University of North Texas 
Harrison Keller, Ph.D.
17th president of the University of North Texas, the third-largest university in Texas and the flagship of the UNTSystem
Harrison Keller became the 17th president of the University of North Texas in August
2024, bringing with him a deep commitment to advancing student success and elevating UNT’s rich tradition
of academic and research excellence.
Dr. Keller is known as an innovator and leader with more than 25 years of experience in state educational budget and policy, university administration, fundraising, and building coalitions among higher education institutions, school districts, and policymakers to expand opportunities through education.
Prior to coming to UNT, Dr. Keller served as Commissioner of Higher Education and chief executive officer for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), providing statewide leadership and coordination of higher education budget and policy for the world’s eighth largest economy. Under his visionary leadership, the Coordinating Board advanced policy and programs to improve college readiness and student success — especially for low-income and first-generation college students.
At the Coordinating Board, Dr. Keller worked with higher education leaders, employers, and policymakers to lead development of the state’s current strategic plan for higher education, Building a Talent Strong Texas. With adoption of this plan in 2022, Texas became the first state to condition its goals for educational attainment on the value of those credentials in the state economy.
Other significant achievements during Dr. Keller’s tenure as commissioner included working with state policymakers to improve state support for financial aid, transfer, and workforce education. In partnership with policymakers and higher education leaders, Dr. Keller led the design and implementation of a new outcomes-based community college finance system to advance state higher education goals and address workforce needs. By the end of Dr. Keller’s service as commissioner, the State of Texas led the nation in increased support for higher education and university research.
Prior to serving as Commissioner, Dr. Keller held multiple leadership roles at the University of Texas at Austin, serving as Deputy to the President for Strategy and Policy, Vice Provost for Higher Education Policy and Research, and Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. At UT Austin, he developed multiple large-scale initiatives to support students’ transitions from high school to college, including OnRamps, which provides college-level courses to tens of thousands of students across the state each year.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Keller was a legislative aide in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, Director of Research for the Texas House and Senior Education Advisor for the Speaker of the Texas House. He has taught at UT Austin, Georgetown University, and St. Edward’s University.
A sixth-generation Texan, Dr. Keller earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from Georgetown University. From 2005 to 2015, he served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He and his wife, Gena Nivens Keller, have three children.
About UNT
Ranked a Tier One research university by the Carnegie Classification and designated a Hispanic- and Minority-Serving Institution, UNT is the flagship of the UNT System and is located in Denton. Boasting 250 degree programs and a thriving community of nearly 47,000 students, UNT serves the North Texas region and helps drive the state’s economy through innovative research, educational excellence focused on career readiness, and a spirit of entrepreneurship. Together, with its branch campus in Frisco, UNT students earned more than 12,000 degrees last year.