Dear Alum,

I received some great stories last month of alumni who met and fell in love on our campus. Even two surprise marriage proposals in front of friends. My thanks to them for sharing their fond memories with all of us.

On another bright note, I'm pleased to announce a couple of million-dollar awards to UNT. EDS of Plano contributed $6 million in software, which is a boon to our new College of Engineering. And, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded UNT more than $1.6 million in contracts to help our Information Systems Research Center manage VA cyber security.

Joining the UNT family to further promote such partnerships with industry and government is our first vice president for research and technology transfer, T. Lloyd Chesnut. As UNT's chief research officer, he will lead the development of the UNT Research Park, which will create new research opportunities for faculty and students, increase external research funding and promote the commercial application of technology derived from UNT research. All this will contribute to the economic development of North Texas.

Stay tuned, because next month I will announce the results of the Homecoming theme survey. For now, please enjoy this month's newsletter.

Until next time,
Norval

March 2003
STORIES BELOW

Free College of Music concert on HDTV

New medicine delivery system

UNT Humanitarian Laureate

Harry S. Truman Scholarship finalist

Campus beautification

UNT cool link of the month:
Oscar predictions

UNTrivia:
Which of UNT's programs was the first of its kind in Texas to offer hands-on summer training for college credit?

National broadcast
Imagine being mesmerized by a concert of the College of Music's Symphony Orchestra in the comfort of your own home. For those of you with high-definition TVs, imagine no further. This week, HDNet, distributed on DIRECTV and Charter Cable, will tape a UNT concert in surround sound. The concert will be nationally broadcast the first week of April on the High Definition TV Network.
http://web2.unt.edu/news/index.cfm?id=1562

Self-regulating gels
The way we take medications is changing. Some day we'll eliminate side effects like nausea. We'll program medicine to deliver to specific parts of the body. How? Using hydrogels. Zhibing Hu, a UNT physics professor, is one of only 100 scientists in the world who develop hydrogels. These gels may one day serve as artificial muscles and even improve diapers. Read why.
www.unt.edu/resource/02smartgelsfeature.htm

Educate by civic example
UNT honored Hunger Busters founder Philip J. Romano with the inaugural North Texas Humanitarian Award in February for his work to feed hungry families in Dallas. The restaurateur received an original work of art handcrafted by two students as an honorarium. He and future recipients will be known as UNT Humanitarian Laureates for inspiring the UNT family.
www.unt.edu/inhouse/february212003/
humanitarianaward.htm

Making a difference
Sandra Ehlert, a mother whose children have graduated from college, is now the scholar in the family. A senior anthropology major, Sandra is a Harry S. Truman Scholarship finalist -- the sixth UNT student finalist since 1998. The scholarship awards outstanding students who are interested in public service careers. Read Sandra's compelling story and join me in wishing her luck.
http://web2.unt.edu/news/index.cfm?id=1547

Keep UNT beautiful
We are kicking off the First Great UNT Cleanup and Beautification Day on April 5 in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful's annual event. UNT volunteers, including me, will pitch in across campus to plant trees, clean flower beds, pick up litter and paint murals. If you don't mind donning a pair of work gloves, join us! Contact information is provided at the link below.
www.unt.edu/president/insider/mar2003/beauty.htm

Cool link: And the Oscar goes to…
Want a sneak preview of this year's Oscar winners? Don Staples, our very own RTVF prof and film historian, has predicted Oscar winners with 85 percent accuracy for the past 33 years. Compare his predictions at the link below to the Academy Award ceremony announcements on March 23.
www.unt.edu/inhouse

UNTrivia: Which of UNT's academic programs was the first of its kind in Texas to give college credit for summer on-the-job training?

a. Journalism
b. Management
c. Merchandising

Answer

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