The University of Texas at Austin has appointed Rachel Davis Mersey as Executive Vice President and Provost. In her new position, Mersey will act as the chief academic officer of the university, overseeing areas such as enrollment management and the institution's research operations valued at over a billion dollars. She has been serving in this capacity on an interim basis since August 27.
UT President Jay Hartzell expressed confidence in Mersey's leadership abilities, stating, “Building on our momentum to continue to attract exceptional talent and become the highest-impact public research university requires unique vision and strategic thought across our academic and research mission. Since the day she started as Interim Provost, Rachel has proved to be a strategic, decisive and visionary leader who embraces challenges and drives academic excellence. I could not be more pleased to have her serve as our chief academic officer and a key member of our leadership team.”
Mersey assumes her permanent role amid growing demand for UT's educational offerings. The number of freshman applications for Fall 2025 saw an increase of nearly 25% compared to the previous year. As provost, she will focus on developing talent within the university to enhance academic programs and foster collaboration in priority research areas such as energy, technology, society, health, and well-being.
“The increased demand for an exceptional UT education is directly linked to our ability to attract top faculty and student talent, develop new ways to positively impact the world through research, and produce a new generation of leaders,” said Mersey. “It is important that we build on all phases of this incredible trajectory. I am excited to work closely with our colleges and schools, and I am grateful to President Hartzell for his trust and confidence.”
Before becoming provost, Mersey served as Dean of the Moody College of Communication starting June 2023. Her tenure focused on experiential learning initiatives like Bevo Video Productions and partnerships with various industries in cities including Austin, Los Angeles, and New York. She also holds a position as Everett D. Collier Centennial Chair in Journalism.
Prior experiences include her role as Director of Global Research at Meta where she led efforts in data transparency while ensuring privacy standards were met. Her work included supporting the U.S. 2020 Facebook Election Study involving independent academics such as Talia Stroud from Moody College.
Mersey's background also includes roles at Northwestern University's Medill School where she was Associate Dean for Research before joining UT.