January 2020 - On The Move

Jan 7, 2020
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Welcome back to campus. I hope everyone had a restful holiday break filled
with family, friends and lots of good food.
This new year is a monumental one for UNT Dallas as we celebrate our 10th
anniversary. We’ve come a long way since our days as a UNT Denton
satellite, situated in a strip mall. As we charge into 2020, we have molded
our own identity around our unique mission – We Are Trailblazers -- and
strategically planned to grow our beautiful campus and a thriving student
body that eclipsed 4,000 in the fall.
By Fall 2030, we anticipate more than 8,500 students will call UNT Dallas home, and you can
imagine how our campus will evolve in that time. We are quickly becoming recognized for
providing our deserving students with the full university experience.
Part of that experience should be cheering for their peers in UNT Dallas athletics teams. The
timing is now right for UNT Dallas to take another bold step, and that is to launch a men’s and
women’s intercollegiate athletics program.
That decision is now in the hands of our students. When they return for the spring semester,
they will be greeted with a marketing campaign -- #GetInTheGame – encouraging them to
vote yes for a $7-per-credit-hour athletics fee, not to exceed $84 dollars per semester. This
fee would be the lowest in the state, and fits with our strategic plan to remain the most
affordable four-year university in the region.
As a former two-sport athlete at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, I know the positive effects
an athletics program has on the student athletes, the general student body and the university
as a whole.
College sports foster school spirit and create traditions; fuel enrollment growth which delivers
more resources for facilities, student services and academic programs; increases our visibility
and brand identity; provides a natural connection for alumni and potential donors; and
develops experiential learning opportunities in numerous fields.
I hope all of you will recognize the value intercollegiate athletics will bring to UNT Dallas, and
I encourage you to help our students recognize that value, too.

Blaze Your Trail.
SUCCESS STORIES ABOUND AS FALL 2019 CLASS GRADUATES
We ushered another 400 career-ready graduates onto their next journey during the Fall 2019
Commencement ceremony on Friday, Dec. 13. A packed house of some 5,000 family, friends
and special guests cheered, clapped and dabbed tears of joy inside the overflowing Inspiring
Body of Christ Church. A special thanks goes to UNT Dallas alum and employee T.J. Vaughns
for serving as our cheerleading emcee, to Rebecca Acuña for her inspiring address as our
keynote speaker, and to graduating senior Caleb Simmons, who gave his own excellent
speech and was also spotlighted in reports by NBC 5 and CBS 11. Congratulations to all of our
graduates as they head off to blaze their trails in all new directions.
More: More on the graduation ceremony, video from a week of celebration.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF GRADUATION THAT JUST KEEPS GROWING
Spanish in the Community, a free semester-long course offered to local Spanish speakers and
taught by UNT Dallas students who enroll in the course as an elective, graduated 70

participants on Tuesday, Dec. 3, a record number that shows no sign of slowing. The program
started as a pilot more than two years ago, and with each new semester, the number of
participants eager to take this unique twice-a-week night course surges. It is offered to green
card holders, those who are allowed to live and work permanently in the U.S. Thirty-two UNT
Dallas students of varying majors took the course and serve as teachers and mentors. This
class is made possible by the tireless efforts of Dr. Mara Vaughn and Dr. Sheryl Santos-
Hatchett. If you missed the wonderful report done by KERA's Bill Zeeble last year, check it out
here.
More: A closer look at the course and photos from the emotional graduation.
CARUTH POLICE INSTITUTE RELAUNCHES WITH IMPORTANT GOALS
UNT Dallas President Bob Mong has led the charge to reinvigorate the Caruth Police
Institute, and on Tuesday, Dec. 17, his initiative officially launched as the newly formed 18-
person Executive Advisory Board gathered on campus for a full day of policy
strategy meetings and a press conference. The reformatted CPI is a partnership between UNT
Dallas and the Meadows Mental Health Policy institute (MMHPI) with the goal of becoming one
of the premier police training, policy analysis, technical assistance and research organizations
in Texas and nationally. The Executive Advisory Board is made up a dozen police chiefs from
departments around Dallas-Fort Worth and the state, and is led by Irving Police Chief Jeff
Spivey. Thank you to FOX 4 reporter Shaun Rabb, who provided a thorough report on CPI's

new objectives, including a peer-to-peer support group. If you missed his report, you can view
it here.
More: CPI's new direction and the police chiefs who will lead it.
URBAN ADVANTAGE PODCAST TAKES ON TOPICS THAT MATTER TO US
If you haven't given the relaunch of the Urban Advantage podcast a listen yet, consider
popping it on during your drive home, or the next time you have a free moment at home. Jeff
Caplan, our Director of Integrated Communications, co-hosts with Greg Campbell, CEO of
Rainmaker, Inc. Greg is a proponent of UNT Dallas and the development of southern Dallas.
The initial episode dealt with the topic of Colorism and featured as guests Shaniece Miller, our
assistant director for graduate admissions; and UNT Dallas alumna Kourtland Jordan, a former
model who earned her degree in business and works in operations at Tiffany's at NorthPark
Center. The next episode, which will be available soon, tackles the fragile DACA situation. As a
Hispanic-serving institution with many students dependent on DACA to work legally in the
United States, this topic is of utmost importance on our campus. Give the Urban Advantage
podcast a listen here.

UNTD DALLAS NEWS & CAMPUS UPDATES
UNT Dallas Law Professor Talks Impeachment: High-fives all around to attorney and law
professor Brian Owsley, who did a fantastic job explaining the nuances of the impeachment
hearings during a special segment on
FOX 4 News in early December. If you
missed his appearance, you can watch
it here. Owsley has taught torts,
Constitutional Law and other courses
since joining UNT Dallas College of
Law in 2015.
Gamers Unite; Esports is
Coming: UNT Dallas made a big
announcement to students as they
headed off for winter break: Upon
their return, we will be forming a competitive collegiate Esports program. Tryouts will be held
to form the team which will compete in the popular game Overwatch before expanding to
more games. The gamers will have their own training headquarters, located in Founders Hall
Room 34, which has been dubbed Area 34. A big thank you to criminal justice professor Dr.

Aaron Bartula and Kevin Rocha, IT manager, for spearheading this effort.
Student Creativity in Important Message: Congratulations to our Dr. Syeda Jesmin for
her successful student Mental Health Public Service Announcement contest. Students were
asked to create a PSA that dealt with the stigma of suicide. Dr. Jesmin received 138 entries,
from which 20 winners were selected. Students then voted for Sara Ludlow’s PSA as the grand
prize winner. Watch her excellent work here. Tremendous to see so many participate in this
critical area for our students, and our surrounding communities.
Blockchain Technology Coming to UNTD: We were pleased to be featured in a December
article in the Chronicle of Higher Learning about blockchain technology. UNT Dallas is at the
forefront of this technology. Partnering with a company called GreenLight, our students will
gain practically instant access their academic records right from their laptop or mobile phone.
If you missed the article, you can read it here.
The University of North Texas at Dallas is our city's emerging urban university. UNT Dallas
empowers students, transforms lives and strengthens communities. Perched on a hilltop,
overlooking the Downtown Dallas skyline, UNT Dallas is the only public, accredited 4-year
university in the City of Dallas. UNT Dallas includes the UNT Dallas College of Law in
Downtown Dallas and is part of the UNT System.
Office of the President
7300 University Hills Blvd, Dallas, TX 75241
972.780.3601
President@UNTDallas.edu