(AUSTIN) – Texas State University System Chancellor Brian McCall, Ph.D., has announced the hiring of Dr. John Hayek as the system’s vice chancellor for academic affairs, effective December 1, 2015. Hayek will succeed Dr. Perry Moore, who is retiring as the system’s chief academic affairs officer at the end of the year.
“Advances in learning technology have significantly changed how we develop and deliver higher educational programs,” said Dr. McCall. “Our chief academic affairs officer must be experienced not only in academic program planning, but also in how technology and data are used to improve learning in the classroom and beyond. I’m confident that Dr. Hayek will help lead TSUS into a new era of academic excellence.”
Dr. Hayek has higher education leadership experience at the university, system, and state level. For the past three years, he has served as the associate vice chancellor and chief of staff for academic affairs at the University of Texas System, managing initiatives related to academic and strategic planning, policy development, student success, information technology, and data analytics. He was also a member of the initial leadership team responsible for conceptualizing and planning the launch of the state’s newest university, UT Rio Grande Valley, which resulted from the merger of UT Brownsville and UT Pan American.
A social scientist by training, Hayek previously held leadership positions with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, where he conducted research on student success and helped launch the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Early in his career, Hayek also worked outside the academia for IBM and the Northern Trust Company, as well as with several public-private partnerships that organized the Super Bowl and an Olympic Soccer competition in South Florida.
“It is truly inspiring to see the tremendous gains achieved by the faculty, staff, and students of the Texas State University System over the past decade,” said Dr. Hayek. “I’m honored to join Chancellor McCall’s leadership team and look forward to visiting campuses and working collaboratively to explore new and innovative ways to support even greater levels of student success and academic performance in the future.”
Hayek holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University, as well as a master’s degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago.
In his new role at TSUS, Hayek will provide leadership to the system’s eight component institutions to help them achieve system-wide goals relating to academic program planning, faculty relations, and student success. He will collaborate with each institution’s chief academic affairs officer to manage degree offerings and curricula, and to integrate physical and technological innovations in the classroom.
The Texas State University System, established in 1911, is the oldest university system in Texas, consisting of eight institutions serving more than 83,000 students throughout the state.