View from the Chancellor's Office

UNT World Faculty & Staff:

It’s hard to believe we are already one month into 2021. While the year began with tension in our nation’s capital, there is reason for hope and optimism as our elected leaders look to find common ground for the greater good of our nation as we overcome so many current challenges.

Political views aside, it is exciting to see a woman as Vice President for the first time in American history. Today, we can sincerely tell our sons and daughters that they can truly become anything they want when they grow up. The inauguration of Vice President Harris signifies a new era in our country and reinforces the culture of equity, diversity and inclusion we foster across UNT World.

With the spring semester now in full swing, our UNT World is bustling across all locations. Listed below are several short updates to help keep our team members informed:

COVID-19 UPDATE
As with last semester, we continue to operate a hybrid model of sorts for both classroom and office activities due to coronavirus safety protocols – continuing to limit in-person interactions when possible and maximizing space for safe social distancing when in-person is necessary. With COVID-19 vaccines still largely unavailable to lower-risk populations and the virus continuing to spike across North Texas, the safety of students, faculty and staff remain our top priority. Both UNT and UNT Health Science Center continue to operate testing centers, and both institutions are vaccination centers as well. For the latest updates on COVID-19, please visit the UNT System home page and click on the appropriate link for your location.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The 87th Texas Legislature has convened as of Jan. 12, however the pandemic has left much of the actual operations of the House and Senate in an evolving situation. Activities on most legislation is currently pending the appointment of House committees and finalization of other organizational issues. The appropriations legislation that is critical to our funding has been filed in both House and Senate Bills and is at a reasonable starting point, given the state’s many revenue challenges due to the pandemic. We will be working hard during this session to reinstate reductions in these bills as our institutions are critical to economic recovery in Texas.

‘ASK ME ANYTHING’ EVENT PROVIDES EMPLOYEES WITH ADDITIONAL TOUCHPOINT
With continued emphasis on employee communications during the pandemic, UNT System Chief Financial Officer Dan Tenney and Chief Communications Officer Paul Corliss hosted their second “Ask Me Anything” discussion on Jan. 21. The livestream included a candid Q&A with a panel of leaders covering a wide-range of topics. To watch the full video of the Q&A, featuring UNT System Vice Chancellors Sheraine Gilliam-Holmes, Steve Maruszewski and Chris McCoy, as well as UNT Health Science Center Vice President Chuck Fox, click here. Our next “Ask Me Anything” is scheduled for April 29 – details to be announced in the near future. 

UNT AND UNT DALLAS LAUDED FOR SUPPORT OF FIRST-GEN STUDENTS
Local nonprofit ScholarShot recently released its annual report card that ranks Texas universities for support of first-generation college students. UNT ranks No. 1 in the state and UNT Dallas tied for No. 3 (UNTD topped the list in 2019). For 2020, universities were judged in the categories: Student Outcomes, COVID-19 Response, Community Support, Academic Engagement, Financial Management and Intervention. Click here to view the ScholarShot report card in its entirety.  

TARRANT COUNTY PARTNERS WITH HSC TO EXPAND VACCINATION ACCESS
Tarrant County has entered a partnership with our UNT Health Science Center to help vaccinate more people in the county. The partnership was approved last week during a county commissioner’s court meeting where Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams – HSC’s Sr. Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer – provided recommendations. Dr. Trent-Adams, former acting U.S. Surgeon General, joined HSC in August, 2020. Click here for more from NBC5 and MSN.com.

UNT NAMED A TOP 10 DESTINATION FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS
According to U.S. News and World Report, UNT is a top 10 destination for transfer students, In Fall 2019, we welcomed 4,152 new transfer students. The average number for the 1,138 ranked colleges and universities providing the information in the annual U.S. News survey was 497. Congratulations to President Smatresk and his team on this student-centric achievement, and thank you to those who have helped make the transfer process a smooth one for students, and fostering an environment where they can thrive and fulfill their goals.

UNT SYSTEM ORG CHANGES FOCUS ON EFFICIENCY AND SERVICE
Guided by stakeholder input across UNT World, this week we announced organization changes in Human Resources and Procurement that go into effect on Feb. 1. The HR realignment will better serve our institutions with a renewed focus on providing services specifically tailored to the unique needs of each campus. The Procurement restructure is designed to modernize processes and streamline functionality across our campuses and UNT System headquarters in order to create sustainable efficiencies.

UNT World Faculty & Staff:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has certainly been a year like no other. But there is much to be grateful for as we approach the Fall Holiday Break this week.

UNT World has not only survived the fall semester, we have also improved our financial posture, while growing enrollment, degrees awarded, research, endowments and workplace engagement since last year. During last week’s virtual Board of Regents meeting, one of our most-respected regents made the following comment:

“In March there was so much risk that I didn’t see how we were going to make it through. To contrast that with where we are now … it is remarkable. I see companies that had the same risk and they didn’t come out so well. We owe that to your leadership and the leadership across this system.”

Powerful words and a testament to all of you. Our faculty and staff have been resilient and adaptable. Your efforts in mitigating COVID-19 risks – from simply wearing a mask and maintaining social distancing protocols, to the many volunteers helping with contact tracing across our system, to our clinics and health workers, to our maintenance workers and cleaning crews – are making a difference.

UNT HOLDS SOCIALLY-RESPONSIBLE OUTDOOR COMMENCEMENT

About 2,700 people — Fall graduates and their guests (limited to two each for social distancing purposes) — took advantage of the in-person opportunity to celebrate all they've accomplished at 2020 Fall Commencement on Sunday in Apogee Stadium. The event included the ceremonial conferral of degrees and the turning of tassels and rings. "Earning a college degree is a tremendous accomplishment and something that always deserves major celebration," President Smatresk told the graduates. "When you add a pandemic into the mix, it prompts unexpected changes to nearly every area of life, your ability to persist and complete what you started many years ago, and it makes it yet more impressive that you're here today." 

UNT WORLD HONORED FOR RENOVATION OF UNT DALLAS LAW CENTER 
The AIA Dallas Design Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in architectural design by AIA Dallas chapter members and AIA Northeast Texas section members. The Design Awards announced the historic transformation of Old City Hall into the UNT Dallas Law Center as a 2020 Winner for its responsiveness to beauty, poetry, site condition and context, inspiration, process, and environmental, economic and social impact. Congratulations to the UNT System and UNT Dallas team members who helped lead this remarkable project. CLICK FOR MORE.

HSC RESEARCH HELPS IDENTIFY ECONOMIC GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Startup businesses have a substantial impact on job creation in Tarrant County and could be a key to the recovery from the economic fallout of COVID-19, according to new research funded by The University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth. New companies — defined as businesses zero to 1 year old — created 25,157 jobs in 2018 and more than 25,000 jobs in Tarrant County every year from 2013 to 2018, according to the Fall 2020 Jobs Report released by Sparkyard, a free resource to connect entrepreneurs to resources. The report is first-of-its-kind research in Texas and represents a new way to show the impact that new firms have on job creation in our local economy. CLICK FOR MORE.

NEW HR LEADER SET TO JOIN UNT WORLD IN 2021
Following a national search, we recently named Sheraine Gilliam-Holmes as the UNT System’s new Vice Chancellor for Organizational Effectiveness & Chief Human Capital Officer – Gilliam-Holmes will begin her new position on Jan. 2, 2021. Sheraine spent the last two years at Austin Peay State University as Executive Director & Chief Human Resources Officer, and previously served in HR leadership positions for The City University of New York (CUNY) System from 2012 to 2018. 

A member of the National Board of Directors for the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), Sheraine will replace Dan Tenney as our HR leader. Dan filled in admirably as Interim Chief Human Capital Officer over the past three months – in addition to his full-time role as UNT System Vice Chancellor & Chief Financial Officer – following the departure of Barbara Abercrombie in September. 

UNT SYSTEM ED&I TEAM HELPS SHINE THOUGHTFUL LIGHT ON FALL HOLIDAY BREAK
Recently, our UNT System Human Resources team that is responsible for equity, diversity and inclusion adopted the term “Fall Holiday Break” in lieu of “Thanksgiving Break” for this week’s annual November respite from the office and classroom. Be sure to visit ED&I's new Calendar of Holidays & Observances.

There are many recent articles that take a deeper look at the complex history of the Thanksgiving holiday, including this recent piece in USA Today. And while we recognize “Fall Holiday Break” as a more inclusive term for the coming long weekend, rest assured that I am thankful for all that you do and hope your time off is safe, relaxing and fulfilling.

COVID-19 SPIKE REMINDS US ALL TO REMAIN CAUTIOUS
As positive COVID-19 cases continue to spike in North Texas and beyond, please remain diligent and mindful of CDC guidelines for events and gatherings. HSC's DayXDay website continues to offer many helpful tips and news items to help us all through this challenging time. Leadership teams across UNT World will continue making the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff our top priority. 

Be safe this long weekend!

Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor

UNT World Faculty & Staff:

Now roughly one month into the fall semester, I’m happy to report that while nothing is flawless, our coronavirus safety protocols are working. Below is a summary of data we released on Sept. 18 as part of a formal public information request by the New York Times.

At UNT, the total number of COVID-19 tests completed as part of our university program is 3,403. This includes random testing and patient-requested testing performed at our Student Health & Wellness Center, as well as routine testing performed as part of our NCAA Division I athletics testing program. Out of these we have had just 69 positives. In addition faculty, staff and students have voluntarily reported 152 positive tests performed by others. Between UNT Dallas and UNT Health Science Center, we have less than 40 positive cases reported.

This good news doesn't mean we can put our guard down, as we've seen several institutions of higher education become coronavirus hot spots. Some positive COVID-19 cases are inevitable, but by continuing to follow safety guidelines we can continue to keep those numbers low. When positive cases occur, our contract tracing protocols will help isolate exposure and limit the spread of the virus – your support of these efforts is greatly appreciated.

UNT FOOTBALL AT HOUSTON CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 CONCERNS

We will continue to put the safety of our students, faculty, staff and communities first, and sometimes we will have to make hard choices UNT made the responsible decision to cancel this Saturday's football game at the University of Houston due to positive COVID-19 cases. Per Vice President & Director of Athletics Wren Baker: “Our student-athlete health and safety is the priority in every decision we make and that is what this difficult decision is based on. We are hopeful we can resume safe activities soon.” Thank you our system-wide coronavirus response team for creating and executing a plan that's keeping our students, faculty and staff as safe as possible during this challenging time.

VIRTUAL BOARD OF REGENTS MEETING IN NOVEMBER

The upcoming UNT System Board of Regents meeting on November 18-19 will be held virtually due to coronavirus, as we continue to follow the state’s guidelines for indoor gatherings of 10 or more during the pandemic. A link to view the board meeting via livestream will be posted to the UNT System web site prior to the meeting.

EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE

Fall means election season, and I'd like to encourage all of our eligible employees to exercise their right to vote. Voting brings us together as Americans and allows us to have a say in the future of our local community and country.

The deadline to register and be eligible to vote in the November 3, 2020 election is October 5, 2020. This can be either the postmark date or the date the application is received in the office of the voter registrar. You can obtain a voter registration application from your voter registrar's office, libraries, most post offices, and high schools. You can also fill out a voter registration application online or request a postage-paid application be mailed to you.

Thank you,

Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor

UNT System Faculty & Staff:

As the State of Texas continues to re-open in phases, our COVID-19 action team is working diligently on planning and implementing phased campus and office re-openings across UNT World. Each institution, as well as UNT System Administration, is committed to keeping students, faculty and staff safe with safety precautions such as additional sanitization measures, reallocation of spaces to enable social distancing, the continued use of remote learning/working when possible and the installation of signage to encourage social distancing, sanitization and other safety measures.

Currently most faculty and staff across UNT World are working remotely and that will remain the case for many this summer. If you are currently working remotely, you should continue to do so until instructed otherwise by your supervisor. Each UNT System campus and office is different, so it’s important to continue reading campus and/or location-specific announcements. Please visit with your supervisor for any questions on if/when you should be returning to the office.

While this situation remains fluid as coronavirus circumstances evolve, below is an update of what we know and where we are headed as a unified UNT System.

COVID-19 AND UNT WORLD: WHERE ARE WE TODAY

As our campuses and offices begin to open in phases, we are following COVID-19 safety guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). All relevant UNT System risk management guidelines can be found on the UNT System web site and each UNTS institution also has its own coronavirus web site with updates specific to that campus.

Below is a short status update for each UNTS institution and a link to each coronavirus web site that includes specific details by location.

UNT System Administration: https://www.untsystem.edu/covid-19

• Unless otherwise instructed by your supervisor, all UNT System Administration employees will continue to work remotely throughout the summer.
• Return-to-office plans are under review and will be announced in August. This will include return-to-work training.
• UNT System Administration employees that work as part of a campus team will generally adhere to guidelines specific to their campus location and should bring any questions to their supervisor.
• The August Board of Regents Meeting will be moved from UNT Health Science Center to a virtual format in order to maximize space usage on campus for students.

UNT: https://healthalerts.unt.edu/

• The UNT Union is open but operating with reduced hours until later this summer.
• The university has begun to phase in intercollegiate athletics activities with the return of football players for workouts.
• Research activity at the university began ramping up again a few weeks ago.
• For fall, UNT’s primary focus is offering as many in-person classes as possible while still providing a safe environment during COVID-19. Final plans for more than 12,000 courses will be announced by mid-July and this will impact how/when faculty and staff return to work.
• UNT students will not return to campus for classes after the 2020 Thanksgiving holiday. The end of the semester and final exams will be conducted remotely. This will not change UNT’s fall start date of Aug. 24.
• UNT Faculty and Staff are required to take online return-to-work training. A link to the course was recently distributed.

UNTHSC: https://www.unthsc.edu/coronavirus/

• HSC began a phased return to campus on June 8 for supervisors and June 15 for other team members as approved by their supervisors.
• All team members are required to complete a Campus Reentry Education module before returning to campus and remote work arrangements are encouraged where appropriate.
• A hybrid model of instruction will occur in the summer and fall.
• Campus-based, in-person learning will only occur for courses with academic outcomes that cannot be measured or achieved virtually, such as performance, laboratory, and clinical experiences.

UNT Dallas: https://www.untdallas.edu/covid-19-knowledge-center

• UNT Dallas will continue to offer all summer sessions in a completely virtual learning format and campus is largely closed.
• UNTD leadership is reviewing a proposed plan for Fall 2020 and will announce details to students, faculty and staff by July 1.
• The UNT Dallas College of Law Library in downtown Dallas is open to law school students who are preparing for the Bar exam.

COVID-19 AND UNT WORLD: WHAT’S NEXT?

As circumstance continue to change, the UNT System’s overall strategy for physical return to the workplace will remain gradual and driven by our business needs, with utmost consideration taken for the safety of our students, faculty, staff and visitors. At all times the strategy will be focused on minimizing risk, while simultaneously optimizing our performance and the services we provide to our institutions. With this in mind, physical interaction will be minimized and the safety of the physical environment will be maximized.

As part of our long-term planning, we have formed a cross-institutional team to analyze business processes, organizational structures and strategic sourcing efforts to help us find sustainable ways to thrive over the long-term. From an economic standpoint we are planning responsibly based on the latest estimates of financial impact by COVID-19 and creating budget plans based on multiple scenarios. While enrollment for the fall remains positive, we continue to run financial models to understand negative impacts from potential losses in enrollment of both domestic and international students, student housing/dining fees, intercollegiate athletics revenue, summer camps and state funding.

Thank you for continued adaptability. We appreciate your support of these plans to ensure safety at our campuses and office facilities.

Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor