University of North Texas 
UNT Diamond Eagles Society
Creating High Impact Change
The Diamond Eagles Society is a group of difference-makers who have been collaborating to create positive change at UNT since 2017. Every year, each member makes a $1,000 contribution, then the gifts are pooled together to fund a high-impact campus project determined by a member majority vote.
Renew your membership or join the Diamond Eagles Society to help shape the UNT experience for current and future generations.
For questions, email diamondeagles@unt.edu or call 940-369-5448.
Funded Projects
Diamond Eagles funding to help increase transportation access for ELEVAR students at UNT
The UNT ELEVAR (Empower, Learn, Excel, enVision, Advance, Rise) program’s transportation
access improvement project for students with intellectual disabilities was selected
by the UNT Diamond Eagles Society to receive more than $75,000 to support the addition
of reliable and accessible transportation options both on and off campus.
The funds received will allow ELEVAR to purchase an accessible 10 passenger van, along with insurance, and will support removing transportation barriers for students with intellectual disabilities both on and off campus.
The funds received will allow ELEVAR to purchase an accessible 10 passenger van, along with insurance, and will support removing transportation barriers for students with intellectual disabilities both on and off campus.
Diamond Eagles Community and Learning Area
The UNT Diamond Eagles Society recently selected the UNT Pollinative Prairie to receive
$77,500 in funding for a new expansion project that will enhance outdoor learning,
conservation and community event opportunities at the four-acre site at UNT’s Discovery
Park.
The funding will support the development of the Diamond Eagles Community and Learning Area, which includes construction of a large covered pavilion, observational dock, signage and an accessible walkway.
The funding will support the development of the Diamond Eagles Community and Learning Area, which includes construction of a large covered pavilion, observational dock, signage and an accessible walkway.
Diamond Eagles Garden at Mean Green Acres Hydroponic Farm
The team behind UNT Dining Services knows that food is more than just a source of
nourishment — it’s one of the building blocks of a successful life. They’re on a mission
to provide access to food that is fresh, local, delicious and as healthy as possible.
And now, with the support of the UNT Diamond Eagles Society, Dining Services will
expand and relocate its hydroponic farm, increasing access to hyperlocal food.
Mean Green Mobile Media
For Andrea Miller, dean of the Mayborn School of Journalism and interim chair of Media
Arts, a used trailer presented a world of possibilities for the UNT community in the
age of COVID-19. With a little help, she thought, the trailer could be transformed
into a mobile production unit that would allow students to safely bring live events
to the homes of fellow students, alumni and friends of the university.
Preserving and Presenting Fashion History
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.
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 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.
Diamond Eagles Society to fund Students of Need: Suit Up, Fuel Up, Cap Up
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 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.
Diamond Eagles Family Patio
A few hours before the September 2018 football season opener, an energetic crowd gathered
on the brand-new Diamond Eagles Family Patio at the UNT Alumni Pavilion — the very
first project for UNT’s innovative giving society.
The Diamond Eagles Society, co-founded in 2017 by Debbie Smatresk and Cathy Bryce (’91 Ph.D.), utilizes a venture capital model to select and support campus projects that positively impact the UNT community. In its inaugural year, 77 founding members generated more than $80,000 to build the Diamond Eagles Family Patio, an open, communal space that was designed with the goal of rallying former students.
The Diamond Eagles Society, co-founded in 2017 by Debbie Smatresk and Cathy Bryce (’91 Ph.D.), utilizes a venture capital model to select and support campus projects that positively impact the UNT community. In its inaugural year, 77 founding members generated more than $80,000 to build the Diamond Eagles Family Patio, an open, communal space that was designed with the goal of rallying former students.
