University of North Texas

Dec. 12, 2013

To the UNT family,

It is an incredible privilege to be selected as the next President of the University of North Texas. I want to thank the UNT System Board of Regents, Chancellor Lee Jackson and the Presidential Search Advisory Committee for this opportunity. I also want to join you in thanking President V. Lane Rawlins for his leadership during the past few years. He has done a wonderful job and leaves behind a solid foundation for building UNT’s future.

My wife, Debbie, and I are excited about returning to Texas and becoming members of the UNT community on Feb. 3, 2014. In the interim, I will be busy working with the President’s Cabinet and others on getting to know as much about UNT as I can.

Shortly after we get settled, I will take the time to meet with student groups to understand your concerns and to see how we can continue improving services, promoting academic success and enhancing the value of your degrees. I will take the time to listen to all the academic and administrative units on campus so that we can get to know each other. I want to know your hopes and dreams, to hear what challenges we face and to understand how we can work together to realize our goals. Your assessment of the many opportunities we have to strengthen our educational programs, and nurture scholarship and creative activities will be invaluable. Conversations with our alumni, our many supporters, and business and community leaders also will be a priority to gain input as we chart our future together.

I began many of those conversations today during one-on-one meetings with a number of groups, including the Student Government Association leadership, Faculty Senate and Staff Senate executives, the President’s Cabinet and deans, and UNT Foundation members. Those conversations were illuminating and I look forward to continuing the dialogue.

UNT is a strong and thriving institution. We hope to build our reputation as an emerging nationally prominent research institution and ensure that the good initiatives launched by past administrations continue to flourish. With additional input from our community, we will chart a course for how our great university can best serve Denton and the greater North Texas region.

My wife and I look forward to getting to know you, and until then we wish you all the best this holiday season.

Sincerely,

Neal Smatresk

President-Elect

University of North Texas