Dr. Elvis Stephens
Distinguished UNT Alumnus (’58, ’59)
Dr. Elvis Stephens calls Denton his home after growing up in Pilot Point, Texas with his three brothers. The only sibling who pursued education beyond high school, Dr. Stephens chose UNT because of the positive reputation of UNT’s Ryan College of Business, and the overall affordability of the education he chose to pursue.
Dr. Stephens was truly dedicated to pursuing his degree, which was proven when he enrolled in 19 credit hours each semester. As a result, he graduated from UNT with a BBA in Management and an MBA in Organizational Behavior/ Human Resources within three years. Dr. Stephens subsequently received his PhD, specializing in Labor and Industrial Relations from Indiana University in 1966. Dean O.J. Curry also invited Dr. Stephens to teach Business Math courses each semester while working on his master’s degree, which ultimately influenced him to pursue academia as a career path: a career path also encouraged by his wife.
In addition to his significant contributions to UNT as a faculty professor, Dr. Stephens is a member of UNT’s McConnell Society, comprised of major university donors, and he continues to contribute to the HR community today as a labor arbitrator, working on labor cases in the public and private sectors with organizations such as the Fort Worth Police Department and the US Post Office. Since 1972, he has conducted and issued awards in 1,724 labor hearings and he continues to add to this impressive count today.
Dr. Stephens’ advice for current students interested in a career in HR is to pursue an internship within HR to broaden their working knowledge of the industry. This internship will not only strengthen students’ knowledge of Human Resources, but it will also provide exposure to a multitude of opportunities and challenges in the business world that a student may not have known existed.
When Dr. Stephens is not busy arbitrating cases, he enjoys woodworking projects, DIY projects and reading.
We are proud and honored to have Dr. Elvis Stephens as part of our UNT Family.