Fall 2023 - On The Move
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<strong>The</strong> Official Publication of • UNTDallas.edu<br />
BLAZE YOUR TRAIL<br />
NEW<br />
STEM Building<br />
Will Transform<br />
Healthcare<br />
Education<br />
PAGE 8<br />
ALUMNI VOICE<br />
OPINIONS ON PAST<br />
AND FUTURE<br />
PAGE 5<br />
First-Year and Graduate Students Drive Enrollment Growth<br />
PAGE 1<br />
<strong>Fall</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Second Editon
A MESSAGE FROM THE<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
We are off to a good start this school year.<br />
Enrollment is up this fall, with spring and fall numbers next year<br />
looking very promising as well.<br />
We recorded the largest number of applications in our history at<br />
our main campus and at the College of Law downtown. We expect to<br />
eclipse this record again next fall.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se increased numbers reflect a strong outreach that UNT Dallas is<br />
making in the community. In high schools, community colleges, at job<br />
fairs, we are telling our story as never before.<br />
You could see the surging numbers at our True Blue Preview Day in<br />
early November. <strong>The</strong> day before, hundreds of students spent the<br />
morning on campus learning about careers in law enforcement.<br />
We continue to be recognized by Money magazine and Washington<br />
Monthly as affordable and welcoming places to go to school. Our U.S.<br />
News regional ranking improved again this year, too.<br />
I am also pleased to see vastly increased engagement as reflected<br />
in our annual Gallup survey. Our participation led the entire UNT<br />
System this fall. Thanks to all of you for answering the survey.<br />
Finally, we are turning dirt for our new STEM building. <strong>On</strong>ce opened<br />
in the 2025-26 academic year, the four-story L-shaped structure will<br />
reshape how science training is conducted in urban Metro Dallas.<br />
Thanks to each of you for making UNT Dallas what it is today and<br />
what it will become tomorrow.<br />
Bob Mong<br />
2 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong>
ENROLLMENT<br />
ON A ROLL<br />
478<br />
NEW FRESHMEN<br />
Up 36%<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 1
“Life-changing” is how UNT Dallas<br />
senior Lauren Herrera describes<br />
her college experience. More than<br />
rigorous academics, more than<br />
campus activities, Herrera’s time here<br />
can be described as a family affair.<br />
Her graduation in December <strong>2023</strong> will<br />
be a full-circle moment.<br />
As a child, Herrera sometimes<br />
accompanied her mother to school.<br />
She attended UNT Dallas as a<br />
first-generation college student<br />
and graduated in 2013. Now, a<br />
decade later, Herrera will walk the<br />
commencement stage and receive<br />
her diploma, too.<br />
“It’s been an inspiration being here at<br />
UND Dallas,” Herrera said.<br />
But that wasn’t exactly Herrera’s<br />
original plan. Instead of following in<br />
her mother’s footsteps, the Oak Cliff<br />
native wanted to join the military<br />
after high school. But something<br />
changed, and her journey took her to<br />
UNT Dallas, instead.<br />
“I learned about Dallas Promise and<br />
enrolled here,” Herrera recalled.<br />
<strong>The</strong> key moment occurred when she<br />
learned about the Dallas County<br />
Promise Program, which provides<br />
tuition assistance, guidance and<br />
support for aspiring college students.<br />
<strong>The</strong> program’s goal aligns with the<br />
Texas Higher Education Coordinating<br />
Board’s 60x30TX initiative. <strong>The</strong>ir aim<br />
is to ensure that 60% of Texans ages<br />
25-64 will receive a degree, certificate<br />
or other postsecondary credential<br />
by 2030.<br />
Herrera’s ahead of the game. She<br />
went to a Dallas ISD Early College<br />
High School (ECHS), earning an<br />
associate degree, which meant she<br />
was already a sophomore when she<br />
officially registered for courses at UNT<br />
Dallas. Next, she plans to attend UNT<br />
Health Science Center (HSC) in Fort<br />
Worth for a master’s degree, followed<br />
by medical school. She plans to<br />
become a dermatologist, something<br />
also rooted in her family life.<br />
“I’m one of three siblings,” Herrera<br />
explained. “We all got acne in middle<br />
and high school. It sucked, but it<br />
was fun experimenting with different<br />
medications and treatments.” Seeing<br />
improvement in their skin inspired<br />
her to do more.<br />
Mom-daughter bonding helped,<br />
too. “We tried lots of skin and<br />
hair products together,” Herrera<br />
said, especially Korean skincare<br />
techniques. “I was always into beauty,<br />
and my mom was encouraging.”<br />
Motivation from her mother, coupled<br />
with her own desire to help others,<br />
has led Herrera along a path that<br />
includes STEM studies (she is a<br />
biology major and a chemistry<br />
minor), stretching herself to learn<br />
new disciplines and connecting with<br />
people who share her passion.<br />
Over the summer, she had the<br />
opportunity to conduct medical<br />
research during an internship at<br />
Purdue University, an institution ten<br />
times the size of UNT Dallas. Herrera<br />
learned a lot more than she expected.<br />
“It was the first time living by myself.<br />
I felt isolated. I had to go out of my<br />
way to meet others,” Herrera said.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> best part was meeting likeminded<br />
people.”<br />
2 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong><br />
<strong>2023</strong> SENIOR SHOWCASE<br />
LAUREN HERRERA<br />
As she finishes up her senior year,<br />
Herrera now has the perspective<br />
to compare a large university<br />
with a smaller one. “UNT Dallas is<br />
interconnected,” she said. “Nothing<br />
feels out of reach. It’s the best.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s a sense of community.”<br />
Herrera credits her mentors, including<br />
Drs. Kimberly Riddick and Muhammed<br />
Yousufuddin, with guiding her<br />
through the past three years.<br />
In addition to her academic<br />
requirements, Herrera has served as<br />
president of the Pre-Health Club. In<br />
her spare time, she also volunteers<br />
at a local hospice. “<strong>The</strong>re’s nobody<br />
over their 60s in my family,” she<br />
said. “I like connecting with older<br />
generations.” Herrera has done a lot<br />
of reading about geriatrics, and death<br />
and dying. “You don’t think you’ll get<br />
old one day,” she said. “People can be<br />
forgotten.”<br />
Whether assisting an octogenarian<br />
in hospice care or a teenager in<br />
high school, Herrera is dedicated to<br />
making life better for others. “I don’t<br />
want to just be a doctor,” she said. “I<br />
want to be a bridge for people who<br />
need it. I want to help close the gap”<br />
in the healthcare system.<br />
So what does her mother think now?<br />
“She’s excited,” said Herrera. Her<br />
mom’s stepdad and two brothers<br />
all got master’s degrees as firstgeneration<br />
students. “Mom wants<br />
that for us, too.”<br />
Herrera is well on her way to<br />
achieving that goal and her dream of<br />
being a dermatologist. Who knows<br />
what else she will accomplish and<br />
how many lives she will touch along<br />
the way?
TRIPLE<br />
PLAYTHREE NATIONAL REPORTS LIST<br />
UNT DALLAS AS A TOP CHOICE<br />
AMONG PUBLIC, 4-YEAR COLLEGES<br />
In <strong>2023</strong>, UNT Dallas scored the best in North Texas on<br />
three respected evaluations of colleges and universities<br />
in Texas and across the country. U.S. News & World<br />
Report, Money and Washington Monthly all positioned<br />
UNT Dallas as a top choice among public, four-year<br />
universities in the region.<br />
<strong>On</strong> the U.S. News & World Report listing of the 2024 Best<br />
Colleges, released in September, UNT Dallas earned<br />
high marks in four categories:<br />
REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES WEST: #44<br />
TOP PUBLIC SCHOOLS – Regional Universities West: #22<br />
SOCIAL MOBILITY – Regional Universities West: #30<br />
BEST VALUE – Regional Universities West: #35<br />
<strong>The</strong> #44 overall ranking among Regional Universities<br />
West is the highest ever for UNT Dallas, up from #48<br />
last year. <strong>The</strong> list includes 120 public and private<br />
universities in 14 states. It looks at the top reasons<br />
students attend a particular college, such as general<br />
academic reputation, cost of attending and return<br />
on investment.<br />
Similarly, UNT Dallas scored high in affordability<br />
and social mobility in North Texas on the Washington<br />
Monthly college rankings, which were published<br />
in August.<br />
UNT Dallas ranked the highest out of 11 North Texas<br />
colleges and universities on the list of “Best Bang for<br />
the Buck” colleges in the South region. Seventy-seven<br />
Texas colleges and universities made the list out of a<br />
total of 228 in the region. UNT Dallas ranked #14<br />
out of 228.<br />
Washington Monthly’s methodology consists of three<br />
equally weighted portions: social mobility, research and<br />
community and national service. <strong>The</strong> “Best Bang for the<br />
Buck” rating is the social mobility score<br />
by itself.<br />
According to the publication, “<strong>The</strong> ‘Best Bang for the<br />
Buck’ colleges across each of the five regions include a<br />
few incredibly wealthy and highly rejective colleges, but<br />
they are matched and surpassed by regionally focused<br />
public and private colleges that focus on providing<br />
value to their students.”<br />
Credible college assessments have rated or ranked<br />
UNT Dallas #1 in North Texas in key categories for three<br />
consecutive months. In July, Money magazine gave UNT<br />
Dallas the highest rating (not ranking like the others) of<br />
all North Texas colleges and universities in its annual<br />
“Best Colleges in America” report.<br />
UNT Dallas is the only college or university in the<br />
Dallas-Fort Worth region to receive a 4.5 (out of 5)<br />
score from Money, and one of only six colleges or<br />
universities statewide to receive that number. Money<br />
cited affordability, diversity and social mobility in its<br />
very favorable review of UNT Dallas.<br />
While some colleges do well in one of the ranking or<br />
rating lists, it is unusual for the same public, four-year<br />
regional institution to perform so well in all three<br />
the same year. <strong>The</strong>se three important achievements<br />
align with UNT Dallas’ mission to empower students,<br />
transform lives and strengthen communities.<br />
“<strong>The</strong> trend for these rankings and ratings is crystal<br />
clear,” said Bob Mong, UNT Dallas president. “UNT<br />
Dallas is on a significant upward trajectory fueled by its<br />
value, low student debt and the success of<br />
its graduates.”<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 3
VALERIE TORRES RECEIVES FIRST MONG SCHOLARSHIP<br />
UNT Dallas sophomore Valerie Torres has been chosen<br />
as the first recipient of the Robert Mong Endowed<br />
Scholarship, which was established this year in honor of<br />
university president Bob Mong.<br />
Torres is a first-generation college student majoring in<br />
biology and minoring in chemistry. She almost decided<br />
against college. Her three older brothers chose not to<br />
go, and because of the pandemic, she didn’t want to go,<br />
either. She thought she was ready to enter the workforce.<br />
But now, Torres is on track to attend medical school. Her<br />
goal is to become a reconstructive cosmetic surgeon<br />
treating burn victims.<br />
“Many low-income families don’t know how to treat<br />
burns,” Torres said. “<strong>The</strong>y think water or a cold press,”<br />
which can do more damage.<br />
Her journey to becoming a doctor started in elementary<br />
school. As a child, Torres watched Bill Nye the Science Guy<br />
on television.<br />
In the seventh grade, Torres made a decision. “I wanted<br />
to have an impact on people’s lives,” she said. Torres<br />
remembers seeing children with cleft palates and hoping<br />
she could help them.<br />
After high school, as Torres contemplated getting a fulltime<br />
job and skipping college, she discovered UNT Dallas<br />
and its proximity to where she lived.<br />
4 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong><br />
Torres changed her mind about passing up college. She<br />
enrolled at UNT Dallas, attended summer bridge classes,<br />
and was accepted into the Trailblazer Elite program. Her<br />
parents were delighted, and her brothers were excited.<br />
“My family is my biggest support system,” Torres said.<br />
“Better than expected” is how Torres describes her<br />
experience here so far. She is impressed by our STEM<br />
curriculum and is excited to be part of the BAT-LSAMP<br />
Scholarship Program, which offers experiences and<br />
resources to students pursuing STEM careers. Torres<br />
is enthusiastic about joining JAMP, the Joint Admission<br />
Medical Program, which provides undergraduates a path<br />
to medical school.<br />
Torres will put her $5,000 in scholarship money to good<br />
use. For “STEM stuff,” she said, including books, research<br />
materials, a chemistry kit, and clothes to wear when<br />
making presentations.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Robert Mong Endowed Scholarship was created<br />
through funding from <strong>The</strong> Dallas Morning News, where<br />
President Mong spent much of his distinguished<br />
journalism career. “I am honored by this endowed<br />
scholarship in my name, especially coming from an<br />
institution to which I devoted so much of my life,” said<br />
Mong. “More importantly, I thank them for providing<br />
much-needed scholarship dollars to our students.”
LISTENING<br />
TO ALUMNI<br />
UNT Dallas values feedback from alumni and seeks their<br />
advice to help guide our future path. In our <strong>2023</strong> Alumni<br />
Attitude Survey, they answered a detailed list of questions<br />
and shared opinions about an important range of topics.<br />
<strong>The</strong> survey was conducted by the Performance<br />
Enhancement Group (PEG, Ltd.), a Texas-based research<br />
and consulting firm. Since 2001, PEG has collected data<br />
from more than a million alumni of hundreds of colleges<br />
and universities nationwide, both public and private. <strong>The</strong>ir<br />
findings allow UNT Dallas and UNT Dallas College of Law<br />
to compare our alumni survey results to a broad spectrum<br />
of other higher education institutions.<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Alumni Attitude Survey yielded clear, actionable<br />
feedback about what UNT Dallas does well and how<br />
we can do even better. Alumni care deeply about this<br />
university and feel a unique connection to it; they are<br />
glad they earned a degree here and want us to reach new<br />
heights. Many also plan to support UNT Dallas financially<br />
through donations in the coming years.<br />
UNT Dallas alumni describe themselves as hardworking,<br />
self-motivated, resilient, and adaptable. <strong>The</strong>y want to<br />
know that the value of a UNT Dallas degree will increase<br />
over time. <strong>The</strong>y want to hear about how the student<br />
experience is improving and how graduates are being<br />
equipped for lifelong prosperity.<br />
Among the key findings:<br />
• Nearly 90% rate their decision to attend UNT Dallas<br />
as “great” or “good”, with almost 70% responding<br />
as “great.”<br />
• Two-thirds describe their experiences as an alum<br />
“great” or “good.”<br />
• Nearly 90% say their overall current opinion of UNT<br />
Dallas is “excellent” or “good.”<br />
Those questions were part of the Affinity Index. UNT<br />
Dallas scored 78% percent, which is very strong for a<br />
public university so young. By comparison, the Affinity<br />
Index combining all participating institutions nationwide,<br />
including prestigious private colleges and universities and<br />
well-established public colleges and universities, is 79%.<br />
Here are some additional findings regarding the time<br />
survey respondents have spent at UNT Dallas:<br />
• 90% say their experience as a student was “excellent”<br />
or “good.”<br />
• <strong>On</strong> a loyalty scale, alumni felt most loyal to these three<br />
areas of the university:<br />
1. <strong>The</strong>ir major or degree program,<br />
2. A faculty member or instructor,<br />
3. <strong>The</strong>ir school/college within UNT Dallas<br />
• <strong>The</strong> skills alumni feel UNT Dallas best prepared them for<br />
include:<br />
⭘ Effective writing<br />
⭘ Critical thinking<br />
⭘ Ethical reasoning<br />
and action<br />
⭘ Problem-solving<br />
• <strong>On</strong> a scale of 0-10, two-thirds (66%) are likely to<br />
recommend UNT Dallas to a prospective student<br />
Looking ahead:<br />
⭘ Effective oral<br />
communication<br />
⭘ Quantitative reasoning<br />
⭘ Collaborating<br />
with others<br />
⭘ Decision-making<br />
• 62% of respondents say that they plan to provide future<br />
financial support to UNT Dallas through donations, even<br />
though they have not yet done so.<br />
• Top action items most important to alumni include:<br />
⭘ Networking opportunities and mentoring<br />
⭘ Staying connected with fellow alumni and the<br />
university<br />
⭘ Supporting UNT Dallas by giving back through<br />
monetary contributions, volunteering and advocating<br />
for the university<br />
⭘ Career opportunities and job search support<br />
⭘ Building a stronger alumni community and network<br />
<strong>The</strong> UNT Dallas Alumni Association hosts activities and<br />
events throughout the year. Anyone who has ever been a<br />
student at UNT Dallas is welcome to participate. Whether<br />
you completed your degree at UNT Dallas, attended UNT<br />
Dallas but have a degree from UNT (Denton) or took<br />
classes here but did not graduate – you are a member of<br />
our alumni family. We also encourage the involvement of<br />
non-alumni friends of the university.<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 5
60 YEARS LATER<br />
HOW JFK<br />
CHANGED<br />
DALLAS<br />
As the United States solemnly marked the 60th<br />
anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s<br />
assassination, a group of esteemed Dallas<br />
journalists gathered at the UNT Dallas College<br />
of Law to share their memories, insights and<br />
experiences. A pioneering business leader and<br />
former Texas state legislator joined them in a<br />
provocative and enlightening discussion.<br />
<strong>The</strong> College of Law houses an interactive exhibit<br />
tracing the tragic events step-by-step, hour-byhour.<br />
<strong>The</strong> college is located in the former Dallas<br />
City Hall, which included Police Headquarters,<br />
where Lee Harvey Oswald was taken after his arrest,<br />
interrogated by investigators, and shot and killed<br />
by Jack Ruby. “It was and is important to preserve<br />
this piece of history, not only to document what<br />
happened at the time but to show how things have<br />
changed dramatically since, including presidential<br />
security and media access. Presidents no longer ride<br />
in convertibles and the press is more restricted than<br />
it was to Oswald and Ruby to avoid jeopardizing a<br />
defendant’s right to a fair trial.” said Dean<br />
Felicia Epps.<br />
A unique partnership led to the building’s<br />
meticulous renovation while preserving significant<br />
elements related to the assassination, including<br />
evidence found by police, clips of television news<br />
coverage and Oswald’s jail cell.<br />
“JFK inspired a generation of young people,”<br />
said Tom Huang, Assistant Managing Editor for<br />
Journalism Initiatives at <strong>The</strong> Dallas Morning News,<br />
which cohosted the event. “His death shattered<br />
dreams and had a lasting impact.”<br />
Participants recalled a special edition of the<br />
newspaper, published 20 years after the killing,<br />
which included a sobering, reflective message from<br />
the editor. “<strong>The</strong> enormity of the crime etched an<br />
enduring sorrow on the national consciousness.<br />
Consumed by uncertainly, with the world looking on,<br />
6 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong>
the city of Dallas examined itself and was examined; judged<br />
itself and was judged,” wrote Burl Osborne, who later<br />
became publisher.<br />
At the time JFK was assassinated on November 22, 1963,<br />
Dallas was a tenth the size it is today. It was a place of<br />
“wide-brimmed hats and narrow viewpoints,” said Carolyn<br />
Barta, former Dallas Morning News reporter. “It was a<br />
gunslinger city and a patriarchal society that excluded a lot<br />
of people.”<br />
“Dallas was seen as right-wing and a city of haters,” recalled<br />
Helen Giddings, entrepreneur, community advocate, and<br />
former Texas state representative.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir comments set the scene for a deeper conversation<br />
about Dallas then and now, the profound effects of<br />
President Kennedy’s death and his connection to the civil<br />
rights movement.<br />
“JFK was killed because of his position on civil rights,”<br />
Giddings said emphatically. “In the homes of Black families,<br />
you would see three photos: Jesus, MLK and JFK.” In the<br />
1960 presidential election, nearly 70% of African-American<br />
voters chose Kennedy, according to the John F. Kennedy<br />
Presidential Museum.<br />
Former Dallas Times Herald reporter Darwin Payne said<br />
Dallas was viewed poorly by outsiders for years after the<br />
assassination, including internationally. Tourists to the city<br />
or Dallasites visiting other states and countries would often<br />
ask or be asked, “Who shot JFK?” he said. But by 1983, the<br />
question became, “Who shot JR?”, referring to the hit TV<br />
show Dallas, in which someone shoots wealthy oilman,<br />
J.R. Ewing.<br />
Payne said the assassination prompted the Dallas Mayor<br />
J. Erik Johnson, elected in 1964, to create new goals for<br />
the city, which led to public school kindergarten and<br />
other important programs. “<strong>The</strong> city had an 81% white<br />
population,” Payne said. “Now white is the minority.”<br />
That change in demographics was a transformation that<br />
took decades. Not just in population, but in power. “<strong>The</strong>re<br />
were no Blacks in any political structure,” said Barta.<br />
Following the assassination and the city’s self-assessment,<br />
the first Black citizens were elected to the Dallas City<br />
Council, Board of Education and state legislature. “Now,<br />
Dallas is such a different place. <strong>The</strong>re’s no comparison,”<br />
Barta told the audience.<br />
After his killing, Giddings remembered, “It was a frightening<br />
time for Blacks. <strong>The</strong>y were worried the hands would turn<br />
back (on civil rights).”<br />
Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Granberry shared his<br />
vivid childhood memory of the day JFK was assassinated.<br />
It was a week before his twelfth birthday. His mother had<br />
promised they would go see the president’s motorcade, but<br />
his father refused to let them go because of a controversial<br />
anti-Kennedy advertisement by a right-wing group he saw<br />
in the morning paper.<br />
<strong>The</strong> death of President Kennedy was “very personal” for<br />
Granberry, as he recalled. “A loss of innocence, the death<br />
of innocence.”<br />
Barta said, “When the Cowboys played on TV, they<br />
(announcers) just called them the ‘Cowboys,’ not the ‘Dallas<br />
Cowboys’.” Just as the Cowboys represented what some<br />
believed was a dark cloud over Dallas, they also came to<br />
symbolize harmony. “<strong>The</strong> Cowboys helped unite (us),” said<br />
Granberry. “<strong>The</strong> Cotton Bowl, where black and white, rich<br />
and poor, sat side-by-side” watching Cowboys games, sent<br />
a message to the nation.<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 7
UNT DALLAS<br />
BREAKS GROUND ON<br />
INNOVATIVE, STATE-OF-THE-ART<br />
STEM FACILITY<br />
<strong>On</strong> September 29, <strong>2023</strong>, university leaders, healthcare<br />
professionals, elected officials and community partners<br />
broke ground on an innovative, state-of-the-art STEM<br />
complex at UNT Dallas. <strong>The</strong> ceremony marked a milestone<br />
for the university, as the facility will pave the way for a<br />
new level of instruction, research and collaboration. <strong>The</strong><br />
building is expected to open for the Spring 2026 semester.<br />
“When completed, this building will stand as the<br />
most consequential addition to the UNT Dallas main<br />
campus, bringing with it expanded opportunities for our<br />
current and future students to be trained for significant<br />
healthcare careers,” said Bob Mong, UNT Dallas president.<br />
“For employers, our graduates will help solve urgent<br />
healthcare shortages in our community. This is a win for<br />
our students, our industry partners and the future of<br />
healthcare in North Texas.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> culmination of years of planning, the new $100<br />
million, four-story structure will include 18-20 classrooms,<br />
nine teaching labs (biology and chemistry), three research<br />
labs and a large event venue. It will also contain multiple<br />
study and work areas, faculty and staff offices, a student<br />
STEM center and a Joint Admission Medical Program<br />
(JAMP) space with resources for students interested in<br />
attending medical school.<br />
<strong>The</strong> cutting-edge complex is the next step in UNT Dallas’<br />
long-term plan to expand STEM opportunities for students<br />
and bolster the pipeline of highly skilled candidates<br />
to North Texas employers seeking STEM professionals.<br />
Specifically, it will provide a pathway for healthcare<br />
careers, including advancement to medical, nursing and<br />
pharmacy schools, and other post-graduate educational<br />
institutions focused on science, health, medicine<br />
and wellness.<br />
8 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong>
“This is tremendous for UNT Dallas. I’m thankful and<br />
grateful,” said Dr. Betty Stewart, UNT Dallas provost, who<br />
is the project’s driving force and greatest champion. “This<br />
STEM building will be transformational to our campus.”<br />
<strong>The</strong> Texas Workforce Commission says these are “highdemand,<br />
high-wage” occupations that are expanding<br />
rapidly. Moreover, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says<br />
STEM-related healthcare positions pay more than the<br />
average American job. In fact, STEM careers are projected<br />
to grow nearly 11% in the next decade.<br />
By collaborating with industry partners and local<br />
educational and community institutions, UNT Dallas<br />
and the new STEM facility will catalyze investment and<br />
development in southern Dallas. Projects are already in<br />
the works nearby, including University Hills and Rivulet.<br />
UNT Dallas is a Tree Campus USA, recognized by the Arbor<br />
Day Foundation. As such, the new STEM building will be<br />
green, sustainable and energy efficient. It will also be<br />
full of windows and natural light to take advantage of<br />
the landscaping around it, bringing the outside in. An<br />
area behind the structure will become a green space for<br />
student gatherings, study and quiet reflection.<br />
Two firms, Stantec and Harrison Kornberg, designed the<br />
building to reflect the university’s mission and achieve the<br />
STEM project’s goals. <strong>The</strong>y include empowering students<br />
by providing upward mobility to a diverse community<br />
of learners through STEM education; transforming lives<br />
through STEM programs that will improve the vitality of<br />
students and their families; and creating a sense of place<br />
and belonging is student-centered, inclusive, welcoming,<br />
accessible and flexible.<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 9
NEW CPI PROGRAM<br />
OFFERS FREE MENTAL<br />
HEALTH SERVICES TO LAW<br />
ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS<br />
Texas leads the nation in suicides by law<br />
enforcement officers. <strong>The</strong> stress of the job and<br />
the perceived stigma of seeking assistance can be<br />
overwhelming. To address those issues and the urgent<br />
need for solutions, the Meadows Mental Health Policy<br />
Institute (MMHPI) and the Caruth Police Institute (CPI) at<br />
UNT Dallas launched the Texas Blue Chip Program.<br />
This groundbreaking initiative offers law enforcement<br />
officers confidential and free mental health services.<br />
<strong>The</strong> program is now operational for police officers<br />
across the Dallas-Fort Worth and greater North Texas<br />
area.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Texas Blue Chip Program uses specially designed<br />
poker chips accessible at police stations and virtually<br />
through the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network<br />
(TLEPN) app. Officers can use the chips to receive<br />
discreet, confidential counseling with selected mental<br />
health providers at no charge. Funding is provided<br />
by the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) via its<br />
Support for Allen (TX) Fund.<br />
<strong>The</strong> CPI at UNT Dallas operates the TLEPN, an<br />
innovative, statewide peer support program accessible<br />
around the clock to all law enforcement officers in<br />
Texas. This confidential and anonymous network<br />
seamlessly connects officers with trained peers<br />
equipped to assist with managing stress, trauma,<br />
fatigue and various other challenges.<br />
“Whether confronting extreme weather events, mass<br />
shootings, fatal traffic incidents or the chronicity of<br />
day-to-day police work, the Texas Blue Chip Program<br />
is designed to provide support precisely when officers<br />
need it the most,” said Jeff Spivey, CPI executive director<br />
and chair of the IACP Officer Safety and Wellness<br />
Section. “It is our duty to offer resources and support<br />
to those who dedicate their lives to ensuring the safety<br />
and well-being of our communities.”<br />
Shortly after the tragic mass shooting at Allen Premium<br />
Outlets in May <strong>2023</strong>, CFT saw an outpouring of support.<br />
Because law enforcement officers are deeply affected by<br />
both short- and long-term trauma in the wake of a mass<br />
shooting event, CFT earmarked money from the Support<br />
for Allen Fund to support those on the frontline as they<br />
continue to process and heal.<br />
Following its introduction throughout North Texas,<br />
MMHPI and TLEPN hope to extend the program’s reach<br />
statewide.<br />
According to B.J. Wagner, senior vice president of health<br />
and public safety at the Meadows Mental Health Policy<br />
Institute, “Many (officers) hesitate to seek help, even<br />
in the aftermath of traumatic incidents. <strong>The</strong> Texas Blue<br />
Chip Program offers an additional anonymous channel<br />
through which officers can obtain assistance on their<br />
own terms.”<br />
10 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong>
CHIEF SHAW<br />
40 UNDER 40<br />
He is sworn to serve and protect UNT Dallas students,<br />
faculty and staff at the main campus and the College<br />
of Law. Police Chief Christopher Shaw has been recognized<br />
for his commitment by law enforcement peers. <strong>The</strong><br />
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) named<br />
Chief Shaw one of its “40 Under 40” for <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> IACP annually recognizes 40 law enforcement<br />
professionals under age 40 from around the world who<br />
demonstrate leadership, exemplify commitment to their<br />
profession, and positively impact their communities and<br />
the field of policing.<br />
Shaw, who has served as the UNT Dallas police chief since<br />
2018, is one of only two North Texas officers and four in<br />
Texas chosen this year for the honor.<br />
“Chief Shaw is not only widely respected and well-liked<br />
by his fellow officers and the UNT Dallas faculty, staff and<br />
students, but also by his peers and community members,”<br />
said UNT Dallas President Bob Mong. “He is known for<br />
his impeccable values and deep desire to bring the most<br />
effective safety and policing strategies to our campus and<br />
the surrounding community.”<br />
According to IACP, the <strong>2023</strong> 40 Under 40 each brings their<br />
own talents, personalities and motivations to the policing<br />
profession while all sharing a spirit of collaboration,<br />
a drive to help others, innovation and creativity,<br />
leadership and the desire to make a difference in their<br />
communities and profession. <strong>The</strong>se individuals “emit<br />
positivity, compassion and energy, despite the challenging<br />
circumstances that all law enforcement personnel face.”<br />
Shaw began his career as a correctional officer while<br />
completing his bachelor’s degree in Arkansas. After<br />
college, he moved back to his hometown of Dallas, where<br />
he became a police officer at the University of North Texas<br />
in Denton in 2009.<br />
In 2012, Shaw headed to UNT Dallas, where he was<br />
promoted in 2016 to Interim Chief of Police and Emergency<br />
Management. Formally appointed Chief in 2018, he has<br />
increased the hiring of officers and led the effort to obtain<br />
certification for the department as a contractual training<br />
provider for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.<br />
He has excelled at building relationships with surrounding<br />
agencies and has led several innovations to ensure a safe,<br />
secure, well-prepared campus.<br />
“I entered this profession to be a change agent and<br />
catalyst for professional policing,” said Chief Shaw. “We<br />
will continue to work collaboratively to ensure a safe<br />
working and learning environment for the UNT Dallas<br />
community and our stakeholders.”<br />
Shaw serves on a number of advisory boards, is an active<br />
volunteer in his community and is a member of numerous<br />
professional organizations. He is a 2022 graduate of the<br />
FBI National Academy in Quantico and currently serves as<br />
an ambassador to the program.<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 11
COLLEGE OF LAW RECOGNIZES WRONGFULLY<br />
CONVICTED TEXANS WHO WERE EXONERATED<br />
United in their fight to fix the judicial system, eight<br />
wrongly convicted men, who were later cleared of all<br />
charges, came together for an emotional candlelight<br />
vigil at the UNT Dallas College of Law on October 2, <strong>2023</strong>.<br />
<strong>The</strong> inaugural event, honoring International Wrongful<br />
Conviction Recognition Day, shined a light on the difficult<br />
struggle to free innocent people, repair their reputations<br />
and welcome them back into society after time in jail<br />
or prison.<br />
<strong>The</strong> exonerated men were joined by loved ones of other<br />
exonerees, advocates, attorneys and criminal justice<br />
leaders all working to prevent future wrongful convictions<br />
and free others still incarcerated, whose convictions are<br />
being challenged.<br />
Among them was Richard Miles, who served 15 years<br />
behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit. Miles’<br />
conviction was thrown out and he was freed through<br />
the efforts of UNT Dallas College of Law professor<br />
Cheryl Wattley, a former criminal defense attorney<br />
and federal prosecutor.<br />
“We must amplify the message about wrongful<br />
convictions,” said Miles. “People want to feel valued<br />
coming out of prison, to be accepted.”<br />
After being released from prison in 2009, Miles founded<br />
a nonprofit called “Miles of Freedom” that helps<br />
exonerees and others regaining their freedom adjust<br />
to life after prison.<br />
“I met Richard in 2007 (when I began work on his case),<br />
and the relationship feels maternalistic,” said Wattley.<br />
“When he was released, his focus became helping others.”<br />
Wattley runs the college’s Joyce<br />
Ann Brown Innocence Clinic,<br />
which was founded in 2016 and<br />
investigates claims of wrongful<br />
conviction by Texas inmates.<br />
Its lawyers have tirelessly and<br />
persuasively worked on behalf<br />
of Texans in need of a second<br />
chance at freedom and justice.<br />
According to the Innocence<br />
Project of Texas, an estimated 3,000–9,000 Texans are<br />
currently serving sentences due to wrongful convictions.<br />
“We hear you. We believe you. We’re here for you. We<br />
applaud you,” said Wattley.<br />
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, a former<br />
judge, acknowledged the system isn’t perfect. “Even with<br />
safeguards, people find themselves wrongly convicted,”<br />
said Creuzot. “<strong>The</strong> judicial system will never be perfect.<br />
But now it has new tools.”<br />
Creuzot’s office maintains a Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU)<br />
dedicated to investigating claims of innocence, wrongful<br />
convictions, and systemic errors. It was the first<br />
such office in the U.S. and has been replicated in<br />
other jurisdictions.<br />
Attorney Mike Ware, co-founder and executive director<br />
of the Innocence Project of Texas, said, “Dallas is ground<br />
zero, a model for the country,” referring to the CIU. He<br />
said experts estimate 2–6% of Texas prison inmates were<br />
wrongfully convicted and are innocent. “It’s a profound<br />
injustice” that must be corrected, he said.<br />
Guests included Koquice Spencer, the daughter of Joyce<br />
Ann Brown, for whom the UNT Dallas College of Law<br />
Innocence Clinic is named. Brown was cleared of all<br />
charges and released in November 1989 after serving<br />
more than nine years of a life sentence for robbing<br />
a furrier. <strong>The</strong> court set aside her conviction, citing<br />
prosecutorial misconduct.<br />
Richard Miles credits Brown with helping him connect with<br />
Cheryl Wattley through Centurion, a national nonprofit<br />
dedicated to the vindication of the wrongfully convicted.<br />
Brown died in 2015.<br />
Also in attendance was Cory Session, whose brother,<br />
Tim Cole, never regained his freedom. Cole died in<br />
prison in 1999 while serving a 25-year term for raping<br />
a young woman when he was a student at Texas Tech.<br />
Ten years later, Cole was exonerated by DNA evidence<br />
that implicated someone else. <strong>The</strong> Tim Cole Act, a Texas<br />
statute, compensates individuals exonerated of their<br />
false, unfounded offenses. <strong>The</strong>y receive $80,000 per year.<br />
After hearing the heartbreaking yet inspiring stories<br />
shared by Miles and others, attendees walked to nearby<br />
Main Street Park with candles in hand, where the names<br />
of the eight exonerees and others were read aloud.<br />
12 ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong>
UNT DALLAS MEN<br />
WALK A MILE IN<br />
HIGH HEELS FOR AN<br />
IMPORTANT CAUSE<br />
Instead of their usual sneakers, slides or Crocs, UNT Dallas<br />
men donned high heels on October 10, <strong>2023</strong>, for a good time<br />
and a great cause.<br />
Supported by their female friends, classmates and colleagues,<br />
male students, faculty and staff boldly confronted gender<br />
stereotypes and expectations. Free high heels were provided,<br />
making it easy for the guys to switch out their usual footwear.<br />
It was all part of the university’s second annual “Walk a Mile<br />
in Her Shoes” event, which called attention to the causes<br />
and effects of sexualized violence by men and solutions to<br />
preventing it. <strong>The</strong> walk recognized National Domestic Violence<br />
Awareness Month and the need to make resources available<br />
for victims and abusers.<br />
UNT Dallas President Bob Mong and Chief Human Resources<br />
Officer Tony Sanchez joined dozens of others as they carefully<br />
balanced themselves and skillfully navigated the course<br />
around campus.<br />
<strong>The</strong> purpose for all participants, supporters and organizers<br />
was to get people talking about sex and gender biases,<br />
gender identity and gender relations in a safe environment<br />
without judgment or stereotypes. <strong>The</strong>y were among countless<br />
men, women and families around the world who have<br />
joined the award-winning “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: <strong>The</strong><br />
International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault &<br />
Gender Violence” since 2001.<br />
Experts say anyone can fall victim to sexualized violence<br />
regardless of gender identity. Sexualized violence devalues<br />
women, female practices, feminine ways of thinking, feeling<br />
and being, feminine energy and femme presentation. <strong>The</strong><br />
target of sexualized violence can be a female body, the body<br />
of someone presenting as female or femme or a malebodied<br />
or male-presenting person insufficiently performing<br />
masculinity.<br />
To prevent it, organizers of the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes”<br />
movement believe we need to educate ourselves and others,<br />
examine the sexual and gender biases that seed sexualized<br />
violence and inoculate ourselves and our cultures against<br />
them.<br />
When the mile-long excursion ended, the UNT Dallas men<br />
felt educated, enlightened — and sore. But this temporary<br />
discomfort was worth it, knowing their actions and message<br />
could help prevent much more serious and lasting pain.<br />
<strong>The</strong>ir high heels were donated to the Genesis Women’s<br />
Shelter in Dallas.<br />
ON THE MOVE | FALL <strong>2023</strong> 13
CONGRATULATIONS<br />
FALL <strong>2023</strong> GRADUATES<br />
Top Public<br />
School, Regional<br />
Universities West<br />
– U.S. News & World Report<br />
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