University of North Texas

University of North Texas
UNT Seal.jpg
Motto: "Only the educated are free" - Epictetus
Established: 1890
Type: State University
Endowment: $62.4 million[1]
President: Dr. Gretchen M. Bataille
Provost: Dr. Wendy K. Wilkins
Students: 34,268[2]
Undergraduates: 27,319[2]
Postgraduates: 5,345[2]
Doctoral students: 1,500[2]
Location: Denton, Texas, United States
Campus: Suburban, 860 acres (3.3 km²)
Former names: Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute (1890-1894)
North Texas Normal College (1894-1901)
North Texas State Normal College (1901-1923)
North Texas State Teachers College (1923-1949)
North Texas State College (1949-1961)
North Texas State University (1961-1989)
Sports: NCAA Division I-FBS
Colors: Green      and White     
Nickname: Mean Green
Mascot: Scrappy
Athletics: North Texas Mean Green
Affiliations: Sun Belt Conference
Website: www.unt.edu
Logo is a trademark of University of North Texas; All enrollment figures are as of Fall 2007

The University of North Texas (informally UNT or North Texas) is a public university located in Denton, Texas, USA. UNT is the flagship[3] of the University of North Texas System, which also includes the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the UNT Dallas Campus.[4]

The university was founded in 1890 by Joshua Chilton as the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute. Since its inception, the institution has had its name modified six times to reflect its growth and change. In 1894, the name became North Texas Normal College, followed by North Texas State Normal College in 1901. The institution was known as North Texas State Teachers College in 1923, North Texas State College in 1949, and North Texas State University in 1961, before becoming the University of North Texas in 1989. With an enrollment of over 34,000 students, it is the largest university in North Texas and the fourth-largest in the state by enrollment. The university is a member of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities, offering various graduate degrees in coordination with Texas Woman's University and Texas A&M University-Commerce. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Contents

Academics

The University of North Texas confers degrees from eleven colleges and schools:

Additionally, students in any major may apply to join the Honors College, a program based on a course of academic study and composed of students who have access to honors classes and to a wide array of special programs and privileges. Membership is open to undergraduates regardless of their major, and graduates of the College are entitled to wear the Honors College Medallion upon commencement.

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the academic heart of the University of North Texas. It is a learning and discovery community of increasingly recognized and highly capable scholars and artists who interact in a variety of formats with talented students and colleagues across disciplines for the purpose of communicating, pursuing, and advancing knowledge.

Housed within CAS, the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies is the nation's leading program for the study in environmental ethics and environmental philosophy. It is distinguished by a focus upon 'field' philosophy, where philosophers work with scientists, engineers, and policy makers. It is also the home of the journal Environmental Ethics [1] founded in 1979.

The College of Arts and Sciences is also home to the Department of Political Science which has consistently been ranked highly in the nation as a productive, research oriented program. The program itself ranks 3rd nationally in “Graduate Training Programs” and 6th nationally in “Affiliation Rankings.” The first of these rankings reflects the productivity of a department's graduate students based on the “average number of Ph.D's granted annually in the last 3 years.” The second ranking measures faculty productivity adjusting for the number of faculty in the department. The department is also home through 2008 to International Studies Quarterly, one of the premier journals of international relations in the world.

College of Business

The UNT College of Business is currently planning the imminent construction of a new Business Leadership Building. With an approximate budget of $60 million, it will feature cutting-edge, 21st century technology in step with our global and real time economy. The new building will help the College provide the region’s highest quality business education.

The College is accredited by AACSB International, and a rigorous and comprehensive peer review process ensures that students are earning a national caliber degree. All constituents can be assured that the College meets the highest of standards and is committed to continuous improvement.

The College’s faculty understand the complex demands today’s business leaders and organizations face, and provide the knowledge, tools, and leadership skills to meet those demands to over 5,000 students from around the world. These diverse and talented students continue to win national competitions and are among the top student leaders on campus. They participate in national and international exchange activities, and many are employed in positions of leadership in local, national and international organizations while they pursue their education. Indeed, employers across North Texas look to the UNT College of Business for talented, work-ready graduates to become tomorrow’s managers and business leaders.

The College of Business faculty publishes in the best journals in all the business fields and participates in professional activities nationally and internationally. The faculty’s outstanding teaching has garnered university, state, and national recognition. The work of this elite group of educators impacts business, industry, and government on a daily basis in the region and around the world.

As of November 1, 2008, the college has changed its name from College of Business Administration to College of Business.

College of Engineering

In the spring semester of 2003, UNT opened the College of Engineering at its Research Park (now Discovery Park) campus in Denton. Bachelor degrees are offered in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, and engineering technology (with focus areas in electronics, mechanical, manufacturing, or construction). Master's degrees are offered in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering technology, and materials science. Doctoral degrees are offered in computer science and materials science.

School of Library and Information Sciences

The School of Library and Information Sciences (SLIS) offers programs in a range of traditional and non-traditional information fields, including school library media, information science, legal information services and US News and World Report third-ranked medical informatics and medical librarianship program. UNT SLIS, which is accredited by the American Library Association, offers classes at its campus in Denton, in Dallas and Houston, and in Georgia, Nevada and Minnesota. The school also hosts the University's Interdisciplinary Information Science Ph.D. program.

College of Music

The University of North Texas is home to the largest music school in the nation, as of the fall 2007 enrollment numbers. Enrollment figures are similar to Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music.

The College of Music is known for its competitive standards and rigorous coursework. It includes recognized programs in composition, theory, history, performance, jazz, and education. Additionally, the college hosts an extensive collection of early music period instruments and is supported by the third largest music library in the U.S., with thousands of scores, periodicals, books, and recordings.

UNT features a symphony orchestra conducted (through spring 2008) by David Itkin and a symphonic wind ensemble directed by Eugene Migliaro Corporon and associate director Dennis W. Fisher. Their most public and flagship choir is the UNT A Cappella Choir, conducted by Dr. Jerry McCoy. Dr. Lyle Nordstrom directs the various early music performance ensembles, including the UNT Baroque Orchestra, the Collegium Singers and several smaller early music chamber ensembles. Current renowned professors in the music history and theory area are Dr. Frank Heidlberger, Dr. Margaret Notley, Dr. Timothy Jackson, Dr. David Schwarz, Dr. Albert W. Wily, and Dr. Paul E. Dworak.

North Texas was the first university in North America to offer a degree in Jazz Studies in 1947[5]. The College of Music is noted for building a world-class jazz program along with the world-renowned One O'Clock Lab Band, which is often highlighted on the campus radio station KNTU. Jazz musician Stan Kenton donated his entire library to the music department, and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall is named in his honor. Just a few notable alumni of the North Texas jazz program include Lou Marini, Lyle Mays, and Bob Belden, as well as countless members of the orchestras of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson.

In striving to build leaders in all areas of music education, the school of music also has several other music ensembles including a marching band, known as the Green Brigade Marching Band, as well as steel drum ensembles, Brazilian music, jazz strings, Afro-Cuban, and opera theatre ensembles. [2]

College of Public Affairs and Community Service

The College of Public Affairs and Community Service (PACS) is based in Chilton Hall. PACS includes at least 17 departments, centers and institutes, including Anthropology, Applied Arts and Sciences, Applied Economics, Applied Gerontology, Behavior Analysis, Criminal Justice, Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions, and Sociology. PACS also offers several post graduate programs, including a masters degree program and Ph.D. program in sociology.

The Emergency Administration and Planning program (EADP) is part of the PACS Department of Public Administration. UNT offered the first bachelor's degree program for emergency management in the United States in 1983. In the years since, the EADP program has drawn students from throughout the US and internationally from Barbados, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Sweden, and Taiwan. Students in the program often benefit from UNT's proximity to FEMA's Region VI headquarters, also in Denton (which provides federal disaster assistance to Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) as well as to the dozens of state and local government entities in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

The Department of Public Administration also offers a master of public administration (MPA) degree that provides professional education for persons pursuing a management career in government or non-profit organizations. The MPA degree at UNT is one of the oldest and most respected in the country. In 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked the UNT MPA program as being the best in Texas and the Southwest in the field of city management/urban policy, and 9th nationally. In 2005, the department launched a doctoral program offering a Ph.D. in public administration and management.

College of Visual Arts and Design

Art has been a vital part of UNT since it was first taught there in 1894, just four years after the institution was founded. Today, with an enrollment of more than 2000 students, CVAD is one of the largest and most comprehensive visual arts programs in the nation. Thirteen degree programs offer both undergraduate and graduate work that leads to the BA, BFA, MA, MFA, and Ph.D. degrees as well as a graduate certificate in art museum education. A nationally and internationally recognized faculty provides students excellent role models upon which to pattern their career. The school advertises that a number of internationally known artists, designers, and scholars are UNT alumni, including Jesus Moroles and Bill Worrell.

Toulouse School of Graduate Studies

The Toulouse School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Texas offers over 111 master's and 50 doctoral programs in all nine colleges listed above plus a Master of Arts and a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science

Main article: Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science

One of the highlights of UNT is the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. TAMS is an math program that annually admits 200 gifted students into full-time college studies following their 10th grade year. This program has produced numerous Intel Talent Search finalists and semi-finalists, Goldwater Scholars, and National Merit Scholars.

Program Accreditation

Many programs offered at the University of North Texas are accredited by specialized national organizations. These program accreditations include: [3]

Athletics

Main article: North Texas Mean Green

UNT competes at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. When the Sun Belt formed in 2001, North Texas became an instant power. From 2001 to 2004 UNT won four straight Sunbelt Conference Championships. UNT has since turned into an SBC basketball power and are in the process of adding baseball to their list of sports. In the SBC Arkansas State, Troy, and Middle Tennessee are rivals for UNT. It is a competitive participant in the following varsity sports:[4] Basketball, Cross Country, Diving, Football, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field and Volleyball.

Additionally, UNT offers numerous athletic sports clubs, including the following as of Spring 2008:[5] aikido, baseball, billiards, bowling, cycling, fencing, ice hockey, inline hockey, men's & women's lacrosse, racquetball, men's rugby, men's soccer, tennis, triathlon, men's & women's ultimate disc, wakeboarding.

Football

Main article: North Texas Mean Green football

Founded in 1913, the football team has won several conference championships. The Mean Green has won eight Lone Star Conference championships, five Gulf Coast Conference championships, five Missouri Valley Conference championships, two Southland Conference championships and most recently, four consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships.[6] The team also appeared in a total of 7 bowl games, winning 2, most recently the New Orleans Bowl in 2002. The new head coach, Todd Dodge, left Southlake Carroll High School with an 89-6 record and finished his third consecutive unbeaten season in 2006.

Since 1952, home football games have been played at Fouts Field, a stadium with a current capacity of 30,500.

In October, 2008, students approved a new dedicated athletics fee to fund the construction of a new football stadium. The vote passed 2,829(58%) YES to 2,038(42%) NO. It was the largest voter turnout (14% of the student body) in recent UNT history.

UNTstadium.jpg

Men's basketball

Main article: North Texas Mean Green men's basketball

Despite in the past not having a significant or powerful men's basketball program, North Texas has recently experienced success under head coach Johnny Jones. During the 2006-2007 season, North Texas won its first ever Sun Belt Conference title and advanced for the first time since 1988 to the NCAA Tournament. Only three of the state's 20 Division I teams more wins than North Texas’ 23 in 2006-07 - Texas, Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Since 1973, the team has played its home games in the Super Pit. The 10,032 seat arena is the second toughest venue to win at in the Sun Belt, only behind Western Kentucky

North Texas firsts

Residence Halls

Students living on campus have the choice of residing in the following UNT dormitories:

Mascot

UNT's mascot is the eagle and was adopted in 1922 in a student election over the dragon, the lion and the cottontail rabbit.[7] The costumed eagle character, Scrappy, appears at sporting and university events, though he didn't always go by that name; in 1974, students who felt "Scrappy" was too warlike dubbed the bird "Eppy," and he kept that name until 1995. Athletic teams are referred to as the "Mean Green." This name is usually associated with football star and 1969 graduate "Mean" Joe Greene, a legendary member of the famous Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers; however, accounts vary about the actual origins of "Mean Green".[8]

In the spring of 2002, the school's chapter of the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society attempted to make the group's namesake the school's secondary mascot. The student body narrowly rejected the measure.[9] If it had passed, it would have made North Texas the nation's second university to have a secondary mascot. In August 2006, the albino squirrel, believed to bring luck to students who spotted him before an exam, was killed by a red-tailed hawk.[10] By May 2007, another albino squirrel had been born on the campus.[11]

Greek life

As of Spring 2008, the following are officially recognized chapters at UNT: [6], [7]

Panhellenic Council

Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Phi, Chi Omega, Delta Gamma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Pi Beta Phi, Zeta Tau Alpha

Interfraternity Council

Alpha Epsilon Pi, Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha Psi, Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, Lambda Theta Phi, Phi Kappa Sigma, Sigma Chi, Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Theta Chi

National Pan-Hellenic Council

Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Iota Phi Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta

Multicultural Council

Delta Phi Omega, Lambda Theta Alpha, Lambda Theta Phi, Sigma Lambda Beta, Sigma Lambda Gamma

Academic/Honorary/Professional/Religious

Alpha Chi Sigma, Alpha Epsilon Delta, Alpha Kappa Delta, Alpha Kappa Psi, Alpha Phi Sigma, Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Beta Beta, Beta Gamma Sigma, Beta Upsilon Chi, Chi Alpha, Chi Sigma Iota, Chi Tau Epsilon, Delta Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Pi, Eta Sigma Delta, Eta Sigma Gamma, Gamma Beta Phi, Gamma Sigma Alpha, Kappa Delta Pi, Lambda Alpha Beta, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, Lambda Pi Eta, Mu Alpha Theta, Mu Kappa Tau, Omicron Delta Upsilon, Order of Omega, Phi Alpha Delta, Phi Alpha, Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Chi Theta, Psi Chi, Phi Mu Alpha, Phi Sigma Pi, Pi Sigma Alpha, Rho Epsilon Mu, Sigma Alpha, Sigma Alpha Iota, Sigma Alpha Lambda, Sigma Delta Pi, Sigma Lambda Gamma, Sigma Pi Omega, Sigma Tau Delta, Tau Alpha Pi, Tau Sigma

Traditions and symbols

UNT Fight Song

After winning a university sponsored contest, alumnus Francis Stroup wrote the school's fight song in 1939. Throughout the years, the song has changed its lyrics to reflect the name changes of the university.

Let's give a cheer for U of NT...
Cheer for the Green and White!
Victory's in store, whate'er the score,
Our team will ever fight, fight, fight!
Shoulder to shoulder we march along,
Striving for victory.
Playing the game for the honor
and fame and the glory of UNT!
U...N...T....Eagles! U-N-T Eagles,
Fight! Fight! Fight!

Alma Mater

In 1919, Julia Smith, member of the university's band (now called the Green Brigade), composed "Glory to the Green and White" which was adopted as the school's alma mater in 1922.

Singing glory to the green,
Singing glory to the white,
For we know our university is
striving for the right,
Down the corridor of years,
We'll forget the joys and tears,
But North Texas, North Texas,
We love!

Traditions

"In High Places" is a prominent representation of the eagle on campus.

Student media

In the Media

Notable alumni and professors

Main article: Notable University of North Texas Alumni

Today, the University of North Texas has 175,000 living alumni; 100,000 residing in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.[13] A significant number of notable alumni have made their mark in music including Roy Orbison, Meat Loaf, Tom "Bones" Malone and "Blue Lou" Marini (both members of The Blues Brothers Band and the Saturday Night Live Band), and Grammy Award-winners Don Henley, Norah Jones and Pat Boone. Notable North Texas athletes include American Football League MVP Abner Haynes, Pro Football Hall of Famer "Mean" Joe Greene and PGA champion Don January who are all former "Mean Green." Stone Cold Steve Austin the professional wrestler, also played football for North Texas. North Texas political alumni include Michael C. Burgess, current congressman for the 26th Texas district, Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi ambassador to Washington and former adviser to the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia, former congressman Ray Roberts of the 26th Texas district (also namesake of nearby Lake Ray Roberts), and Charlie Fern, former White House speechwriter for First Lady Laura Bush who worked as a reporter and editor on UNT's newspaper, the North Texas Daily. Notable professors include former House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey and wind symphony conductor Eugene Corporon, who is considered an authority on wind/band music repertoire. Other significant alumni include former 1971 Miss America Phyllis George, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry, and Phil McGraw ('79), from the American television show Dr. Phil.

References

  1. ↑ "USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2007: University of North Texas". USNews.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "University of North Texas - Enrollment Fall 07". University of North Texas. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
  3. ↑ University of North Texas - All About UNT UNT Division of University Relations, Communications, and Marketing Accessed 20 July 2006.
  4. ↑ UNT System: Campuses and centers. Accessed 16 January 2007
  5. ↑ Jazz studies were offered at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt from 1928
  6. ↑ "North Texas Championships". College Football Data Warehouse. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  7. ↑ "UNT InHouse" (faculty newsletter), Dec. 22, 2005 (retrieved Sept. 17, 2007) http://inhouse.unt.edu/index.cfm?date=12/2005
  8. ↑ University of North Texas North Texan Online Fall 2004: Mean Green video memories
  9. ↑ North Texas Daily, April 8, 2003 (retrieved Sept. 17, 2007) http://media.www.ntdaily.com/media/storage/paper877/news/2003/04/08/UndefinedSection/Students.Express.Opinions.In.Sga.Vote-1887675.shtml
  10. ↑ North Texas News Service, February 2006 (retrieved Sept. 17, 2007) http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/f06/untnews.htm
  11. ↑ Albino Squirrel Preservation Society Web site (retrieved Sept. 17, 2007) http://orgs.unt.edu/asps
  12. ↑ aerie2008.gif
  13. ↑ "North Texan Online 2005". University of North Texas. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.

External links

University of North Texas (Images)
University of North Texas System
University of North Texas • UNT Dallas Campus • UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth
Sun Belt Conference
Football

Arkansas State Red Wolves • Florida Atlantic Owls • FIU Golden Panthers • Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns • Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks • Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders • North Texas Mean Green • Troy Trojans • Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Non-football

Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans • Denver Pioneers • New Orleans Privateers • South Alabama Jaguars†
† - Will join the conference for football in 2011
Federation of North Texas Area Universities
Full Members

Texas A&M University–Commerce • Texas Woman's University • University of North Texas
Affiliate Members

Dallas County Community College District • Midwestern State University • University of Texas at Arlington • University of Texas at Dallas
Largest United States universities by undergraduate enrollment