During his three years leading UNT Dallas, President Bob Mong has overseen enormous transformation. Whether it's the 51 percent enrollment growth over the last three years, or rising retention and graduation rates, or the campus' physical growth with the addition of a residence hall in 2017 and the soon-to-open Student Center, UNT Dallas is gaining recognition as the city's accessible and affordable higher-education option for students of all backgrounds.

UNT Dallas has become the state's fastest-growing four-year university through President Mong's commitment to innovative ideas and collaboration with community, business and academic partners. He recently outlined his vision in a Q&A for Dallas Innovates.

Asked what are the most pressing challenges facing education in North Texas, President Mong answered:

Disparity in educational attainment by income. In plain English, the richer you are the more likely you are to get a degree, and having a degree translates into much higher lifetime earnings, and a healthier lifestyle and greater longevity.

We all know unequal educational opportunity is not the Texas we want. UNT Dallas is all about providing a pathway to socioeconomic mobility for its graduates, most of whom are first-generation college students from modest economic backgrounds. This is a vision that we take very seriously, a vision that drives us every day, and it is at the heart of who we are as a university.

We also believe that we can’t make strong inroads alone. That’s why we are strong partners with area school districts, the community colleges, business and industry, foundations and other community entities. This local partnership model is what can close the educational disparity gap. It is also a value proposition for UNT Dallas in this community.

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