It’s an honor to lead this great university and to collaborate with those in our UNT family. Part of my decision to stay on at UNT was to ensure stability and maintain momentum.

We are at an exciting time in our history, when the road ahead is paved with promise and possibilities and the destination is even greater excellence.

And yet, it’s a challenging time to be involved in public higher education because the road has many potholes that we can’t properly fix in light of dwindling state funding.

But we will not lose sight of our mission to focus on:

• Educating our students and providing them with the best opportunities and experiences for learning and growth
   
• Protecting the quality of instruction and the integrity of UNT degrees
   
• Growing our areas of excellence — the jewels in our crown

As the nation’s 33rd largest public university, we provide many opportunities for students from all walks of life to succeed. We’ve become a leader in helping underrepresented and first-generation students earn a college education. And each year, nearly 8,000 UNT graduates turn their knowledge into action.

We also are a nationally recognized university with programs that are among the very best. We are building on this foundation to become a stronger research university, one that is equally focused on educating students and generating knowledge, ideas and innovation, because we exist to serve the public and our students.

In this tough fiscal climate, the support of our alumni and friends is more important than ever. And it makes a difference. It helps us ensure that our students now and in the future continue to have the opportunity to change their lives through higher education.

Sincerely,

V. Lane Rawlins
President
president@unt.edu