Dear Alum,

As we prepare for the start of a new year, I want to thank each of you for your help in building a stronger, better UNT. This past year, we took steps to strengthen our university's foundation, improve our student experience and further build our reputation as a great student-centered public research university.

Our university also experienced record-breaking enrollment that further bolstered our status as one of Texas' fastest growing institutions and helped boost UNT's enrollment of African American and Hispanic students, as well as international students. Our students and faculty achieved extensive national recognition, evidenced by the number of awards they earned. And our athletic teams scored well in play and in the classrooms.

You'll also recall that we launched our Emerald Eagle Scholars program, which is dedicated to helping academically talented students with high financial need attend UNT. Our annual Emerald Ball serves to raise funds for this important program, and I am happy to announce that this year's celebration will be the Emerald Ball Goes Texan featuring Asleep at the Wheel. I hope to see you at the March 1 ball.

With your help, UNT will continue to make a difference in our communities, state, nation and world. I look forward to what we will achieve in 2008.

I invite you to read my holiday letter online at www.unt.edu/president/insider/dec07holiday/.

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
President

Features

Moving Forward: Students plan to spend holidays overseas
Several groups of UNT students will spend their holiday working to bring goodwill or studying in other countries. Two international studies students will spend part of their winter break working in Sierra Leone to attend the Youth Ambassador trip as part of the Global Youth Partnership for Africa, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that strives to change the way Americans understand and engage with Africa. Eight UNT students will spend their break in Nepal to study Human Interactions With the Environment, a winter intersession collaborative course offered by UNT, Kathmandu and Tribhuvan universities. And eight students from the College of Music will study culture and music at India's Mysore University as part of UNT's first formal educational exchange program with a university in India through the UNT Study Abroad Center.

Dee Knight

Student's case study to be published
Senior merchandising major Berkeley Stone recently co-wrote a case study with Dee Knight, assistant professor in the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management, that detailed Stone's experience working at a retail store. When a management position opened, the company hired an external candidate without approaching existing employees for the position, which was an action that did not follow company policy. The study, "The Outsider," will be published in a 2008 textbook by Fairchild Publications.

Garry Landreth

Faculty Focus: Garry Landreth
Regents Professor Garry Landreth has served UNT well during his tenure in the College of Education. In 1988, he founded UNT's Play Therapy Center, which is designed to help children express feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviors through play, their natural medium of communication. Last month, Dr. Landreth, along with the center's director, Sue Bratton, received the National Play Therapy Research Award from the Association of Play Therapy for their joint research efforts and two books on play therapy. I applaud their efforts, which have led to UNT being at the forefront in this area of study.

UNT Traditions: Dining halls serve up holiday dinner
Each year during dead week, all five of our residence hall cafeterias celebrate with a special holiday dinner. This year's dinner menu, which was served Dec. 5, included Cornish hens, carved roast beef and sliced ham as main entrees. Side items included green beans with almonds, baked acorn squash and burgundy pears. Red velvet cake, Rudra cheesecake, banana bread, chocolate nut bread and peppermint crunch bark were served as desserts. I believe that our students - particularly our international students eating a traditional American holiday meal for the first time - were impressed by the efforts of our talented culinary staff. I have asked Regenia Philips, director of dining services, to share a few recipes from this year's delicious holiday dinner.

Featured Link: Mean Green gifts
If you haven't finished your holiday shopping, think about giving the gift of green this year. Shop online for everything from UNT spirit wear to Mean Green gift wrap to complete your holiday shopping list. Or perhaps, you might enjoy giving a calendar that features UNT's legendary albino squirrel, the unofficial campus mascot. E-mail mkelly@library.unt.edu to learn how. In addition, don't forget that a membership to the Exes would make a great stocking stuffer.

Exes announce European tour
The North Texas Exes Alumni Association will host its first European tour for UNT students in 2008. The tour will depart May 13 and will span seven countries in 19 days. If 19 days isn't quite long enough, an additional five-day Greece add-on package is offered. All students are welcome, including friends from other universities. For additional information, contact the travel agency, e-mail the Exes at alumni@unt.edu or call (940) 565-2834. For more information on the Exes, visit www.ntexes.org.