AUSTIN, Texas — William Inboden, award-winning teacher and renowned national security and foreign policy scholar, has been appointed executive vice president and provost at The University of Texas at Austin, effective Aug. 1. He will also hold the William Powers Jr. Chair and a joint faculty appointment with the Department of History and the School of Civic Leadership.
The appointment marks a homecoming for Inboden, who held several academic leadership roles at UT Austin and the UT System from 2010 to 2023. These include serving as founder and executive director of the Clements Center for National Security, founding editor-in-chief of the Texas National Security Review, and co-director of The University of Texas System National Security Network.
In addition, Inboden served as a faculty member in the LBJ School of Public Affairs and was a Distinguished Scholar at the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
“Will Inboden brings strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of higher education and The University of Texas at Austin,” said Jim Davis, interim president. “He is the right leader for our academic programs, and I am thrilled to welcome him back to the Forty Acres.”
Currently the director of the Alexander Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, Inboden is also a Peterson Senior Fellow with the Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He received Ph.D., M.Phil and M.A. degrees in history from Yale University and an A.B. in history from Stanford University.
In building the Hamilton School, Inboden recruited and hired over 50 new faculty members, oversaw the design and approval of four new multidisciplinary undergraduate majors and two new Ph.D. programs, and developed a university-wide core class in civil discourse.
Along with his academic leadership, Inboden brings to UT Austin valuable experience for this pivotal time in higher education. His previous service includes senior positions with the National Security Council at the White House, the Department of State, and as a staff member in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He also led the London-based Legatum Institute and has held multiple advisory roles with the Central Intelligence Agency and director of National Intelligence.
“My academic career began here at UT, and it is a singular honor to be returning home to the Forty Acres,” said Inboden. “I look forward to working with President Davis and our exceptional faculty, staff and students to help UT attain new levels of academic excellence and serve as a national model for restoring public trust in higher education.”
A well-published scholar, Inboden has authored numerous books, articles and chapters on diplomatic history, religion and foreign policy, the American presidency, and national security. His most recent book is the award-winning “The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink.” His research and teaching have received numerous honors, including the 2024 Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prize from The Heritage Foundation and selection as a “Texas 10” by the Texas Exes, which recognizes some of UT’s best and most inspiring teachers. Mentorship of students and young scholars is central to his career. He has chaired or served on nearly 30 dissertation committees, supervised over 30 pre- and postdoctoral fellows, and been recognized as the National “Faculty Advisor of the Year” by the Alexander Hamilton Society.
Inboden succeeds interim Executive Vice President and Provost David Vanden Bout, who will return to his role as dean of the College of Natural Sciences and serve as a special adviser to the president and his leadership team.
