Q3 IMPACT REPORT MARCH - MAY 2025
PREPARED FOR BRINT & AMANDA RYAN
For more information: Brandon Buzbee Vice President University Advancement 940-565-2010
brandon.buzbee@unt.edu Marilyn K. Wiley, Ph.D., CFA Dean G. Brint Ryan College of Business 940-565-3034 marilyn.wiley@unt.edu
DRIVEN BY INNOVATION GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY
At the University of North Texas, we’re redefining what higher education means — boldly rooted in our diverse, creative community and driven by innovative thinking. Your generous support of the G. Brint Ryan College of Business is helping lead that transformation. Your contributions strengthen faculty excellence and fuel innovative research, helping UNT attract top scholars, expand mentorship opportunities and elevate the academic experience for students. By empowering distinguished faculty to pursue innovative research, elevate the academic experience and mentor the next generation of business leaders, you are driving a culture of excellence. These triumphs serve as catalysts for progress — advancing UNT’s national reputation and fueling scholarship with real-world impact. Your partnership reinforces UNT’s mission as a top-tier public university committed to making tangible, lasting change both locally and globally. Thank you for your vision and unwavering support.
SPOTLIGHT ON IMPACT: Global & National Rankings Rankings play a critical role in shaping a university’s reputation, influencing student recruitment and faculty retention and stimulating philanthropic investment. Several programs in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business have earned prestigious national and global recognition, affirming the college’s leadership in business education and research. These achievements reflect the strength of our faculty, the quality of our academic programs and the growing impact of UNT on a worldwide stage. • Other Research in Accounting | #16 (top 10%) • Other Audit Research in Accounting | #6 (top 10%) • Sport Entertainment Management M.B.A. | #1 worldwide online, #23 traditional, #10 overall • Marketing | #71 (up from 121) – ahead of University of Virginia, Baylor, SMU, Purdue, Alabama, MIT • Global Entrepreneurship Productivity Progress List | #19 – ahead of Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and UT Dallas • Experimental Research in Accounting | #17 (top 20%) • Experimental Audit Research in Accounting | #13 (top 20%)
SPOTLIGHT ON IMPACT: Student Success In Professor Jeremy Short’s social entrepreneurship course, students don’t just learn about social impact – they make it. This semester, Erin McSweeney, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary art and design studies (IADS), raised over $1,000 via GoFundMe to support Genesis Women’s Shelter, a Dallas-based nonprofit that serves women and children who’ve experienced domestic violence. Erin’s road to UNT was anything but conventional. After beginning college at Northern Arizona University in 2008, financial hardship forced her to leave. She spent over a decade working in the hospitality industry. When the pandemic disrupted that career path, she pivoted – first with a ceramics apprenticeship in 2021 and then full-time study in the arts. Now 35, Erin is a non-traditional transfer student who balances coursework with caregiving for her mother who has early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite all these challenges, she has earned spots on both the President’s and Dean’s Lists and is on track to graduate in spring 2026. “UNT has helped me move from being unsure of my capability to someone with real self confidence,” Erin says. “I now see that I not only have a seat at the table – I have the power to bring others with me.”
Erin McSweeny and her partner, John Campbell, preparing class clay at their community studio in Garland, Texas.
Professor Jeremy Short, G. Brint Ryan Chair in Entrepreneurship, is ranked among the TOP 500 SCHOLARS IN THE U.S. in business management by research.com .
SPOTLIGHT ON IMPACT: Research In May 2025, Dr. Gurpreet Dhillon and collaborator Professor Diego Costa Pinto presented, “Powered by AI? The Role of AI-Driven Devicesin Goal Pursuit” at the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference in Montreal. This research explores how AI-powered wearables go beyond mere tracking — they shape user identity, reinforce persistence and enhance goal achievement. Additionally, Dr. Dhillon contributed to the MidWestern AIS Panel Editors Panel at Oklahoma State University, discussing trends and challenges in information systems research alongside fellow journal editors. Later this quarter, he will participate in a panel at the American Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) on “Bridging the AI Security Gap,” addressing critical issues around AI cybersecurity risks, compliance and organizational resilience.
Gurpreet Dhillon, Ph.D., G. Brint Ryan Chair of AI and Cybersecurity, was ranked in the TOP 0.5% OF SCHOLARS WORLDWIDE in 2024 by ScholarGPS .
CONFERENCES & PUBLICATIONS
Faculty in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business remain actively engaged in high-level academic research and thought leadership. Professors presented at major national and international conferences, collaborated across disciplines and institutions, and contributed to respected peer- reviewed journals. These efforts reflect a strong commitment to advancing the field, expanding UNT’s academic reach, and creating new knowledge with real-world relevance. Faculty scholarship also plays a critical role in strengthening the university’s reputation, attracting external funding and enriching the academic experience for students through timely, research- informed learning. The following highlights represent a selection of recent scholarly activity across the college: • Zhiling Guo, G. Brint Ryan Professor of ITDS Proposal | “Enhancing AI Safety and Trust in Clinical Decision Support Systems: A Collaborative Pilot with Mayo Clinic” • Danielle Cooper, G. Brint Ryan Professor of Organizational Behavior Facilitator | Professional Development Workshop on Publishing for Junior Faculty at upcoming Academy of Management Conference Speaker | “Conversations with Editors,” upcoming Academy of Management Conference • Bob Heere, G. Brint Ryan Professor of Sport Management Speaker | “Buying a European Football Team,” World Cup Innovation Summit 2025 Proposal | “The Same Athlete, But Then Different: Considering Cultural Differences in Consumer Perceptions of Athlete Brand” • Blair Kidwell, G. Brint Ryan Chair of Marketing Proposal | “The Spotlight Effect: How Device Screen-Ambient Lighting Interactions Influence Healthy Choices” Publication | “Surprise, Surprise: the Dual Impact of Discounting on Consumer Preferences.” Conditionally accepted by the Journal of Retailing Publication | “When and Why Consumers Prefer Androgynous Choices.” Conditionally accepted by Marketing Letters Research | Collaborated with UT Arlington faculty to conduct a large-scale field study of consumer food purchases • Gurpreet Dhillon, G. Brint Ryan Chair of AI and Cybersecurity Publication | “Uncharted Territory: Gen Z’s Unethical AI Use and Organizational Cybersecurity,” Journal of Computer Information Systems Publication | “The Impact of Privacy Intrusiveness on Individuals’ Responses Toward Personalization in Online Advertising,” Journal of Interactive Advertising Chair | 24th Annual Security Conference, Las Vegas Scholarly recognition | Named a 2024 Top Scholar by ScholarGPS , ranking in the top 0.5% worldwide
FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
AS OF MAY 31, 2025
Date Gift(s)
FINANCIAL UPDATE
Gift
Investment Income 1
Foundation
Distributions
Received
Amount
Fees 2
to RCOB
Market Value
Provided by the UNT Foundation Inc.
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair in Taxation & Tax Research
04/30/2019
$ 2,000,000
$ 962,890
$ (114,649)
$ (436,584)
$ 2,411,657
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair
04/30/2019
2,000,000
962,890
(114,649)
(436,584)
2,411,657
in Entrepreneurship
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair
04/30/2019
2,000,000
962,890
(114,649)
(436,584)
2,411,657
in Finance
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair in Logistics & Supply Chain
01/31/2020
2,000,000
790,689
(97,885)
(200,858)
2,491,946
Management
G. Brint Ryan Doctoral Strategic
01/31/2020 10/25/2022
4,000,000
1,394,409
(131,424)
(636,627)
4,626,358
Research Excellence Quasi-Endowment
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair
03/29/2021 04/05/2022
2,000,000
351,838
(57,390)
(208,451)
2,085,997
in Accounting
G. Brint Ryan Strategic Initiatives 03/29/2021 in Faculty Research Excellence 10/25/2022 Quasi-Endowment
4,000,000
1,045,760
(106,937)
(451,215)
4,487,608
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence &
03/29/2021 04/05/2022
2,000,000
422,195
(71,102)
(255,932)
2,095,161
Cybersecurity
G. Brint Ryan Endowed Chair in Marketing & Consumer
02/28/2022
2,000,000
340,729
(54,621)
(203,910)
2,082,198
Behavior
G. Brint Ryan Endowed
04/13/2022 10/25/2022 TOTAL
8,000,000
2,152,420
(166,168)
(410,695)
9,575,557
Professorships
$ 30,000,000
$ 9,386,710
$ (1,029,474)
$ (3,677,440)
$ 34,679,796
PORTFOLIO ALLOCATION
SUMMARY
DETAIL
Growth Assets
Income Oriented
6.9
Growth Assets
9.5
36.2% U.S. Listed Equity 24.0% International Equity 9.5% Real Assets 6.9% Private Equity 8.4% U.S. Aggregate 4.2% Active Duration 4.3% Unconstrained 4.7% Private Fixed Income 1.8% Cash 33.2
36.2
23.4
24.0
1.8
Income Oriented
76.6
71.0%
8.4
4.7
Asset Class Growth Assets Income Oriented
Allocation 1
Target 75.0% 25.0%
4.3
76.6% 23.4%
4.2
ENDOWMENT OVERVIEW
The UNT Foundation plays a crucial role as an essential strategic partner to the University of North Texas, managing and growing private assets through investment management to benefit the university’s mission. The Foundation ensures that the endowments adhere to our generous donors’ intent and remain sustainable for both current and future generations.
For the nine months ended May 31, 2025, the portfolio is estimated to have increased 4.5% compared to the strategic benchmark return of 5.1%. Portfolio performance was impacted by equities, which were up 5.4%, real assets, up 4.4%, hedge funds, up 2.4% and fixed income, up 2.2%. Regarding equities, developed international equities, North American equities and emerging market equities produced returns of 9.6%, 3.3% and 2.9%, respectively. The S&P 500 was up 4.7% for those nine months. The nine-months ended May 31, 2025 was comprised of three distinct periods. First, the S&P 500 was up 8.8% through February 19, 2025. This period was highlighted by the presidential election and the positive investor sentiment surrounding it. Second, the S&P 500 decreased 18.9% through April 8, 2025. This period was highlighted by Liberation Day, the day a multitude of tariffs were to go into effect. Third, the S&P 500 increased 18.6% through May 31, 2025. This period was highlighted by 90-day pauses on tariffs with China and other key US trade partners.
HISTORICAL RETURNS
Endowment
Policy Index
Strategic Benchmark
15%
11.2% 11.1%
7.3% 7.3
10.2%
9.8%
9.4%
9.4% 9.2%
10%
8.7%
7.4% 7.3%
7.3%
6.7%
5.0% 5.1%
4.5%
5%
0%
FYTD
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years Annualized
5 Years Annualized
Note 1 - The investment income and historical returns presented are net of individual investment manager fees, but gross of the foundation’s management fee. This method aligns with standard NACUBO reporting practices and ensures comparability to our peers. Our benchmark sets a high standard for performance at 75% equity and 25% fixed income. Note 2 - The management fee charged by the foundation encompasses accounting, internal investment management services, and coordination with Advancement, college deans, donors, and other university partners. Our fee remains competitive, being at or below the endowment management fees of our peers, as reported by NACUBO.
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