President's Initiatives | Office of the President

Many of the priorities developed from the 2014-15 Action Plan establish university-wide initiatives as the foundation to build on for future progress and goals. Many are initiatives that President Smatresk had a hand in overseeing.

The president’s initiatives are wide-ranging in scope and impact, from creating a planning and implementation process to hiring vice presidents to creating a new fixed rate tuition plan for students.

A key part of the president’s initiatives — with the oversight from the Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing — is to maintain robust, high-level communications and strategies, including online communications, media placement and social media, for the president to engage the campus community, key stakeholders and people of influence.

The goals are to:

Leverage the UNT president to grow the university’s brand and reputation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, state and nation
Position the president as a thought leader in higher education
Support UNT’s momentum, progress and vision

The president’s initiatives will help UNT to attract and retain high-quality students, expand its reach throughout the North Texas region and build a strong base of stakeholder engagement.

President’s Initiative Projects by Theme

The projects appear in no particular order.

Academics

Class Concierge
University-wide Commencement and College Recognition Ceremonies
Off-Campus Degree Offerings
Distance Education Model Review

Recruitment/Enrollment

Eagle Express Tuition Plan
Campus Visit/Tours

Leadership

VP for Enrollment Search
VP for Institutional Equity and Diversity Search
VP for Advancement Search

Fundraising and Stakeholder Engagement

Alumni, Prospect and Donor Engagement
Alumni, Prospect and Donor Relations
Alumni, Prospect and Donor Communications
Advancement Training
Philanthropy
125th Anniversary

Planning and Budgeting

Strategic Planning and Implementation
Strategic Planning and Implementation Software

IT Shared Services Initiatives

Customer Relations Management (CRM) (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Marketing Automation System (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Emergency Notification System (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Mobile Applications (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Financial Aid Improvement – Verification Timing (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Financial Aid Improvement – Application Process (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Data Warehouse (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Academic Advising Solutions (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Early Warning System (IT SHARED SERVICES)

ACADEMICS

Project	Class Concierge
Summary	The goal of the project is to create a class concierge position to assist seniors in ensuring their timely graduation. The new Class Concierge works closely with academic advisors, department chairs and deans to clear the way for students who are close to graduation and need help. The concierge is designed to clear obstacles, such as finding alternative classes if one needed for graduation is not being offered.
Status	100 percent complete The Class Concierge position is in place and staffed.
Team Lead	Yolanda Niemann, then Senior Vice Provost
Members (by division, group)
Academic Affairs	Lisa Maxwell Associate Deans Jean Schaake
HR	Shaureece Park

Project	University-wide Commencement and College Recognition Ceremonies
Summary	The goal of the project is to create an annual unified commencement to honor UNT graduates each academic year.
Status	100 percent complete UNT started new commencement traditions in May 2015, holding a University-wide Commencement at Apogee Stadium to celebrate the entire graduating class for the academic year. This event features a nationally prominent speaker and degree conferral. The university also has created Undergraduate College Recognition Ceremonies and a Doctoral and Master’s Convocation with Doctoral/MFA Hooding for individual recognition.
Team Lead	Laura Irving, Director of Special Events for the Office of the President
Members (by division, group)
Academic Affairs	Gloria Cox Herman Totten
President's Office	Shirley Agustin
Enrollment	Lynn McCreary Bryan Heard Connie Smith Megan Wheeler
Faculty	Francisco Guzman Adam Chamberlain
URCM	Ernestine Bousquet Monique Bird Kristi Easley Michelle Hale Brandon Tripp Donald Wilson
Finance and Administration	Jim Coffey Geary Robinson Katie Marion Dave Reynolds Randy Fite Connie Verdin Courtney Burke
Student Affairs	Stephanie Brown Michelle Bradley Austin Chappell Joshua Walton
Colleges	Lisa Whitby Megan Heber Lisa Goss Samantha Moss Carol Pollard
Students	Troy Elliott Kam Willard
UNT Alumni Association	Rob McInturf
Athletics	Derek Grice Nick Nagel
DCTA	Allison Meshnick

Project	Off-Campus Degree Offerings
Summary	The goal of the project is to launch three complete Bachelor/Master level degree programs at off-campus locations. Two programs are to be located at the Universities Center at Dallas (UCD) and one at Collin Higher Education Center (CHEC).
Status	50 percent complete
Team Lead	Allen Clark, Vice Provost for Academic Resources
Members (by division, group)
Academic Affairs	Finley Graves Greg Watts Eric Ligon
Finance and Administration	Bob Brown

Project	Distance Education Model Review
Summary	The goal of the project is to review course design for all online courses and implement a new distance education funding model to increase enrollment and enhance quality.
Status	35 percent complete
Team Lead	Allen Clark, Vice Provost for Academic Resources
Members (by division, group)
Academic Affairs	Patrick Pluscht Mike Simmons

RECRUITMENT/ENROLLMENT

Project	Eagle Express Tuition Plan
Summary	The goal of the project is develop and implement the Eagle Express Tuition Plan, a state-mandated fixed rate tuition plan designed to increase retention and 4-year graduation rates. The Eagle Express plan helps students manage their costs and graduate in four years while saving them money. They save up to $3,000 in the last 15 hours (typically their last semester) by graduating in four years, and if they qualify for the statewide on-time $1,000 tuition rebate, they’ll save $4,000.
Status	100 percent complete The Eagle Express Tuition Plan was launched in Fall 2014 and is offered to all incoming UNT students. The response was overwhelming and about 4,900 students took advantage of the plan in the first year. Almost half were new freshmen.
Team Leads	Elizabeth With, Vice President for Student Affairs
	Allen Clark, Vice Provost for Academic Resources
Members (by division, group)
Finance and Administration	Bob Brown Zelma DeLeon Beverly Cotton Chris Foster
URCM	Deborah Leliaert Charity Beck Erica Blount Ernestine Bousquet Michelle Hale Jillian Jordan Nancy LeMay Buddy Price Kelley Pound Matt Zabel Sean Zeigler Catherine Parkinson Brandon Tripp
UNT System	Joey Saxon Linda Wallace Dorothy Flores

Project	Campus Visit/Tours
Summary	The goal is to increase campus visit offerings to accommodate increasing numbers of prospective students and their families.
Status	100 percent complete The number of tour participants increased by 32 percent this year compared to FY 2014 figures. Additional academic tours were added this year.
Team Lead	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Jennifer McClendon Kristi Easley

LEADERSHIP

Project	Vice President for Enrollment Search
Summary	The goal of the project is to hire a founding VP for Enrollment and create a new division responsible for overseeing UNT’s enrollment growth and retention strategies, ensuring that UNT attracts and retains high-quality students and maintains a strong foundation for growth.
Status	100 percent complete Shannon Goodman, the founding Vice President for Enrollment, started February 2015. The division will help UNT achieve sustainable enrollment growth and improve the quality and diversity of our student population. The division oversees: Undergraduate Admissions Student Financial Aid and Scholarships Registrar’s Office Transfer Articulation
Team Lead	Elizabeth With, Vice President for Student Affairs
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Zelma DeLeon
Academic Affairs	Yolanda Niemann Jason Simon
Student Affairs	Teresa McKinney
URCM	Deborah Leliaert
Athletics	Cinnamon Sheffield
Faculty Senate	Guido Verbeck Vijay Vaidyanathan
Staff Senate	Donald Noska
Student groups	Anthony Brown Anna Pechenina

Project	Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Search
Summary	The goal of the project is to hire a VP to lead UNT’s efforts in diversity, inclusion and engagement and to reorganize the division.
Status	100 percent complete Joanne Woodard, VP for Institutional Equity and Diversity, started June 2015. The division will help to ensure we execute the mission of the university as it relates to the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students as well as ensure there is a culture of inclusiveness and diversity on campus. The division oversees: Equal Opportunity Multicultural Center Pride Alliance
Team Lead	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning
Members (by division, group)
Academic Affairs	Christy Crutsinger Jerry Thomas
Student Affairs	Melissa McGuire
Enrollment	Patrick Vasquez
Finance and Administration	Helen Bailey
Athletics	Cinnamon Sheffield
Faculty	John Ishiyama Lorenzo Garcia Jannon Fuchs Mark Vosvick V. Barbara Bush
Research and Economic Development	Ann Rodela
Staff	Billy Johnson Pam Milner
Students	Devin Axtman Jesus Valero Troy Elliott
External Community	Irma Kusuma Anne Marie Weiss-Armush

Project	Vice President for Advancement Search
Summary	The goal is to hire a Vice President for Advancement to lead UNT’s efforts in fundraising, development, and donor, alumni and key stakeholder engagement to advance UNT through strategic partnerships, advocacy and financial support.
Status	100 percent complete David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement, started May 2015. The division will help UNT take donor relations, alumni and key stakeholder engagement and fundraising operations to the next level. The division oversees: Advancement/Development Comprehensive fundraising campaigns UNT Alumni Association
Team Lead	Tom McCoy, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Susan Sanders Stan Walker
Alumni/External	Kristin Farmer Mark Miller Julie Anderson Bob Kimmel
Academic Affairs	Courtney Anthony Dorothy Bland
Athletics	Rick Villarreal
Faculty	Francisco Guzman Guido Verbeck

FUNDRAISING AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Project	Alumni, Prospect and Donor Engagement
Summary	The goal of the project is to increase alumni, prospect and donor engagement through the creation of new engagement opportunities and improvement of existing opportunities.
Status	65 percent complete
Team Leads	David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Stan Walker Kim Wendt Rob McInturf

Project	Alumni, Prospect and Donor Relations
Summary	The goal of the project is to increase alumni, prospect and donor engagement through improved prospect/donor experience, enhanced donor relations and increased accountability.
Status	83 percent complete
Team Leads	David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Stan Walker Kim Wendt Rob McInturf, UNT Alumni Association

Project	Alumni, Prospect and Donor Communications
Summary	The goal of the project is to increase alumni, prospect and donor engagement through improved and consistent communication and personalized communications.
Status	49 percent complete
Team Leads	David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Stan Walker Kim Wendt Rob McInturf, UNT Alumni Association

Project	Advancement Training
Summary	The goal of the project is to create effective fundraising opportunities by increasing the competency of development officers and providing development training to deans and faculty.
Status	67 percent complete
Team Leads	David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Stan Walker Kim Wendt Rob McInturf, UNT Alumni Association

Project	Philanthropy
Summary	The goal of the project is to increase the quality, variety and marketing of philanthropic opportunities.
Status	66 percent complete
Team Leads	David Wolf, Vice President for Advancement Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
Advancement	Stan Walker Kim Wendt Rob McInturf, UNT Alumni Association

Project	125th Anniversary
Summary	The goal of the project is to coordinate and implement programming to celebrate UNT's 125th anniversary.
Status	36 percent complete
Team Leads	Elizabeth With, Vice President for Student Affairs Eileen Moran, Associate Vice President for Advancement
Members (by division, group)
President's Office	President Smatresk Laurea Irving
Advancement	Jenni McDermott
UNT Foundation	Jerry Holbert(now retired)
Student Affairs	Adam Allattry
Academic Affairs	Dorothy Bland
Athletics	Hank Dickenson
Staff Senate	Don Noska
Faculty Senate	Guido Verbeck John Murphy
Students	Jacquie Cheun Emily Klement
External	Morgan Gieringer Bill Patterson Kim Phillips Chuck Carpenter Jamie Wilson Scott Parks Amanda Crocker Mario Zavala
URCM	Randena Hulstrand Jill King Julie Payne Kelley Reese Ernestine Bousquet Chris Bryan

PLANNING AND BUDGETING

Project	Strategic Planning Implementation
Summary	The goal of the project is to establish planning implementation processes that identify university priorities, track progress toward objectives, and enhance transparency and accountability of planning implementation teams. The annual planning cycle includes: Campus-wide listening and engagement sessions Planning Implementation Workshop: Annual summer event to develop priorities for coming academic year from broad internal and external stakeholder input State of the University: President’s annual address to campus detailing progress from past year and priorities going forward Periodic and Annual Reporting: Updates from Planning Implementation teams throughout the year and year-end report Research, selection and implementation of planning software. The software also was adopted by the UNT System and other member institutions.
Status	100 percent complete
Team Lead	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Kristi Easley Julie Payne Kelley Reese Ernestine Bousquet

Project	Strategic Planning Implementation Software
Summary	The goal of the project is to research, select and implement strategic planning software to support planning implementation process and activities.
Status	100 percent complete
Team Lead:	Kristi Easley, Director of Outcomes Assessment and Planning
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Deborah Leliaert Julie Payne Kelley Reese

IT SHARED SERVICES INITIATIVES

Project	Customer Relations Management (CRM) (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to select and launch a Constituent Relations Management (CRM) System to better recruit, enroll and retain students.
Status	95 percent complete for selection of CRM system 0 percent complete for implementation
Executive Sponsors	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning (Selection) Shannon Goodman, Vice President for Enrollment (Implementation)
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Kenn Moffitt, Business Co-Sponsor Kelley Reese Charity Beck Kelley Pound
Enrollment	Rebecca Lothringer, Business-Co Sponsor
UNT IT	David Wright, Project Manager
UNT System IT	Monika Botha Jeri Takimoto KC Koh Kem Marcum

Project	Marketing Automation System (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to select and launch a marketing automation system to better recruit, enroll and retain students.
Status	95 percent complete for selection of Marketing Automation System 0 percent complete for implementation
Executive Sponsors	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning (Selection) Shannon Goodman, Vice President for Enrollment (Implementation)
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Kenn Moffitt, Business Co-Sponsor Kelley Reese Kelley Pound Charity Beck
Enrollment	Rebecca Lothringer, Business-Co Sponsor Dustin Mayfield
UNT IT	Mohammed Haq, Project Manager
UNT System IT	Monika Botha Jeri Takimoto KC Koh Jeri Takimoto Kem Marcum

Project	Emergency Notification System (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to select, implement and provide training for Emergency Communication System for the UNT System.
Status	100 percent complete for the selection of a software. A new project has been launched for implementation, guidelines and training. 28 percent complete for implementation and training
Executive Sponsor	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Kenn Moffitt, Business Sponsor Kelley Reese Kelley Reese Margarita Venegas
Police	Ed Reynolds
Risk Management	Brad Scott Justin Stewart Blake Abbe
UNT System IT	Jason Myre Robert Jones Mohammed Haq Alan Wilson
UNTHSC	Jeff Carlton Mathew Moncus
UNT Dallas	Randy Jolly Cliff Janes
UNT Dallas College of Law	Tricia Magel Jennifer Wondracek
UNT System	Cynthia Hall Mai Koua Thao

Project	Mobile Application (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to select and launch a mobile application to improve the ability of students to perform needed functions or obtain needed information from any mobile device.
Status	20 percent complete for selection
Executive Sponsor	Deborah Leliaert, Vice President for University Relations and Planning
Members (by division, group)
URCM	Kenn Moffitt, business owner for UNT
UNT System	Robert Jones, technical lead
UNT Dallas	David Kirkwood Sheryl Santos-Hatchett Kevin Rocha Jason Faulk
UNTHSC	Woody Haggar A.J. Randolph Johnny Thompson

Project	Financial Aid Improvement – Verification Timing (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is decrease the amount of time needed to process Financial Aid verification.
Status	85 percent complete
Executive Sponsor	Rama Dhuwaraha, Chief Technology Officer and interim CIO, ITSS
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Zelma DeLeon Shannon Goodman Lacey Thompson Ed Turney
ITSS	Mahshid Grooms Robert Jones
UNT Dallas	Scott Lapinksi

Project	Financial Aid Improvement – Application Process (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to digitize and improve the financial aid application process.
Status	10 percent complete
Executive Sponsor	Rama Dhuwaraha, Chief Technology Officer and interim CIO, ITSS
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Zelma DeLeon Shannon Goodman Lacey Thompson Ed Turney
ITSS	Mahshid Grooms Robert Jones
UNT Dallas	Scott Lapinksi

Project	Data Warehouse (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to assemble a data warehouse that meets the analytical and dashboard needs of the UNT System and institutions.
Status	12 percent complete
Executive Sponsor	Rama Dhuwaraha, Chief Technology Officer and interim CIO, ITSS
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Shannon Goodman
Academic Affairs	Ryan Fellers Bill Moen Jason Simon
ITSS	Robert Jones Martin Miller
UNTHSC	Woody Hagar
UNT Dallas	H.D. Stearman

Project	Academic Advising Solutions (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to implement a universally used academic advising solution that provides key features needed by the universities in the UNT System, centered on academic advising and degree audit capabilities.
Status	10 percent complete
Executive Sponsor	Rama Dhuwaraha, Chief Technology Officer and interim CIO, ITSS
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Shannon Goodman
Academic Affairs	Allen Clark Christy Crutsinger Lisa Maxwell Costas Tsatsoulis
ITSS	Dorothy Flores Jeri Takimoto
UNTHSC	Richard Kurz Meharvan “Sonny” Singh
UNT Dallas	Stephanie Holley Katrina Coakley

Project	Early Warning System (IT SHARED SERVICES)
Summary	The goal of the project is to acquire/develop early warning systems that help identify students who need assistance to succeed in continuing their education.
Status	1 percent complete
Executive Sponsor	Rama Dhuwaraha, Chief Technology Officer and interim CIO, ITSS
Members (by division, group)
Enrollment	Shannon Goodman
Academic Affairs	Roxanne Davenport Mike McKay
UNT Dallas	Stephanie Holley Katrina Coakley
UNTHSC	AJ Randolph Katy Kemp Rebel Jones
ITSS	Linda Wallace