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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

Based on the news we received today regarding UNT moving [DURING RAWLINS TENURE] their athletic budget from $19 million to potentially 30.4 million -- and this latest increase happening at the very end of his tenure prior to his announced retirement no less...has there ever been a more pro-athletics UNT president in our history? Has there been another President who has more tangible athletic accomplishments in the history of UNT? The only one I would put in the same category would be Dr. Pohl, and based on this latest news I think Rawlins has moved securely into the #1 spot. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Pohl was a special special man and he did a lot of great things for us to get things back on track. He deserves a lot of credit. But when you think of all the amazing things that have transpired for athletics under Dr. Rawlins tenure it is just very impressive. To think he was hired as an interim and essentially stayed in the position because we needed him to... I feel a lot of appreciation for what this man has done for athletics at our University...GMG

The University of North Texas will have a balanced budget this upcoming fiscal year, with $543 million as budgeted income, and the same amount for expenditures, according to budget documents. This is part of the $870 million total budget for the University of North Texas system, which was passed by the Board of Regents unanimously last week, with one amendment. After presentations from UNT President Lane Rawlins, the board voted 6-3 to add an amendment to the budget that supports “the commitment of the UNT President of an additional $2.8 million in revenue and expenditure for the UNT Intercollegiate Athletics program and directs the Finance Committee to meet with the President immediately.” Additionally, the amendment states that the committee should review the athletics department five-year plan and make a recommendation to the board including budget adjustments. After the amendment was added, the budget passed unanimously. Rawlins was not immediately available to comment further on the amendment and how he and the committee will proceed. Read more: http://www.dentonrc.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130822-unt-board-of-regents-approves-870-million-budget.ece

Dear UNT Community, In the past few weeks I came to the conclusion that it is the right time for me to step down from the UNT presidency. This has been a difficult decision because I love the work, my great colleagues, and most of all, the students. UNT is a special place, with an honorable and successful history and the possibility of moving ahead to even greater status and performance in the very near future. Three years ago I knew almost nothing about the university or the community, and I came here with a plan to stay only a few months. As I learned more, I got very excited about the vision and opportunities at UNT, and when I was given the opportunity to stay around for a while, I accepted. I feel privileged to have this experience and to be able to work beyond my expected tenure. I am grateful to the faculty and staff for their tremendous support of UNT and our collective vision for the future. Most of all, I have enjoyed being engaged again with great students, watching them grow, and helping to provide the world-class education they deserve. My decision was influenced by knowing that we are in a good position right now. The budget moves we made this year put us on level ground and the current legislative session and enrollment forecast promise some increases. The campus leadership is committed, skilled and devoted to UNT, so the university is in good hands. Our strategic plan and “four bold goals,” set a course for greatness that is ambitious, but within our reach. It seems to be a good time to attract a strong new president. I have notified the UNT System Board of Regents of my intent to retire, and encouraged them to begin the search for a new president. I have agreed to remain president while they conduct a search and plan to stay until the arrival of my successor. I appreciate the support that the Board has given me during my tenure. They have graciously extended an offer for the status of “President Emeritus” upon my retirement, which will give me an opportunity to have an office on campus and to work on some special projects. This is not a paid position, but one from which I can stay involved. I would like to assure all of you that this decision is not prompted by any special health concerns. I have the usual accumulation of physical issues of a person my age, but nothing that would keep me from an active life. It is more a matter of having a long list of unfinished projects, family needs, and long-term commitments to be pursued, and the university being in a position where I believe we can make a positive transition. I plan to be in this position for several more months and to continue to be president in every respect. That means I will do all I can to advance UNT. Obviously, it is difficult to predict how long the search for a new president will take, but I imagine it will conclude by the end of the calendar year. I want to thank you for welcoming me here, working with me, and sharing your dreams with me. Mary Jo and I often comment about how easy it was to feel at home here and we are grateful for many new friends and associates. This has been one of the most satisfying and rewarding chapters in our lives. And while we certainly hope we were good for UNT, we know UNT has been good for us. Sincerely, V. Lane Rawlins UNT President

Direct Link: http://inhouse.unt.edu/new-conference-usa-membership-begin-2013 May 4, 2012 Dear UNT community, UNT’s been making headlines lately with good news from our athletics program. The latest is an announcement I’m proud to make - we are becoming members of Conference USA in the 2013 season. Moving our competitions to C-USA will be great for our fans because of the many natural, regional rivalries it will create. Having conference members in Texas and in nearby states makes this a logical move so that Mean Green fans can more readily attend games. We’ve been part of the Sun Belt Conference since 2000 and have experienced great success there, including 20 conference championships and four bowl games. We have enjoyed our time in the Sun Belt and look forward to our final season with the conference teams we’ve played for so long. We're also excited about this great opportunity, which will mean a higher level of competition for our teams, more national media exposure and better name-recognition for our university. Raising the level of competition will make our athletics program stronger. We will compete against many successful teams, which will help us raise our level of play. And competing with the other C-USA institutions better reflects the true academic quality of our university. This conference change comes at a time when UNT’s athletics program is on the rise. Since 2003, we have developed more than 12 new athletics facilities. After opening our world-class, first-of-its kind green Apogee Stadium last fall with a $20 million sponsorship, we hosted record crowds - breaking an all-time single-season attendance record with more than 113,000 fans - and had our best football season since 2004. I know it’s only going to get better. We’ve got an even stronger team going into this fall, and Coach Dan McCarney is fired up to make this another winning season. We’ll continue to have great matchups as a member of C-USA. This is a great time to buy season tickets because football at UNT will be more exciting than ever. The Mean Green is your home team! There are great things happening in basketball, too. Tony Benford, the former men’s basketball associate head coach at Marquette University, joined us as the new head coach of men's basketball. We were sorry to lose Johnny Jones to his alma mater, Louisiana State University, but we wish him great success as its new head coach. We’ve also welcomed Mike Petersen, the former head coach of women’s basketball at Wake Forest University, as the new head coach of women's basketball. He replaces Karen Aston, who joined the University of Texas at Austin as head coach. We also wish her continued success. Both Tony and Mike bring plenty of experience and great track records to UNT, and they are taking over winning teams with a lot of talent. We expect a great basketball season this year. There are plenty of other Mean Green milestones to celebrate. The Mean Green tennis team and the men’s golf team won 2011-12 Sun Belt Conference tournament championships, while our Mean Green soccer team won the regular season championship. Our student-athletes continue to excel academically, thanks to the dedication of our athletics staff members and others at the university in ensuring they get the benefits of a first-rate education. These advances are part of UNT’s overall momentum and reflect our ongoing commitment to uphold the three A’s: academics, the arts and athletics. We’re intent on being great across the board because providing a top-quality experience enriched by knowledge, culture, competition and community is what makes great universities stand out. Sincerely, V. Lane Rawlins President