President Keller throws an eagle claw with Scrappy

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Welcome to Fall 2026, UNT students!

It was a joy to spend time on campus yesterday greeting students and hearing what you hope to accomplish this year. Your energy is contagious, and I'm reminded every August why I love the start of a new academic year here at UNT.

I welcomed our incoming Class of 2030 into the Mean Green Family last week at New Student Convocation and shared our commitment to UNT students with them: we will challenge you, we will support you, and we will celebrate everything you accomplish. That commitment extends to every student on this campus, whether you're just beginning your UNT journey or getting ready to cross the stage.

We measure our success by your success, and this year we're adding even more ways to help you succeed. We're aligning career coaches and academic advisors more closely, so the guidance you get ties your coursework and experiences directly to your goals. We're also expanding peer mentor support for all first-time-in-college students and giving returning students a chance to pass along what they've learned to the newest members of our Mean Green Family.

More of you are putting what you’re learning into practice, whether through internships, projects, or capstones with industry and community partners. Our continued partnership with Braven equips sophomores and juniors with career-ready skills and connects them with professional mentors and coaches.

We're also investing in our faculty, so they have what they need to teach, mentor, and share their knowledge with you in new ways. This summer, we joined the Future Universities Alliance’s inaugural Innovation Sandbox, allowing us to learn from some of the most innovative institutions in the world to bring those ideas home to North Texas.

We're focused on helping you move efficiently toward your degree, connecting you with internships and research experiences along the way, and making sure the knowledge, skills, and relationships you build here open doors to the careers you want.

As you settle into the semester, I encourage you to make the most of your year. Find a club, an organization, or a research project that excites you. Get to know a professor. Show up for our Mean Green athletics teams. Lean on your advisors, your peer mentors, and the resources we've built for you — they are here because we are invested in your success.

I'm proud to lead this university, and I'm even more proud to be part of the Mean Green Family with all of you. Here's to a great year ahead.

Go Mean Green!

Harrison Keller, Ph.D.
UNT President