The Moody College of Communications and McCombs School of Business have announced the formation of committees tasked with choosing the colleges’ new deans.
These consultative committees are regularly formed within colleges to investigate candidates for permanent positions like dean, associate dean and other faculty roles to decide if they are suited for the University and its students. These committees, whose operations are strictly confidential, are made up of college faculty, other deans and external representatives.
Committee members have often been at the University for multiple years and have familiarity with the selection process. The average tenure for a faculty member on the Moody search committee is around 19 years. These committees also include deans from other colleges at UT and representatives from consulting firms, such as Russell Reynolds Associates and HillCo.
“Usually, it’s some kind of selection — a voting process where it’s faculty who are senior, who people have confidence in,” said Stephen Reese, journalism professor and former committee member.
The University currently has five interim deans — in Moody, the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Information, the Jackson School of Geosciences and the School of Nursing — and McCombs Dean Lillian Mills is stepping down after this semester.
Deans are liaisons between a college or school and the University administration, said Renita Coleman, a journalism professor who has served on faculty appointment councils.
“Deans have to work with the Tower and everybody above them, whereas a faculty person isn’t so much involved with the president and the provost and the vice provost,” Coleman said.
Sometimes, UT will select someone who already works at the school. The three most recent Moody deans, current interim Anita Vangelisti, Rachel Davis Mersey and Jay Berndhart, all worked at the college prior to their appointment. Danny Stockli, interim dean of the Jackson school, was also a department chair before he became interim dean.
“One of our former staffers called it ‘the global search for the guy down the hall,’” Coleman said.
Due to their temporary position, interim deans often do not start projects they would not be able to finish in their term. They may also avoid making decisions with large consequences in case the permanent executive disagrees, Coleman said. This means interim deans often struggle to fundraise or appoint new faculty members.
“We feel a little in limbo on some issues until we have a permanent dean. So we are keen to have a permanent dean, but it’s an important job because it’s the person who’s the liaison,” Coleman said.
Under Texas Senate Bill 37, which went into effect September 2025, university governing boards have more oversight over administrative hiring, as they can now overturn any dean hiring decision. SB 37 allowed more state involvement in higher education institutions and decreased the role of faculty in university decision-making.
“Deans who used to be fairly independent running the colleges are being pressured from above by the constituencies, different kinds (of) university leadership and, of course, politically,” Reese said. “It’s not an easy task to satisfy all the people that want to tell you how to do your job.”