After a decade in office, University of North Texas President Neal J. Smatresk is stepping down from the presidency to focus on what he loves most — teaching and mentoring students.
Smatresk, who joined UNT in February 2014, said serving as UNT president has been the highlight of his career.
Smatresk has guided UNT’s transformation into one of the largest Tier One research universities in the nation with a decade of record-breaking enrollment — from 36,000 students to nearly 47,000 students in Fall 2023.
More than 85,000 graduates have entered the workforce making a significant impact on the economy.
Manuel Ruiz was inspired by his mother’s pursuit of a Psychology degree, which ignited his interest in the human brain.
His research focuses on how high blood sugar levels affect neural cells in the brain, a condition prevalent in Type 2 Diabetes.
His family’s experience with the disease motivated him to delve into medical research.
Manuel’s work at UNT, under the guidance of Dr. Pamela Padilla, has been influential.
He will continue his research as a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University, aiming to explore the effects of a high-sugar diet on the brain and establish his research lab in the future.
“The phrase ‘Get your foot in the door’ has been a guiding principle for Jacklyn Perez since she started at UNT.
Despite financial challenges and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jacklyn seized opportunities and excelled in various roles on campus.
She secured scholarships and a research fellowship, became a McNair Scholar, and received the Kuehne Scholarship.
Now set to pursue a master’s degree, Jacklyn aims to support other first-generation higher-education students.
She attributes her success to embracing new experiences and remaining determined to ‘get her foot in the door.'”
Kassandra Aguilar was inspired to become a speech therapist by her younger sister, who received speech therapy for a cleft palate.
She chose UNT for its highly-ranked audiology and speech-language pathology program.
As a first-generation college student, she found the transition challenging but remained committed to her goal.
Kassandra got involved in NSSLHA and research initiatives and received support from professors Dr. Aoyama and Dr. Lam.
She plans to pursue a master’s degree at UNT and hopes to work with bilingual communities as a speech therapist. Her advice to incoming students is not to let fear hold them back.
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