Dear Alum,
I hope you are having a great start to your summer, wherever your travels are taking you. Here on campus, our freshman orientation sessions are in full swing and we're happy to see our bright and talented incoming students — the Class of 2021 — learning about all things Mean Green.
Their excitement is contagious as they get ready to begin their college journey, and we're looking forward to doing all we can to help them achieve their dreams. We expect another record number of freshmen this fall and are committed to offering them the best educational experience in the state.
If you were following the news out of Austin this legislative session, you know there were some early predictions of drastic cuts in state funding for higher education. As it turned out, our legislators found a way to make the final cuts more manageable, although UNT will still face a reduction of about $3.5 million beginning in 2018-19.
Our predicted increases in enrollment would help offset those cuts, so we are looking ahead optimistically while still working on contingency plans. In good news for students, lawmakers increased funding for the TEXAS Grant program, the state's largest financial aid program, so many more who are eligible for those grants will receive them.
And in more good news for our university, this summer marks the arrival of our new provost and vice president for academic affairs, Jennifer Evans-Cowley. An alum of our M.P.A. program, she returns to UNT from Ohio State University, where she was vice provost for capital planning and regional campuses.
She will hit the ground running when she officially begins July 1, working with Dean Kinshuk of the College of Information to organize our annual planning implementation workshop in August. Our focus this year is on advancing student learning through technology and educational innovation. You'll hear more about this in the coming months as we develop plans for moving forward as a global leader in learning technologies and helping to ensure student success.
Before we know it, summer classes will be over and fall will arrive with brand new and returning students. They are the purpose for our planning and our work, and we are dedicated to helping them earn a great education and build successful careers, communities and lives.
UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
 @UNTPrez |
