Robert Mong

Robert Mong, recently retired editor of The Dallas Morning News, was recently named the third president of the University of North Texas Dallas.

During his 36-year career at The News, Mong served as the paper’s managing editor and later as editor in chief. During his time in news leadership, the paper won nine Pulitzer Prizes and named Pulitzer finalist 16 other times. He also gained significant business experience as the paper’s general manager for three years and before that as CEO and publisher of the then company owned Owensboro (Ky) Messenger-Inquirer.

Throughout his professional career, higher education has been the principal outlet for his volunteer activities. He has developed volunteer ties to UNT Denton, UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, SMU, Austin College, UT-Austin and LSU – among other institutions.

Since 2000, Mong has chaired the board of visitors at the Manship School of Communication at LSU. He has been active at UNT Denton since the presidency of Al Hurley. Mong helped start the Mayborn Literary Non Fiction Conference at UNT and was an active member of the school’s journalism dean search committee that hired Dorothy Bland.

He also serves on the journalism advisory board at SMU and has been a frequent speaker and lecturer on campus. 

Mong also has been a national leader in developing joint teaching and reporting appointments with universities. He was instrumental in putting together joint appointments between The News and SMU, UT-Dallas and UT-Arlington. He also worked closely with UT-Austin to create fellowships for promising journalism students at The News’ Washington and Austin bureaus, and he helped establish a permanent Dallas Morning News Professional in Residence in the UT-Austin school of communication.

While serving as The News’ managing editor, Mong chaired the minorities committee of what is now the American Society of News Editors. He also chaired the society’s Human Resources Committee.

In 2014 Mong was instrumental in attracting a $250,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to create the Hispanic Families Network. The network trains Hispanic parents in three Dallas neighborhoods to report on early childhood education issues. The News partnered with SMU to train participating parents. 

Mong served as chairman of The Dallas Morning News Charities from 1998 to 2015, raising money for the hungry and homeless in North Texas.

In 2004, he won the national Empathy Award, sponsored by the Volunteers of America. The award each year recognizes a journalist who has made their community a better place to live.

He also served on the executive board of the American Press Institute, chairing its marketing and program committees. 

Mong currently is on the steering committee of the Dallas Festival of Ideas.

A 1971 graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, he attended on a Scott Paper Company scholarship. He received the Archibald Macintosh Award for scholarship, integrity and academic achievement. He captained both the school’s football and baseball teams and his .357 batting average ranks 10th all-time at Haverford.

He attended Stanford University’s Executive Program in the Graduate School of Business.

Mong is married to former Los Angeles Times reporter Diane Reischel, and they have two adult children – Eric, 24, entering medical school in the fall and Elizabeth, 22, entering divinity school in August.