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Enrollment at the University of North Texas stayed consistent this fall, with 36,216 students in classes — down just five students from fall 2013 numbers. There are high and low points of the data breakdown, though, with retention up but freshman enrollment down. Last academic year, the university implemented required academic advising sessions for freshmen, UNT President Neal Smatresk said during a speech to the university community Wednesday. Overall, enrollment for continuing students increased 1.3 percent since the fall, and retention of students after their first year at UNT increased by 2.5 percent. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140917-unt-enrollment-flat-overall.ece

DALLAS — The University of North Texas might not be in as big a financial hole as officials thought in April, financial consultants told a group of UNT System regents Tuesday. A few months ago, it looked like UNT would need to shave $23.2 million from anticipated revenues in its 2013 and 2014 financial statements. Now, Blake Rodgers, an audit senior manager with consulting firm Deloitte and Touche, estimates the number will be closer to $13.5 million. This means UNT has less ground to make up in future budgets than it thought earlier this year. UNT hired Deloitte and Touche in February to help straighten out its finances and financial practices after discovering accounting problems dating back to 2004. Rodgers said the earlier revenue estimate was off by $10 million because there was little supporting documentation of the financial problems. read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20140813-unt-finances-could-be-better-than-expected.ece

The athletics budget for the University of North Texas is expected to increase to $30.4 million for the upcoming fiscal year, to level the playing field within Conference USA and support a new baseball program, school officials said. During UNT system Board of Regents meetings last week, the board passed an amendment to the system budget to consider adding $2.8 million in revenue and expenditures to the proposed athletics budget of $27.6 million. Talks with the finance committee, UNT President Lane Rawlins and athletic director Rick Villarreal are underway. A completed budget is expected in two weeks, Rawlins said. "Were a lot better than people in the region and state think we are, and one of the reasons we get overlooked is because so much attention is paid to athletics," Rawlins said. "Athletics is how you get attention. ... Its simply a fact of life for an institution of our size and location." The board wanted to learn more about how UNT compared with other institutions in the conference, and some were concerned that athletic programs arent enough of a priority. Rawlins presented figures that show UNT is on par with spending in its new conference, but Board of Regents Finance Committee chairman Don Potts said the university spends less than half of the average on recruiting. "The issue of concern is that were moving into Conference USA and we want UNT to have the same resources that our competitors have, Potts said. We do want to win, you know." Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130823-unt-athletics-may-get-boost.ece