University of North Texas System

The University of North Texas System consists of two educational institutions and one satellite campus in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area:

* University of North Texas, its flagship institution, a four-year general education university in Denton
* University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, a graduate-level institution including the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine medical school, a school of biomedical sciences, and a school of public health
* University of North Texas Dallas Campus (also known as the System Center), offering upper-division and graduate-level classes.

Planned University in Dallas

A 2001 bill passed by the Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Rick Perry authorized the UNT System to establish the University of North Texas at Dallas, the first general public university within the Dallas city limits, once enrollment at the Dallas Campus reaches 2,500. (The University of Texas at Dallas, despite its name, is actually located within the city limits of Richardson.) A 2003 bill passed into law changed the requirement, allowing work to begin on UNT at Dallas once the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board certifies enrollment of the equivalent of 1,000 full-time students for one semester.

In December 2004, the UNT System announced its intent to seek approval for a public law school in downtown Dallas. [ [http://untsystem.unt.edu/lawschool/index.htm UNT College of Law: Home page ] ] A bill authorizing the law school was passed by the Texas Senate and the House Higher Education Committee in the 2005 Texas Legislature, but the measure died when it did not reach the House calendar before the end of the session. In 2007, a bill was again passed by the Texas Senate. However, the bill faced more challenges in the House and ultimately failed after being attached to an unrelated eminent domain bill. [ [http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/legislature/stories/DN-untlaw_27tex.ART.State.Edition1.4415a87.html Technical move kills law school in Dallas | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Texas Legislature ] ] If approved, the law school would have initially operated as a professional school under the UNT System but would eventually have become a part of UNT at Dallas. [ [http://www.unt.edu/unt-dallas/UNTAcademicPlan_Web.pdf Booklet4 ] ]

Board of Regents

The system is governed by the University of North Texas Board of Regents, whose members are appointed by the governor to serve five-year terms. The system added its first student regent — a one-year appointment that does not carry voting rights — in February 2006.

Current regents

* Gayle W. Strange, Chairperson
* Don A. Buchholz
* Charles D. Mitchell
* Robert A. Nickell
* Gwyn Shea
* Al Silva
* C. Dan Smith
* Rice M. Tilley Jr.
* Jack A. Wall
* Meghan Vitrrup, student regent

References

External links

* [http://untsystem.unt.edu/ University of North Texas System]
* [http://untsystem.unt.edu/lawschool/index.htm University of North Texas System :: A New Law School for Dallas and North Texas]