Dear Alum,

UNT has long had a passion for all things green, and since its earliest days, that source of pride has been associated with its tradition of environmental consciousness.

Earlier this month, our university became the first large public university in Texas to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, a growing nationwide initiative dedicated to counteracting climate change by taking steps to make our campuses climate neutral.

By signing the agreement, I am committing UNT to completing an emissions inventory, setting a target date and interim milestones for becoming climate neutral, taking immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, continuing to integrate sustainability into the curriculum and making it part of the educational experience, and making the action plan, inventory and progress reports publicly available.

Signing this commitment further demonstrates the University of North Texas' focus on being a green campus. It also supports the array of sustainability efforts we already are undertaking and provides a path for our future green commitment plans.

For example, I recently appointed a sustainability council, which comprises faculty, staff and students from a variety of disciplines and departments, to undertake the tasks of assessing what sustainability efforts are occurring on campus; identifying what else we can be doing as a campus to promote sustainability; and determining how to implement the objectives promoted in the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. In addition, UNT has implemented extensive ecologically friendly and energy efficient standards, including a commitment that any new buildings constructed on campus meet the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard.

And all of these efforts complement UNT's existing focus on environmental issues, which includes extensive faculty and student involvement in green research and learning opportunities available in almost every discipline.

After all, being green is just natural at the home of the Mean Green.

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
President

Features

Win the book for UNT's new One Book, One Community program
This fall, we will launch our One Book, One Community reading program, which we hope will bring our UNT community together with Denton and surrounding communities to discuss American identity and immigration. The annual year-long reading and discussion program focuses activities on a chosen theme and a book that reflects that theme. Our inaugural year will feature Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees and the theme of "American Identity in an Age of Immigration: Beyond the Melting Pot." To encourage you to read the book and join our conversation, I am giving away several copies of The Bean Trees. To participate, e-mail me at president@unt.edu by 5 p.m. May 15.

Moving Forward: Solutions For Our Future
UNT's collaborative research efforts in Chile are featured on the American Council for Education's Solutions For Our Future going green web site, which is dedicated to spotlighting the important environmental work happening at universities across the nation. Solutions For Our Future is an important campaign dedicated to improving public awareness about the many ways universities change the world. The UNT Chile project aims to develop a plan to protect, preserve and sustain the Cape Horn Biosphere Preserve, one of the last true wilderness areas in the world. The preserve lies at the tip of South America and is the largest protected area in Latin America, 10 times the size of Yellowstone National Park.

Alumni reception in Santa Fe
I invite you to join me for "UNT in Santa Fe" May 15-18, when various Santa Fe galleries with UNT connections will open their doors for our Weaving Threads of Green Gallery Tours. Some of the Santa Fe galleries welcoming our alumni and friends include the Frank Howell Gallery, featuring the works of alumnus Bill Worrell, and the Tony Altermann Gallery, featuring the sculptures of alumnus Jesús Moroles. Altermann also is an alumnus. Receptions to meet the artists will be scheduled throughout the weekend as we celebrate the legacy of artistic excellence at UNT in Santa Fe, a city known for its rich artistic traditions.

UNT-UAEM partnership progresses
UNT's collaboration with Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, or UAEM, marked an important milestone when Rosa Fonseca, a senior political science major, began her studies at UAEM earlier this spring. She is the first UNT undergraduate student to study at UAEM in a semester exchange program. The two universities have been partners since 2002 and collaborate on the academic training of students from both institutions and in research projects in materials science, environmental science, physics and related fields as well as political science, psychology and languages. UAEM opened an office on the UNT campus in 2005.

Faculty Focus: Earl G. Zimmerman
Congratulations to Earl G. Zimmerman, professor of biological sciences. He recently was awarded the Robert L. Packard Outstanding Educator Award from the Southwestern Association of Naturalists. The award is presented to an association member who has made significant contributions to the understanding of the plant and animal life of the southwestern United States, Mexico and Central America through teaching or presenting scientific information to the general public. I congratulate Dr. Zimmerman on his success and thank him for his commitment, the contributions of his research and his dedication to students.

UNT Traditions: Alumni Appreciation
UNT and its many academic departments have long set aside time to recognize successful and dedicated alumni by inviting them back to campus for special events at Alumni Appreciation Day. I want to congratulate those of you who were recognized as outstanding alumni at our recent celebration and thank many more of you for your wonderful support of your fellow graduates by attending these special festivities. Alumni like you are important to us and this is just one of the many ways we can say thank you while getting the chance to learn more about what you've been up to since graduating.

Featured Link: UNT Research
I recently told you about the wonderful strides UNT is making in its research goals because of the expertise and dedication of our faculty, staff and students. I invite you to learn more about the fascinating research happening on our campus by visiting UNT Research. This issue of our research magazine showcases the work of numerous faculty researchers such as Nandika D'Souza, associate professor of materials science and engineering, for her work in the field of bioplastics and Kris Chesky, director of education and research at the Texas Center for Music and Medicine at UNT, for his work in the area of noise-induced hearing loss in musicians. The magazine also takes a look at what UNT is doing to fill the national need for more math and science educators. I hope you enjoy this issue.

Alumni association introduces new online networking
The North Texas Exes Alumni Association is excited to offer the UNT Alumni Network, an online networking tool that helps alums stay personally and professionally connected. All members of this new online network are alumni and friends who have been invited to join this private community. The network can help you find classmates, identify alumni who share your hobbies, establish new business contacts and more. For more information, visit www.ntexes.org or call 940-565-2834.