University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (also commonly referred to as UNT or North Texas) is a major public university located in Denton, Texas. UNT is the flagship school of the Univeristy of North Texas system, which also includes the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth and the UNT Dallas Campus, which is actually considered more prestigious and more difficult to obtain admission into.
The university was founded in 1890 by Joshua Chilton as the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute. Since its inception, the university has had its name modified six times to reflect its growth and change. In 1894, the name became North Texas Normal College, followed by North Texas State Normal College in 1901. The institution was known as North Texas State Teachers College in 1923, North Texas State College in 1949, and North Texas State University in 1961, before eventually becoming known as the University of North Texas in 1988. UNT has a long standing tradition of naming its buildings after significant people in UNT history. Chilton, Bruce, and Matthew’s Hall are examples of UNT’s rich history.
With an enrollment of over 34,000 students, UNT is the largest university in North Texas and the fourth largest in the state by enrollment. By 2010 UNT plans on enrolling more than 40,000 students. The university is a member of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities, offering various graduate degrees in coordination with nearby Texas Woman's University and Texas A&M University-Commerce. This is excellent for students that need to transfer credits between multiple colleges, as they do not need to retake courses that they have already taken. UNT is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
North Texas confers degrees from eleven colleges and schools focusing on a variety of popular subjects. Several of UNT’s academic programs are nationally ranked, including management, art education and history, and Radio/TV/Film. They ranked in the top 4% of all universities for Doctoral/Research. Looking to transfer to UNT? North Texas is currently ranked as the #1 choice for transfer students in Texas. The academic facilities are unmatched, featuring a major research library recognized by the Department of Education. The university has been selected the past two years as one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys”.
While UNT is more well known for academics than its athletic programs, and UNT has some good programs. As anyone in Texas will tell you, football trumps everything. Despite playing in the lackluster Sun Belt Conference, UNT football is a proud program that strives for success on the field. Founded in 1913, the football team has more conference championships than the well-known Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University. Known as the Eagles and nicknamed “The Mean Green”, they have won eight Lone Star Conference championships, five Gulf Coast Conference championships, five Missouri Valley Conference championships, two Southland Conference championships and most recently, four consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships. The team also appeared in a total of six bowl games, winning two of them, most recently the New Orleans Bowl in 2002. However, UNT did not truly deserve one of those bowls.The Mean Green finished 5-6 overall in 2001 but won the Sun Belt with a 5-1 conference record, thus earning an automatic bid to the New Orleans Bowl. They became the first team in NCAA history to qualify for a bowl with a losing record. The new head coach, Todd Dodge, left nearby Southlake Carroll High School with an 89-6 record and finished his third consecutive unbeaten season in 2006. While his first season at North Texas featured a terrible record along with racial accusations that proved to be untrue, there is tremendous hope for the future that the UNT football program will return to its former winning ways. Dodge has secured some big name recruits, and UNT hopes to parlay future on-field success into building a new football stadium. Since 1951, home football games have been played at Fouts Field, an aged stadium with a current capacity of 30,500. Plans for a new stadium are in the works, but no start date for construction has been made.
Football is not the only program to appear on the upswing. Despite in the past not having a significant or powerful men's basketball program, North Texas has recently experienced success under head coach Johnny Jones. During the 2006-2007 season, North Texas won its first ever Sun Belt Conference title and advanced for the first time since 1988 to the NCAA Tournament. Only three of the state's 20 Division I teams more wins than North Texas’ 23 in 2006-07 - Texas, Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Since 1973, the team has played its home games in the Super Pit. The 10,032 seat arena is the second toughest venue to win at in the Sun Belt, only behind Western Kentucky. However, as long as UNT fields teams in the Sun Belt they will not be taken very seriously, especially given how the football program made it into a bowl with a losing record. As a result, fan interest remains tempered, and being a commuter school means that the school pride is limited compared to Texas Tech and A&M.
UNT is a beautiful campus with fanciful architecture along with wondrous landscapes and rich history. There is nothing like walking across campus on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Being built on a hill, it’s great exercise to walk around, and it is peaceful enough to enjoy with family of all ages. With the extremely popular Fry Street being re-modeled with new stores and shops, there is something for everyone. Many of my favorite places were knocked down during the remodeling, so it remains to be seen what the hotspots will become. For an offical tour, check the UNT website and contact information services.
The university was founded in 1890 by Joshua Chilton as the Texas Normal College and Teacher Training Institute. Since its inception, the university has had its name modified six times to reflect its growth and change. In 1894, the name became North Texas Normal College, followed by North Texas State Normal College in 1901. The institution was known as North Texas State Teachers College in 1923, North Texas State College in 1949, and North Texas State University in 1961, before eventually becoming known as the University of North Texas in 1988. UNT has a long standing tradition of naming its buildings after significant people in UNT history. Chilton, Bruce, and Matthew’s Hall are examples of UNT’s rich history.
With an enrollment of over 34,000 students, UNT is the largest university in North Texas and the fourth largest in the state by enrollment. By 2010 UNT plans on enrolling more than 40,000 students. The university is a member of the Federation of North Texas Area Universities, offering various graduate degrees in coordination with nearby Texas Woman's University and Texas A&M University-Commerce. This is excellent for students that need to transfer credits between multiple colleges, as they do not need to retake courses that they have already taken. UNT is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
North Texas confers degrees from eleven colleges and schools focusing on a variety of popular subjects. Several of UNT’s academic programs are nationally ranked, including management, art education and history, and Radio/TV/Film. They ranked in the top 4% of all universities for Doctoral/Research. Looking to transfer to UNT? North Texas is currently ranked as the #1 choice for transfer students in Texas. The academic facilities are unmatched, featuring a major research library recognized by the Department of Education. The university has been selected the past two years as one of “America’s 100 Best College Buys”.
While UNT is more well known for academics than its athletic programs, and UNT has some good programs. As anyone in Texas will tell you, football trumps everything. Despite playing in the lackluster Sun Belt Conference, UNT football is a proud program that strives for success on the field. Founded in 1913, the football team has more conference championships than the well-known Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University. Known as the Eagles and nicknamed “The Mean Green”, they have won eight Lone Star Conference championships, five Gulf Coast Conference championships, five Missouri Valley Conference championships, two Southland Conference championships and most recently, four consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships. The team also appeared in a total of six bowl games, winning two of them, most recently the New Orleans Bowl in 2002. However, UNT did not truly deserve one of those bowls.The Mean Green finished 5-6 overall in 2001 but won the Sun Belt with a 5-1 conference record, thus earning an automatic bid to the New Orleans Bowl. They became the first team in NCAA history to qualify for a bowl with a losing record. The new head coach, Todd Dodge, left nearby Southlake Carroll High School with an 89-6 record and finished his third consecutive unbeaten season in 2006. While his first season at North Texas featured a terrible record along with racial accusations that proved to be untrue, there is tremendous hope for the future that the UNT football program will return to its former winning ways. Dodge has secured some big name recruits, and UNT hopes to parlay future on-field success into building a new football stadium. Since 1951, home football games have been played at Fouts Field, an aged stadium with a current capacity of 30,500. Plans for a new stadium are in the works, but no start date for construction has been made.
Football is not the only program to appear on the upswing. Despite in the past not having a significant or powerful men's basketball program, North Texas has recently experienced success under head coach Johnny Jones. During the 2006-2007 season, North Texas won its first ever Sun Belt Conference title and advanced for the first time since 1988 to the NCAA Tournament. Only three of the state's 20 Division I teams more wins than North Texas’ 23 in 2006-07 - Texas, Texas A&M and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Since 1973, the team has played its home games in the Super Pit. The 10,032 seat arena is the second toughest venue to win at in the Sun Belt, only behind Western Kentucky. However, as long as UNT fields teams in the Sun Belt they will not be taken very seriously, especially given how the football program made it into a bowl with a losing record. As a result, fan interest remains tempered, and being a commuter school means that the school pride is limited compared to Texas Tech and A&M.
UNT is a beautiful campus with fanciful architecture along with wondrous landscapes and rich history. There is nothing like walking across campus on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Being built on a hill, it’s great exercise to walk around, and it is peaceful enough to enjoy with family of all ages. With the extremely popular Fry Street being re-modeled with new stores and shops, there is something for everyone. Many of my favorite places were knocked down during the remodeling, so it remains to be seen what the hotspots will become. For an offical tour, check the UNT website and contact information services.
