2018 Emeritus Recognition

Congratulations to the outstanding recipients of the honorary title, Emeritus for their many years of distinguished services to the University of North Texas.


Alan Albarran - Professor Emeritus Media Arts Dr. Alan Albarran served for eighteen years as a Full Professor at UNT and served as Chair of the RTVF/Media Arts program for eleven of those years. Dr. Albarran is an expert in Media Economics and has published definitive books and journal articles on this subject internationally. He has published ten books and two highly influential and widely used textbooks on Management of Electronic and Digital Media. Dr. Albarran has taught as a guest lecturer at four universities in Spain and Mexico. In 2011 Dr. Albarran was awarded the International Education Award at UNT in partial recognition for his work as Founder and Director for the Center on Spanish Language Media. He served as past president of the Broadcast Education Association. Over the course of his career at UNT, Dr. Albarran successfully helped create innovative programs with his strong leadership by expanding the curricular scope of the department that now enrolls an average of 1300 students per semester.

Dr. Brian Bowman - Professor Emeritus Instrumental Studies Dr. Brian Bowman's playing has thrilled audiences for more than a quarter of a century. His superb musicianship and dedication to fine brass playing have made him one of the foremost euphonium soloists in the world today. He was the first euphonium soloist to perform a recital in Carnegie Recital Hall. Dr. Bowman was the first Euphonium player to serve as president of the International Tuba and Euphonium Association. He also performed the first euphonium concert tour of Japan and was the first euphonium player to present a master class at the Paris Conservatory Superior of Music, France.

Dr. Nancy Boyd Lille - Professor Emerita Management Dr. Nancy Lille served on the Management faculty for 27 years. She published articles in such notable journals as the Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Journal of Management, Leadership Quarterly, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, and the Journal of Social Psychology. In 2014, she received the CLEAR Outstanding Teacher and Course Award for her online MBA level course, MGMT 5710, She served in so many ways as a valued member of the faculty including Interim Chair of the department, Master's and Doctoral Program Coordinator, Faculty Senate Executive Committee, Faculty Awards Committee, and numerous college level committees.

Dr. Witold Brostow - Professor Emeritus Materials Science and Engineering Dr. Witold Brostow joined UNT on June 1, 1989, as a Professor. He was one of two founding members of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MTSE). Dr. Brostow was awarded Regents Professor status for his contributions. With over 300 published academic papers and 2 patents, he has one of the highest citation indexes in his department. He received over $2 from several external sources, including E.I. du Pont de Nemours, Dow Chemical Co., Ford Motor Co., RTI, Volvo, Gothenburg, NATO (3 times), NSF, Robert A. Welch Foundation, the State of Texas Advanced Technology Program (3 times), Naval Surface Warfare Center. Professor Brostow is Corresponding Member of the Union for Polymer Research in Berlin, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in London, Member of the European Academy of Sciences in Brussels, Fellow of the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and Member of the National Academy of Sciences in Mexico City. He holds honorary doctorates from 3 universities in Europe and is the President of the International Council on Materials Education, promoting expertise exchange and high-quality materials education standards among 19 countries.

Dr. Roy Busby - Professor Emeritus Journalism Dr. Roy Busby first worked for UNT as a News Service Reporter in 1958. Except for a two-year stint in the U.S. Anny and two years in graduate school, he has worked at UNT, holding seven administrant positions including vice president, director of information, and assistant to the president. He was concluded a three-year modified service term in 2018. Dr. Busby, who was named a Regents Professor in 2001, plans to keep teaching as an adjunct at the end of his modified service. He developed 10 undergraduate and graduate courses, and he has won about 30 teaching or research honors while on the faculty, most recently the Honors College Medallion in 2009. He has been a speaker or panelist at about 30 professional or academic events. He has written more than 150 articles for professional and academic publications. Dr. Busby has remained active in the profession during his career, doing consulting projects for about 40 organizations. He has served or chaired nearly 100 committees for the school, UNT and the community.

Dr. James Conover - Professor Emeritus Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law Dr. James Conover, joined UNT the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law in 1989. Dr. Conover has a continuous record of distinguished service to the university community, recognized by service awards for serving the department, college, and university on curriculum and governance committees. Dr. Conover has a distinguished record of research, authoring over 30 peer-reviewed articles in finance as well as in interdisciplinary research published in information systems and accounting journals. Dr. Conover has a distinguished record of service in teaching finance at UNT, chairing and serving as a member of finance doctoral dissertation committees and teaching classes at the doctoral, masters and undergraduate levels.

Richard Davis - Professor Emeritus Design For 50 years, Professor Richard Davis has taught all levels of Sculpture on both, the undergraduate and graduate levels at UNT. Davis has been a conscientious professor who always went the extra mile for his students. He has had over 75 solo exhibitions, group exhibitions and commissions on the state, and national levels in high profile alternative spaces, well respected galleries, museums or colleges and universities, including “Red Pony”, commissioned for the Icon Advisory Group, Greensboro, North Carolina in 2013, “Players”, commissioned for World Global Financial, Fort Worth, Texas in 2009, and “Clear Water Black Plume”, commissioned by Ulrich and Christine Iffland, Berleburg, Germany in 2007 to name but three. Additionally, Professor Davis was selected as a UNT Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Fellow in 2012.

Dr. Steven Forde - Professor Emeritus Political Science In his 30 years of service at UNT, Dr. Steve Forde evolved into one of the leading political theorists in America. He produced 2 books: the first (early in his career) on the Greek political historian Thucydides, and the second (toward the end) examined John Locke's understanding of science. Dr. Forde published a multitude of papers (4 of which appeared in the profession's flagship journal, the American Political Science Review) on everything from Thucydides on the causes of imperialism, Plato on the relation of the sexes, the early modem thinker Grotius' unique effort to ground international law on the newly emerging modem scientific view, and Benjamin Franklin's contribution to how to live as an American. He ended his career here with a 4-year tenure as a co-editor of the American Political Science & Review. His entire career marks a sustained and profound examination of the prospects for morality and especially justice in the face of the "demystifying" forces of science at various stages of our history.

Dr. Carol Ann Frost - Professor Emerita Accounting Dr. Carol Frost was the Bernard Coda Professor of Accounting at the University of North Texas from 2007 until her retirement in 2017. She has published widely in the leading refereed accounting academic journals including Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting and Economics, and Contemporary Accounting Research. Professor Frost co-authored two editions of a market-leading international accounting textbook. She has served as an associate editor on several leading accounting research journals, including Contemporary Accounting Research and Accounting Horizons, and has served on many editorial boards. She served as the accounting doctoral coordinator and helped implement a more rigorous curriculum and more stringent admission standards for accounting doctoral students. Finally, Dr. Frost taught many doctoral research seminars, and mentored many doctoral students through joint research and doctoral committee service.

George Getschow - Principal Lecturer Emeritus Journalism Mr. George Getschow, a longtime reporter for the Wall Street Journal and other publications, joined UNT as an adjunct instructor in 2002. He was hired as a lecturer the following year, rose through the ranks and retired as a Principal Lecturer in 2017. Mr. Getschow co-founded the Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference in 2004, and his vision, recruitment of prominent speakers like Gay Talese, and his fundraising of more than $100,000 grew the conference from a regional affair to a well-known national event. Along with founding the conference, Mr. Getschow was instrumental increasing several for student work including Mayborn magazine and Ten Spurs journal. Mr. Getschow tirelessly forged relationships with journalists at several publications from the Denton Record-Chronicle to the Village Voice in New York. Mr. Getschow's work in redesigning feature writing and other advanced writing classes introduced narrative nonfiction to the Mayborn curriculum and improved the education and job prospects for numerous students over the past 15 years.

Dr. Finley Graves - Provost Emeritus Accounting Dr. Finley Graves served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from March 2015 through June 2017. He was Dean of the College of Business at UNT from January 2008 through April 2015. As an Accounting professor, Dr. Graves published numerous articles and books in the areas of international accounting and accounting history. He was President of the International Section of the American Accounting Association, the Federation of Schools of Accountancy, the Academy of Accounting Historians, and the Southwestern Business Deans Association. Among his honors are Outstanding Teacher of the Year and Outstanding Researcher of the Year in the School of Accountancy at the University of Mississippi, both twice; the campus-wide Burlington Northern Foundation Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarship, also at the University of Mississippi; the 2006 student-elected Faculty of the Year Award in the Department of Accounting at UNT; and the national 2009 Federation of Schools of Accountancy/Joseph A. Silvoso Faculty Merit Award for Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Education.

Dr. Stanley Ingman - Professor Emeritus Rehabilitation and Health Services Dr. Stanley Ingman has been on the UNT faculty since 1990. During his tenure at UNT, he has played a pivotal role in developing outreach and research centers surrounding aging populations. He was the Director for the Texas Institute for Research and Education on Aging, University of North Texas Health Science Center and University of North Texas Complex (1991-2007), Director of the Center for Public Service, and the Program Director, Healthy Neighborhood Initiative (1995-1998). Over the span of his career, he has been recognized as a key contributor to the literature on sustainable senior living and has initiated some of the departments first international relationships focused on supportive and sustainable housing for seniors. With an emerging green movement in Mexico, Dr. Ingman fostered a relationship between UNT and SuBire (K- 12 business school focused upon sustainability) to create an “education for sustainability” program across such countries as, Mexico, Costa Rica, Uganda and Nigeria. His international partnerships create a wealth of opportunities for UNT graduates and for doctoral research that will continue to promote an international presence for UNT.

Dr. Arminta Jacobson - Professor Emerita Educational Psychology Dr. Arminta Jacobson, served as a full-time faculty member from 1983-2015, and modified service from 2015-2018. At UNT she was recognized for her accomplishments as the Elaine Millikan Mathes Endowed Professor and by receiving UNT Foundation Community Engagement Award. She was recognized at the state and national level including being named a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations. She founded and directed the Center for Parent Education and the National/International Conference on Parent Education for over 20 years. Dr. Jacobson has been active in research and grant funding, including federal grants, for approximately $5 million primarily in the support of parent education and early childhood school readiness. She has authored 29 articles, 7 book chapters, and presented extensively at national/international conferences. While serving on numerous committees at UNT, she led her department to receive academic recognition for students for the Certified Family Life Education Certification and Early Childhood Intervention and develop new coursework and curriculum for the UNT Core and a doctoral concentration in Human Development and Family Science.

Dr. Robert Jessup - Professor Emeritus Studio Art Jessup served on the faculty in the Drawing and Design program in the Department of Art/College of Visual Art and Design for 27 years. Jessup provided important leadership for both his program in Drawing and Painting (whether by serving numerous times as program coordinator, through his careful mentorship of graduate students in his area, or through his teaching throughout the undergraduate program), and through his leadership as chair of the Studio Art Department in his final year at UNT. Jessup has had a highly distinguished and illustrious career with over 170 solo and selected group exhibitions of his paintings in galleries as diverse as the Ruth Seigel Gallery, Gimpel/Weitzenhoffer Gallery, and Littlejohm/Sternau Gallery, all of New York City; the Fay Gold Gallery, and the Besharat Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia; the McMurtrey Gallery in Houston, Texas; and at the Conduit Gallery here in Dallas, Texas, to name but a few. His paintings are part of many personal, public, private, and corporate art collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas in Austin, The Dallas Museum of Art, American General, Pacific Bell in San Francisco, Coca-Cola U.S.A., Inc., Reich & Tang, Inc. in New York City.

Dr. Joseph Kung - Professor Emeritus Mathematics Dr. Joseph Kung served on the UNT faculty for 40 years. He published 54 research articles, 8 expository and scholarly articles, and 1 book. He had numerous research grants, including NSF (1986-90), and NSA (1991-92, 1993-95, 1998-2000, 2011-13). He was a sought-after speaker, invited to the American Mathematics Social Summer Research Conferences ('85, '91, '95) and international conferences in Korea, Lisbon, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, and Britain. He organized 2 international conference on Formal Power Series & Algebraic Combinatorics and served as: Managing Editor, Advances in Applied Mathematics, editor, Birkhauser book series Contemporary Mathematicians, Consulting Editor, Electronic J. Combinatorics, and the editorial boards of Algebra Universalis, and Annals of Combinatorics. He completed editorial work for two reference encyclopedias: Physical Science and Technology and Complexity and System Science.

Dr. Ben Levin - Professor Emeritus Media Arts Dr. Ben Levin's career spanned forty-three years as one of the most influential professors of documentary film in the United States. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Temple University in 1972 where his film, "You See...l've Had a Life", received the inaugural Student Academy Award for documentary film. In 1989 Professor Levin was appointed to the National Film Preservation Board by the Librarian of Congress where he helps curate twenty-five films every year for preservation in the National Archives of the Library of Congress. His ethnographic documentary film works have been screened and exhibited internationally since 1972. Over the course of his 28-year academic career at UNT in RTVF/Media Arts, Professor Levin co-founded and shaped the direction of the Master of Fine Arts program in Documentary Production and Studies into one of the premiere graduate film programs in the United States. Professor Levin is a past president of the University Film/Video Association.

Ms. Cynthia Mohr - Professor Emerita Design Ms. Cynthia Mohr had been a faculty member in the Department of Design, The College of Visual Art and Design for 14 years at the time of her retirement in December 2017. Professor Mohr provided critical leadership and focus for the Department of Design and the Interior Design, Fashion and Communication Design programs. In addition, Professor Mohr is a recognized leader in the international community of Interior Design Educators. She was President for the Interior Design Educator Council of North America 2014 to 2017 and was honored a Fellow to the organization in 2016. The International Interior Design Association honored Professor Mohr with the Leadership of Excellence Award. During her tenure here at UNT she raised the profile and reputation of the design programs, and the Department of Design in the College of Visual Art and Design regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Ms. Marian O'Rourke-Kaplan - Professor Emerita Design Ms. Marian O'Rourke-Kaplan was a faculty member in the Department of Design for the College of Visual Art and Design for 25 years. Professor O'Rourke-Kaplan provided critical leadership and focus as program coordinator and graduate coordinator for the Fashion Design program. She guided the Department of Design as Department Chair 1998 - 2002, and provided her leadership as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2006 - 2011 overseeing the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) accreditation application for the College of Visual Arts and Design. In addition, Professor O'Rourke-Kaplan is a recognized leader in the international community of Fashion Design, working with the International Textile & Apparel Association and the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. She presented her research at national and international conferences and exhibitions, including China and Thailand. During her tenure here at UNT she raised the profile and reputation of the design programs, and the Department of Design in the College of Visual Art and Design regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Dr. Daryl Ramsey - Professor Emeritus Music Education Dr. Daryl Ramsey served as an instrumental music specialist in both the graduate and undergraduate programs during his 31 years of association with the College of Music. He published numerous articles and gave international, national, and state presentations during his tenure at UNT and served throughout the country as a band clinician and adjudicator. In 2000, Dr. Ramsey created the Start Up the Band program. This venture is a collaborative effort between the Denton Independent School District and the Division of Music Education at UNT to provide band instruction for economically challenged fifth-grade students in the school district while providing practical teaching experience for the undergraduate music education majors in the College of Music. This project was influential in Dr. Ramsey's receipt of the Robert J. Rogers Service and Community Engagement Award in 2016. He also served as the Chair of the College Division of the Texas Music Educators Association and the National President of both the Sinfonia Foundation and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity.

Dr. Robert Renka - Professor Emeritus Computer Science Dr. Robert Renka joined UNT in 1984 in the Department of Computer Science. He gained early recognition for his contributions to ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software and was appointed Algorithms Editor for that journal and other ACM journals in 1988. In 1989, he became Editor-in-Chief of the Collected Algorithms of the ACM and held that position until 1994. In 1990, Dr. Renka became the first member of the department to receive funding from the National Science Foundation. He has also received research grants from the National Security Agency and from industry. He has been listed in many Who's Who editions, including Who's Who in the World. He received the 2017 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for his professional accomplishments. During Dr. Renka's 34 years at UNT he taught a wide variety of courses and created many new courses in scientific computing and computer graphics. Dr. Renka most recently served the department as Undergraduate Coordinator during which time he oversaw the successful ABET reaccreditation of our undergraduate programs in computer engineering, computer science and information technology.

Dr. Linda Schamber - Acting Dean Emerita Learning Technologies Dr. Linda Schamber had a 25-year long career at UNT spanning from 1991 till 2016 and held multiple leadership roles within the College of Information (COI), including External Affairs Director for COI (2013-14), Associate Dean for COI (2008-14), and Acting Dean for COI (2011-12). She also served on the Associate Deans Council, and as the Interim Chair for two of the departments within the College of Information. During her tenure as Acting Dean, she worked with faculty and staff to revise and approve COI Charter and to develop faculty and staff mentoring programs, growth initiatives for four academic programs, student recruitment campaigns and coordination, and records management policies and systems. Overall, Dr. Schamber has made significant and long-term contributions to the University of North Texas.

Dr. William Scharnberg - Professor Emeritus Instrumental Studies Dr. William Scharnberg has had a distinguished career as an educator, performer, and clinician. His students hold numerous teaching positions in well-respected music schools and top military bands and symphony orchestras. He was principal horn of the Dallas Opera Orchestra from 1989 to 2016 and is currently principal horn of the Wichita Falls Symphony. He continues to serve the International Horn Society as editor of The Horn Call, the industry trade journal for horn players and educators. His publications include many journal articles and four editions of eighteenth and nineteenth century works for horn.

Dr. James Scott - Dean Emeritus Instrumental Studies Dr. James Scott began his distinguished professional career while still a first year student at Emory University, winning a position as flutist in the Atlanta Symphony, making him one of the youngest musicians in the history of the orchestra. He was a faculty member and head of the music program at Rutgers University and later served as Associate Dean for Instruction and Professor of Flute at Indiana University. Dr. Scott began his tenure as Dean of the College of Music at the University of North Texas in 2001 and served with distinction until 2016. Many of his former students hold tenured and tenure-t rack positions in various universities. He continues to give master classes in the Czech Republic, Taiwan, China, Thailand, and S. Korea.

Dr. John Scott - Professor Emeritus Instrumental Studies Dr. John Scott has had a distinguished career as an educator, performer and clinician. He began his tenure at UNT in 1981 and served as Chair of the Division of Instrumental Studies and Associate Dean of Admissions. His former students have held positions in numerous orchestras, schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States, and in premier military bands in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the Richardson Symphony Orchestra for 24 years, and has performed with such orchestras as the Dallas Symphony and the Fort Worth Symphony. He is an active recitalist and clinician throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He has served as Music Review Editor, and Advertising Manager for The Clarinet, journal of the International Clarinet Association.