University of North Texas

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University of North Texas
Motto:	"Only the educated are free" - Epictetus[citation needed]
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. 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 third largest in the state by enrollment. The university is also the tenth largest university by undergraduate enrollment in the United States.^[5]

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).

[edit] Academics

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

• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business Administration
• College of Education
• College of Engineering
• College of Music
• College of Public Affairs and Community Service
• College of Visual Arts and Design
• School of Library and Information Sciences
• School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management
• Toulouse School of Graduate Studies

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.

[edit] 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 [2] 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.

[edit] College of Business Administration

The UNT College of Business Administration 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 Administration 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.

[edit] College of Engineering

In the spring semester of 2003, UNT opened the College of Engineering at its Research 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, engineering technology, and materials science. Electrical engineering began offering a master's degree in 2007. Doctoral degrees are offered in computer science and materials science.

[edit] 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 medical informatics. UNT SLIS, which is accredited by the American Library Association, offers classes at its campus in Denton, in Dallas and Houston, and in Nevada and Minnesota. The school also hosts the University's Interdisciplinary Information Science Ph.D. program.

[edit] 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 Anshel Brusilow 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, and Dr. Paul E. Dworak.

North Texas was the first university to offer a degree in Jazz Studies in 1947. 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.

[edit] 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 2004, 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 10th nationally. In 2005, the department launched a doctoral program offering a Ph.D. in public administration and management.

[edit] 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, COVAD 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Program Accreditation

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

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
• Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA)
• Accreditation Council for Cooperative Education (ACCE)
• Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)
• American Chemical Society (ACS)
• American Library Association (ALA)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
• Association for Behavior Analysis (ABA)
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)
• Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
• Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
• Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA)
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• National Recreation and Park Association/American Association of Leisure and Recreation (NRPA/AALR)
• State Board for Educator Certification in Texas

[edit] Athletics

Main article: North Texas Mean Green

UNT's Athletic Teams are commonly referred to as the Mean Green

UNT competes at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivison (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, In-Line Hockey, Men's & Women's Lacrosse, Racquetball, Men's Rugby, Men's Soccer, Tennis, Triathletes, Men's & Women's Ultimate Disc, Wakeboarding.

[edit] 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. Plans for a new stadium are in the works but no start date for construction has been made.

[edit] 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

[edit] North Texas firsts

• First aging studies program in the U.S., now the Department of Applied Gerontology, Center for Studies in Aging.
• First jazz studies program in the U.S.
• First emergency administration and disaster prevention program in the U.S.
• First environmental ethics program in the country to offer the Ph.D., which is considered the best in the nation
• First Peace Studies program in the Southwest.
• First oil and petroleum accounting program in the U.S.
• First patent for silicon-based ultra-sensitive chemical sensor for use in integrated circuit fabrication.
• First business computer information systems program in the U.S.
• First PhD program in art education in the U.S.
• First bachelor's degree in electronic merchandising in the U.S.
• First online school library preparation program in the U.S.
• First accredited counseling program in the U.S., which still ranks among the nation's best.
• First school in the country to offer a degree in Mechanical and Energy Engineering.
• First college in the South to integrate; Class of 1956 was first integrated graduating class.
• First football team in modern history to go to a bowl game after posting a losing overall record. The Mean Green finished 5-6 overall in 2001 but won the Sun Belt with a 5-1 conference record, thus earning an automatic bid to the New Orleans Bowl.

[edit] Residence Halls

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

• Bradley Street Apartments - mainly for couples and students with children.
• Bruce Hall - the oldest resident hall on campus, with 492 resident spaces.
• Clark Hall
• College Inn
• Crumley Hall - an all female dorm that is also the home to the central offices for Housing and Dining.
• Kerr Hall
• Honors Hall
• Legends Hall
• Maple Street Hall
• McConnell Hall - the dorm reserved solely for TAMS students.
• Mozart Square
• Santa Fe Square
• Traditions Hall
• Victory Hall
• West Hall

[edit] 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".[6]

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^[8]. 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^[9]. By May 2007, another albino squirrel had been born on the campus^[10].

[edit] Greek Life

As of Spring 2008, the following are officially recognized chapters at UNT: [7], [8]

[edit] Panhellenic Council

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

[edit] Interfraternity Council

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

[edit] 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

[edit] Multicultural Council

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

[edit] 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 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

[edit] Traditions and symbols

[edit] 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!

[edit] 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!

[edit] Traditions

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

• The Spirit Bell is a 2,000-pound bell brought in from Michigan in 1891 to signal class changes and curfew. Members of the Talons spirit group later began running it up and down the field at football games; it was retired to the University Union in 1982 after it developed a crack. A 1,600-pound Spirit Bell is currently in use at games.
• McConnell Tower, the clock tower atop the Hurley Administration Building in the center of campus, is bathed in green light for each victory by a UNT athletic team. It appears on the official class ring with two different times on its faces: 1:00 (for the One O'Clock Lab Band) and 7:00 (the 1892 curfew time for Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute students).
• The eagle talon hand gesture is made by curling the thumb, index and middle fingers forward, leaving the ring finger and pinky closed against the palm.
• A Bonfire is built with thousands of pallets donated by Miller Brewing of Denton and the local Peterbilt plant. The pallets are stacked in a 40-foot by 40-foot footprint then stacked to a final height of 25 feet. It is assembled by members of the Talons spirit group the week before Homecoming and is lit on the Friday night of Homecoming week (when a burn ban is not in effect).
• BOOMER the CANNON, hand crafted from solid oak on the Denton campus, the 7/8th scale M1841 6 pound, smooth bore muzzleloader cannon has been used to signify scores by the Mean Green since Fall 1970. Since that time "Boomer the Cannon" has gone through three different phases of restoration by Talon alumni. The final was in the Fall of 2007 in which the final phase saw him fitted with a custom Limber to assist with transportation and equipment handling.
• The Green Machine is a green 1929 Ford Model A Tudor Sedan and is driven by members of the Talons Cannon Crew at home football games and special events. This should not be confused with the Mean Green Machine, a large mechanical eagle trailed by remote panel in a truck, controlled by three physics students, that made Homecoming and other appearances between 1968 and 1976.
• "In High Places", a 22-foot-tall bronze statue of a flying eagle created by Gerald Balciar, is a popular landmark and meeting place, and is often decorated in green for school spirit. It was dedicated during the university's centennial celebrations in 1990.

[edit] Student media

• The Aerie, student yearbook
• KNTU (88.1 FM), campus radio station with a primarily jazz format
• The North Texas Daily, student newspaper published Tuesday-Friday during the fall and spring semesters and weekly during the summer
• North Texas Review, student-submitted, student-run literary journal
• NTTV, 24-hour cable television station featuring student-produced and student-centered programming

[edit] In the Media

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• In 1991, the UNT campus was used to depict the then-fictional Texas State University campus for the film Necessary Roughness. Southwest Texas State University changed its name to Texas State University-San Marcos in 2003.
• Again in 1995, the rugby union film "A Matter of Honor" was film primarily at Fouts Field and on the football practice fields.

[edit] 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.^[11] North Texas alumni hold a variety of titles and jobs in fields such as arts, athletics, business, media and politics. 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, and former congressman Ray Roberts of the 26th Texas district (also namesake of nearby Lake Ray Roberts). 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 and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry. Phil McGraw ('79), American television personality, psychologist and author who is the host of the psychology themed television show Dr. Phil.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• University of North Texas
• North Texas Exes Alumni Association
• North Texas Athletics
• North Texas Daily, the campus newspaper