Julie Philley Named Next President of UT Tyler

By PAULINA MATA/Social Media Editor

The UT Board of Regents unanimously voted Julie Philley as the next president of UT Tyler on May 9. 

“Dr. Philley is a highly respected health, academic, and community leader in Tyler,” UT Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife said in a statement released by the university. “She is an East Texas native with a deep understanding of our region and its needs, and she played a front-line role in helping build UT Tyler’s health enterprise to what it is today.”

“She has the trust and admiration of individuals within the university and throughout Tyler. I’ve witnessed her impact over the past twelve years, and we are confident she is ready to grow UT Tyler as a premier academic and health institution.”

Kevin Eltife, in a statement released by the university.

Philley is the university’s current executive vice president for health affairs since 2021 and vice provost since 2022. 

“I am grateful for so many experiences provided to me at UT Tyler that offered a valuable understanding of the complexities of higher education and health care, and I am eager to work in this new capacity with my colleagues and throughout the community to make UT Tyler the best it can be,” Philley said in a statement released by the university.  “I thank Chairman Eltife, the regents and Chancellor (James) Milliken for their confidence in me and for their ongoing and significant investments that continue to propel UT Tyler forward.”

Philley will succeed Kirk Calhoun as president on June 1, following his retirement on May 31. 

“As the university community has already witnessed, Dr. Philley is an exceptional leader, and I am confident that she will not only maintain our current trajectory but lead the university to new heights,” Calhoun said in a statement released by the university.