Texas ranks last in health care access and affordability, and UNT's new Center for Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health and Society is working to increase the quality of life for all Texans by narrowing longstanding racial and ethnic gaps in health care. Led by co-directors Chandra Carey, academic associate dean in the College of Health and Public Service, and Tony Carey, associate professor of political science, the CREEHS team of 39 multidisciplinary researchers is uniquely poised to leverage expertise to collaboratively address the causes and consequences of health disparities in Texas and develop innovative strategies to ensure affordable, attentive and culturally responsive services are accessible to urban and rural communities.

Numerous UNT faculty experts have been cited in the media lately, especially related to Election Day. Political science professor Kimi King discussed Texas' new categorization as a "toss up" state with WFAA and Denise Catalano from the College of Health and Public Service explained election anxiety on CBS DFW. Don't miss these other news mentions about UNT and our expert faculty.

• WFAA reporter Sean Giggy visited campus in hopes of sighting Lucky, our campus' resident good luck charm pictured above. The fun video story aired on affiliates as far away as Vermont.
• History professor Andrew Torget is one of two historians weighing in on "How One State History Textbook Erases the Stories of Black and Hispanic Texans" in Texas Monthly. Part 1 of the three-part series examines a fourth-grade textbook's coverage of the Anglo settlement of Texas and the role slavery played. Parts 2 and 3 will move on to the revolution and the republic.
• The Washington Post picked up a working paper co-authored by assistant professor of political science Leslie K. Finger, which finds that the level of support for President Donald Trump in 2016 was a major predictor of whether schools opted to reopen for in-person learning this fall.
• Associate professor of psychology Joshua Hook shared thoughts about humility and how it can help you live resiliently in 2020 with Psychology Today.
• A video of Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption' guitar solo illustrates changes in rock 'n' roll for students in Brian F. Wright's History of Rock course. The assistant professor of music history commented on Van Halen's death in the Denton Record-Chronicle.
• From auditions to performances, UNT Theatre students and faculty produced "The Diary of Anne Frank" entirely over Zoom. NBC DFW featured the collaboration which enabled the show to go on, even when on a virtual stage.

To learn from each other and promote diversity, equality and inclusion, Mean Green Athletics launched a UNiTy initiative for student-athletes and athletic staff. You can read about the strategic initiatives identified as part of the campaign, including funding programming focused on the topics, encouraging student-athletes to vote, a personal responsibility pledge, and creating a tribute to UNT's history in desegregating college football. Also introduced with the UNiTy initiative is The Platform, a series of conversations where student-athletes are encouraged to use their platform to engage in difficult discussions on topics that impact society and provide an outlet for constructive dialogues that promote respect, compassion and empathy. Don't miss The Platform's first episode.

Our dedicated faculty members go above and beyond in teaching and in creating national and international connections through their research, elevating UNT along the way. We recognized the best of the best in our ninth annual Salute to Faculty Excellence and Promotion and Tenure celebration, including 74 promotions, one tenure appointment and the UNT Foundation's top four honorees. UNT's top faculty (pictured from left) – John Ishiyama, University Distinguished Professor of political science; V. Barbara Bush, associate professor of education and director of the Higher Education Program; Shahla Ala'i, associate professor of behavior analysis; and Sushama Dandekar, principal lecturer in the Department of Chemistry – were honored for their work and contributions during the virtual ceremony on October 23. Don't miss this excellent video highlighting Dr. Ishiyama's work and contributions to UNT.