Dear UNT supporter,

The spring semester has flown by, and I am excited to report that another 6,700 students celebrated the completion of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees during commencement ceremonies this past weekend! These milestones for our students make me so proud of all the work we've done to create a strong, caring community for our students that prepares them for an evolving workforce.

This May, I also am proud — and incredibly humbled — by the generosity of our alumni, faculty, staff and others who participated in our inaugural UNT Day of Giving. In our "1890 Minutes to Soar," we managed to raise more than $425,000 to put toward our emergency student fund, scholarships and so many other priority initiatives alums like you are passionate about. Simply amazing!

As we move toward the fall semester, we continue to look forward to even larger enrollment for the 2023-24 academic year. This would mark our fifth-consecutive record-breaking fall enrollment as we continue to defy state and national trends of decreasing enrollments. The word is clearly out that UNT is a top university, not only in North Texas, but the state and our nation. In fact, UNT increased its standing in the latest round of U.S. News & World Report rankings, taking the top Texas spot for three of the programs evaluated.

As the fastest-growing university in Texas, we are committed to helping our students start their journey and support them throughout and beyond their time here. There's a buzz around our campus as students take advantage of the warmer weather and many are taking graduation photos on our beautiful campus. Their smiles take me back to my college days and my own excitement — and the occasional anxiety — for what was ahead after I graduated. With our supportive faculty and staff, as well as our strong alumni network, I know they can be assured we will be there for them well into the future.

As we cross the finish line for spring semester this year, I am continually proud of our university community. We work through challenges and celebrate successes, all while focusing on our commitment to ensure UNT remains a caring, creative, and thriving institution for our students.

UNT Proud,
Neal Smatresk
President
@UNTPrez

World Cafe "Sense of Place" Series
Denton was in the spotlight as NPR's World Cafe highlighted the exciting music scene, including several of UNT's own. The series covered Dan's Silverleaf, which has provided a venue for countless artists over the years, our own One O'Clock Lab Band and director Alan Baylock, Midlake, which formed out of UNT and alumnus Carl Finch and Jeffrey Barnes of Brave Combo talked polka.
Listen to all the episodes here.