Harrison Keller

Background

About Harrison Keller

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 innovative leader with more than 25 years of experience in state budget and policy, university administration, fundraising, and building coalitions to expand opportunities through education. Prior to UNT, Dr. Keller served as Commissioner of Higher Education for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, providing statewide leadership and coordination of higher education policy for the world’s eighth largest economy. At the Coordinating Board, Dr. Keller worked with 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 achievements during Dr. Keller’s visionary leadership as commissioner included working with policymakers to bolster financial aid, transfer, and workforce education, and partnering with stakeholders and policymakers to design and implement an 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. Prior to serving as Commissioner, Dr. Keller was Deputy to the President for Strategy and Policy and Vice Provost for Higher Education Policy and Research at The University of Texas at Austin. He also developed 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 each year. Earlier in his career, Dr. Keller was a legislative aide in the Texas Senate and Texas House, Director of Research for the Texas House, and Senior Education Advisor for the Speaker of the Texas House. 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. He has taught at UT Austin, Georgetown University, and St. Edward’s University. From 2005 to 2015, Dr. Keller served as a reserve intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy. He and his wife, Gena Nivens Keller, have three children.