The UNT Diamond Eagles Society — donors who work together to fund an annual, high-impact project on campus — voted to support Digitizing the Texas Fashion Collection in 2019-20. Thanks to the group’s collective investment, more of the Texas Fashion Collection’s 20,000 historic and designer garments will be preserved and presented.

Digitizing the collection is a monumental task, and the people behind the Texas Fashion Collection have long been at work photographing their world-class items for access in publications and online as part of the Gloria and Bruzzy Westheimer Digital Archives.

The University of North Texas (UNT), in partnership with four other institutions, has received a $1.2 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to create a new international data trust that will improve the measurement and analysis of Open Access (OA) books.

OA materials are free to read online and are distributed without licensing restrictions. Allowing unrestricted access to scholarly research enables students, professors and scholars to utilize the most up-to-date and relevant information for their work.

“Increasing access to research is of vital importance to UNT,” said Diane Bruxvoort, dean of the UNT Libraries. “The university has long been a leader in promoting Open Access.”

The University of North Texas is celebrating more fundraising milestones —  the value of its endowment surpassed $200 million for the first time, and new gifts to the endowment were up 38.4 percent to $21.8 million in fiscal year 2019.

UNT’s endowment is comprised of individual donor-established funds that support specific scholarships, programs, research initiatives, professorships and facilities. By establishing an endowment fund, a donor has a unique and lasting impact on the university’s commitment to educational excellence. 

The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), in partnership with the University of North Texas, has received a $25,000 grant from the Hoblitzelle Foundation to continue digitizing the organization’s archive, which highlights the diverse artistic legacy of African Americans.

TBAAL has been a platform for black artists and scholars for more than four decades. From its cultural center in downtown Dallas, the institution has presented over 5,000 performances from emerging artists, as well as the biggest names in American visual, literary, cinematic and performing arts.

The University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design is celebrating an expanded and renovated $70 million state-of-the-art facility, thanks in part to dedicated donors who supported this visionary project.

The 238,000-square-foot, four-story, open concept building features named spaces that honor the friends of UNT who are leaving a lasting legacy in the College of Visual Arts and Design:

For the third consecutive year, the University of North Texas achieved record-breaking fundraising efforts, setting a new all-time high of $30 million for a single gift and bringing in a total of $61 million for fiscal year 2019.

“We are extremely grateful for our UNT family’s faithful support of our students and our university, and I’m proud of what our University Advancement team was able to achieve this past year,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said. “In the last year alone, UNT has gained momentum in nearly every area – from boosting enrollment to more than 39,000 students and graduating more than 9,600 students to increasing research expenditures and increasing student retention.

Whether lifelong learners want to study Texas history, understand how to interpret a DNA report, join a book club or take a daytrip to the Dallas aquarium, OLLI at UNT has something to offer, thanks in large part to the continued support of the Bernard Osher Foundation.  

Meet Janice M. Holden, a UNT Counseling Program faculty member and longtime donor. We spoke with Dr. Holden about how it felt to receive the 2019 UNT Foundation Eminent Faculty Award and why she chooses to support her students through giving.

Congratulations on receiving the 2019 UNT Foundation Eminent Faculty Award, one of the highest faculty achievements at UNT! What does this particular honor mean to you?

Now in their second year, the UNT Diamond Eagles Giving Society has voted to fund Students of Need: Suit Up, Fuel Up, Cap Up, an exciting Student Affairs initiative that will promote student success and career readiness through three essential, need-based programs.

The estimated $90,000 in funding was generated through the Diamond Eagles’ unique venture philanthropy model, where members pool together annual, individual contributions of $1000+ to fund a high-impact campus project determined by a member majority vote.

The generosity of the University of North Texas family reached an all-time high this year with more than $36.6 million raised to benefit students, research and programming. This is the second consecutive year the Division of Advancement has achieved record-setting fundraising results. 

“The outstanding accomplishments of our Advancement team will allow us to build upon the momentum happening across UNT and help us push forward in better helping our students achieve their goals by giving them the best possible education and the tools they need to be successful at UNT – and beyond,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said. “We hit a high watermark for gifting last year, and I’m proud of the team.”

Highlights of the 2017-18 fiscal year include: