Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff of the UNT System:
First and foremost, I hope each of you enjoyed the winter break and that your 2023
is off to an exciting start. During our recent closure, I hope you were able to step
away from work and find time to spend with family and friends making new memories.
If you are like me, you might have also spent time reflecting on the past year reviewing
various areas of your life while looking forward to all you want to achieve in 2023.
I certainly did. As I reflected on the past year we have had together, there was one
high note I was most proud of in 2022.
That specific high note was the hard work of many people in the fall that culminated
in the formation of our new UNT System's core values and behaviors – the values and behaviors we will all ultimately strive to live by every day in
the new culture we are building together. As we carry that exciting momentum into
2023, I think it is important we remind ourselves why we embarked on this journey to build a values-based culture across the entire system.
From the time of my first days as Chancellor I heard repeatedly how the UNT universities
had always worked separately and existed in separate silos. There was a strong desire
for more collaboration and support for bringing us closer together. I saw where each
university had its own values, its own direction and its own specific culture. There
was no evidence of how we were all connected other than the "UNT" in our respective
names. Because we were so separate there was no alignment on goals, no opportunities
for synergy, and no sharing of future plans in a way where we could help each other.
As a result of all I heard, I began to dream of how much better our system and each
campus could be if we all became better aligned, more collaborative, and part of one
unifying culture that maximized our collective strengths as one team.
In order to have such a shared culture there needed to be a well-defined set of core
values to be the bedrock of our new unified culture. In November, a representative
group of 125 or so team members from each campus came together to form these values.
As we become one team, working together to fulfill our shared vision in lockstep under
the same values, our day-to-day will be brighter, and we will become collectively
the best place to work, learn, discover, and innovate. As we continue to build a culture
of high trust, we will create a greater sense of understanding among each other, where
we break down silos and openly share information. We will be a more inclusive environment
celebrating each other’s successes and rallying in support of each other when faced
with adversity. We will foster an environment where we can encourage innovation and
curiosity. This will make all that we do better.
I am excited for our future because I know and have experienced the impact shared
values make in everything we do. For those who are uncertain and for those who are
already on board, I encourage each of you to spend time becoming familiar with our
values and to attend an upcoming event where we will share more about our values,
what they mean, and how we can begin to live them.
I’m confident our new values will provide us a structure to guide us to a highly successful future. I am fully
committed to living these values each and every day and invite you to join me on this transformative journey.
With gratitude,
Dr. Michael R. Williams
Chancellor