UNT students win nationally competitive awards

The UNT Office for Nationally Competitive Scholarships led by Dr. James Duban has a great deal of success every year in helping UNT students win very competitive and prestigious awards.  In fact, UNT has had more Barry M. Goldwater Scholars than any other Texas college or university.  In 2007, UNT was one of only seven universities in the nation, and the only university in Texas, to have the maximum number of four Barry M. Goldwater Scholars in one year, and UNT had more scholars that year than the California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Johns Hopkins and Princeton Universities.  Just last year, three UNT students were named Goldwater Scholars—once again winning more than any other public university in Texas.

Another prestigious award, the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, has consistently been won by UNT students as well.  Two recent UNT graduates recently won 2011-2012 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships to study abroad for a year and engage in global public service. T. Lane Ingram, who graduated from UNT this year with a M.Ed. in counseling, will travel to New Zealand to earn a certificate in counseling at the Wellington Institute of Technology, and Juan Oliveros Facio, who graduated from UNT in May 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in communication design, will pursue a master’s degree in cultural management from Universidad Iberoamericana-Puebla in Mexico.

Happy Holidays from UNT!

Tomorrow is the last day university offices are open until next year.  Most students have gone home for the much-anticipated winter break, and all university employees will get to do the same from December 24th to January 3rd.

As the fall semester comes to a close, it is really exciting to look back at all the accomplishments and developments that have occurred over the past four months:  We broke enrollment and graduation records, we opened new environmentally-friendly buildings, we are continuing work on our brand new stadium, and we strengthened our alumni network with the most recent graduates.

We look forward to welcoming more students to campus in the spring, and all of us here at UNT hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Click here to view the holiday video from President Rawlins.

New degree programs at UNT

UNT’s Board of Regents recently announced its decision for the College of Engineering to begin developing a new Department of Biomedical Engineering.  This new department will offer a BS, MS, and PhD, each with a major in biomedical engineering.  In addition, the College of Engineering will add two new PhD programs to existing departments within the college:  Electrical engineering and mechanical and energy engineering.

Outside of engineering, the Board of Regents authorized four new degree programs in other colleges at UNT:

1. BA in linguistics
2. BA in professional and technical communication
3. BS in chemistry, with certification to teach grades 8-12
4. Doctorate in musical arts in jazz studies

All of these new majors help reinforce UNT’s ranking as the most comprehensive four-year university in North Texas, and the new engineering majors further strengthen UNT’s commitment to becoming a prominent national research university.  This is an exciting step for our university!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday break.  While last week was International Education Week, filled with events celebrating the rich cultural diversity at UNT, this week has been filled with excitement by students ready to enjoy a break from their classes and their on-campus jobs.  There have been traditional Thanksgiving meals hosted off-campus specifically for UNT international students to experience the American holiday, and the cafeterias on campus are serving traditional foods as well.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Former President Bush to speak at UNT

Former President George W. Bush is coming to UNT to speak on November 17^th.  Whether or not you agreed with his policies during his time in office, the fact that a former president is speaking at UNT is a big deal!  It demonstrates that UNT is an important university able to draw speakers who have made significant contributions to history.  Bush is undoubtedly one of the most controversial public figures, so there is sure to be a crowd.  Free tickets were given to the first 5000 students, and tickets are now on sale for general admission.  Pick up your ticket today at the Student Union Information Desk!

 

Graduate student enrollment increase moves UNT toward public research university status

Fall 2010 enrollment at UNT has increased by 3.8%, giving UNT a record 36,118 students.  Part of the reason for the increase is that there are more graduate students choosing to study at UNT than ever before (6% increase), as well as a larger freshman class (7% increase).  Growth at the graduate level is especially important to UNT’s continuing development as a public research university.  All of this growth only reinforces UNT’s status as the largest, most comprehensive university in the North Texas region!

Fall 2010 UNT-International Orientation

Last week, the UNT-International community welcomed new international students to campus.  There were several presentations by UNT-I staff members as well as current UNT students to help the new students learn important information about UNT.  To see pictures of last week’s International Orientation, click here.

For helpful new student resources, click here.

UNT professor’s groundbreaking research

Dr. Saraju Mohanty is currently researching state-of-the-art technology that would reduce the amount of time devices like cell phones need charging.  Dr. Mohanty is an associate professor of computer science and engineering and director of UNT’s Nanosystem Design Laboratory (NSDL) who is originally from India.  He has been granted about $1 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and from the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to support his research. Much of the funding supports students as research assistants, while also purchasing two Intel Quad-Core Xeons.

Dr. Mohanty is just one of numerous professors at UNT conducting groundbreaking research and giving students the exciting opportunity to participate.  For more information on Dr. Mohanty’s research, click here.

UNT student to travel to Vietnam

There are a huge number of scholarship programs and study abroad opportunities at UNT, one of which is the Fulbright program.  A current student at UNT, Anthony Tran, has received a U.S. Student Fulbright Grant to conduct research on Vietnamese film in Hanoi during the 2010-11 academic year.  He is earning his master of arts degree in radio, television and film and says he chose to do research in Vietnam with his Fulbright grant after realizing that most academic studies of Vietnam-related films have focused on American depictions of the Vietnam War, and he noticed that citizens of Vietnam were open to American culture, including film, when he visited his cousins in Ho Chi Minh City in 2004.  Tran will return to UNT after his year in Vietnam to complete his master’s degree.  To read more about Tran’s opportunity in Vietnam, check out this link.

New Master of Science in International Sustainable Tourism Degree at UNT

The Master of Science in International Sustainable Tourism is the first joint degree program at UNT.  The degree is in partnership with CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and will educate graduate students for management and leadership in the international sustainable tourism industry.  Students receive one degree with both institutions’ credentials, thus allowing the evaluation of sustainable tourism through each institution’s strengths of scientific, policy, and operational perspectives of hospitality management. To guide graduate curriculum and research, the program incorporates the three pillars of sustainable tourism:  environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development.

The UNT/CATIE Master of Science in International Sustainable Tourism is the only graduate program of its kind in the United States and Costa Rica. Its unique interdisciplinary perspective allows for the application of sustainable tourism not only in two countries, but around the world, leading to unparalleled career opportunities for graduates.

UNT and CATIE are both high-quality research institutions with outstanding teaching facilities, libraries, computer labs, research resources, and student services. Students will participate in class research, case studies, and other investigations throughout the joint graduate degree program.  A field work experience with a linked research project and presentation is required for the final capstone course at CATIE; students will gain practical experience in tourist destinations, NGOs, and/or governmental organizations in Costa Rica as part of the joint graduate program.  For more information, click here.

Apply now for Fall 2010!  The deadline is July 1 for international students currently in the US.  To submit a prospect sheet, and for all admissions requirements, documents, and deadlines, please click here.