 |
ALUMNUS
Clint Lee ('09)
OneDay, a Dallas company that launched its video marketing platform in the senior living industry, will use $19 million in new capital to expand into funeral homes and the multifamily leasing industry. The new investment is being led by Volition Capital, a Boston private equity firm. The company previously raised $5.3 million in a 2019 funding round. OneDay launched its core product, the OneDay for Senior Living platform, in 2017. The video marketing platform helps senior living communities attract prospective residents by providing video highlights of a property’s programs and amenities, as well as collecting recorded testimonials from residents. Clients can also use the platform to share videos about job openings or connect with hiring candidates. The software also has a question-and-answer feature that senior living communities can use to help residents and their families preserve stories and memories for future generations. Using prompts, the app asks a question, records residents’ answers and automatically creates a high-quality video that can be shared with family members. OneDay was born when co-founder and CEO Clint Lee, a University of North Texas graduate, and John Boaz, Lee’s stepfather and founder of OneDay, realized after the death of Boaz’s grandfather that their family had little video or audio to remember him with. Boaz had the idea to capture memories and stories of residents of senior living communities to preserve them for future generations. The two founded a technology company in 2012 with the intent of preserving stories, but realized the technology could have a wide range of uses. READ MORE...___ Published by Ann Gehan, Dallas News, July 2021 |
 |
STUDENT
Sam Macaraeg
Samuel Macaraeg is a rising senior at the University of North Texas pursuing a degree in organizational behavior and human resources. He is the director of corporate relations for the UNT chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), is committed to investing in himself through professional involvement and he also makes serving others a priority.
Currently, Macaraeg works as a full-time HR intern at Mavenir in Richardson. A series of articles Macaraeg wrote on LinkedIn in the spring highlight his strong initiative and passion for applying what he learns to make real change. What started as a simple assignment to interview one person regarding his desired career, evolved into interviews with five other HR professionals/administrators, including the chief human capital officer at UNT (and even an interview with UNT President Neal Smatresk). Insights from these interviews were compiled to share hope with other students and encourage them to learn from the difficulties of the COVID pandemic to prepare themselves for success in the workplace.
Outside of professional extracurriculars, Macaraeg served as president of Catholic Campus Ministries at UNT this last academic year, bolstering online presence and reorganizing events to be executed virtually or in a socially-distant setting. In his free time, he spends time playing spikeball and ultimate frisbee with friends, leading bible studies and serving as a wedding pianist at his church.
After graduation, Macaraeg aspires to work for organizations that emphasize improving family life through ministry and formation for parents. Through his professional career, Macaraeg hopes to bring the efficiency of the American workplace to nonprofits to make real changes in the world.
READ MORE...
___
Published by The HRSouthwest Conference
|
|
|
 As a long-time supporter of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business, Dave Heacock is no stranger to lending a helping hand.
Heacock, who serves on the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law (FIREL) advisory board, is committed to giving back to his alma mater, where he earned his MBA in Finance in 1988. Throughout the years, he has donated more than $100,000 to areas of need, and 2021 proved no different.
Each year, Heacock reaffirms his commitment to UNT with a generous gift to the college—and this year, he chose to make his gift toward the college’s greatest needs.
"I know that situations and circumstances for students can change quickly so I recognize the importance of equipping the College of Business leaderships with financial resources to help," said Heacock.
Without hesitation, Heacock contributed to the Dean’s Excellence Fund, the McNatt Emergency Fund and the Student Financial Management Association—all of which support efforts to keep students in school and on track to graduate with distinction.
The support of donors like Heacock enable our college to sustain its level of excellence that help bring it to the forefront of the business community. By gifting toward areas that need it most, our donors ensure that all programs are properly funded so that students receive the best education possible to fulfill their academic goals and career aspirations.
---
Heacock is a retired senior vice president and general manager at Texas Instruments. In addition to serving on the FIREL advisory board, he also served on a number of boards for Silicon Valley start-up companies, is involved in The Band of Angels (a Palo Alto angel investor group) and is a member of Clarkson University’s Board of Trustees.
|
|
Enrollment hits all-time high in 2021
|
|
|
UNT is continuing to attract business students in record numbers.
Already this fall, the college has seen over 9% growth from last year, with a total of more than 7,900 students enrolled. This comes after last year’s record-breaking enrollment, when the Ryan College of Business lead the university with a 14.3% increase.
Ryan College of Business graduate programs have greatly contributed to this increase, with roughly 40% growth in enrollment from fall 2020 to fall 2021. The programs chiefly responsible for generating this impact have been the master’s degree in business analytics and the newly added master’s degree in information systems and technologies (with the MBA in business analytics following closely behind).
This continued increase in enrollment during one of the most challenging times for universities, worldwide, is a testament to the quality of education that the college provides and the confidence that future business leaders have in UNT.
|
|
College offers STEM degree to open doors for today's demanding IT jobs
|
|
|
A new Master of Science in information systems and technologies offers students an extensive base of STEM knowledge that will allow them to get today’s demanding IT jobs and help organizations better utilize their information technology assets.
The program, housed in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business’ Department of Information Technology and Decision Sciences, will focus on areas including cloud computing, cyber security, software development, data management, IT management, project management, business analysis, business intelligence and more.
Students pursuing the degree will learn to work with organizations to design, architect, develop, implement, operate, manage and modify the information systems, data assets and computer and network infrastructures to improve enterprise performance and problem solving.
Graduates of the degree will be prepared for future careers as business systems analysts, software developers, cloud developers and architects, IT security analysts, project managers, business intelligence engineers, network administrators, data administrators and related areas.
READ MORE...
|
|
New Latinx Alumni Network supports student success
|
|
Just after his retirement in 2017, business alumnus Bob Garza ('74) walked into a meeting with a blank pad of paper and a single goal -- to find a way to help the UNT community do more with and for Latinx students. That pad of paper filled over the years, and in early 2021, Garza became the first president of the UNT Alumni Association's new Latinx Alumni Network (LAN).
The program's mission? To engage Latinx alumni who will support the recruitment, retention and success of Latinx students.
"We're creating a community for alumni and, at the same time, saying that we need their help. We need alumni to come in and be an example of what it means to be UNT friendly to Latinx students," says Garza, who won the Outstanding Alumni Service Award in 2019.
As a first-generation, non-traditional college graduate who was already married and had four years of military service when he enrolled at North Texas, Garza knows how difficult it can be to navigate the university system.
READ MORE...
___
Published by Amanda Yanowski, UNT North Texan, Spring 2021
|
|
Eagle Business Network offers happy hour networking for alumni and students
|
|
|
The Ryan College of Business is bringing happy hour back!
After a long, socially-deprived year-and-a-half, the college is thrilled to invite alumni, students and friends back together for our next Eagle Business Network event, sponsored by Northwestern Mutual.
Taking place on the rooftop of Eno’s Pizza in Coppell, the evening will be full of Mean Green fun and college giveaways. Each registration comes with a free drink ticket, appetizers and happy hour-themed college swag.
Come out for fresh air, drinks and networking on October 14, beginning at 6:00 pm. Click the link below to reserve your spot.
READ MORE...
|
|
First-Generation Success Center
|
|
|
UNT's newly created First-Generation Success Center will be the first line of support for inquiries from students (like Senior Ramon Williams, pictured on far left, who is studying Risk, Insurance & Financial Services) whose parents did not earn a four-year degree. In partnership with departments across campus, the center will host programs and workshops that address areas such as financial literacy and aid, career exploration and leadership development.
The First-Generation Success Center is a resource center developed to better support first-generation students as they navigate college life. First-Generation students make up 41.5% percent of the undergraduate population at UNT. The center works to collaborate with campus partners to design workshops and presentations addressing topics such as campus resources, financial aid, financial literacy, college terminology, career preparation, and academic coaching.
READ MORE...
___
Published by UNT North Texan, Spring 2021
|
|
PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITIES AT THE RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
|
|
THE MCNATT EMERGENCY FUND
Since 2019, Jim ('66) and Linda McNatt have poured more than $500,000 into The McNatt Fund for Students in Financial Crisis (The McNatt Emergency Fund), a scholarship established to create ways to assist students in crisis situations. Their generosity, coupled with the high demand for financial need during this past year, has since compelled others to contribute as well. Unfortunately, however, our students are in such dire need of help that the McNatt Emergency Funds are now nearly depleted.
This is where we need your help. Our students are relying on support from the McNatt Emergency Fund to graduate and we desperately need your continued support to meet their needs. Your gift, no matter the size, will make an immediate impact to help our students continue their pursuits of earning a UNT degree. |
|
G. BRINT RYAN COLLEGE OF BUSINESS DEAN'S EXCELLENCE FUND
The Dean’s Excellence Fund also provides immediate, essential support to our students. This fund serves as a vital resource to help our students and campus respond to opportunities and challenges as they occur. When you support the Dean’s Excellence Fund, you support the strategic vision of the college by allowing the Dean to have flexibility in directing the use of resources to the priorities of the college during this difficult time. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|