My departure from the university and other organizational changes

Dear FAS colleagues,

Later today, you will receive a message from President Jay Hartzell announcing my decision to leave the university. Coupled with this message will be the announcement that the Facilities Planning and Management (FPM) team, previously reporting to David Darling, will transition to the Business Strategies and Operations portfolio to be led by Jim Davis in his new role as Vice President for Business Strategies and Operations.

I want to thank David for his leadership of FPM and his support of the FAS portfolio and all of Facilities Planning and Management for their hard work in meeting the operational needs and priorities of campus.

As part of this change, Darren Hale will become Interim Executive Director of Construction and Facilities and will report to Jim Davis during a search for a new leader. Dan Cook will also report to Jim to assist the leadership team in defining strategic initiatives. Other FPM units – Campus Real Estate, Campus Planning, and Sustainability – will join the Real Estate Strategy and Planning team, which is already part of Business Strategies and Operations.

At this time, I plan to help with this transition and to work with President Hartzell and Jim Davis. I know that this represents a large amount of change, and I know that you will have many questions, some of which may not have clear answers at this time. However, as decisions are made and information becomes available, you can expect more outreach and communication about this transition.

I want to thank everyone in the FAS portfolio for all that you have done to support me, one another, and the university through your exemplary work, whether it be heroic efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and Winter Storm Uri, or your day-to-day work keeping this university moving forward. Working with you all has been a pleasure and an honor, and I know you will continue excelling at what you do in support of the university’s mission and strategic vision.

Regards,

Darrell Bazzell (he/him/his)
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
The University of Texas at Austin