Unt Creates Board Of Visitors

[bdan2002]

UNT’s distinguished Board of Visitors to help guide the university toward greater prominence

DENTON (UNT), Texas -- In recognition of the University of North Texas' momentum as a thriving student-centered public research university, President Gretchen M. Bataille invited a group of distinguished individuals to serve on a Board of Visitors and to provide guidance for UNT to chart its course as a top national university.

The board is made up of prominent leaders and executives -- including several alumni -- from business, media, publishing, the arts, education, the energy industry and more. Bill Lively, who received UNT's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2009, is serving as the Board of Visitors' chair and is president of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee. (A full list of members can be found at the end of the release.)

Bataille said the dedicated group of advisors will act as a sounding board for her.

"Creating this board comes at a critical time when UNT is experiencing unprecedented growth, reaping national and international recognition for its research, programs and creative activities, and seeing its faculty and students continually earn top honors," she said. "To keep advancing, UNT must maintain its historic strengths in education, music and art, while growing its strengths in science, engineering and technology.

"UNT is becoming a premier public research university, and we have a clear vision of how to reach the top," she added. "Our new Board of Visitors will help UNT identify new opportunities while staying attuned to marketplace needs."

Lively said UNT's Board of Visitors promises to be different from a typical advisory board because President Bataille is intent on taking advantage of the group's knowledge and experience.

"I have seen many instances where a board convenes and the university just shows what it is and how great it is," Lively said. "The president's aim for the Board of Visitors, in my judgment, is to really listen."

Lively, who earned his master of music education at UNT and was a longtime administrator and music faculty member at Southern Methodist University, said he benefitted greatly from attending one of the finest music programs in the country. He retired from SMU after 25 years and went on to direct a hugely successful fundraising campaign for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.

He called UNT's growth since his days as a student "phenomenal."

The Board of Visitors members will serve as ambassadors, spreading the word about UNT's mission, progress and success to those around the world, he said.

The board's eclectic makeup also will serve UNT well, he said.

"The Board of Visitors is purposefully comprised of scholars, corporate executives, artists, educators and others, all of whom understand UNT's mission and aspirations to be among America's most distinguished public universities," Lively said. "It's a stunning beginning to a board that will evolve and grow over time."

Bataille said having a board with well-known and successful members speaks to UNT's growing stature.

Expert rankings in U.S. News & World Report put UNT among the top national universities that are "leading the pack" in innovative changes in academics, faculty, students, campus, diversity and facilities.

UNT also has set its sights on becoming a top research university and is investing in faculty and programs to reach that goal. At the same time, the university is continuing to build on its legacy in the arts, education and music with new initiatives, such as the Institute for the Advancement of the Arts in downtown Denton.

With 36,000 students, UNT continues to grow dramatically. In fall 2009, UNT experienced its ninth consecutive year of record-breaking enrollment and its largest increase in seven years.

This fall's enrollment included an 11 percent increase in graduate students, which is important to the university's continued development as a national research university. UNT's fall 2009 enrollment also included important growth in retention and continued growth in Hispanic, African American and Asian students.

The Board of Visitors will serve as an advisory group and will not have any policymaking authority. The board members will serve for three years and will meet twice a year. The first meeting was Jan. 22-23, 2010.

The Board of Visitors members include:

* Mary Anne Alhadeff, President and CEO, KERA

* Phillip J. Bond, President, TechAmerica

* Christopher Dickey, Bureau Chief/Mideast Editor, Newsweek Paris Bureau

* Jeff Fegan, CEO, DFW International Airport

* Alumnus Joe Greene, Former UNT and NFL Player, Pittsburgh Steelers

* John Hofmeister, Founder and CEO, Citizens for Affordable Energy, former President of Shell Oil

* Alumnus Bill Lively, President, North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee

* Alumnus Lou Marini Jr., Saxophonist, Arranger, Composer

* Marcus Martin, President, Education is Freedom

* Gerald McElvy, President, ExxonMobil Foundation

* Bernard Milano, President, KPMG Foundation

* Alumnus Jesús Moroles, Sculptor

* Felice Nudelman, Executive Director of Education, New York Times

* Blaise Simqu, President, Sage Publications

* Alumna Gayle Strange, President, Axiom Commercial, Former Chair, UNT Board of Regents

* Scott Tarwater, Executive Vice President of Development, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts

[Green to the Bone]

Couple of interesting names in addition to Greene:

* Alumnus Lou Marini Jr., Saxophonist, Arranger, Composer

...

* Scott Tarwater, Executive Vice President of Development, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts

Marini: One O'Clock; Blood, Sweat & Tears: Saturday Night Live; Blues Brothers.

Tarwater: Works for a company that I've heard is maybe gonna build us a hotel.

[FirefightnRick]

Tarwater: Works for a company that I've heard is maybe gonna build us a hotel.

Rick

[UNTflyer]

Board of Visitors, huh?

[ParksAndRecRick]

Impressive List Indeed....

[VideoEagle]

Board of Visitors, huh?

I still like the combination of big hair and plunging necklines. But, only on women - this isn't 1977. Of course if it was, we'd be looking forward to a really great year in football.

[SilverEagle]

I still like the combination of big hair and plunging necklines. But, only on women - this isn't 1977. Of course if it was, we'd be looking forward to a really great year in football.

Boy! No kiddin'

Edited January 27, 2010 by SilverEagle

[KRAM1]

Of course if it was, we'd be looking forward to a really great year in football.

Believe it or not...some of the Mean Green Nation ARE looking forward to just that in 2010.

GO MEAN GREEN!

[forevereagle]

Believe it or not...some of the Mean Green Nation ARE looking forward to just that in 2010.

GO MEAN GREEN!

And some Mean Green fans have a drinking problem.

[KRAM1]

And some Mean Green fans have a drinking problem.

Who Dat???????

[SilverEagle]

And some Mean Green fans have a drinking problem.

I'll drink to that.

BTW, am I the only one that's a bit uneasy about the word "visitors"

in a board that is supposed to take our University to much higher levels?

[KRAM1]

BTW, am I the only one that's a bit uneasy about the word "visitors"

in a board that is supposed to take our University to much higher levels?

No, you are not...sounds like a bunch of "space aliens" to me...I don't want "visitors", I want folks who are forever interested in helping UNT move forward. "Visitors" come and go by their very nature...I visit places on vacation...but I am forever a supporter of the Mean Green and UNT.

"Visitors" come for homecoming and go home...yes, I found it to be a very "interesting" title to what seems to be a board made up of some fairly solid citizens and UNT supporters.

In my opinion, Chancellor Jackson is a "visitor"...as he comes rarely to Denton and the main UNT campus and is happy to return to his palace office and cronies (see Royce West) in Dallas.

[bdan2002]

A Board of Visitors is nothing new for "top tier" institutions. If you look at most top institutions, they have a board of visitors. Please remember that our BOV is very very very different that our BOR!!!! Some places have BOV's for their department or college, and some - like us, have one for the entire university. This is a great step forward.

Examples:

University of North Carolina - http://www.unc.edu/bov/

Stanford University Law School - http://www.law.stanford.edu/alumni/alumnilife/bov/

Duke University Schools of Business - http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/about/leadership/bov/

[KRAM1]

From a galaxy far far away...........

[FirefightnRick]

This is a great step forward.

I think one of the best aspects of this list is that it has a great collection of those who are successful and know what it takes to succeed in the challenging dynamics of the private sector, in which they understand the importance of accurate decision making, the risks involved, and the rewards that can be realized if done correctly.

Rick

[Eagle1855]

I think one of the best aspects of this list is that it has a great collection of those who are successful and know what it takes to succeed in the challenging dynamics of the private sector, in which they understand the importance of accurate decision making, the risks involved, and the rewards that can be realized if done correctly.

agreed.

Like others, I think this is a great step in the right direction.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

I realize that the term "visitors" probably came from Dr. Bataille's association with the University of North Carolina but it still seems an awkward term to me. How about Board of Advisors, Board of Counselors, or Board of Consultants?

[letsgiveacheer]

Yes, most of the eastern universities do have Board of Visitors. I would guess this is a hold-over from the very early colleges like Harvard and William & Mary who were granted charters by the King. Perhaps a historian on this board can clarify.