North Texas Daily

Andrew Freeman / Staff Writer

UNT announced last Thursday its plan to potentially begin collaborating with neighboring campus Texas Woman’s University to promote a broader academic environment for students and faculty from both campuses.

“We have two fine universities in the same town with different strengths,” UNT President V. Lane Rawlins said. “It would be good for students to break down academic barriers.”

The collaboration is in its preliminary stages with different ideas being thrown around, officials from both schools said.

“There are many areas we’ve identified when it comes to collaboration, and many we haven’t,” said Don Edwards, senior associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences and chairman of the mathematics and computer science department at TWU. “We are looking at anything that would provide opportunities for students and faculty.”

James Poirot, UNT Provost  and vice president of academic affairs and executive director of the Texas Center for Educational Technology, said areas that are being looked at go beyond academic programs. These areas include student life, study abroad opportunities, and athletic programs.

“Another option we will explore is allowing students from UNT to attend some of the athletic events at TWU, such as gymnastics, and TWU students to participate in some of the UNT events, such as attendance at football games,” Poirot said. “We will also explore possibilities for joint student organizations, particularly those that are academically based.”

The benefits are theoretically endless, Poirot said.

“It is our hope that students at both universities will see opportunities to interact with each other,” Poirot said. “We hope that over the coming years, we will be able to offer a richer menu of educational opportunities for our students, drawing on the strengths of both universities.”

There are currently no solid plans, but Edwards said the first thing is to take inventory of things the two universities are already doing together, such as the dual-degree program through UNT.

“It’s not a big program, but it’s very good for us,” Edwards said. “I’ve been pleased with the reception and attitude from the engineering department.”

The dual-degree program allows TWU students to major in mathematics at TWU, and also major through the engineering department at UNT. However, students must pay tuition to both schools, along with minor inconveniences like parking permits for both campuses.

“Eliminating all the red tape would be advantageous to our students,” Edwards said. “Here, we’re expanding options.”

The next thing being looked at is the faculty and administration from both campuses to have a mixer, to get their opinions and thoughts, Edwards said.

“The next six to 12 months will be devoted to brainstorming, but we should start seeing things immediately,” Edwards said. “We want some way to make experience readily available to our students.”

The ultimate goal for the collaboration would provide more opportunities for students, Rawlins said.

“It is a way to increase exposure and broaden our horizons,” Rawlins said. “It may take a while to truly get there, but the students who are interested will be the true beneficiaries.”