Ric Anzaldua: There is more to this UNT data analyst than crunching numbers
Ricardo "Ric" Anzaldua likes to look at numbers. He likes to gather them and arrange them and analyze them and then, finally, report them. As assistant director of institutional research, Anzaldua is responsible for official UNT data and for analyzing data gathered from surveys like the student satisfaction survey.

"I guess it was kind of an accident that I ended up in statistics. When I was in college, I didn't really know what I wanted to major in, but I kept taking math classes for some reason. When it came time for me to finally choose a major, I just chose math because I already had so many credits and it would be the cheapest to finish. It did not seem too bad," Anzaldua says.

He earned a bachelor's degree in math from Trinity University and his master's degree in statistics from the University of Vermont. Anzaldua is currently working on his doctoral degree in educational research at UNT.

When he's not analyzing numbers, Anzaldua likes to read non-fiction books that cover current events. He even has different books for reading in different settings.

"Right now, there is a book that I go to Borders and take off their shelf to read, about a chapter each time I go. I drink a lot of coffee that way. I also have a book that I only read when I fly. I like to read books about things happening right now because I think I have a frame of reference for them because I have lived through them," he says.

Anzaldua is also an avid traveler, making an annual trip to New York to see Broadway plays and enjoy the sights and sounds. He has seen the revivals of Chicago and Cabaret and also Rent and Titanic.

"My favorite thing to do when I visit New York is to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I've walked it in the snow, heat and ice. The bridge has wooden slats and you can see the cars below you and then the water below them. You can also feel the bridge sway," he says.

Anzaldua is also an avid fan of Star Trek but says he doesn't consider himself a "Trekkie" because he hasn't been to a convention or ever dressed up like a character from one of the series.

"I really liked Star Trek: The Next Generation and Voyager because of all of the adventures that they went on. I didn't like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as much because they were stationary and all of their adventures had to come to them," he says.

BY ALLISON YEAMAN paiswri3@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue:

• UNT's University Day April 5
• Next week marks International Week 2002 at UNT
• Interactive campus map premieres on UNT web site
• UNT Earth Day activities aimed at building community pride
• UNT professor leads research at Winter Paralympic Games
• UNT Faculty Senate approves changes to senate's bylaws and charter
• UNT College Bowl team to compete against faculty, staff
• InHouse@UNT awarded for visual design
• Staff Council plans resolution to support UNT-provided child day care program
• UNT units on the move

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