Education
BY HANNAH JOHNSON
Q&A: University of North Texas President Harrison Keller outlines visions for university future
process with the aim of putting that into its first iteration in implementing this new process starting in January. There needs to be a much clearer, more transparent connection between our priorities and how we’re budgeting our resources. The second area is around research. Our state policymakers created a new endowment to lift more Texas institutions into that top tier of research universities in the nation and in the world. We want to make sure that we’re spending those effectively and efficiently in line with their intended purpose, which is to grow our research and discovery and innovation mission. We want to work on research that really makes a difference for our region and for the state of Texas. The third area that we’re working on is around student success. We need to commit to students that they’re going to succeed. Not just in com- pleting a program, but in having the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, the skills [and] the credentials that will help them land a good job and will give them the momentum they need into their careers. We need to make sure that our students are equipped with what they need to be competitive in tomorrow’s workforce. What goals do you have for Frisco Landing? We are already making a few changes around our approach for Frisco. Some of the goals are to be much more closely engaged with our employers, with the city, with the Economic Development Corporation and with other stakeholders in Frisco. The workforce needs are changing incredibly fast. All those employers are asking where the talent is going to come from. It’s important that we work
Harrison Keller began his service as the 17th pres- ident of the University of North Texas on Aug. 1. Keller succeeds Neal Smatresk, who led the university for the past decade. Keller previously served as the commissioner and CEO of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board since 2019. The board is a state agency that helps Texans obtain a postsecondary education and oversees higher education policy. Before he was commissioner, Keller was a faculty member and administrator of The University of Texas—Austin. Keller spoke with Community Impact about his priorities goals for UNT’s future. Answers have been edited for length, style and clarity. How have your first few weeks as president been? It’s been really amazing. The welcome from folks on campus, from the community, from [UNT at] Frisco [and] donors, has been very warm. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the campus and getting to know people here at UNT. I’ve spent a lot of time, especially my first six weeks or so, in one-on-one meetings with all the deans, all the vice presidents, some of our department chairs [and] the student leaders. What priorities do you have for UNT that you would like to accomplish in your first year? There are three areas that emerged as important priorities where we need to do some deeper work. First is around how we budget. We need to make sure that we’re budgeting the dollars that have been entrusted to us by students and their families and by the state of Texas as effectively and efficiently as we can. We’re working on a new strategic budgeting
COURTESY TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
closely with employers to understand how their workforce needs are changing and then feed that information back into our design programs, into our plans for what kinds of degrees [and] executive and professional education we provide in Frisco. We don’t just want to provide programs, we want to help solve problems. What are some of the challenges higher education is facing right now? The basic design of most universities was for a time when only about a third of your population had a college degree [and] when higher education was something that people did to advance their standard of living, not to maintain their standard of living. The requirements have completely changed. In Texas, more than 92% of the net new jobs require some kind of education and training beyond high school diploma.
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