Back in the day, you could enjoy music by the Aces of Collegeland. Many of the people who attended those dances return to UNT each year at Homecoming for lunch with the Floyd Graham Society, which honors its namesake, a music professor, with an annual jazz studies scholarship. Below, the lunch crowd and the sax line and, and left, a couple dance to the beat of memories. (Photos by Vanessa Mendoza) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov. 4, 2009

To: UNT community members

With a yes vote on Proposition 4 in yesterday’s election, Texans established the National Research University Fund, which will provide a dedicated and independent source of funding for UNT and Texas’ other emerging research universities once each institution qualifies.

The fund will be created by redirecting about $500 million from the existing Higher Education Fund. To receive support from the new fund, UNT must meet the qualifying criteria laid out in HB 51, which considers the number of new doctoral graduates each year, annual research expenditure, faculty and student academic quality and other measures.

While UNT won’t immediately qualify for monies from this new fund if it passes, we will eventually. Already, we have taken advantage of the state’s new matching funds initiative, which aims to help us grow our research more quickly. In September, we submitted roughly $2.9 million in gifts, which we are hoping will qualify for a matching amount of $1.73 million.

These initiatives are an important step forward for Texas. They mean that as a state, Texas will be able to compete for a larger share of the federal research dollars. And, with more research universities, Texas also will be more attractive to cutting-edge industry. Research universities are at the center of innovation through understanding and they play a critical role in moving communities and industry forward. As each of the emerging research universities grows stronger, Texas’ economy and future will grow brighter.

And at UNT, we are a force to be reckoned with that is only getting stronger. Our restricted research expenditures and awards are each up over 60 percent since 2007, which is incredible progress!

Thank you all for everything you do. I hope you are as pleased as I am that we now have this state support to work toward achieving.

With green pride,
Gretchen M. Bataille
President

Texas voters approved Proposition 4, a constitutional amendment that will establish a new National Research University Fund using about $500 million in existing Higher Education Fund monies. The new fund will provide a dedicated and independent source of funding for UNT and Texas’ other emerging research universities when each institution qualifies.

• Read a note to campus for President Gretchen M. Bataille.

Today’s (Nov. 4) unofficial vote tally by the Texas Secretary of State shows these results from Texas’ 254 counties:

• For: 591,183
• Against: 450,819
• Total votes: 1,042,002
• Number of voters: 12,952,562
• Voter turnout: 8.04 percent

Election results show the measure passing in Denton, Dallas and Tarrant counties, home to UNT, the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington, respectively. County vote totals were:

• Denton County, approved 9,742 to 9,071
• Dallas County, approved 40,923 to 22,852
• Tarrant County, approved 35,557 to 26,186

Voters in home counties of other emerging research universities also approved Proposition 4. These are Harris County, home to the University of Houston main campus; Lubbock County, Texas Tech University; Bexar County, the University of Texas at San Antonio; and El Paso County, University of Texas at El Paso.

• Find vote totals for all Texas counties.

Legislation creating support more national research universities in Texas was introduced by Dallas Rep. Dan Branch and Laredo Sen. Judith Zaffirini during the 81st Texas Legislature. Gov. Rick Perry signed the measure into law in June.

• Find an endorsement by the Faculty Senate.
• Learn more about UNT’s commitment to research.

All UNT, UNT Dallas Campus and UNT System faculty and staff members are invited to attend an important briefing about the various economic factors that impacted the performance of investments during the third quarter of this year. Learn how you might apply that information in the selection of investments in your personal retirement savings plan.

The briefing will include information about:
• forces driving recent developments in financial markets and the U.S. economy
• factors affecting the performance of domestic and international equity markets
• changes driving bond-market interest rates and valuations 

The briefing will be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Eagle Student Services Center, Room 255

The seminar is sponsored by Human Resources and will be conducted by Fidelity. Registration for the seminar can be made at 800-642-7131 or online at www.fidelity.com/atwork/reservations.