KIMI KING

Professor of political science

Years at UNT: 28

Kimi King climbed into her rental car. It was Christmas Eve, and she’d just completed her visit to a Nicaraguan prison where Sandinistas had once been tortured. Now all she wanted was to return to the town center.

The ignition wouldn’t start.

She could wait for help, she supposed. But when you’ve traveled to all seven continents, trekked alongside armed guards protecting gorillas from guerrillas in Rwanda, and spent the bulk of your academic career researching international crime tribunals, self-sufficiency is the name of the game.

So she hotwired it.

“I think most people would be surprised to learn about the adventures I’ve had,” King says. “I’m not the same person abroad that you see in the classroom.” Then again, maybe it’s not such a surprise when you consider her reputation for jumpstarting students’ ambitions. As a professor of political science and coach of UNT’s nationally ranked moot court team, she’s inspired a generation of politicians, attorneys and academics with her irrepressible passion for constitutional law and commitment to student achievement.

“I remember feeling so empowered when I first met Dr. King,” says Stephanie Battaglia, an English major who is headed to law school following her graduation this fall. “No matter how many times you think, ‘I can’t do this,’ she’s like, ‘That’s just you in your head. I know you’re going to do a great job.’”

That’s really what it’s all about, King says. Yes, there’s the research that takes you to global hotspots, but that’s nothing compared to the thrill of watching students present exceptional arguments in front of Texas Supreme Court judges or witnessing those always-exhilarating “aha” moments.

“My professors would ask me questions like, ‘Do you want to change the world?’” King says. “And I thought, ‘I want to train armies.’ I don’t care if you’re left-wing or right-wing … when we look out at the world, what we all agree on is that we see something wrong with it. So the question is: How do we work together to change it?”

► Hear alumna Elizabeth White ('96) speak about how King inspired her.

PAHO MANN

Associate professor of studio art

Years at UNT: 14

If conformity were a supervillain, consider Paho Mann its creativity-caped adversary. Mann’s got an eye for the uncommon, as evidenced by his ongoing photography project that peeks into the junk drawers of acquaintances and strangers -- a series of images that capture and subtly celebrate hyperpersonal eclecticism.

“I was curious to see if I could understand more about us as individuals by making photographs of that,” says Mann, who also is the coordinator of the College of Visual Arts and Design’s photography program. “I was interested in the individual actions that make these near-private spaces unique.”

That embrace of individualism is the same approach Mann takes in his classroom, where he nurtures students’ independent voices through their shared enthusiasm for art. One of the gifts of teaching studio art, he says, is guiding students toward projects that best express their singular vision.

“The core of my teaching,” Mann says, “is that students have the space to investigate their own ideas, make their own art and pursue their own interests.”

For grad students whose interests center around teaching photography, Mann also serves as their mentor, helping them prepare for the expectations inherent in assuming the role of instructor.

“He went above and beyond in what a professor is supposed to do to guide their students through a graduate degree,” says Shellye Tow (’21 M.F.A.), an aspiring teacher who recently graduated with a degree in studio art and photography and will graduate this semester with her M.A. in art history. “He helped me not just in my art practice, but really in my whole career moving forward.”

But Mann never views that mentorship as an “extra” responsibility. He just feels privileged, he says, to be one pitstop on his students’ journey to success.

“Studying art is a brave thing to do -- even though it might feel intimidating, students come to your program with all this passion for the subject,” he says. “When you get to watch them succeed in school and afterward, that’s a really exciting thing.”

► Listen to Tow discuss how Mann has supported her teaching aspirations.

BRITTANY MCELROY

Senior lecturer of broadcast journalism

Years at UNT: 4

If you’re a one-plan kind of person, Brittany McElroy has news for you -- literally. The breakneck pace of broadcast journalism means Plan A can quickly become Plans B through Z, and McElroy’s a pro at showing students how to roll with those unexpected punches.

“Journalism attracts a lot of type A perfectionists,” says McElroy, who previous to teaching spent a decade as a reporter, producer and anchor at TV stations in Texas, Louisiana and Missouri. “When you’re in TV news, you’re working on a deadline of a day, maybe two. So I have to show them how to go with the flow while still upholding the ideals of what good journalism is.”

For undergrads in McElroy’s Advanced Writing and Reporting for Broadcast and Web course -- which she and her students more succinctly refer to as “the eight-hour class” -- it’s a sink-or-swim kind of scenario, with McElroy acting as lifeguard. The class meets one day a week for eight hours, and students are expected to report and produce broadcast segments in that tight timespan. It’s tough, McElroy admits -- but so are her students. She’s consistently amazed by how adeptly they’re able to keep their heads above water.

“The thing I love about the class is that most of the time, when the students walk in the door the first day, you can just tell they’re so nervous -- they’re like, ‘I can’t do this,’” says McElroy, who notes that collaboration is key to developing compelling stories. “But more often than not, they leave that class very proud of the work that they’ve done.”

That pride is a direct result of McElroy’s high expectations and unwavering support, says Joshua Carter, a broadcast journalism major who will graduate in Spring 2022. “She changed the way I think when it comes to journalism,” says Carter, who during the eight-hour class created segments on a variety of topics, including one about COVID-19 vaccinations in minority communities. “She doesn’t want to let you fail. She’s just really there for you. That’s what’s amazing about her.”

► Listen to Carter talk more about McElroy's motivational approach.

RICK REIDY

University Distinguished Teaching Professor of materials science and engineering

Years at UNT: 24

Ask what students might be most surprised to learn about him, and Rick Reidy is, uncharacteristically, at a loss for words. They already know about his “less than storied” undergraduate career as a chemistry major. They’re familiar with how he continues to put that chemistry knowledge to use in his beer-brewing hobby. They’ve heard nearly his entire arsenal of “my wife thinks I’m an idiot” jokes. “I’m pretty much an open book,” Reidy says.

Of course, the benefit of open books is they make important lessons easier to access.

“For us to learn things together, you need to trust me,” says Reidy, who also serves as an advisor and associate chair in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

“In some cases, students probably know more than they want to about me. They’re like, ‘Reidy, can you stop it with the damn stories? No one’s ever come up and said that per se … they say, ‘Reidy goes off topic a lot.’”

What many students also say is how much fun Reidy is in the classroom -- and outside of it.

“He had a real way of talking about his subjects and presenting tests and quizzes and projects in an interesting way,” says Tyler Hunt (’18), who was part of Reidy’s advising cohort. “As an advisor, he would really take the time to learn about us individually and our personality styles. That’s why I loved him so much as a teacher and as a person.”

In fact, Reidy is such a beloved figure that three former students asked him to officiate their weddings. Despite his initial reaction (“Can’t you find someone more qualified?” he asked), Reidy says it was an honor -- another chapter in a story that grows richer with each passing year.

“I am extremely fortunate that many students will reach out and say, “You really made a difference,’” he says. “But it’s like being a parent -- I have two sons, and I did my best, but they turned out wonderfully because they’re them. It’s the same thing with my students.”

► Hear David Brice ('13, '15 M.S.), whose wedding Reidy officiated, talk about what makes him such an awesome professor.