AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin has fired KUT Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott following a dispute over the station’s inaugural festival, according to university officials and Hiott.
Anita L. Vangelisti, interim dean of the Moody College of Communication, informed KUT and KUTX staff on Monday that Hiott’s termination took effect immediately and that the university would appoint an interim general manager as early as Tuesday to maintain operations.
Vangelisti thanked Hiott for her service since 2019.
“I want to thank Debbie for the service she has provided in this role since 2019,” Vangelisti said. “She has been a dedicated proponent of providing news, content and music to the Central Texas community and beyond.”
Hiott said the university dismissed her without advance notice and that she received notice during a meeting at the Moody College building on Monday morning with university officials from legal affairs and human resources.
Hiott said she had not been contacted for her annual performance review and had limited communication with university leadership since April, when UT’s general counsel sent her a letter alleging “false” statements, which she denied.
Hiott said she was presented with both a resignation letter and a termination letter during the meeting.
“I said, you know, well, you’ll have to fire me,” Hiott said.
She said she left the building after the meeting and that university staff later retrieved her personal belongings from her office.
Hiott said she has not received a copy of the termination letter but recalled it cited “planning problems with the KUT festival and security issues” and stated that Vangelisti had lost confidence in her leadership.
A University of Texas spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.
