EMBRACING THE
FUTURE
WE ARE NORTH TEXAS At the University of North Texas System, we embrace the future. Energized by new possibilities, we collaborate across institutions, disciplines and industries to creatively imagine and implement solutions. As innovators, scholars and problem-solvers, we are uniquely equipped to lead our home North Texas region, and our state, through the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Higher education is being put to extraordinary tests, and has never quite looked like this. We are proud of the accomplishments made by the UNT System as we’ve worked to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. Our institutions have become stronger in areas such as community leadership, use of technology, collaborative partnerships and service to our students, faculty and staff. The UNT System’s member institutions – its flagship University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT Dallas) and the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth – have raised the bar for academic excellence, enrollment, fundraising and research. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our institutions have excelled in serving students and the community alike. We are eager and prepared to help Texas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area recover from the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has certainly tested higher education in Texas, but we are proud of our institutions and we will emerge stronger – particularly in community leadership, use of technology, collaborative partnerships and service to our students, faculty and staff. Thank you for your interest in the University of North Texas System,
Lesa B. Roe Chancellor
2
UNT SYSTEM
Collectively Reaching New Heights As the only university system based exclusively in the economically resilient Dallas-Fort Worth region, the UNT System and our member institutions feel a deep sense of responsibility to lead strategic growth in higher education across North Texas.
The University of North Texas System inspires courageous discovery that empowers our students, campuses, and communities to pursue a brighter vision for tomorrow. The UNT System is the only university system based exclusively in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, and includes the University of North Texas, University of North Texas Health Science Center and University of North Texas at Dallas. As DFW’s regional leader in higher education, we are setting a new standard for North Texas and beyond – creating opportunities and meeting economic needs through forward-thinking education. Our record growth, from campus expansion to an ever-increasing enrollment of more than 47,000+ students, plays a dynamic and continuous role in the advancement of our region. In all we do, whatever goals we achieve and whatever challenges we face, we seek to inspire that same courageous growth in others, as together we pursue a brighter future for all of North Texas.
3
Each of our universities are elevating their academic programming and innovating to serve the ever-changing needs of our region and state.
A Carnegie-ranked Tier One public research university, the University of North Texas is a place where students from all walks of life push creative boundaries and tap into their imaginations to transform the world around them. UNT continues to reach new heights in serving Texas’ students, enrolling nearly 41,000 students, improving retention rates and graduating record numbers of students each year. UNT awarded more than 10,000 degrees in 2019-20 and consistently ranks among the state’s top universities for the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually. UNT helps power the North Texas region’s workforce with well-educated, highly qualified graduates. Of its 434,000 alumni, 294,000 live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. UNT offers choice and convenience in providing a high-quality education to serve the North Texas region and consistently delivers a tech-, business- and people-savvy workforce for DFW, the State of Texas and beyond. UNT is home to 239 programs — many nationally and internationally recognized in areas ranging from education to music to political science, providing a strong foundation for growth. UNT’s world-class faculty merge creativity with technology to make breakthroughs every day while encouraging students to discover new paths and solutions that help them achieve their dreams. Already one of the nation’s largest universities, UNT also is one of the most diverse. This year, the university was designated a Minority-Serving and Hispanic-Serving Institution, reflecting the population of Texas.
University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort Worth is one of the nation’s premier graduate academic medical centers with 2,300+ students across six schools that specialize in patient-centered education, research and healthcare. HSC is committed to developing collaborative, practice-ready health professionals by emphasizing team-oriented, evidence-based best practices, quality-improvement approaches and informatics. 4
HSC remains focused on helping to mitigate the state’s physician shortage. Our Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine remains the top producer of primary care physicians in Texas and our new MD school, created in partnership with Texas Christian University, welcomed its first cohort of students to campus last summer – completing coursework and research in our spectacular, TRB-funded Interdisciplinary Research and Education Building that opened in FY19. HSC also formed partnerships with health system leaders that produced a commitment to create more than 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) slots to train, and likely keep, future physicians in North Texas. From a research standpoint, HSC is an international leader in DNA science. The university’s Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) is the leading state institution for human identification with DNA, as well as anthropology analyses for casework, research and education.
As the fastest-growing university in Texas with a student body of 4,100+ that is more than 70 percent first-generation to attend college, the University of North Texas at Dallas remains focused on providing access to higher education for students that might not have had the opportunity in the past. Recognized by U.S. News & World Report for having the lowest student debt among more than 100 “Regional Universities in the West,” UNT Dallas, located in southern Dallas, offers students the lowest tuition rates in Dallas-Fort Worth and is a designated Minority Serving/Hispanic Serving Institution with a student population that is nearly 80% Hispanic and African American. UNT Dallas continues to grow academically as well. U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2020 rankings included UNT Dallas in the top 25 for Best Undergraduate Teaching among institutions in the Regional Universities West classification, which includes 15 states spanning from Texas and Oklahoma to the entire West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska. The School of Business’ Human Resources program garnered a top 25 ranking from Study.com as one of the best programs in the nation. The School of Education continues to attract new students at a rate twice as high as the national average, and is a leader in training bilingual teachers, a position of great need in the Dallas Independent School District and other urban districts. Located in Dallas’ historic Old City Hall in the heart of downtown, UNT Dallas College of Law is the most affordable law school in Texas and one of the most diverse law schools in the country.
5
LIVING IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH (DFW)
The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area (population: 11.5 million) consists of 12 counties: Collin, Dallas, Delta, Denton, Ellis, Hunt, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant and Wise. One-quarter of all Texans live within the DFW region, which boasts the largest concentration of corporate headquarters in the U.S., including 23 Fortune 500 companies.
DALLAS
Dallas is the ninth-largest city in the U.S. and the third largest city in Texas. Dallas offers urban living downtown and a vast variety of suburban living. The Dallas Regional Chamber boasts, “The Dallas Region’s booming economy adds an average of nearly 400 additional people per day. These incoming residents have a diverse range of housing choices, from urban lofts, to white picket fences, to rambling suburban estates, in neighborhoods and schools that are equally diverse and nationally recognized. Connecting these communities are one of the fastest-growing public transit and highway systems in the nation.” The city itself offers a cultural district, lots of fine dining, a vibrant downtown park and a variety of museums. Dallas is full of fun, food and adventure for everyone – singles, couples, families and empty nesters. There is always something to do in Dallas and the suburbs as well. Dallas is home to the Texas State Fair every October. Dallas is a sports town with the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Dallas Stars (NHL), Texas Rangers (MLB), Dallas Mavericks (NBA), Dallas Wings (WNBA) and FC Dallas (MLS).
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in Texas and the 13th-largest city in the U.S. The city is growing, yet maintains its “Fort Worth Friendly” charm and way of life. Fort Worth offers city living in a vibrant 35-block downtown area where you can enjoy fine dining, world class BBQ, Tex-Mex and great ethnic foods, or see a show at the Bass Performance Hall. The city also has a world-renowned Cultural District, the Fort Worth Zoo (ranked No. 1 in the U.S. by USA Today) and Texas Motor Speedway is just up the highway. AT&T Stadium, home to “America’s Team,” is located just a few miles away in neighboring Arlington. You can explore true Western heritage in the Fort Worth Stockyards – which is a National Historic District. People from all over enjoy the Stockyards for daily longhorn cattle drives and rodeos, great steak houses, and western wear shops filled with boots and cowboy hats. This portion of the city is why Fort Worth is “Where the West Begins.”
DENTON
Denton is about 30 miles north of both Fort Worth and Dallas where Interstate 35W and 35E converge. Denton is a college town, home to both the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University. Denton has a lower cost of living than Dallas and Fort Worth and offers rural, suburban and downtown living options. Denton’s Downtown Square has many quaint shops and restaurants – most of them locally owned. Denton is growing, but has kept its great, artsy vibe.