The new year brings change to the senior leadership team as our vice presidents for academic affairs, research and innovation, and university advancement have announced new opportunities beyond UNT. Two-time UNT alumna Dr. Jennifer Evans-Cowley was named last week as sole finalist for the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) presidency. Dr. Cowley has served more than four years as UNT's vice president for academic affairs, and this is an exciting and well-deserved opportunity for her. Alumnus Dr. David Wolf, vice president for university advancement, announced he is leaving his post, and Vice President for Research and Innovation Dr. Mark McLellan announced his intent to retire in June. All three individuals have been valued members of our Cabinet, and I cannot thank them enough for their service to UNT. They will always be a part of our Mean Green Family, and I look forward to welcoming new leaders to these top positions as the year progresses.

Here at UNT, we're always ready to toast great research — and now the Division of Research and Innovation is taking that idea to the (literal) next level with its new event, Research on Tap. A partnership with alum-owned and Denton-based Armadillo Ale Works, the first of these relaxed discussions about current hot topics that tie to the research endeavors of our professors will take place Jan. 20 and feature Terry Pohlen, associate dean of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, director of UNT's Jim McNatt Institute for Logistics Research and co-director of the Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems (CIIMS). Terry's talk will center on potential solutions for the current supply chain crisis, projected economic development in the DFW area over the next 20 years, and how his cutting-edge work with NASA and autonomous vehicles could improve lives. "I envision an autonomous truck backing up to a warehouse and unloaded by robots," Terry says. "Another set of robots will pick up the goods, with humans doing value-added activities, and then another loads them into an autonomous truck or drones will pick up the goods and deliver them to your home." Grab a coffee or craft beer for Terry's thought-provoking talk — Where's My Stuff? DFW Supply Chains, Logistics, and Research — and look for more Research on Tap events in the coming months.

In October, student musicians and 11 of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni took the stage to offer their unique insights into society-shaking topics — and the majority of their talks and performances can be viewed online. The discussions ranged from Dr. Cassini Nazir's exploration of curiosity as an innovation and Dr. Melanie Ecker's investigation into smart uses for plastics to Corrine Boyd's ideas for women in leadership and Reagan Kremer's (pictured) deeply personal story detailing the criminalization of the mentally ill. I was impressed and moved by our UNT community's perspectives on many important and timely topics, and I'm sure you will be too. You can watch the videos at tedxunt.org, and keep an eye out for more information about our 2022 event.