Jennifer Cowley has been president of the University of Texas at Arlington since 2022.
2025 File Photo/Dallas Morning News
Jennifer Cowley, UTA’s first female president, will step down from her role after more than four years, she announced Monday.
Under Cowley, the University of Texas at Arlington continued to grow in enrollment, footprint and research capacity. UTA now boasts a planned major campus in Fort Worth and a commitment to hire more than 100 new research faculty.
Cowley will remain at UTA as a faculty member. She is currently a professor of public affairs and planning in the College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs.
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“After much reflection, I feel this is the right time to return to the work that first drew me to higher education,” Cowley wrote in a letter that was sent to the UTA community Monday afternoon.
She did not indicate in her message when she will officially step down, but said University of Texas System Chancellor John Zerwas would appoint an interim president. A Monday message from Zerwas to the UTA community said he would announce succession plans soon.
“The ascendancy of UT Arlington under Dr. Cowley’s leadership has been magnificent,” Zerwas wrote. “From student success outcomes to significant growth of the research enterprise, Dr. Cowley has led UTA with strategic purpose and compassion.”
An Arlington native, Cowley, 51, arrived at UTA in 2022 with a vision to help the public university bolster its research capacity, strengthen its inclusivity and be a greater economic development partner to the region.
UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, serving nearly 43,000 students. It’s one of 16 universities in the state to receive the elite R1 Carnegie status, a classification given to the nation’s top research institutions based on research spending and the number of research doctorates awarded annually.
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Cowley launched a new strategic plan, which aimed to boost research from $155 million to $300 million, hire 100 additional faculty members and researchers, add up to 10,000 new students and enhance student life. Under her leadership, UTA opened new buildings and facilities, such as the School of Social Work and Smart Hospital, Maverick Hall and the Fraternity and Sorority Life Community Center.
In 2024, Cowley also announced plans to build UTA West, a new campus in West Fort Worth that is projected to open in fall 2028 and aims to serve more than 10,000 students. Cowley said her team identified a gap in educational opportunities in the west side of the region, which is experiencing rapid growth.
“When I arrived at UTA a little over two years ago, I asked my team to give some thought to three key questions: Who do we need to serve? Where are the gaps in the service that we need to provide? Where in our region would most benefit from our support?” Cowley told The Dallas Morning News.
Under Cowley, UTA earned national recognition for its success in enrolling underserved students and equipping them for careers that lead to economic mobility.
But Cowley faced many of the same challenges as other higher education leaders across the country.
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In the last year, UTA grappled with increased financial challenges amid federal restrictions, including those related to research support, student financial aid and international student visas.
As the school saw drops in research funding and international enrollment, Cowley announced program cuts, employee buyouts and hiring freezes in an effort to preserve costs.
About 17% of the school’s funding comes from the federal government – nearly 9% going to student financial aid and 8.5% coming from grants and contracts, according to a June email from Cowley to the UTA community.
Before leading UTA, Cowley served as provost at the University of North Texas, where she was credited with improving graduation rates, bolstering research spending and helping to establish its Frisco campus.
Cowley earned her bachelor’s degree in political science, master’s degree in urban planning and doctorate in urban and regional science from Texas A&M University. She also received master’s degrees in public administration and interdisciplinary studies from UNT.
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