Save the date!

Second Annual Symposium
Thursday, May 3, 2012

Join us for this FREE award-winning Symposium focusing on what you need to know about trends in student life and retention. Hear from campus colleagues and leadership on the latest information about how our students are both being challenged by and succeeding at UNT. 

This year's event is generously sponsored by Research, Assessment and Planning for Student Affairs, the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Undergraduate Studies, the Division of Enrollment Management, the Division of Equity and Diversity, and the UNT Libraries. To register for this important event, please click here.

To download a copy of the promotional flyer to distribute to your colleagues, please click here.

UNT Student Affairs and Academic Affairs Receive Top Honors From NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

UNT's Divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs have received two top honors from NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education for the inaugural Student Portraits: A Symposium for UNT Educators. These Excellence Awards are given for contributions to transforming higher education through outstanding programs, innovative services, and effective administration.

Student Portraits received the Gold Award for the Administrative, Assessment, Information Technology, Fundraising, and Professional Development category. The Gold Awardees from each category were further judged for the designation of a Grand Medal, and Student Portraits was awarded the Grand Silver Medal.

UNT will be recognized at the 2012 National NASPA conference in Phoenix, AZ, in March, and will participate in a special poster session featuring all Gold Award honorees.

Student Portraits, held on May 3, 2011, was a campus-wide collaboration involving staff from the Divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. It was an intentional “time out” from the frenetic pace of the daily work on campus that highlighted key issues related to student success and retention. 210 faculty and staff attended the Symposium, representing 89 distinct departments across campus.

The Planning Committee Included:

• Stella Antic, Ph.D., Assistant Director, RAP
• Yolanda Armstrong, Graduate Assistant, Orientation and Transition Programs
• Elizabeth Fisher, Assistant Director, IR&E
• Hope Garcia, Director, Student Affairs Administration
• Minta Miller, Graduate Assistant, Student Affairs Administration
• Jason Simon, Ph.D., Director, RAP

Criteria for Excellence Awards Judging

Entries were reviewed by a cross-section of experienced NASPA members. Three to five judges independently reviewed submissions using the following criteria:

• Positive impact on student learning, transitions, retention, and/or success
• Relevance to institutional mission
• Demonstration of success in addressing student needs and/or critical campus issues
• Importance to one or more program areas included in this category
• Collaboration with academic affairs and other departments
• Originality and creativity
• Effective use of technology and other resources
• Innovative practical use of research and/or assessment and linking to learning outcomes
• Evidence of sustainability
• Quality of program description and submission

Gold Award recipients will:

• Be placed in consideration for the NASPA Grand Gold Medal, NASPA Grand Silver Medal and NASPA Grand Bronze Medal designating the top three programs or initiatives.
• Receive NASPA Excellence Awards Certificates of Gold.
• Be prominently displayed at the NASPA Annual Conference.
• Be invited to participate in a poster session recognizing all Gold Award recipients during the NASPA Annual Conference.
• Receive recognition through the NASPA Forum.
• Be showcased in a collection of Gold Award recipients on the NASPA Excellence Awards web resource center.
• Receive letters of commendation sent by NASPA to the institution's president, senior student affairs officer, and selected local media to announce the achievement.

Grand Medal recipients:

The Gold Award recipient in each category will be further considered for the highest awards for program excellence -- the NASPA Grand Gold Medal, the NASPA Grand Silver Medal and the NASPA Grand Bronze Medal. The recipients of these three grand awards will be recognized during the NASPA Annual Awards Luncheon on March 13, 2012 in Phoenix, AZ.

Details about the 2012 Student Portraits event will be available the first week of February.