V. Lane Rawlins

Dear Alum,

The 82nd Texas Legislative regular session now is over, so I want to update you on how we expect to fare with state funding. While the legislature has been in a special session, we don't anticipate any additional impacts.

UNT expects to have about $3.6 million more in state funding than the worst-case scenario anticipated for the 2011-12 fiscal year. We had prepared for a worst-case scenario, and prudence and strategic planning helped us weather the tough times. Now we can look to the future with renewed optimism.

While the better-than-expected outcome is welcome news, these are still cautious times because state funding is on the decline. Like all public universities, our resources are stretched. Many students are coming to us with need of financial support, which is why UNT made it a priority to allocate additional money for need-based financial aid for the upcoming fiscal year. We also are committed to high quality and value for the education that we provide our students. In the coming year, we have allocated money to hire additional faculty and lecturers and improve our classrooms to keep up with growth.

UNT has been — and will always strive to be — a strong public university providing a high-quality education that brings much value to our students and communities. My focus is to center this institution on having the best undergraduate education in Texas while enhancing our quality as a research institution so that we can be even better.

Sincerely,
V. Lane Rawlins
President

Features

Dan McCarney

First home game Sept. 10 will kick off new era in Mean Green football

We're gearing up for the 2011 football season with new head coach Dan McCarney and the opening of UNT's Mean Green Stadium, and I wanted to get you in the spirit. I'm giving away a pair of tickets to the Sept. 10 home game between the Mean Green and the University of Houston. Email me at president@unt.edu with "first home game" in the subject line by 5 p.m. July 6 for a chance to win tickets. Include your name, phone number, mailing address and T-shirt sizes. To buy tickets throughout the season, contact the Athletic Ticket Office at 800-868-2366 or ticketoffice@unt.edu. We hope to see fans filling the new stadium all season long!

Jincheng Du

Thomas Scharf

Moving Forward: Solid lubricant research paves way for more reliable aircraft

A study of high temperature solid lubricants by two UNT researchers could help minimize the negative effects of friction and wear in jet engines. Thomas Scharf, associate professor of materials science and engineering, and Jincheng Du, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, are studying how changes to the structure and chemistry of solid oxide lubricants can influence their high temperature properties. Dr. Scharf will use advanced electron microscopy and chemical spectroscopy tools housed in UNT's Center for Advanced Research and Technology to gain insight into how structural and chemical changes can improve the friction and wear resistance of these lubricants. Dr. Du's contributions will be on the modeling of defects and other related processes in solid lubricants. The National Science Foundation is funding their three-year project, which began in May.

Mark Ford

Corey Marks

UNT's Institute for the Advancement of the Arts names new faculty fellows

UNT's Institute for the Advancement of the Arts supports and showcases the excellence of faculty whose field of study is in the visual, performing and creative literary arts. This year, the IAA named Mark Ford, coordinator of percussion, and Corey Marks, associate professor of English, as faculty fellows for the 2011-12 academic year. During their fellowships, Ford plans to compose a concerto for wind ensemble and percussion soloist, while Marks will focus on writing a book of poetry. IAA fellows are granted release from their other faculty duties to concentrate on their creative endeavors full time for a semester.

New agreement eases student transfer process from NCTC to UNT

UNT is committed to ensuring that North Texas residents have access to affordable, high-quality public higher education. An admission partnership agreement between UNT and North Central Texas College will make it easier for students planning to transfer from NCTC to UNT to complete their bachelor's degrees, formalizing a longstanding partnership between the two institutions, and will give them access to UNT resources. The Eagle Bound Program allows NCTC students who meet UNT's admissions requirements and participate in the community college's honors program or earn an associate's degree in certain fields to receive automatic admission to UNT. Transfer advisors from UNT will be at NCTC campuses routinely to provide academic advising and admission counseling to students interested in transferring to UNT. In the past year, about 500 NCTC students transferred to UNT to complete their degrees.

James Morrow

Faculty Focus: James Morrow

James Morrow, Regents Professor of kinesiology, was named a 2011-12 Alliance Scholar by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, a highly coveted honor that recognizes researchers for their excellence in the field of kinesiology. Dr. Morrow's research focuses on the measurement and assessment of physical activity in children, youth and adults, and on solving problems related to the validity of self-measurement tools available to gauge physical activity. He also has worked to provide researchers and practitioners with reliable physical activity assessment tools.

Traditions: UNT Alpha Lambda Delta chapter

Since 1952, UNT's chapter of the national Alpha Lambda Delta honor society has recognized students who show great academic prowess in their first year at UNT. Students who are members of the UNT chapter have succeeded in maintaining a 3.5 or higher GPA and are in the top 20 percent of their class. UNT's chapter has nearly 500 members today and inducts on average 200 new members with every incoming freshman class. The honor society's mission is to promote a high standard of learning and to assist students in developing meaningful life and career goals.

Discovery Park

Featured Link: Discovery Park

UNT's Discovery Park is a hub for research that supports entrepreneurship and helps bring new technology to the marketplace. Businesses and entrepreneurs can collaborate with our talented faculty and students who are engaging in cutting-edge research to commercialize their technologies and bring about new innovations. Few other research parks have the faculty expertise and one-of-a kind research tools that Discovery Park has. In addition to fostering research, Discovery Park offers the business incubator and is home to UNT's Office of Technology Transfer. This business focus has helped attract startups such as Solar Logic. Learn more on Discovery Park's website.

UNT Alumni Association

The UNT Alumni Association and the Division of Advancement are accepting nominations for 2012 Alumni Awards, which recognize the outstanding achievements of UNT alumni and friends. Nominate your fellow alumni or friends of the university through Aug. 1. The nomination process has been streamlined and now just entails filling out a single-page nomination form. UNT will conduct biographical research on nominees, so letters of recommendation and other supporting materials are now optional. Award categories include Distinguished Alumni; Outstanding Alumni Service; Ulys Knight Spirit Award; and the new category of Distinguished Young Alumni for alumni under the age of 40. Recipients are honored every April at the Alumni Awards Dinner. Learn more about the Alumni Association by visiting www.UNTalumni.com or contact the Alumni Association at alumni@unt.edu or 940-565-2834.