On August 14, 2006, Gretchen M. Bataille made history when she became the University of North Texas' first female president.

As UNT's 14th president, President Bataille continues to make history for UNT. Under her leadership, UNT has grown into a top-flight public research university that continues to nurture its roots in the arts while also improving its recognized strengths in an array of scientific research areas. In fall 2008, UNT committed to invest $25 million in collaborative research clusters that will build on existing strengths and attract new faculty.

Founded in 1890 as a normal school, UNT today has 12 colleges and schools that offer nearly 250 degree programs, including 49 for doctoral study. UNT is home to one of the top music programs in the country, the only Ph.D. program in the country with an emphasis in environmental philosophy and ethics, and Discovery Park, a nearly 290-acre research park.

UNT is accomplishing its goals as a broad-based research university without ignoring the important state mandate to attract more students to higher education and close achievement gaps. The university's Emerald Eagle Scholars program — launched during President — ensures that financial restrictions don't prevent academically motivated students from pursuing a college education. In its first two years, the program has given more than 700 students the opportunity to attend UNT.

President Bataille has made UNT a leader when it comes to environmental standards. UNT became the first major Texas public university to sign the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment. The university also has become greener and leaner by recycling more, reducing its consumption and embracing a low-impact building philosophy that adheres to LEED standards for every major new building constructed.

During President Bataille's tenure, UNT has developed new international collaborations that include additional faculty and student exchanges, dual degree programs and opportunities for post-graduate education. UNT is committed to providing students an edge for competing in an increasingly globally focused world.

President Bataille also is committed to growing all of UNT's areas of excellence. Backed by the student body's approval of a dedicated athletics fee, she is leading the university's efforts to build a world-class athletic and entertainment complex that will match other state-of-the-art academic buildings on campus and serve as an important attraction for the region.

President Bataille also wants to ensure that student-athletes are successful academically, as well as athletically. The department's current overall GPA is at its highest since 2001. The women's soccer team received a national public recognition award for the second time in three years from the NCAA for finishing in the top 10 percent of the Academic Progress Rate for all Division I-A soccer programs. UNT Athletics also ranked first in the nation for two consecutive years and has received a grade of 'A+' on the Gender Equity Scorecard — a study by Penn State University-York that measures a university's commitment to women's athletics. UNT was the only school in the nation to receive an A+ in the rankings this year. The Mean Green women's tennis team also earned a 100 percent score in the NCAA's most recent Graduation Success Rate and tied for the top score in the Sun Belt Conference.

Since arriving at UNT, President Bataille has earned recognition for her achievements and for UNT's growing stature. The Dallas Business Journal named her as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in 2008 and the Fort Worth Business Press named her as one of 2008's Great Women of Texas. She also was named Advocate of the Year in 2009 by Communities in Schools of North Texas. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American Council on Education and for SAGE, one of the leading international academic presses. She also is currently on the DATCU Credit Union Board of Directors and the City of Denton Economic Development Partnership Board. She was a member of The Chronicle of Higher Education/New York Times Higher Education Cabinet and has served as a trustee of The College Board.

Before coming to UNT, President Bataille had a long track record of success in academe. From 2000 to 2006, she served as senior vice president for Academic Affairs for the 16-campus, 200,000-student University of North Carolina system. She also served a year as interim chancellor at the North Carolina School of the Arts at the request of UNC President Molly C. Broad. Prior to joining UNC, President Bataille held administrative positions at Washington State University, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Arizona State University.

Much of President Bataille's professional career has involved issues of diversity, civil rights, and ethnicity, and she is a noted scholar in the field of Native American literature and Indians in film and the author or editor of more than a dozen books. President Bataille earned a doctoral degree in English from Drake University and holds a master's degree in English Education and a bachelor's degree in English, both from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. Bataille is a widow and the mother of two grown children, Erin Hettinga Crail and Marc Hettinga.