The University of North Texas System Board of Regents voted unanimously today to name Neal Smatresk president of UNT.
Smatresk succeeds V. Lane Rawlins, who announced in March that he would retire at the end of the year.
Rawlins will stay on until Feb. 3, when Smatresk will start work.
“UNT is a strong and thriving institution,” Smatresk, 62, said in a statement. “We hope to build our reputation as an emerging nationally prominent research institution and ensure that the good initiatives launched by past administrations continue to flourish."
Smatresk joins UNT from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he served as president.
UNT System Chancellor Lee Jackson cited Smatresk’s experience in leading a university that is similar in many ways to UNT.
Smatresk and his family will meet the public during a reception at 4 p.m. today in the UNT Gateway Center.
Smatresk spent 25 years in Texas, mostly at UT-Arlington. At UTA, he served as a faculty member, as well as chair of biology and dean of science. He’s also served as the chief academic officer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Smatresk, a biologist, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He has published more than 50 papers and book chapters about his research in cardiorespiratory physiology, a UNT news release says.
