Purpose: Establish UNT as a leading National Service University, the new ‘gold standard’ for public universities that seamlessly integrate access, innovation, and excellence in the provision of transformative educational programs, scholarship, and creative contributions of public value. As a public research university committed to advancing the public good, UNT will leverage our resources and insights, and we will partner with employers, civic organizations, and other educational institutions to advance the economic, social, and cultural well-being of our communities, region, state, and nation. 

Focus Areas for 2025: 

  • Improve student success from first contact through early career through innovative, evidence-based approaches to academic and career advising, curriculum and pedagogy, advanced data analytics, digital learning technologies, and college-to-career transitions.
  • Advance UNT’s role as a public Carnegie R1 by prioritizing interdisciplinary collaborations, investments, and innovation in focused research areas, building on our current strengths, especially for research and development activities that further state and regional priorities.
  • Implement our first iteration of strategic budgeting, to increase transparency, expand agency and accountability for unit leaders, and improve alignment across university priorities and budgets.
  • Partner with employers, civic organizations, community colleges, other universities, and others to analyze and address educational and workforce needs for our region and state and expand professional opportunities for UNT graduates and alumni.
  • Work with campus and community stakeholders to develop a five-year strategic plan and campus master plans that clarify major priorities for the next chapter in the university’s history.
  • Inform higher education policy decisions affecting UNT, including upcoming budget and policy discussions in the 89th Texas Legislature and the 119th United States Congress. 

Methods: To advance our public mission and compete successfully in these focus areas for 2025, we will: 

  • Develop and engage talent across our UNT community—including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external partners—to promote a culture that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, continuous learning, and a commitment to high support to enable individuals to achieve at high standards of excellence. 
  • Establish new university structures and practices to facilitate effective and efficient operations, encourage experimentation and innovation in teaching and research, and promote the use of data to drive improvement. 
  • Build strategic partnerships across our region and beyond, to expand access to and strengthen our academic and research programs, accelerate our progress especially in supporting student success, and increase the impact of our contributions. 
  • Diversify and expand sources of revenue by acting entrepreneurially to generate and secure increased financial support through a combination of philanthropic, private, public, and other funding to produce impact at scale, in line with our mission and values.

Aim: Within the next five years, UNT will be recognized as a national leader in producing graduates who are prepared to thrive in a changing world, educational innovation, use-inspired research, and expanding economic and educational opportunities for our communities, region, state, and nation. Key indicators will include significantly increasing: 

  • Student persistence, graduation rates, graduate placement, and return-on-investment. Students and their families should expect opportunities on par with leading public universities. 
  • Use-inspired sponsored research and creative activities. UNT should be known for our commitment and capabilities to strengthen the economic, social, and cultural health of our communities, region, state, and nation. 
  • Robust alumni engagement and donor support. Alumni and donors will accelerate our progress and ensure a bright future for UNT. 
  • Recognitions and rankings of the academic, economic, social, and cultural well-being of our campuses and the communities we serve, as reflected in measurable gains in educational attainment, social mobility, regional unemployment, and economic growth, as well as external measures of UNT’s academic reputation, awards and honors and internal measures of the engagement and satisfaction of our students, staff, faculty, and alumni.