AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has promoted Rachel Davis Mersey to Executive Vice President and Provost. In this role, Mersey will serve as the University’s chief academic officer and oversee a broad portfolio that includes enrollment management and the University’s billion-dollar research enterprise. Mersey has held the position on an interim basis since Aug. 27.
“Building on our momentum to continue to attract exceptional talent and become the highest-impact public research university requires unique vision and strategic thought across our academic and research mission,” said UT President Jay Hartzell. “Since the day she started as Interim Provost, Rachel has proved to be a strategic, decisive and visionary leader who embraces challenges and drives academic excellence. I could not be more pleased to have her serve as our chief academic officer and a key member of our leadership team.”
Mersey steps into the permanent role at a moment when UT is increasingly recruiting exceptionally talented faculty, students and staff and with student demand at an all-time high. Freshman applications for Fall 2025 increased nearly 25% from the previous year. As provost, Mersey will oversee harnessing, developing and cultivating that talent to continue to elevate academic programs and increase collaboration, including in key research priority areas of energy and the environment, technology and society, and health and well-being.
“The increased demand for an exceptional UT education is directly linked to our ability to attract top faculty and student talent, develop new ways to positively impact the world through research, and produce a new generation of leaders,” Mersey said. “It is important that we build on all phases of this incredible trajectory. I am excited to work closely with our colleges and schools, and I am grateful to President Hartzell for his trust and confidence.”
Mersey became Dean of the Moody College of Communication in June 2023, where she focused on experiential learning through programs such as Bevo Video Productions and collaborations with Texas Athletics; partnerships across campus and with industry, particularly in Austin, Los Angeles and New York; and driving high-impact research and creative activities across disciplines. Mersey holds an appointment as the Everett D. Collier Centennial Chair in the School of Journalism and Media and is a member of the Communication and Leadership faculty.
Prior to joining the Moody College as Dean, Mersey was Director of Global Research and Partnerships at Meta, the parent company of Facebook. She designed, hired and ran a multinational team that managed and executed a company-level initiative to increase data transparency while ensuring consumer privacy. She also delivered the first-of-its-kind data-sharing program in support of the U.S. 2020 Facebook and Instagram Election Study, which was led by a team of independent academics that included Talia Stroud of the Moody College.
Before joining Meta, Mersey served as Associate Dean for Research at Moody, where she was a champion for research and creative projects. Before joining UT, she was a professor and Associate Dean for Research in the Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, and a B.A. with honors from Wake Forest University in communication and studio art.
