Building for the Future

by Lyn Rejahl Pry

Construction on Frisco Landing — the four-story, 135,000 square-foot building at the University of North Texas at Frisco campus that is set to open next spring — began in 2020. The classrooms and study spaces within will promote collaboration, transparency and open communication between faculty members and the students who will participate in the 27 undergraduate and master-level programs that will be offered. “This new facility will ensure UNT continues supporting programs and partnerships in an area synonymous with innovative growth,” University President Neal Smatresk said. “UNT is focused on offering each student unparalleled opportunities for career exploration and a ticket to the top of their industry.”The university is “committed to our partnerships with the City of Frisco, Collin County and Collin College to continue providing the highest quality education experience to Collin County and beyond,” he said. When Smatresk joined UNT in 2014, his vision was to help lead the school to national prominence.

Born in Massachusetts, he grew up in Buffalo, New York, and in 1973, earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania. Five years later, he earned a master’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and went on to receive a fellowship and earn a Ph.D. in zoology and marine science from the University of Texas at Austin’s Port Aransas Marine Laboratory. From 1980-82, he was a postdoctoral trainee at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

For 22 years, he was a faculty member at the University of Texas, Arlington, serving as a biology professor and department chair before becoming Dean of the College of Science. From 2004-07, he was vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa before heading to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was executive vice president and provost before becoming the university’s president in 2009. Smatresk’s decision to come to UNT was both a personal and academic one as he and his wife, Debbie, had children and grandchildren living in Texas. UNT began offering classes in Frisco in 2016 at locations including Hall Park and Inspire Park. Prior to that, there had not been a four-year institution for higher education in Collin County. In August 2019, the UNT at Frisco Master Plan was approved by the UNT Board of Regents, establishing the framework for the growth and development of the new campus site for decades to come.Smatresk has led efforts at the university to create new public-and private-partnerships with large corporations including American Airlines, Liberty Mutual, Google and JP Morgan Chase.