UNT 2022 Annual Report

SPREADING

President’s Annual Report

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OWNING EXCELLENCE

Soaring Higher

UNT’s wingspan is so vast and powerful, our students and alumni took flight this year and soared. Our enrollment was record breaking, jumping 5.6% to 44,532 students. Our programs reached big milestones. Marking its 75th anniversary, the jazz studies program was the first of its kind in the nation and it continues to be one of the nation’s best. Our students and faculty won recognitions. From Goldwater Scholar recognitions and Fulbright awards to the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship, they were praised for their innovative work. Our alumni reached new heights. Musicians Pat Boone and David Hooten received the UNT Presidental Medal of Honor Award for their undeniable impact on the entertainment industry. Filmmaker Donnie F. Wilson’s vision earned the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short for The Queen of Basketball . Fashion designer and model R’Bonney Gabriel took the crown of Miss USA, the first Filipino American woman to do so. Alumna and civil rights activist Opal Lee, who was instrumental in having Juneteenth declared a federal holiday after years of tireless efforts, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her lifelong work. With more ideas to create and new goals to achieve, we can only soar higher.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

This has been a tremendous year filled with measureable successes. We not only celebrated our fourth consecutive record-breaking fall for enrolling 44,532 students, making UNT one the fastest growing universities in Texas and the nation, but we again helped 11,000 students earn degrees this past year.

UNT students benefit from a challenging education as well as a diverse and supportive community committed to their success. UNT is proud to be designated a Minority-Serving Institution and one of only 21 Carnegie Tier One research universities designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, partnering with the others this year to form the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities. More importantly, UNT is proud to have the highest four-year graduation rate in the North Texas region for Hispanic students.

We continue to provide students the best education to succeed and thrive beyond graduation in our complex and ever-changing world. We’re offering and growing much-needed degree programs such as data analytics, biomedical engineering and a complete suite of business options at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. UNT also is teaching 2,579 students at its locations in Frisco. In January 2023, the new UNT at Frisco branch campus will open its first building on the 100 acres donated by the City of Frisco to establish convenient access to the opportunities that a UNT education provides for those in Collin County and beyond.

By embracing a caring culture, we’ve been better able to address students’ needs to help transform their lives. We pride ourselves on being a place where students can be themselves to achieve their dreams and reach new heights. With a UNT degree, the opportunities are limitless.

UNT Proud, Neal Smatresk, President

Watch our latest ad president@unt.edu

@UNTPrez that shows the many facets of life at UNT.

WELLNESS AND CAREER READINESS

Caring For and Preparing Our Students

UNT is not like every other university. We’re a caring, creative Tier One research university where we embrace diversity. Our student-focused team of incredible faculty and staf have the privilege of frst listening to our students’ hopes and fears and then connecting them to resources and programs that can lead to solutions, inspiring them as they grow through academic and extracurricular opportunities on their path to graduation. More

than 11,000 students graduated in 2021-22, a record-breaking year.

Fostering health. Through UNT’s Student Money Management Center, students can learn how to be fnancially responsible; the Student Health and Wellness Center provides medical and health education services; and Counseling and Testing Services ofers comprehensive psychological care to all students. And this fall, wellness.unt.edu launched to make it easy for students to access all of the wellness resources across campus. The Pohl Recreation Center ofers many diferent opportunities for students to exercise, meet new people, compete and collaborate. It contributes to mental and physical health, a sense of belonging, stress reduction and much more. Last year through gym memberships, intramural sports, club teams and the climbing wall, the Rec Center served 21,270 students.

Preparing for careers. The Career Readiness First Year Seminar is a required online course that provides students with everything from self-discovery assessments to networking tips and it will include more curriculum as they progress through their college years. Students also can meet with career coaches in their academic department for personalized advice to help them better understand career opportunities and the skills they’ll need to excel in their felds of interest. The Wilson Jones Career Center, which started construction this summer in the Business Leadership Building — thanks to the generous donation of $5 million from alumnus Wilson Jones (’85) and his wife, Jane, to the G. Brint Ryan College of Business — will support students by connecting them with internship opportunities and empowering them to thrive in our rapidly changing world.

Watch a video about our first-generation students.

SOCIAL MOBILITY ELEVATOR

Serving Inclusively

UNT is dedicated to ensuring that all students have the inclusive and welcoming space they need to thrive as well as the resources and knowledge for success in their life beyond college.

Providing a welcoming space. As one of the nation’s most diverse universities, students from all walks of life pursue their education at UNT. The university’s commitment to cultivating a more inclusive and diverse campus environment has earned it the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for fve straight years. UNT’s Equity and Diversity Conference brings together students, faculty, professionals and thought leaders to discuss a range of topics in diversity, equity and inclusion. At the Multicultural Center, programs and activities increase awareness, understanding and intersectionality of the various identities in the campus community.

Reaching historically underserved students. As a Hispanic-Serving and MinorityServing Institution, UNT is increasing opportunity for those historically underserved by higher education. This year, UNT joined 21 of the nation’s top research universities as a founding member in the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities and also became a member of Presidents for Latino Student Success. Additionally, the university is home to UNT ELEVAR, the North Texas region’s frst inclusive postsecondary program for students with intellectual disabilities, which welcomed its second cohort of students in Fall 2022.

Building student responsive programs. Through the UNT First-Generation Success Center, frst-generation students have one place to turn to for their inquiries and to learn more about navigating college life. The Neurodiversity Network supports neurodivergent students who “think and do” diferently than their neurotypical peers. And earlier this year, UNT launched the Program for Counseling Diverse Students for more intentional and culturally representative counseling and wellness programs for students who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color.

UNT is proud to have the highest four-year graduation rate in the North Texas region for Hispanic students.

Watch a video about how CIIMS is changing transportation and mobility.

INNOVATIVE RESEARCH

Impacting the State and Beyond

This year, UNT was reafrmed as a Tier One research university — the only comprehensive Tier One research university serving the North Texas region. Discoveries, new research grants and awards across disciplines are further supporting UNT’s rise as a major national research university. Chemistry professors found a novel way to grow nanodiamonds; scholars in art and sociology are engaging in original research on African American fber art traditions and the childbirth experiences of queer people in America; and two music faculty earned the coveted John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship. Through the Center for Integrated Intelligent Mobility Systems (CIIMS), NASA-funded UNT researchers are paving the way for the future of transportation and mobility — working to accelerate collaboration between manufacturers, logistics professionals and emerging technologies to develop unmanned aerial vehicles, autonomous cars and robots. As one of only 21 Carnegie Tier One research universities designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, UNT is increasing opportunity for those historically underserved by higher education — including expanding access to research and academic experiences. UNT was named an HSI Fulbright Leader by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Afairs for its noteworthy engagement with Fulbright participants and promotion of Fulbright Program opportunities on campus.

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NEW INDUSTRIAL NEW BIRD WORLD-BEST ASSESSMENT CENTER DISCOVERY RESEARCHERS

UNT joined the U.S. Department Ricardo Rozzi, director of UNT’s Sub- More than 60 faculty members were of Energy’s Industrial Assessment Antarctic Biocultural Conservation included in the Stanford University Center program, the frst university in Program in Chile, with collaborators rankings of the world’s most cited North Texas to do so. Funded by a $1.75 including alumnus Ramiro Crego (’17) researchers and those who are among million grant, the center will bring identifed a new terrestrial bird species, the top 2% of more than six million more efectiveness to manufacturing Subantarctic Rayadito (Aphrastura scientists worldwide within their operations, conduct research and subantarctica), in the Diego Ramírez specialty areas throughout their provide workforce training. Archipelago — the southernmost careers. location in Chile and the Americas.

AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESS

Improving Financial Wellbeing

For more than 130 years, UNT has transformed the lives of students while leading the charge for increased afordability and access.

Aiding fnancial wellbeing. UNT awards more than $405 million in fnancial aid each year — including more than $60 million in scholarships — and nearly 40% of UNT students graduate with zero debt. But these metrics are just one example of how UNT is holistically reimagining the student experience. Progress continues toward the new Integrated Financial Success Center, which will streamline UNT’s fnancial services to provide students with seamless support and help them navigate the resources they need to improve their fnancial wellbeing and deepen their fnancial literacy. In the classroom, instructors are heeding the call for greater access and afordability by utilizing Open Educational Resources — high-quality digital resources and teaching tools that are free and widely available.

Targeting student success. The Diamond Eagles Society has funded high-impact campus projects to improve student success since 2017, including the UNT Suit Up Closet, which equips students with professional clothing for internship and interview opportunities; Mean Green Gowns for Grads, which ofers free cap and gown rentals for low income and frst-generation college students; and the UNT Food Pantry presented by Kroger. The organization’s 2022 project — marking its ffth anniversary — was the Diamond Eagles Garden at Mean Green Acres, UNT’s hydroponic farm that provides access to fresh, hyperlocal food.

Opening new location. In Spring 2023, UNT at Frisco will celebrate the grand opening of its frst permanent building, Frisco Landing. With four stories and 135,000 square feet of collaborative learning space, the new location will host innovative and immersive programs that give students the opportunity to put their skills into practice on real-world projects with industry partners like the Dallas Cowboys and the PGA.

Nearly 40% of UNT students graduate with zero debt.

UNT Athletics celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX, legislation that prohibits sex-based discrimination at schools.

MEAN GREEN CHAMPIONS

Above and Beyond

Mean Green Athletics scored high on the court, on the feld — and in the classroom. Several teams won multiple conference championships and our student-athletes will be spreading their wings further in 2023 when UNT joins the American Athletic Conference, providing greater national exposure for UNT. While the women’s softball team won the 2022 Conference USA Championship and earned its frst postseason victories, reaching the NCAA Regional Championship, the men’s and women’s basketball teams both set records. The men’s team won the Conference USA West Division Championship and a frst-ever berth in the National Invitation Tournament. The women’s team made it to the semi-fnals of the Conference USA Championship and won a slot in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. Also, the women’s golf team won its second consecutive Conference USA Championship and it participated in the NCAA Regional. The Mean Green football team attended the Frisco Bowl against Boise State, and the 42-member North Texas Cheer team won back-to-back championships from the National Cheerleaders Association in Daytona Beach, Florida. Alumna and former track member Kellie Delka (’11) participated in the Winter Olympics in the skeleton competition, representing Puerto Rico.

RECORD-SETTING SEMESTER GPA

Student-athletes proved their academic prowess. Eleven Mean Green teams boasted GPAs over 3.0 and they scored an overall 3.206, recording the highest GPA in UNT Athletics history.

UNITY PLAZA HONORS TRAILBLAZERS

Alumni Abner Haynes and Dr. Leon King (’62, ’72 M.Ed.), who were the frst Black players to play football at a four-year Texas institution in the 1950s, were recognized this fall with Unity Plaza, an area near the UNT Athletic Center.

DRUGS FROM FUNGI

“Fungi make very small, specialized molecules, such as penicillin, which can be used as important drugs.”

— Elizabeth Skellam, assistant professor in UNT’s BioDiscovery Institute whose team received a $1.4 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to study the possibility of making drugs like penicillin from fungi that live in plants

UNT IN THE NEWS Making Headlines

COVID-19 BREATHALYZER

“This year, the FDA approved InspectIR’s COVID-19 Breathalyzer, making it easier than invasive nose swabbing to check for the virus.”

— as cited on Time’s The Best Inventions of 2022 list for Chemistry Professor Guido Verbeck’s technology, which received FDA approval on intellectual property, a frst for UNT

SPEECH LAWS

“One could argue the plain meaning of the legislation by spelling it out in English represents an intent to have it be government sponsored speech ... on the other hand, it could be argued that the law is vague in that it does not identify that it could NOT be written in other languages.”

— Political Science Professor Kimi King commenting on organizations providing districts with “In God We Trust” signs in Arabic and a number of other languages

COWBOYS SUPPORT

“They were sufering from the same issues that we saw in the classroom.”

ELEVAR CAN

“You can do anything you want to do.”

Adam Fein, vice president for digital strategy and innovation, who together with Ruthanne “Rudi” Thompson, vice president and associate vice president of UNT’s Division of Digital Strategy and Innovation, discussed helping the Dallas Cowboys thrive in virtual meetings

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FIGHTING RACISM

“These are voluntary groups forming ... to make the campus truly inclusive, welcoming and caring.”

— Joanne Woodard, vice president of inclusion, diversity, equity and access, on UNT’s White Accountability Group and the success of these groups in higher education with the ultimate goal of helping to fght racism

— Student Jaylen Walker commenting in a story about his acceptance to UNT ELEVAR program, a post-secondary education program for young adults with intellectual disabilities

METALS CORROSION

“The issue is if you put two metals together, you create, basically, a battery; a galvanic cell where these ions will transport across one another and that’ll lead to corrosion.”

— Marcus Young, associate professor of material science and engineering, discussing why metal jewelry pieces should be stored separately

UKRAINIAN CARE

“Talking to them every day knowing there was no immediate danger ... that helped me.”

EARLY HOLIDAY SPIRIT

“The pandemic hits, and everybody’s like, ‘I’m just gonna do what I want to do.’”

— Gwen Nisbett, associate professor of public relations, discussing why early pushes of Christmas music by celebrities, like Mariah Carey and Dolly Parton, are embraced

Ukranian doctoral learning technologies graduate Tetyana Kucher (’22 Ph.D.) shared how Regina KaplanRakowski, lecturer in the College of Information, arranged a safe place for her mother to stay in Poland as she evacuated after the Russian invasion

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FINANCIALS

Fiscal Responsibility and Giving Impact

Ranked a Tier One research university, UNT has been a catalyst for discovery and innovation since 1890 by providing students opportunities and support to achieve their dreams. In addition to generating an economic impact of $1.65 billion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area annually, UNT fuels the social and cultural vitality of the North Texas region and world.

OPERATING AND CAPITAL SOURCES

($ in the millions)

2018

State of Texas $170.91

Tuition & Fees $315.48

Federal, State, & Private Grants & Contracts $114.81

Endowment & Interest $27.20

Sales, Services & Other $26.52

Auxiliary $73.64

OPERATING AND CAPITAL USES

($ in the millions)

2018

Instruction $204.84

Research $27.26

Public Service $10.40

Academic Support $61.05

Student Services $78.91

Institutional Support $36.31

Operation & Maintenance of Plant $44.00

Scholarships & Fellowships $85.77

Auxiliary Enterprises $68.11

Capital Outlay $23.37

Other $3.26

2022

State of Texas $189.53

Tuition & Fees $389.54

Federal, State & Private Grants & Contracts $190.87

Endowment & Interest $36.13

Sales, Services & Other $26.27 Auxiliary $77.09

2022

Instruction $184.26

Research $80.41

Public Service $8.95

Academic Support $62.02

Student Services $96.32

Institutional Support $52.28

Operation & Maintenance of Plant $38.33

Scholarships & Fellowships $112.92

Auxiliary Enterprises $60.37

Capital Outlay $35.09 Other $0.64

OPERATING AND CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

TOTAL NET ASSETS

KEY REVENUES AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL REVENUE FUNDRAISING SUCCESSES

With 13,486 gifts from 7,875 donors, UNT raised a total of $32.7 million in fscal year 2022.

• The G. Brint Ryan College of Business received $5 million to create The Wilson Jones Career Center, which will provide more adequate and accessible support for career readiness, and $1 million from Joe and Lillian Ethridge to support a professorship in accounting.

• An international team led by UNT scholars was awarded a $1.2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to develop core scholarly infrastructure for the community governed sharing of quality, interoperable, open access book usage data.

• The total number of UNT Athletics donors increased 26% year over year.