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| Straight from Smatresk |
Dear UNT supporter,
The spring semester is underway at UNT, our enrollment continues to rise and UNT recently was named the No. 6 public university on the rise by College Gazette! Our new five-year strategic plan — dedicated to improving our students' success, building our research profile and assuring that we are efficient and effective so that we can continue to build on the momentum of the past few years — will guide us in the new decade. We also have begun envisioning work focused on the UNT of 2035 and 2050, as we develop a comprehensive and ambitious campus masterplan.
UNT remains committed to empowering all students, regardless of their geographic location or preferred educational modality, to thrive in a rapidly changing world, and we recently announced our plans to offer UNT's successful Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree to students across the globe via our partnership with Coursera, the world's leading online learning platform. Our B.A.A.S. program has long offered students with diverse backgrounds the opportunity to apply prior college or military credit toward an accredited bachelor's degree, and we are excited to be the first U.S. university to offer a bachelor's degree via Coursera. This is an affordable and transformative opportunity for those interested in completing their bachelor's degree. The application opens Feb. 26 for students choosing to begin the B.A.A.S. program this fall.
Lastly, I am excited to share that our plans for a permanent UNT branch campus in Frisco continue to progress, with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board voting last week to approve the branch campus' creation. Construction on the campus' first building at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Panther Creek Parkway will begin late this year, with completion expected in November 2022. In the interim, UNT at Frisco will continue to educate and inspire thousands of Collin County students at its Hall Park and Inspire Park facilities.
UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
 @UNTPrez
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The CoLaboratory at
UNT on the Square |
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The College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism has transformed UNT's presence on the Denton Square into an experiential learning laboratory. The CoLaboratory at UNT on the Square will allow students to set their education apart with real-life experiences in retail and event planning, as well as event and retail analyses. It also is a place where the Denton community can shop for unique, curated gifts that are reflective of the vibrant UNT community, experience a range of programming from lectures and chef demonstrations to art exhibits and installations featuring student work, and taste food and drink from local makers and students. We welcomed Kristen Kendrick Bigley, an artist and 20-year retail veteran who helped bareMinerals grow exponentially, to our UNT family as director of The CoLaboratory. Regular operating hours will be announced soon, as programming is still in development, so plan to drop in the next time you're on the Denton Square.
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Learn more about The CoLaboratory
at UNT on the Square » |
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| National Book Award winner returns to campus |
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National Book Award winner and UNT alumna Sarah Broom ('02) will return to campus Feb. 17 as a speaker during African American History Month. Sarah will read from her award-winning memoir The Yellow House — which reflects on her family and their home in New Orleans East — before a discussion moderated by assistant professor of English Anna Hinton and a book signing. Sarah began writing the notes that would become The Yellow House while a student at UNT and wove mentions of West Hall and Willis Library into the memoir. The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the departments of history, English, political science, anthropology, UNT's Oral History Program, the Honors College, the Mayborn School of Journalism, and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Join us at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 in the University Union Lyceum to welcome Sarah back to UNT.
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Read more about Broom and her
award-winning novel » |
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Alumna named
GIPHY Artist
of the Year |
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The discipline, knowledge and skills our students gain during their time at UNT empowers them to lead within new industries and adapt to shifting trends. Megan Motown ('10), a graduate from the College of Visual Arts and Design's studio art program, used her artistic prowess as an animator and illustrator to become GIPHY's Artist of the Year. Megan created her first GIF, a digital animated sticker used online, in 2016 and uploaded it to GIPHY. Since then, her works have been viewed and used more than 23.5 billion times.
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Learn more about Megan's work
and UNT memories » |
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Kuehne Speaker Series
scholarships |
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The UNT Kuehne Speaker Series raised a record $2.6 million last year, thanks in large part to a $1 million gift from series benefactor Ernie Kuehne ('66). Ernie's gift was inspired by the generosity of the founding Emerald Lifetime Members who have given at least $250,000 to support the series in its mission to enhance academic excellence at UNT through student scholarships. Established in 2013, the semi-annual luncheon has raised more than $4 million and has become one of UNT's signature networking events, featuring high-profile speakers and engaging Dallas-Fort Worth area business and philanthropic leaders. Lou Holtz, former football player and legendary University of Notre Dame football coach, will speak at the 2020 Kuehne Speaker Series on April 9 at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel.
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Become a sponsor of the
UNT Kuehne Speaker Series » |
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Creation by CAREER Award-winning scientist
may help treat brain diseases |
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An invention by College of Engineering assistant professor Ifana Mahbub may allow medical researchers to study and possibly treat brain diseases such as chronic neuropathic pain and post-stroke paralysis in new ways. Dr. Mahbub, a recipient of the National Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER Award, developed a microscopic, wireless recording, stimulation and power system that will record neural signals from electrodes inside the brain and provide stimulation in the form of visible light from tiny LEDs, allowing researchers to study genetically modified neurons on the brain. Her research is funded through a $500,000 grant from the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program. In addition to creating her device, Dr. Mahbub also will design a learning curriculum to teach fundamental concepts and neuroscience for pre-college, undergraduate and graduate students. |
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