Dear Alum,

At this year's Homecoming, I had the honor of spending time with our newest Golden Eagles at their 50th reunion. It was wonderful to be a part of the reunion dynamics and see the pride these individuals have in our university. I was truly impressed by the dedication shown by all of them, especially Ronald Ballard, Class of 1956 Golden Eagles Committee chair and emcee of the luncheon; Tommy and Gay Stewart, who traveled all the way from Alaska to attend the festivities; and Joe Batcha, a 1939 graduate who also made the trip back to Denton to join us.

While reading the notes our 1956 alumni sent us prior to their get-together, I was struck by the words and phrases used to describe their North Texas experiences: unforgettable, great fun and a wonderful education. Their words made it clear to me that the values of our university have not changed. I hear similar sentiments from parents who say that their students love UNT or that their student is flourishing at UNT. Our university continues to serve our students' needs and is a place where students feel valued and are learning the critical thinking and research skills necessary to be successful in life.

Preparing our world's thinkers and doers is the business of universities, and as alumni, you know firsthand the importance of that work. For 50 years, our 1956 graduates have served as leaders in education, research, business and their communities. Many of the rest of you also are successfully defining your path of leadership in your chosen fields and communities.

I encourage you to stay involved with UNT and to share your experiences and expertise with our global community. One way to do this is to become involved with our new Boardography program, which debuted this fall and is designed to match professionals and retirees to the boards of nonprofit organizations seeking new board members. Another way to share your experience is to volunteer in our Career Center as an alumni mentor available to talk with students interested in your profession.

Together, we are making a difference in the world. And with dedicated and exceptional alumni like you, I know UNT has a solid foundation from which we will continually build momentum for our incredible future as a student-centered public research university.

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
President

Carve green pride into your Halloween pumpkin
This fall, you might like to create a little spooky school spirit by carving UNT branded images into your Halloween pumpkins. To show off your green pride, just print your favorite template, tape it to your pumpkin and commence carving. I wish you cutting success! Please share pictures of your pumpkins with me at president@unt.edu, and I'll post a few of them on the Insider site.

Moving Forward: UNT receives $4 million for nanotechnology research
Researchers at UNT are using the latest technologies to develop lasting and stronger materials, smaller devices and more personalized medical applications. Their research is groundbreaking and may lead to the creation of stronger lightweight armor for humans and vehicles to aid in national defense; new bonding materials for NASA spacecraft; new, longer-lasting materials for hip and knee implantations; and new materials for the automotive, aerospace and construction industries. That's why we are pleased that the College of Engineering's Advanced Research and Technology Institute will receive an additional $4 million in federal funding to continue its important nanotechnology research. The institute, which will have received $15.7 million in defense funding over four years, is one of the premier materials science and engineering research facilities in the nation.

Alum donates $1 million to support accounting department
Our university owes a debt of gratitude to alumnus G. Brint Ryan of Dallas, a UNT accounting graduate who founded Ryan & Co. - America's largest independent state and local tax consulting firm. Brint recently donated $1 million to the UNT Foundation to create a permanent endowment fund that should generate about $40,000 a year for the Department of Accounting in our College of Business Administration.

UNT earns grant to take counseling program to Mexico
Our Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work and Addictions recently earned a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development/Mexico and Higher Education for Development program to bring its master of science degree program in rehabilitation counseling to Mexico, in partnership with the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. UNT was one of 10 universities nationwide to earn this grant.

Faculty Focus: Neil Slater
Neil Slater, director of UNT's internationally renowned One O'Clock Lab Band, was recently named Sammons Jazz Artist of the Year by the Sammons Center for the Arts, a nonprofit corporation in Dallas. Slater, chair of the jazz division in the UNT College of Music, also is a Grammy-nominated composer. One of his tunes, Call Waiting, is a track on Lab 2006, the famed band's latest CD that hit shelves Sept. 27. To learn how to order your copy, visit www.jazz.unt.edu.

UNT Traditions: The North Texas Daily celebrates 90 years
This year marks the 90th year that a student newspaper has been published on our campus. To celebrate, the Department of Journalism had a birthday cake decorating contest during Homecoming. The North Texas Daily became a four-day publication in 1970, which is when it got its current name. The newspaper began as the Campus Chat, a weekly paper. The early editions documented campus and world events, including former students killed in the First World War and warnings of the Spanish flu.

Featured Link: Eagle Feather
I recently had lunch with a group of Honors College students and enjoyed learning about their research projects, as well as their hopes to begin visiting middle schools to encourage those students to think about seeking their own higher education - at UNT, naturally. And as we work toward solidifying our reputation as a student-centered public research university, I thought you might be interested in some of the research our undergraduate students are conducting. The Eagle Feather, an annual interdisciplinary undergraduate research journal for students at UNT that's housed in our Honors College, is designed to promote high-quality research among undergraduates. I applaud the efforts of these students and their faculty mentors.

Exes invite you to join their online community
The North Texas Exes recently made it easier for you to get involved in their online community. In addition to a new look, the updated site features even more tools for alums and friends who are interested in connecting with each other and UNT. All alumni may access photo albums, send web postcards, read news clips and check out the events calendar, as well as post class notes and create personal profiles to share with other community members. Exes members can do all that and also will have the ability to exchange business cards, read class notes, use the searchable alumni database to find old friends and classmates and add photo albums to their personal profiles. To learn about fun alumni activities and chapters to join, visit www.ntexes.org.