North Texas hasn’t completely changed its mission statement in athletics, but the program did add a little context Monday, when it unveiled a new strategic plan that contained several aggressive goals.
The school hopes to raise the funds for a second phase of its athletic center expansion by 2028, sell out DATCU Stadium for a football game again this fall and finish in the top 150 of the annual Learfield Director’s Cup standings by 2029.
UNT’s latest plan covers the 2026-2030 school years.
“This strategic plan will serve as our roadmap and the primary lens through which we set priorities and measure progress,” UNT athletic director Jared Mosley said in a statement. “Together, we will continue to elevate UNT athletics, strengthen our competitive identity, and create lasting pride and value for the University of North Texas.”
UNT has long maintained a strategic plan for athletics.
The latest edition shows where UNT’s focus lies heading into the next four years as well as serving as a gauge as to how the program fared in meeting its goals since the spring of 2023, when it unveiled its last strategic plan.
The goals that stand out in UNT’s new plan fall into a few areas where the program has long sought to improve, including competitive success, upgrading facilities and fan engagement.
UNT didn’t win an American Conference title in the 2024-25 school year and has won one so far this year. Its women’s track program won the indoor conference title in February.
Doug Marshall, UNT’s director of track and field, and the Mean Green have a chance to add to that total this week when they host the American’s outdoor championships.
UNT laid out a goal of winning at least two titles each school year in its latest plan as well as finishing among the top 150 programs nationally in the Learfield Director’s Cup standings by 2029. The standings measure a program’s all-around performance on a national level.
UNT finished in a tie for 264th in the 2024-25 Learfield standings.
The school also set out goals to garner more support from fans, an area where it saw progress this school year. UNT sold out a football game for the first time when it drew 31,386 for a loss to South Florida.
UNT is aiming to sell out another game this fall in new coach Neal Brown’s debut season. The school is also aiming to average 26,000 fans for home football games this fall as well as draw 4,000 fans on average for men’s basketball games.
The school’s plan also addresses a series of goals when it comes to developing its facilities. UNT will break ground Wednesday on phase one of its athletic center expansion project, which is largely dedicated to strength and conditioning space.
The school is moving on quickly to phase two of the project. UNT hopes to secure $18 million in funds and complete fundraising by December 2028. The second phase of the project with add or upgrade space dedicated to sports medicine and academic support as well as add premium seating to DATCU Stadium and upgrade the football team’s locker room.
UNT has long aimed to fund all of its programs in the top third of their conference peers. Mosely has said the school has yet to hit the mark in the American Conference and hopes to reach that point by fall 2029.
UNT is also hoping to upgrade its facilities by adding premium seating in football, basketball and softball. The school is aiming to fund expansion of Lovelace Stadium, its home softball venue, by December 2029.
UNT last updated its strategic plan in spring 2023 and included several goals in its “Take Flight” outline.
Some of the key tenets of that plan included funding and beginning construction of its athletic center expansion by 2024, averaging 23,000 fans for home football and selling out a home football game each season.
UNT ended up falling behind schedule when it comes to its athletic center expansion but did sell out a football game. The school also hit its attendance average goal in football when it averaged 24,493 fans per home game in a breakout 12-2 season last fall.
UNT averaged 3,448 fans per home game in men’s basketball for the 2025-26 school year and will need to boost attendance to meet the attendance goal in its new plan.
The school also updated its slogan. “Building champions and preparing leaders” has long been a catchphrase for the school.
It’s now a little longer as UNT will now focus on “Building champions and preparing leaders through the pursuit of perfection in academics, athletics and life.”
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870 and bvito@dentonrc.com.
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