GIVING IMPACT

CREATING NEW CAREER CENTER

Wilson Jones (’85) and his wife, Jane, donate $5M to the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, the second-largest gift in the college’s history, to create The Wilson Jones Career Center.

Wilson Jones (’85) might have grown up with North Texas State University

in his backyard, but the Denton native says the school opened his eyes to see a world full of opportunity. Now he’s helping the next generation of students learn to do the same and leaving a legacy at his alma mater.

Jones says his college experience was challenging. He struggled through school, working two and three jobs at a time to get by.

“I remember working late one night at a tire store and showing up late to my night class, dirty and stinky,” Jones says. “I felt terrible walking into that room, so I sat in the back.”

When the professor, Chuck Bimmerle, asked Jones to stay after class, he thought it was to be admonished. But the professor knew Jones was working hard outside of the classroom. Bimmerle told Jones he had a seat up front — and that he was needed there. Even with the encouragement, Jones felt he did not have the energy to study like he needed and considered dropping out. The idea was to build up some money, then return to school and focus on his education instead of his jobs.

The night he planned to tell Bimmerle he was withdrawing, the professor said something that changed the course of Jones’ life: He had struggled to get through college, too, and Jones needed to persevere — he had a bright future ahead.

“At that point, how could I tell him I was quitting? I went home that night, looked in the mirror and said, ‘OK, you can do this. Someone believes in you,’” Jones says. “So, I hung in there and realized if you go that extra mile and put in the effort, even though it’s painful at times, it will pay off in the long run.”

He found his way, and the recently retired CEO of Oshkosh Corporation and his wife, Jane — who also worked her way through college — are helping current UNT students do the same. The couple recently gave the second-largest gift in the history of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business: $5 million to create The Wilson Jones Career Center.

This space in the Business Leadership Building, with construction expected to begin this summer, will provide more adequate and accessible support for career readiness at one of the largest business schools in the nation. Its focus will be on internship opportunities, something Jones was passionate about in his time at Oshkosh, where he made it a point to meet all 300 of his interns each summer.

“Jane and I were both first-generation college students and realize the importance of being prepared to start the career journey,” he says. “We’re proud to support a robust career center and know it will make a difference for UNT students.”

This isn’t the Jones’ first time giving back to support student success at UNT. They have already created the Wilson and Jane Jones Endowment Scholarship, which is merit-based, and the Wilson and Jane Jones Extra Mile Scholarship, given to students who are working at least part time to support their education expenses.

Through the new career center, Jones hopes to help students find what they’re passionate about, have some fun and achieve their goals. He is grateful for the foundation the university built for his life. And he has a message for his fellow UNT alumni.

“Be proud of the school you went to. Look where you are. Look what it’s done for you,” he says. “It charges me up to say I went to the University of North Texas.” — Amanda Yanowski

“UNT really places your foot in the ground and gives you a very solid foundation for your education experiences. The opportunity to go to school and actually work really gave me the feeling that I could accomplish more.”

— LaTonya Smith (’12)

B.S. in computer engineering; Find Your Flight Path participant

FIND YOUR FLIGHT PATH

We’re proud to showcase some of our outstanding alumni as part of the Find Your Flight Path initiative, produced in partnership with UNT Advising Services to help current students understand career pathways after graduation. Watch the video series at vpaa.unt.edu/aservices/exploring-majors to hear some of the unique ways our alumni use their majors.

Have a story to share? Email alumni@unt.edu.

Help Students Soar as a Mean Green Mentor

“I joined the mentorship program due to my passion for networking with students and sharing my tips to prepare for post-grad life. Being a 2018 graduate, I feel I can provide relatable insight on how I started and found success in my career.”

– Liz Miralrio (’18), Mean Green Mentor

Do you have college and career advice to share? Give back as a Mean Green Mentor — a program from the UNT Alumni Association and the UNT Career Center. Our mentors use their unique skillsets to help students move through college, build professional networks and prepare for successful futures. And don’t worry about over- committing — mentors are able to control the type and frequency of connections. Mentoring can range anywhere from a brief 30-minute conversation to developing a longer three- to six-month mentoring relationship.

And these connections already have positively affected students both in their mindsets and career paths.

“I look at all these really successful people, and as a student, it’s really intimidating to just message somebody,” says Kory Punch, a senior biological sciences major. “So I would encourage every student who’s at UNT to use this goldmine of an application to seek out more experience. You can’t go wrong with getting advice from people who’ve already been where you are.” Learn how to become a Mean Green Mentor. meangreenmentors.unt.edu