The vision of the CRED program is to create a culture of life-long learning at UNT Dallas. The three goals that support this vision are the foundation of principals integrated into existing programs and resources to help build a culture where UNT Dallas students are self-motivated to pursue knowledge for professional success and are prepared graduated that employers seek in new hires. The three goals are: 1) students assess career options; 2) students test career expectations through direct exposure to workplace cultures; and 3) students evaluate strategies to maintain job-related effectiveness. Students participate in these goals at each level of their academic journey at UNT Dallas through career exploration activities, in-class assignments, experiential learning participation, and networking with community partners to practice job-attainment activities.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 1300

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of the Provost, Office of Experiential Learning

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Eronia King at eronia.king@untdallas.edu or 972-338-1764

Early Start is a summer bridge program designed to assist incoming freshmen with successfully transitioning from high school to college. All incoming freshmen are eligible, though first-generation and low-income students are especially encouraged to apply. Students enroll in 6 credit-hours of coursework during UNT's 5W2 summer session and live alongside other participants in a designated residence hall. The program offers free room and board, textbooks, and academic supplies. Throughout the session, Early Starters attend weekly workshops focusing on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective College students in addition to community-building events.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Small-scale (reaches fewer than 10 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 27

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

WEBSITE TO APPLY: https://earlystart.unt.edu

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Strategic Retention Initiatives

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Harold Woodard at harold.woodard@unt.edu or 940-565-2997

First Flight Week is a mandatory 8-day extended orientation program at the University of North Texas (UNT). All new freshman students are required to participate in First Flight Week in addition to attending a 2-day, overnight orientation program in the summer. Students are divided into groups of approximately 25-60, based on their residence hall wing or commuter status. Each group is led by a First Flight Leader, who will lead students to their required sessions, facilitate small group discussions and activities, and help the students build community and connections among themselves. For the students living on campus in the residence halls, their First Flight Leader is also their Resident Assistant, and will continue to be available to them throughout their first year at UNT. Our commuter students, are led by upperclassmen who are hired by the Orientation and Transition Programs office to be First Flight Leaders. First Flight week takes place the week before classes start for students. During this this week students have a variety of sessions, activities, and events to attend to meet their requirements.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 4695

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally collected in the past

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Orientation and Transition Programs

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Stephanie Brown at stephanie.brown@unt.edu or 940-565-3160

First Flight Week is a mandatory 8-day extended orientation program at the University of North Texas (UNT). All new freshman students are required to participate in First Flight Week in addition to attending a 2-day, overnight orientation program in the summer. Students are divided into groups of approximately 25-60, based on their residence hall wing or commuter status. Each group is led by a First Flight Leader, who will lead students to their required sessions, facilitate small group discussions and activities, and help the students build community and connections among themselves. For the students living on campus in the residence halls, their First Flight Leader is also their Resident Assistant, and will continue to be available to them throughout their first year at UNT. Our commuter students, are led by upperclassmen who are hired by the Orientation and Transition Programs office to be First Flight Leaders. First Flight week takes place the week before classes start for students. During this this week students have a variety of sessions, activities, and events to attend to meet their requirements.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 4695

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are automatically enrolled in this program if they meet eligibility requirements

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally collected in the past

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Orientation and Transition Programs

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Stephanie Brown at stephanie.brown@unt.edu or 940-565-3160

First-time-in-college students enroll a one-hour first year seminar course: UGST 1100: Applications of Learning. Students can enroll in special sections for Trailblazer Elite students or in a meta-major block of two other courses identified as relevant for a meta-major the students have identified. Enrollment in the first year seminar allows students a safe place to learn about their new academic environment, build community, explore career options, and skills to help them successfully adjust to college life.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of the Provost

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Dr. Dawn Remmers at dawn.remmers@untdallas.edu or 972-338-1878

In this era of increasing polarization, UNT’s mission of preparing students for the challenges they will meet in a world that is evolving rapidly has never been more important. A critical part of this preparation is helping students learn to consider and engage with different perspectives, and to be comfortable and confident expressing their own. Unfortunately, some students do not always feel included, nor that their experiences are valued. Indeed, some students often express doubt that they belong in the academic programs in which they are interested or even that they belong at a university at all. For the sake of all our students, it is incumbent on all of us that we carefully examine our policies and practices to ensure that they equitably support, affirm, and validate all students. During the 2021-22 academic year we asked faculty to gather input from students regarding how inclusive they feel the program curriculum is, asking questions such as how safe they feel in sharing their perspectives and how welcome they feel in the program. We then provided some guiding questions that individual faculty should consider and, together with the input gathered from students, asked them to reflect on their courses and teaching practices. Finally, we asked faculty in each program to consider together ways the overall program might be adjusted to encourage respectful and welcoming dialog, and then submit a narrative to their college’s dean detailing what steps they have taken so far and what further steps they have planned to support this mission.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 32000

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Vice Provost for Student Success

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Michael McPherson at michael.mcpherson@unt.edu or 940-565-2550

The Male Alliance for a Rigorous, Transformative, and Interdisciplinary Approach to Learning (MARTIAL) is a Living Learning Community designed to improve the academic outcomes for African American men at UNT. Up to 20 incoming freshmen, known as MARTIAL Eagles, are invited to live together in Rawlins Hall while learning and leading together throughout their first year and beyond. This is primarily a first-year program during which participants enroll in a 3-hour first year seminar taught by program staff, prepare for classes during weekly group study sessions, and engage one another in a variety of community-building activities. Program staff work with students individually and in small groups, building relationships that foster trust so that they may walk alongside participants as they reach new milestones and work through inevitable challenges. Generally, the program aims to help students become familiar with campus, build a solid community of like-minded peers, and to reach their academic goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Small-scale (reaches fewer than 10 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 19

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants must apply to enroll in this program

WEBSITE TO APPLY: https://martialeagles.unt.edu

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Strategic Retention Initiatives

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Harold Woodard at harold.woodard@unt.edu or 940-565-2997

Organizational Overview
UNT Dallas's mission is to transform the lives of our students by empowering them with the resources they need for success. UNT Dallas has a unique focus on serving under-resourced students in metro Dallas, becoming a pathway to the middle class for thousands of area students. Our core competence is preparing local students for high-need jobs in North Texas.

Program Overview
The Trailblazer Elite program (TBE) promotes student retention and ensures students successfully graduate from college. The program is designed to increase student retention, graduation rates in a timely manner, and career attainment. Traditionally, the TBE program has focused on first-generation college students. We teach students how to develop a support network that will help them navigate through their college journey and life.

Program Goals & Objectives
The TBE program is designed to build supportive and trusting relationships, provide academic support, and prepare students for a successful college transition for non-traditional students. In order to be successful, students must have a sufficient amount of interaction with faculty and staff on campus.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

PROGRAM OUTCOMES: Trailblazer Elite students benefit from leadership development, academic enrichment, mentorship, networking, and priority access to student support services. Programmatic touch-points, metrics, and early alerts increase student success, retention, graduation rates, and career attainment.
Of those selected to participate in the first cohort, 95% were retained from Fall 2020 to Fall 2021. 86% were retained from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022.
Compared to similar students outside the program, the Trailblazer Elite students: (1) had higher retention rates; (2) 84% are in good standing with the university; and (3) are 80% more engaged with the university.

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Advancement

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Sabrina Hodge at sabrina.hodge@untdallas.edu or 972-338-1094

To address the growing number of TSI (Texas Success Initiative) math incomplete students who may not be college ready as they come to campus, UNT is providing supplemental instruction/tutoring/testing for TSI incomplete students, including the math platform and resources for success. Students who have graduated high school and are TSI incomplete will receive online or face-to-face math EdReady platform instruction with the goal of achieving a passing rate on the platform and being TSI complete by the time the students start their freshman year of classes. In addition, we completed a communication campaign with two area high schools to encourage TSI complete status before UNT admitted students arrive at orientation in August.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

PROGRAM OUTCOMES: Students who passed the TSI-incomplete summer bridge math program achieved at an equal rate to their TSI-complete peers in their freshman math class.

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Vice Provost for Student Success

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Chelsea Bradshaw at chelsea.bradshaw@unt.edu or 940-565-3633