In one year on the job, Abah, an international student from Nigeria studying mechanical and energy engineering, has learned to 3D print computer-generated models, use computer numerical control technology to laser cut and mill different materials, view micropixels with the Amoeba dual purpose microscope, generate 3D models with Solidworks software, preserve artifacts and objects using the Ein-Scan Pro 3D scanner, facilitate robotics workshops using LEGO Mindstorms, and use Blender and Unity software to create 3D and 2D video game environments.

Much of the software Abah's learned to use in his engineering courses is available to the entire UNT student body at The Factory, which opened a second makerspace this fall at the Discovery Park library.

"Everything you need for your career doesn't come from one experience or one day, but from collective experiences," Abah says.

Gaming has long been a hobby for marketing senior Bri Delgado. But her experience establishing and managing a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team for UNT's esports student organization provided the first taste of what it would be like to work professionally in the esports field, a rapidly growing industry that grossed $696 million last year and is predicted to grow to $1.5 billion by 2020.

"I wanted a major that could be applicable to all my passions -- gaming, music or anything else I might find myself doing. I chose marketing and added a concentration in professional selling because esports is a new field and I knew it was important that I be able to explain and promote the industry," she says.

This fall, Delgado is focusing on esports commercialization as a patent intern with UNT Libraries. Following graduation in December, she plans to return to California to continue working in esports before pursuing a graduate business degree.

While cross-disciplinary academic experiences occur in each of UNT's 14 colleges and schools, they are the key focus for more than 1,400 integrative studies undergraduates in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. They design their own degrees by selecting three academic areas of study. A unique version of this degree also is being offered to the first cohort of freshmen next fall at the UNT campus at Frisco, which will create hands-on experiences for students through corporate partnerships.

Research at UNT also takes an interdisciplinary approach, especially in the xREZ Art + Science Lab directed by Ruth West, an associate professor of design and new media. Through Max Parola's ('16) work in the lab -- a creative studio and research lab with a focus on new discoveries at the intersection of arts, sciences and humanities -- he became interested in human computer interaction research and saw how it translated into the growing industry of interaction design.

Parola joined the lab in 2014 as an undergraduate studying psychology, and he developed research skills working on projects focused on virtual reality, human computer interaction and 3D segmentation. He says his lab time inspired him to enroll in UNT's new master's in design program, with a concentration in interaction design, which involves designing interactive digital products, environments, systems and services.

Innovative partnerships continue at UNT's campus in Frisco -- the second-fastest-growing city in the nation -- where the needs of industry help inform the programs offered. Degrees in advanced data analytics and consumer experience management are among those recently established to prepare students for the changing workforce. Sport management degrees also will be offered at the campus in Frisco, known as "Sports City, USA." It's directly across the street from The Star, the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters, and within five miles of Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas soccer; Dr Pepper Arena, home of Texas Legends basketball; Dr Pepper Ballpark, home of Frisco Roughriders baseball; and the Dallas Stars hockey headquarters.

"The location of our programs in Frisco will give us a strong advantage in offering students a network that is not available elsewhere," says Bob Heere, UNT's director of sport management. "We can build one of the premier sport and entertainment management programs in the nation."

To best prepare students for careers in the future job market, UNT continues to cultivate partnerships with industry leaders that provide internship opportunities. In addition to Texas Motor Speedway, UNT has partnered with the Dallas Cowboys to facilitate student internships.

As an intern at Cowboys Fit, a luxury gym located at The Star, Alex Shaw ('18 M.S.) gained the valuable business and sales knowledge he needed to launch his career as a personal trainer.

"I knew how to help clients get the results they wanted, but first, I had to get clients. Selling was something I had to learn -- quickly," says Shaw, a May graduate who earned a master's degree in kinesiology. He hit his stride as a personal trainer and, following graduation, was offered a full-time position with the Cowboys.

"Because of UNT's partnership with the Dallas Cowboys, I've been able to enter the fitness industry at the top," he says. "I was in the right place at the right time and empowered to enter the exact career path I wanted without speedbumps."

Knowing that more students than ever before -- 63 percent according to recent surveys -- will seek entrepreneurial paths after graduation, Smatresk has charged faculty to explore out-of-the-box thinking and take risks in the classroom so they can best model those skills for students and provide personal insight.

Over the last two years, UNT leaders also have worked with the Toyota Production System Support Center to diagnose specific issues within existing UNT processes and reimagine them to best fulfill university needs by implementing Toyota's award-winning lean process framework. The faculty hiring and onboarding process and graduate school admissions have been reimagined as a result.

UNT's willingness to execute new ideas, re-evaluate them when they don't go as planned, tweak them and try again, is a positive thing for students to observe, says Ryan Girardot ('18), winner of the 2017 UNT Innovator Award. The recognition is given each year to faculty and students for finding creative solutions to today's most pressing issues.

"Universities more and more need to be hubs of innovation," says Girardot, co-founder of EPLAY by Players Revolution, a digital player profile for basketball players. "You do have to have this environment where it is OK to throw what might even sound like a crazy idea out there and it is taken seriously."

"With the constant introduction of new digital platforms for networking, co-working and social interactions, it's important that universities teach students the framework to acquire technical skills that will be needed as new products are created, rather than teach existing programs," Vickery says.

Existing courses also are being reimagined to flourish amid new technologies. With countless resources available for students online, UNT jazz history professor John Murphy eliminated the textbook, which he believes limits learning, and created a 100-percent online course that requires students to seek and evaluate information themselves, starting with UNT's abundant library resources.

He compares the textbook to the safe and predictable experience of swimming laps in a pool.

"My job is to coach students to have an authentic learning experience amidst the sea of information available," Murphy says. "I've developed my course in a manner that enables students to learn in the open water of information."

Every step UNT takes toward becoming a next generation university involves making sure students are set up for success. Regardless of whether they are taking courses online or on campus, UNT is focused on ensuring every student has access to the same services and educational experiences.

"Everything we do is to prepare our students to become the creative leaders of tomorrow," Smatresk says. "When they leave UNT, they will be well-rounded, confident individuals prepared to excel in the rapidly evolving workforce."