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Why not? He damn sure couldn't do worse. He would find a way to fill up the stadium, much like he found a way to fill the recent alumni section when the AD had failed miserably to do the same. Marketing would improve the day he walked through the door. Coaching hires? Can't do worse. Scheduling football games? Improvement from day one. Because he would increase attendance, he wouldn't need to whore out the football team on a consistent basis. His negotiating skills are already much better than RV's at a much younger age. <kidding... But only kinda...>

Thanks, RV: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/page/bottom10101315/made-rivalries-monday-meet-bottom-10 We will be here at least until Holloween, quite possibly even "winning" the mythical title. Thats right, it's 2007 all over again 8 F'n years later. #FireRV

I'm in for $100, more if needed, if anyone wants to start one of those internet account things. Any interest?

He would contact Pres. Smatresk and negotiate a buy out. Just walk away before you cause a huge amount of pain to this university with what is bound to occur in the remaining home football games. This fan base is FINALLY angry. They finally reached the point of saying no more. You know how college athletics goes. You know what this will cost this university if YOU insist on drawing this thing out. You know it will be extremely ugly. Do the right and honorable thing. You have become far too polarizing a figure to effectively lead this AD. Deep down, you know it. Please, walk away and save everyone from these coming weeks. @Glad To Be Green

Just said RV should be fired. They are both UNT alums and talked about how embarrassing the Portland St game was. It seems everyone but 17 people understand the problem.

This is a public poll. Your screen name will be known. For those lurking, the count is 79-4 at 0700 on 10/15/15. Now 98-9, with 2 suspicious keep RV votes from brand new board members with no posts, and one troll vote by TFLF (sad, it seems to be all he does these days). Now 105-9 at 1:20PM on 11/15/15 Now 116-10 at 5:00PM on 11/15/15 Now 129-10 at 07:45AM on 11/16/15 Now 142-10 at 05:25PM on 11/16/15 Now 148-11 at 11:25AM on 11/17/15

Because it needs to happen. Because we need hope. Because he CANT hire another football coach. Because he has been here 15 years and won very little of that time. Because President Smatresk is the last hope to do the right thing. Because the 17 value relationships over winning. Everyone please add your reasons and also one word to describe the athletic department currently. Mine is: DYSFUNCTIONAL.

I will pay off my club seats and not be back. Ever. It will tell me that this university doesn't give a shit about winning in athletics. If the 17 value friendship over this ass beating, they can enjoy it without me. 15 years without winning shit. Lowest point EVER for this university. EVER!!!!!!!! And listening to the broadcast, it's clear RV has told the announcers to blame everything on Mac. What a POS we have for an AD.

Here is the president's email address. Keep it civil. Highlight past futile history associated with this AD. If you are thinking about withdrawing or have withdrawn financial support, let him know, and let him know how much. If we want anything done, this is the most viable way to get it done at this point. Fly has made it abundantly clear that the big donors value a personal relationship with the AD over a winning athletic program. The only response that Everyman the Fan has is through the university president. Make it happen.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, Jenna Duncan, a writer here at the DRC who covers North Texas from the university side, wrote a great piece of Neal Smatresk for today’s paper. UNT’s president talks about what’s ahead for the school and what has happened since he was hired back in 2013. There is always material that doesn’t make the story that is of interest. And that brings us to Smatresk’s take on athletics and their importance to UNT’s efforts to become a Tier One institution. “If we’re going to compete as a Tier One institution, our athletics teams need to compete as a Tier One institution as well,” Smatresk said. “So we need to expect to fund athletics in a way that’s consistent with success, and we need that success in turn to yield revenue streams that can support and sustain. read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2015/08/the-sunday-leftovers-smatresk-on-the-importance-of-revenue-sports.html/

Students at the University of North Texas are outraged with the school’s chosen commencement speaker for next month’s graduation and more than 2,400 students have signed a petition to have him replaced. Texas Governor Greg Abbott ® is set to speak at the ceremony in May, but students who have signed the petition argue that he is unfit to speak because they disagree with his political stances. Kimberly Williams, a student who signed the petition, wrote that, “[h]e is not the appropriate person to lead our young leaders into the world,” and continued on to list specific incidents of his alleged anti-feminism. Allyson Nophsker said, “I'm signing because I want to attend my own graduation ceremony, but cannot due to my moral disagreements with Abbot's [sic] policies.” The petition reads: “The University of North Texas’ student body is made up of students from all walks of life. Therefore, it is pivotal that our keynote speaker be someone who reflects not only our student population but our views on equality and representation. Governor Abbott is an advocate for immigration reform, border patrol, and anti-equal marriage laws. This does not align the spirit of the University of North Texas which prides itself in providing equal opportunities for their students. While Governor Abbott's story is inspirational, his views on inequality cannot be overshadowed by this. Our Mean Green Pride comes from being heard and respected. Which is why we ask University President Neal Smatresk to find a new keynote speaker for graduation.” Libby Goins, a 2013 graduate of UNT, told Campus Reform that she “absolutely” supported Abbott as the commencement speaker, “not just because of his political views— [but because] he’s the governor of the state.” “It’s an honor for UNT to have any governor visit their campus,” Goins said. “He is congratulating them on their accomplishments,” and “doing UNT a favor.” read more: http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=6457

Trans activist Pam Curry will speak at the Lavender Graduation, an LGBT graduation ceremony planned for April 18. The event has been planned since September and the LGBT group on campus hopes it becomes an annual event. Since Gov. Greg Abbott was named the schools commencement speaker, many more students are planning to attend the Lavender Graduation and the group Abbott Free UNT has been promoting it as an alternative to the governor. Almost 2,000 people signed an online petition to dump Abbott as the speaker, according to CBS 11. Protesting Abbotts views on marriage equality and education, students created the Facebook page Abbott Free UNT and posted comments like, Upset about Greg Abbott???? Protest by walking out of the ceremony as soon as he takes the stage! Attend your department graduations or attend LAVENDER GRADUATION hosted by the Pride Alliance. Spencer Keralis, who sent the invitation to Curry to speak at the Lavender Graduation, is connected to the UNT libraries that house the LGBT archives. Curry accepted the invitation and wrote on her Facebook page, I will approach this as a challenge to be the motivation, and inspiration that Gov Abbott cant and wont be. So Im asking for the prayers from all my friends. Read more: http://m.dallasvoice.com/trans-activist-speak-alternate-unt-graduation-ceremony-10193353.html?mobile-redirector-transfer=true

Full petition text: "The University of North Texas' student body is made up of students from all walks of life. Therefore, it is pivotal that our keynote speaker be someone who reflects not only our student population but our views on equality and representation. Governor Abbott is an advocate for immigration reform, border patrol, and anti-equal marriage laws. This does not align the spirit of the University of North Texas which prides itself in providing equal opportunities for their students. While Governor Abbott's story is inspirational, his views on inequality cannot be overshadowed by this. Our Mean Green Pride comes from being heard and respected. Which is why we ask University President Neal Smatresk to find a new keynote speaker for graduation." Read more: http://m.chron.com/news/politics/texas/article/North-Texas-students-say-no-to-Greg-Abbott-6189372.php

The college campus, perhaps more than any other venue, is a place where the free exchange of opposing ideas ought to be welcomed. Yet it seems that every year around spring graduation time, there is a controversy surrounding a chosen commencement speaker whose well-known ideas or political stands raise objections from some students, faculty members or the general community. This year such objections are being voiced at the University of North Texas in Denton, where Gov. Greg Abbott has been invited to deliver the keynote graduation address. Some students, citing Abbott’s “views on inequality” — opposition to immigration reform and gay marriage, in particular, and to Denton’s recent ban on hydraulic fracturing — have asked UNT President Neal Smatresk to un-invite the governor and find a new speaker for the May 16 graduation. More than 2,000 students have reportedly signed an online petition supporting that position. Smatresk has said he will stay the course, noting that the new governor’s visit to the university is one way to “celebrate the success of our institution” in its 125th year. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article17890577.html#storylink=cpy

Gov. Greg Abbott will speak at the University of North Texas graduation next month even though some students promise to boycott their own commencement ceremony if he gives the keynote address. More than 2,000 students have signed an online petition asking UNT officials to choose a different speaker for their May ceremony. While Governor Abbotts story is inspirational, his views on inequality cannot be overshadowed by this, the petition states. Our Mean Green Pride comes from being heard and respected. Which is why we ask University President Neal Smatresk to find a new keynote speaker for graduation. Smatresk said hes not changing speakers and hes excited that the states 48th governor will speak at the ceremony. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/article17728151.html#storylink=cpy

DENTON (CBS 11 NEWS) The announcement that Governor Greg Abbott will be the keynote speaker at the University of North Texas commencement ceremony has been met with an online backlash from students. Nearly 2,000 people, as of Monday evening, have signed an online petition asking the universitys president to replace Abbott as the commencement speaker. Hundreds have also joined Facebook group called Abbott Free UNT. Abbott doesnt represent the campus on many levels, said senior UNT student A.J. Aguinaga, who now plans to skip the ceremony. Read more: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/04/06/backlash-at-unt-over-governor-abbott-as-graduation-speaker/

UT Dallas ranked 46th out of 484 public universities and colleges nationwide, and third best in Texas, using the proprietary rankings formula. The University of Michigan topped the survey nationwide. The University of Texas at Austin ranked highest in the Lone Star State and 12th nationally, while Texas A&M University in College Station scored second in the state and 20th overall. After UT Dallas, the University of North Texas in Denton and UT Arlington made the area honor roll, rating second and third in the region respectively and 146th and 201st respectively nationwide. Texas A&M University-Commerce, which has a campus in downtown Dallas, ranked 232nd nationwide. No other North Texas school landed in the top 250. Read more: http://m.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2015/02/12/which-north-texas-public-universities-rank-among.html?r=full

I think given the circumstances he has done a nice job. No incoming President should have to face the type of situation with the accounting fiasco we made him face when arriving here. He took it head on, he accepted it and did the best he could to correct it. Ultimately, he and all of us will have to rely on the mercy of the State of Texas to forgive the accounting blunders that occurred over the past decade. Once we determine how much we have to pay back and how long we have to pay it back we can budget for the future appropriately. I am frankly embarrassed that we left him such a mess to clean up and I have been very clear that I felt like the ones who allowed this to happen got off way too easily. There seems to be a sense in acadmia that mistakes - no matter how big - are ok so long as there was no intentional fraud or ponzi scheme tied to them. With the advent of online degrees and low cost alternatives Universities including UNT will no longer have the luxury of having a different standard than the rest of the real world. Those of us who have worked in corporate America know that there would have been a MUCH different outcome in terms of firings and house cleaning given the magnitude of this situation. I find Smatresk to be very friendly and engaging in person. He has jumped right into the social media which has become so important, especially for a school with our size and profile. He seems to be very focused on taking UNT to the next level and I appreciate his efforts. In watching his UNT Strategic Plan video he seems to understand where we have strengths and where we can improve. In terms of sports he is seen at the games and tweets a lot during the games. He cheers on the team good or bad and wears green, does the claw/talon and really seems to have embraced the spirit of being Mean Green. His spirit seems sincere. He also seems to show pride in all areas of the school, including academics and alumni. He seems to have a very positive, optimistic persona which is exactly what we need. I think that UNT made a real nice hire with Dr. Smatresk. I appreciate all of his efforts and look forward to see what he can accomplish in the future for UNT. GMG!

FORT WORTH — The University of North Texas has adjusted its budget for the current fiscal year, as new projections show revenue will be $3.5 million less than anticipated. The budget was created last summer when old leadership was in place and those who oversaw financial mismanagement were still in charge. Now, expenditures have been adjusted to meet the anticipated $542 million in revenues, Janet Waldron, the UNT System’s vice chancellor for finance, said during Thursday’s Board of Regents meeting. In Waldron’s strategic budget update to the board, she noted that in the future the reports will be more thorough. “It was obviously a budget that was put together before the hiring of the current vice president and chief financial officer, and probably one that the new president, I suspect, inherited as he was coming into office,” she said. “I know the chief financial officer is reviewing this very much currently as a priority area, and there will be changes as a result of that.” read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140612-unt-adjusts-budget-by-3.5-million.ece

Neal Smatresk hasn’t had the easy transition he might have hoped for in his new job as president of the University of North Texas in Denton. In fact, UNT has been in a storm of bad news almost since Smatresk took over in February, none of it his fault but all of it his job to fix. Between 2004 and early this year, the university improperly drew down more than $83.5 million in state funds to pay employee salaries and benefits. To his credit, Smatresk faces the problem head-on. The only part of it he ducked in a meeting with the Star-Telegram Editorial Board on Thursday is the investigation into exactly how things went wrong and what kind of settlement UNT will reach on paying back the money to the state. Those two angles are being handled by Chancellor Lee Jackson and other UNT System officials headquartered in Dallas. Still, Smatresk admits to being baffled at how UNT got itself in this position. The problems were recognized as early as 2011, he said, but still were not adequately corrected. Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/06/05/5877817/new-unt-president-gets-a-financial.html#storylink=cpy

Smatresk said his four-year presidency at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas taught him how to deal with financial hardships when the state cut $74 million in funding. “Compared to some of the things I’ve had to deal with in the past, I’m going to call this ‘garden-variety,’ and that doesn’t mean it’s not significant. So I’m not trying to diminish what has occurred. What I am telling you is that we put a good team together and we know how to get ourselves back on track,” Smatresk said. Three finance officials resigned in light of the findings. The university has since hired a new vice president for finance and administration, an assistant vice chancellor for financial planning and reporting, and a vice chancellor of finance. Smatresk said he is ready to work through the woes, including a lowered bond rating by Moody’s Investors Service. In an April press release, Moody’s stated it had given UNT a rating of Aa2 and that the school’s outlook went from stable to negative. The university’s financial crisis was cited in the explanation of the change. Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/06/05/5877802/unt-president-on-financial-troubles.html Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/06/05/5877802/unt-president-on-financial-troubles.html#storylink=cpy

The University of North Texas will make cuts of 2 or 3 percent next year to cope with budget shortfalls, President Neal Smatresk told faculty this afternoon. He also said that for the past six years, the Denton campus has spent money it doesn’t have. That information comes from Jenna Duncan at our sister publication, the Denton Record-Chronicle. Jenna is live-tweeting from the Faculty Senate meeting where Smatresk is delivering the bad news. Read more: http://educationblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/unt-president-announces-budget-cuts-in-wake-of-financial-problems.html/

The University of North Texas System will spend at least $1.35 million to get its financial house in order after a series of problems, regents decided Thursday. Regents voted to spend $350,000 so a consulting firm can finish its work in tracking down all of UNTs financial problems that have started to come to light this year. Regents approved at least another $1 million so the firm, Deloitte & Touche, can help fix those problems. Its part of an effort that system leaders call their financial transformation. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140516-unt-spending-1.35m-to-fix-finances.ece