New York, October 23, 2023 -- Moody's Investors Service announces that an increase in authorization for University of North Texas System, TX's (Aa2 stable) Commercial Paper Notes program has no credit impact.

Please see below for the full news release from Moody's.