Dear UNT Community,

By now you may have heard that Provost Jennifer Evans-Cowley is the sole finalist for the University of Texas-Arlington (UTA) presidency. This is an exciting, and well-deserved, opportunity for her, and I know all of you will join me in congratulating Dr. Cowley.

We often talk about our mission at UNT in terms of how we serve students — empowering them to thrive in a rapidly changing world and transforming them into the innovative leaders of tomorrow. Jennifer has been student-, and mission-, focused since taking the role of provost in 2017. She helped us solidify our role as a Tier One research university, and has contributed in so many other ways too. We are a stronger university thanks to her work over the past four years.

When someone leaves us to advance their career, it makes us all feel good to know that what we are doing is getting noticed, and that our talented staff and faculty are highly sought after. I am honored to work with a dedicated and talented leadership team at UNT.

I also am excited to continue working with Jennifer in her new role as the president of a fellow institution in the North Texas region. I have no doubt she will continue to make us all proud as a UNT alumna. Again, please join me in celebrating one of our own for her latest success.

UNT Proud, Neal Smatresk UNT President