Dear Alum,

It was an honor to celebrate the achievements of our graduates during our inaugural University-wide Commencement on May 16. An estimated 8,290 students are graduating from UNT in 2014-15 and will join the workforce as leaders, creators, change agents and entrepreneurs.

This year's commencement was filled with many firsts. I presented alumnus George Dunham -- the voice of Mean Green athletics for more than two decades -- the Presidential Medal of Honor. It is the highest presidential honor given to an individual and Mr. Dunham is the first to receive the award during my presidency. See who received an honorary doctorate.

Bringing more excitement to the affair was Gov. Greg Abbott and his inspiring message of life lessons, which was full of wisdom and humor. I hope the governor's encouraging words resonated with our graduates and will stay with them for years to come. And I thank our governor for joining us for this special occasion.

The Class of 2015 will forever have a special place in our history. Their transformation from student to UNT graduate marked the beginning of our celebrations to commemorate our 125th anniversary as an institution. Throughout this year, we will celebrate the progress we've made since we enrolled our first students in 1890 and taught them in a classroom above a hardware store on the Denton square. I hope you'll join us in the coming months for events marking this important milestone.

I have no doubt that our newest class of Eagles will soar in everything they do and will use their newfound knowledge, creativity and freedom to change the world.

UNT proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
@UNTPrez