Hurley Admin Building and the Library Mall

Faculty Success Newsletter

August 2025

Message from the Vice Provost for Faculty Success

Greetings Mean Green Colleagues,

Welcome to the fall 2025 semester! Our kickoff newsletter includes many great opportunities to connect with campus resources and communities. We want to give a huge Mean Green welcome to our 70+ new faculty members (look for them in their signature Where Faculty Soar green shirts!).

Your Faculty Success team supports programming that helps you develop a supportive community, enrich your professional capabilities, advance your career through recognition and support, and ensure you thrive in a supportive climate. Please check out the Faculty Success calendar for our fall events. I highlight just a few here.

Our team offers opportunities to support faculty with the “4Cs” across their career stages. These include our Mentoring Program initiatives, particularly our funding from the CREATE and Conference Support programs, which provide external mentoring support for our full-time faculty members; our Monday Mentoring Meetups; and the professional development support offered by our four Faculty Learning Communities. And, back by popular demand, our Faculty Speed Mentoring Luncheon! I am so pleased that UNT is a place where faculty can find support in meaningful ways.

We are also excited to usher in 27 new Faculty and Academic Affairs Leadership Fellows. These leaders will work on college and university-level strategic projects for the next academic year. Our Salute to Faculty Excellence (Provost Awards) applications are open and due to the Faculty Success InfoReady portal by Oct. 9. These important distinctions recognize faculty excellence in mentoring, research, leadership, service, teaching, and community engagement. The ACUE Teaching Effectiveness Framework cohort will kick off soon to help our faculty advance their evidence-based teaching practices to support student success.

Finally, please drop by the Faculty Lounge in Union 249 for a respite (we provide snacks and drinks) as you cool your talons for another exciting semester.

Talons Up!

Holly Hutchins, Ph.D. (she/her)

Vice Provost, Faculty Success

On the Calendar

Aug. 13

Mid-Career Faculty Welcome Back Open House Social

Mid-Career Faculty Learning Community

Aug. 13

Late-Career Faculty Kick-Off Lunch

Late-Career Faculty Learning Community

Aug. 14

Aug. 29

Fostering Belonging and Access through Accommodations: Training for UNT Faculty on Accommodations and Accessibility — Virtual

Office of Disability Access

Sept. 2

Tuesday Talon Tidbits

Early Career Faculty Learning Community

Sept. 5

Fulbright Faculty Workshop — Virtual

International Affairs

Sept. 8

Monday Mentoring Meetup

Faculty Success

Sept. 11

September Research BREAKS: Understanding GRAMS and Pre-Award Processes — Virtual

Research and Innovation

UNT faculty, staff and graduate students can access NCFDD's wide array of professional development resources through our institutional membership. Activate your account if you haven't yet, and check out their upcoming virtual sessions and programs to start the year strong.

Aug. 14

Cultivating Your Network of Mentors, Sponsors & Collaborators

Aug. 20

Being Agile in Uncertain Times: Scrum Project Management for Faculty

Sept. 9

Beyond Course Evaluations: Documenting Teaching for Tenure & Promotion

Sept. 15-Nov. 23

Fall 2025 Faculty Success Program – Register by Aug. 31!

Sept. 8-21

September 14-Day Writing Challenge

Faculty Spotlights

Welcome, New UNT Faculty!

We welcomed 70 new educators, scholars, researchers and innovators to the Mean Green Family at last week’s New Faculty Orientation, and we’ll meet even more at this week's make-up session. If you see a new face in your department, be sure to say hello — and maybe share your favorite spot to grab lunch on campus!

Dr. Hao Yan, assistant professor of chemistry and 2025 CREATE recipient, earned a prestigious New Directions grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund to support his research team's efforts toward “Making Molecular Bling.”

UNT recently hosted eight delegates from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as part of the federal government’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

During the visit, Dr. Ram Dantu, professor and director of UNT’s Center for Information and Cyber Security, shared his expertise about ransomware protections and showcased some of the groundbreaking cybersecurity research projects underway in the College of Engineering.

International researchers pose with College of Engineering faculty during a visit to Discovery Park

News from Faculty Success

Speed Mentoring Luncheon

Sept. 29 • Registration is required

Join us for the second annual Speed Mentoring Luncheon, a fun, focused and fast-paced program designed help mentees gain valuable insights from multiple mentors on various aspects of their academic journey, including research, teaching, career development and professional growth.

After lunch, participants will engage in short, structured discussions featuring diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and networking opportunities with colleagues from across campus — all in a condensed timeframe.

Faculty Mentors Needed!

If you're an experienced faculty member with wisdom to share, please take a few minutes to complete a short mentor survey about your areas of expertise and mentoring availability for this year.

Want to serve as a table leader at the Speed Mentoring Luncheon? Let us know in your survey!

Policy Perch

Welcome to the Policy Perch! We're teaming up with Clay Simmons, UNT's chief compliance officer, to share important policy news and highlight the policies most critical to your work as faculty.

The start of a new semester is the perfect time to review UNT Policy 06.049: Course Syllabi Requirements. Especially if you’re new to UNT, you could save yourself a great deal of time and energy down the road by following the policy from day one!

We encourage you to read the new policy recently published by the University Policy Office and Equal Opportunity & Title IX: 16.008 Pregnant and Parenting Students.

UNT Eagle statue backlit by afternoon sun

Executive Order GA-48: Safeguarding Texas’s Critical Infrastructure

In November 2024, Governor Abbott issued Executive Order GA-48 aimed at strengthening the security of Texas’s state government and critical infrastructure against threats from designated foreign adversaries.

Visit the Office of General Counsel’s FAQ webpage to learn about specific activities prohibited under GA-48 and protocol for reporting personal travel to the university. If you have questions, email compliance@unt.edu for assistance.

Exterior of Willis Library surrounded by spring flowers

From the UNT Libraries: Fall Faculty FAQs

Q: How do I suggest the library purchase a book or media item?

A: Just complete the New Materials Request form!

Q: Can I schedule an overview of the UNT Libraries for my class?

A: Faculty can arrange course-specific Instruction Sessions for their students using the Instruction Scheduling form. These sessions will provide students with a better comprehension of library research and improve their skills using the Libraries’ physical and electronic resources.

Closeup photo of UNT Libraries rare books on a shelf

How can I get reference assistance?

You can chat, text, email or call the UNT Libraries if you have any questions!

Call: 940-565-3245 • Text: 940-202-2708

Email: AskUs@unt.edu

Q: Can the UNT Libraries help me with grants?

A: Absolutely. And grant services of the UNT Libraries can be included in a grant application as documented cost share or, in certain cases, direct costs in grants. Grant-seeking assistance, data management, bibliometrics, purchasing materials, co-sponsoring outreach and digitizing materials are all options.

Q: Can I contribute to the Libraries' collections?

A: Yes! You can help build the archive of the future by preserving a piece of your digital life as a UNT community member. Nearly any digital file type can be donated through the Keeper app. It's a fun way to hold on to your memories while also adding them to the online archival collection for others to experience. How about a selfie on your first day of class?