DENTON, Texas — After a decade of financial recovery and prosperous growth, the president of the University of North Texas has decided its time to hand off the baton to someone else.
Dr. Neal Smatresk will step down as UNT's president in the fall, after what he calls a great run.
Smatresk did not hold back his feelings about the transition.
"I'm feeling lighter than air," said Smatresk from his office at the Hurley Administration Building on the University of North Texas campus in Denton.
Since announcing his resignation as the 16th president of UNT, Smatresk is feeling rightfully accomplished.
"It's a great feeling to know that we've come so far in 10 years and that now it's time to pass the reins and let someone else with new vision and fresh leadership ideas and a lot of energy take the university to the next level."
Watch our full interview with Neal Smatresk here:
Smatresk started his first day on the job in 2014 with a live interview on WFAA's News 8 Daybreak where he talked about his vision for the Mean Green.
He would focus on getting UNT back in good financial standing and move the university forward in research, innovation and in opportunities for everyone.
"I came in, we had some financial hardships and we first had to settle our financial situation," he said. "But we formed a strategic plan that was solid. We said we're going to be Tier 1. We want to be a major force."
A decade later, it's a proud moment.
"We've got great social sciences, great humanities, great music," he said. "As you know, we just won seven more Grammys this time."
UNT alumni picked up several awards at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 12, including Maren Morris for Best Country Solo Performance.
"We wanted to be a university people knew on a national level. We didn't want to be the best kept secret anymore," said Smatresk about not only meeting but exceeding his expectations since arriving to the campus.
During Smatresk's tenure, UNT grew enrollment from 36,000 students in 2014 to nearly 47,000 last fall, the largest student body the university has ever seen.
"We're the third-largest school in the state, which just is delightful, just delightful!" he said.
Under his presidency, UNT unseated the University of Houston for third place in enrollment. The University of Texas at Austin has the second-highest enrollment, while the largest University in the state (and nation) is Texas A&M University at College Station.
UNT is now a coveted Carnegie-ranked Tier 1 public research institution, with a satellite campus in Frisco. In 2020, UNT was named one of only 18 Tier 1 research universities designated as a Hispanic-Serving and Minority-Serving Institution.
"Building a culture of caring is probably the thing that I feel is the greatest achievement of the team," Smatresk said.
It's an achievement backed by action.
Last year, UNT won a lawsuit allowing undocumented students residing in Texas to pay in-state tuition. A group of students, represented by the Texas Public Policy Foundation alleged it was illegal that UNT charged undocumented students in-state tuition rates while out-of-state citizens paid higher tuition rates.
"It was an attack on people who've come here, invested their lives, been strong in our school districts two years or more, graduating from high school in Texas. And my opinion is they deserve a path up and that we are here to give them that path up," said Smatresk.
Diversity offices on college campuses are now illegal in Texas. Another challenge.
"Well, first, let me be clear: We follow the law," Smatresk said. "The law is the law. And we have understood and interpreted it across our campus."
Smatresk says major companies in North Texas want a diverse workforce.
"When I go out and talk with major companies around here, Liberty Mutual, American Airlines, it doesn't matter. They are looking for a diverse workforce, a strong workforce that looks like the community that's around them," he said. "I hope that we can get to the place where we realize that our job is to go ahead and place these students and make the economy stronger so that we can all prosper."
But for students to prosper, they need top notch educators.
"It's harder to recruit when your state doesn't back the same values that your faculty has," he said. "Do I understand the politics behind it? Yes, I think I do. Do I support them? I don't think it's in the best interest of the state."
When asked what he would say to critics who believe in the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campus, Smatresk added.
Smatresk added that Texas is a minority-majority state, and that if employers are going to have a strong, diverse workforce, and UNT is going to continue building on its population growth, the school needs to be able to accommodate all of the students graduating from Texas high schools.
And when it comes to preparing students for college, especially after the learning loss from the pandemic, Smatresk believes the state is doing something wrong.
"I can't speak highly for public schools," he said. "I always think we need to be paying our public school teachers more. They are the heroes, and they don't get appreciated at the level they should be. But I will tell you that in public higher education, there's been strong investment. And we know that our job is to make sure that we're training the students who come to live in Texas."
As a teacher himself, this is not retirement for Smatresk. He will now transition from president to professor.
"I'll be around, you know," he said. "I've got some things I haven't been as successful at as others. I really want to try to ramp up innovation and entrepreneurship."
As Smatresk reflects deeper about the last decade, he says there's something he didn't expect.
"I think the fact that people wanted to be close to the administration, that they wanted visible leadership, that they were unafraid to engage, whether it was faculty, staff or students, was something that was pleasantly surprising," he said.
Reaching the mountaintop has been a privilege. he said, but reaching it together with his leadership team, an honor.
"I've been privileged to work with the best team I've ever seen in higher education," he said, with eyes full of tears.
"Thank you for your trust and confidence," he said. "Thank you for pulling in the same direction. And thank you for making UNT a household name and a top ranked university."
Smatresk's last day as president is Aug. 1.
He's got plenty to do before then, including welcoming singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett to campus next week. The 4-time Grammy winner will teach some classes at the college of music next Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 20 and Feb. 21.
UNT System Chancellor Michael Williams said in a statement that Smatresk's vision paved the way for UNT to become the third-largest university in Texas, and one of 21 Tier One universities in the nation designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.
“I am proud of the many notable accomplishments President Smatresk has made over the past decade on behalf of UNT," Williams said in the statement. "He has created a strong foundation and legacy that will empower UNT to achieve great success in the years to come. We are thankful for his leadership and unwavering commitment to UNT and our North Texas community.”