Dear Alum,

A celebration that marks both completion and a new beginning, University-wide Commencement was the perfect way to close our 125th anniversary year commemorating our founding and legacy.

We were founded on the vision that we would create leaders and there is no better representation of this than our more than 8,500 new graduates this academic year.

As part of this month's ceremony at Apogee Stadium, keynote speaker and alumnus Steven Davidson (left) gave an inspirational message. The 2012 Army Times Soldier of the Year serves as the special assistant to the assistant secretary for fossil energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, and he's earning a graduate degree at Johns Hopkins University. In wishing graduates success as they embark on a new life journey, he encouraged them to use their degrees and experiences to be a generation of change, providing a perfect ending to our anniversary year.

It was an honor to celebrate the achievements and hard work of our graduates with their families and friends and to pay tribute to philanthropist Paul Voertman. We're planning to recognize his dedication to UNT, the arts and music education with an honorary degree.

I also want to thank athletic director Rick Villarreal for his service and tremendous dedication. Rick announced this week that he will be stepping down after 16 years at UNT. Under his leadership, improvements were made in many key areas on campus, including facilities, student-athlete academic achievement and support for gender equity. While his last day is June 20, Rick will always have a place in the heart of our university. I am working to identify an interim athletic director and will make decisions about a national search for a new athletic director at a future date.

We are united as a family and with your support, we'll continue to go far, do great things and stay on our path to national prominence.

UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
@UNTPrez