Dr. John Hayek serves as Vice Chancellor for Academic and Health Affairs and Chief Academic Officer for the Texas State University System, where he provides academic leadership across four universities and three state colleges, advancing excellence in teaching, research, and service. In this role, he oversees academic planning and program review, data analytics and accountability, online learning, research, and strategic partnerships across the System.
With more than 30 years of experience at the university, system, and state levels, Dr. Hayek has led initiatives in academic and health affairs, student engagement, finance, policy development, strategic planning, and industry partnerships.
Before joining TSUS in 2015, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Staff for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas System, directing projects in academic planning, student access and success, and technology-enhanced academic services. From 2005 to 2012, he was Senior Vice President for Budget, Policy, and Planning at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, overseeing statewide funding and educational attainment initiatives to strengthen workforce quality and support economic development.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Hayek served as Senior Associate Director and Assistant Research Scientist at Indiana University’s Center for Postsecondary Research, where he helped launch the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), widely regarded as the national benchmark for promoting effective educational practices and institutional quality.
Before entering higher education, he held positions with IBM and the Northern Trust Company and worked with public-private community development organizations that hosted major events including the Super Bowl and an Olympic Soccer competition in South Florida.
A social scientist by training, Dr. Hayek earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Indiana University Bloomington, a master’s degree in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University in Miami, and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, where he lettered in varsity baseball and football and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Dr. Hayek and his wife Laura reside in Austin, Texas, and are the proud parents of four college graduates who live and work in Texas.