Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021

UNT World Faculty & Staff,

Watching the United States Capitol under siege Wednesday was shocking and heartbreaking. The news from our nation's capital certainly introduced another stress point into our lives, as many of us felt deeply disturbed about what unfolded. Despite yesterday's events, we strongly believe in the power of our democracy and our nation's ability to come together and heal. The courage and resolve shown by those who helped restore order as Congress returned to work Wednesday evening provides reason for optimism and hope. 

This is a time for our caring communities to come together and support one another regardless of political beliefs. Our UNT World family is strong and unified in our resolve to help bring healing and unity to our students, faculty and staff during this challenging time in our nation's history.

If you or your family members are feeling overwhelmed, please remember that we have resources available to help. The UNT System's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers free counseling (including same-day sessions if in crisis) to active and retired employees, as well as members of their household. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven day a week by calling 1-800-343-3822. To access benefits online, please visit https://www.awpnow.com and enter AWP-UNT-384 when prompted for a code. You can learn more about our EAP at: https://hr.untsystem.edu/employee-assistance-program.

The beginning of the new year has brought optimism, but challenges will continue to confront us in 2021 as we battle the pandemic and continue conversations regarding the issues of race relations, economic disruption and our current political divide. When working through these tough times and processing our emotions, please do not hesitate to ask for help as we look ahead to brighter days.

Together, our UNT World family will work to continue to move our students and our communities forward - despite the challenges we are facing.

Lesa Roe, Chancellor, UNT System

Neal Smatresk, President, University of North Texas

Michael Williams, President, UNT Health Science Center

Bob Mong, President, UNT Dallas