Studies show that parents serve a critical role in supporting their child's transition to college. Your encouragement and understanding can contribute greatly to your students achievements in college.
Getting involved
UNT has an office solely devoted to parent programs, offering many ways for parents to get involved in their student's experience. One of the first things you can do to help ensure that your child makes a successful transition to college is to attend parent orientation, which is held concurrently with each freshman orientation session and several transfer orientations. Parent orientation allows you to meet faculty and administrators, become familiar with the campus and share ideas on your child's entry into college, even if this is not your first child to attend. Orientation leaders also distribute a parent handbook with essential phone numbers and other helpful information.
We also recommend that you join the UNT Parent Association, which allows you to play an active role in your student's accomplishments while building friendships with other parents. Benefits include a discount on Family Weekend, a monthly electronic newsletter, the UNT alumni magazine and a 10 percent discount on gifts and clothing at the UNT Bookstore. Children of members can also compete for the Parent Association scholarship. Annual family membership is $60; a lifetime family membership is $200. For details, e-mail parents@unt.edu or call (940) 565-4373.
Visiting campus
The best way to learn about UNT is to visit and tour the campus. Our walking tours include lots of information, a visit to a residence hall and the opportunity to ask questions of a current student. Tours are scheduled several times daily, including Saturdays, and begin at the Eagle Student Services Center. For reservations, call 940-565-4104 or schedule your tour online.
Once your student is enrolled, we encourage parents, grandparents, siblings and friends to join us for Family Weekend, which is held each fall. Events include a football game, chili cook-off and activities for siblings.
Campus safety
The university is very serious about student safety. UNT's crime rate compares favorably with other universities, particularly in Texas. (See conduct.unt.edu/campus_policy/crime_security_awareness.) UNT police patrol the campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in vehicles, on bicycle and on foot. At night, the campus is well lighted, and students may ride the night shuttle or call the UNT police for an escort, if needed. More than 60 emergency phones located throughout campus provide direct access to the campus police dispatcher at all times. UNT has an emergency preparedness plan, and parents can always access the university's home page for the latest information, even if university phone lines are not working.
Emergency notification
In an effort to quickly notify students with critical information in an emergency, UNT uses a system called Eagle Alert. Eagle Alert allows UNT administrators to quickly contact the campus community by phone about emergency situations affecting the safety and well being of people on and around the UNT campus. The system sends voice messages to the phones, including cell phones, of everyone with an EUID account in UNT's EIS system. The system also can send text messages to cell phones if you grant the system permission to do so before hand.
Job placement
When your student is nearing completion of their bachelor's degree, job placement services are available to help find a full-time job. The Career Center offers one-on-one advising, web-based job listings and on-campus interviews with employers. Also, Dallas is one of the 10 best cities in the country for college graduates seeking entry-level jobs. In fact, 93 percent of the 2006-07 graduating class is employed or attending a graduate or professional school.
Distinguished Alumni
UNT provides fertile, formative ground in which students can grow, and many UNT alumni have found fame. Multiple Grammy Award winner Norah Jones studied jazz in the College of Music before pursuing her career in New York. Phil McGraw (’76 M.A., ’79 Ph.D.) — also known as Dr. Phil, TV’s favorite self-help expert — earned his degrees from North Texas. Academy Award nominee Thomas Haden Church also studied here.
Other former students include journalist Bill Moyers and author Larry McMurtry (’58), actors Joe Don Baker (’58) and Peter Weller (’70), and artists Bill Worrell (’74 M.F.A.) and Jesús Moroles (’78), as well as Horatio Alger Award winner and California developer Ronald Waranch (’54).
Scores of musicians have attended UNT, ranging from legendary jazz guitarist Herb Ellis and School House Rock composer Bob Dorough (’49) to Metropolitan opera singers like Patricia Racette (’88) and rock ’n’ roll stars such as Don Henley. Former North Texas athletes include NFL Hall of Famer Joe Greene (’69) and American Football League star Abner Haynes (’62).
But the power of a UNT education doesn’t just belong to the famous. Constance Norris Lacy (’98), a 1998 Truman Scholar and manager of the Eddie Bernice Johnson Youth & Family Center in Dallas, supervises licensed clinicians who counsel students at 15 Dallas schools. Aaron Bonds (’72), a coach in the Agua Dulce Independent School District in South Texas, coordinates an after-school tutoring and life skills program. He also created a program to help high school student-athletes obtain athletic scholarships.
And with the help of UNT’s many alumni, the future for new generations remains bright. In 2006-07, the University’s endowment grew from $67 million to $91 million, providing necessary support to improve excellence.
View more of UNT's famous alums
Learn more
UNT's Parent Guide is available in both English and en Español to help answer your questions and to help you to prepare your student to succeed.