University of North Texas President Harrison Keller is changing faculty incentives and consolidating about 60 departments into interdisciplinary schools, while aligning courses and credentials with student economic returns and North Texas workforce needs.
UNT uses “time to value”—how long it takes students to earn a net positive return on their education—to assess credentials. The break-even period ranged from about three years for computer science degrees to more than 15 for some majors. Keller says graduation alone should not count as success if graduates cannot find work or repay their loans.
The Texas Talent Accelerator, a regional workforce hub created by Keller, tracks job trends and how UNT can connect to those jobs. Its network includes more than 100 employers, 50 nonprofits, partner colleges and the Dallas Fed. UNT's Learning Ecosystem for Empowering Futures links a teaching center, learning institute and Curriculum Connector; another initiative trains high-school teachers to earn at least 18 graduate credits in their subject to help expand dual-enrollment courses.
