[5] He also established McCombs’ one-year Master of Science in Finance degree, created the Undergraduate Real Estate Certificate Program and oversaw the completion of the fundraising, construction and opening of Rowling Hall, a 500,000-square-foot graduate business facility.

[8] He has at the same time also received criticism from Black lawmakers and UT students concerning his defence of the song "Eyes of Texas" although considered a racist tradition of the university by some.

[14][15] This decision led to on-campus protests and a petition from over 500 concerned parties calling for additional transparency, along with requesting a town hall, to which Hartzell did not respond.

[16] At a UT Austin Faculty Council meeting on April 15, in response to mounting criticism, Hartzell stated the additional changes were made in response to threats from the Republican-led State Legislature and the University of Texas System Board of Regents, and to restore "confidence" in the university, reacting to changing tides in public opinion towards higher education amongst Republicans.

[23] The decision and subsequent statements received sharp backlash from faculty, staff, students, several Democratic legislators for the region, and First Amendment advocacy groups,[24][25] including an official statement from the UT Faculty Council Executive Committee denouncing it,[26] in part due to the extreme, chaotic, and violent police response that ensued and alleged violations of First Amendment rights.

On April 25, 2024, more than 1,000 students, faculty, and staff protested outside of the UT Austin Main Building calling for Hartzell's resignation, along with the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors circulating a petition for an official motion of no-confidence against him.

[38] A separate group of at least 165 faculty, including Steve Vladeck, also signed an open letter condemning Hartzell's actions for quelling free speech and endangering the campus community.