Gregory Fenves

Gregory L. Fenves is the president of The University of Texas at Austin. Before becoming president in 2015, he served the university as executive vice president and provost and as dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering.

During his presidency, Fenves has prioritized student success and experiential learning, invested substantially in faculty members and their research and strengthened interdisciplinary collaboration across departments. By introducing scholarship programs and bolstering student resources and support, UT has increased four-year graduation rates to the highest levels in the university’s history.

In 2018, President Fenves introduced the Texas Advance Commitment to increase affordability with assured financial aid for low- and middle-income UT students. In 2019, the UT System Board of Regents approved funding to expand the commitment, which now ensures full tuition coverage at The University of Texas at Austin for in-state students with need from families earning up to $65,000 per year.

Diversity and inclusion are cornerstones of President Fenves’ vision for the university. In 2015, his administration successfully defended UT’s admissions practices before the United States Supreme Court. President Fenves was also instrumental in the founding of UT’s Dell Medical School — the first medical school in nearly 50 years to be built from the ground up at a top-tier public research university.

For his research in earthquake engineering and academic leadership, President Fenves was elected in 2014 to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest recognition for an engineer in the United States. He has received numerous national awards, including the Presidential Young Investigator Award from the National Science Foundation; and the Walter L. Huber Research Prize, the Moisseiff Award and the J. James R. Croes Medal from the American Society of Civil Engineers.