Solutions for Education
The University of North Texas has been a bedrock of academic excellence since 1890, when it was founded as a teachers’ training institute. Through an array of outreach initiatives, the University starts early to plant seeds among middle and high school students. And once students arrive at UNT, faculty help develop them into highly trained professionals through innovative programs.
Faculty members like Victor Prybutok, Regents Professor of information technology and decision sciences, ensure that UNT's graduates have the preparation necessary to be successful in their fields.
Addressing Teaching Needs
Teach North Texas strengthens UNT’s commitment to prepare much-needed secondary math, science and computer science teachers. The program, a collaborative effort of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education, gives interested students a firsthand look at teaching and the chance to earn teacher certification with a math or science major. It is off to a strong start with high enrollment and philanthropic investments: $1.4 million from the Greater Texas Foundation and a challenge grant of $1 million from the National Math and Science Initiative, which is supported in part by the ExxonMobil Foundation. The Greater Texas Foundation recently gave an additional $150,000 grant to fund scholarships during the next two academic years and contribute to endowing the program permanently.
Preparing Educators
Innovative programs created at UNT help fill the nation’s high-need professions. The University’s bilingual certification program, for example, allows bilingual graduates to become bilingual and English-as-a-second-language teachers while maintaining a day job. Unlike alternative certification options, UNT’s program offers graduate courses that can be applied toward master’s or doctoral degrees in education. And the educational administration doctoral program offers a superintendent certification program with courses that count toward the doctorate.
Expanding Opportunities
UNT’s new College of Information, Library Science and Technologies expands UNT’s commitment to the information fields by offering students hands-on training in cutting-edge research that focuses on both information science and technology. The Department of Library and Information Sciences in the newly formed college also helps address the critical shortage of librarians in South Texas through its Rio Grande Initiative. The program places bilingual library science students in professional-in-training positions at libraries in border communities, allowing them to earn a master’s degree in library science online.
In fall 2008, UNT hosted the regional Texas BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology) robotics competition, which drew more than 1,000 middle and high school students.
Cultivating Future Scientists
Students come to UNT curious about how the world works and graduate as biologists, chemists and engineers. The University is committed to increasing the number of scientists and engineers through programs like FOCUS (Fostering Outstanding Cohorts in Undergraduate Sciences), a scholarship program for entering freshmen designed to retain and graduate more students in the sciences. And a new partnership with Haskell Indian Nations University establishes a direct track for Haskell graduates to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental science at UNT.
Reaching Out to Youth
UNT nurtures curiosity and learning by hosting youth outreach programs such as the Summer Math Institute, the Texas Governor’s School, Robocamp and the Environmental Protection Agency’s International Indigenous Youth Conference on the Environment and Culture. The math institute and governor’s school give young students opportunities to shine in math, science and technology while living on the UNT campus. The four-year-old summer Robocamp and newly established Robocamp Mobile Unit immerse young boys and girls in engineering. And the youth conference allows students from different corners of the world to discuss climate change and ways indigenous communities are addressing the problem.