Senate Spotlight Award Recipient

Melissa DeLozier holding a pigletSummer 2018 Staff Spotlight

Melissa DeLozier, academic resources coordinator, Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

How did you land at UNT?

Following my graduation from Berry College in Georgia, I moved to Fort Worth, Texas to be closer to my then-boyfriend and now-husband. I had worked in several different departments at Berry, including in the Office of Financial Aid and as the Assistant Director of the Writing Center, and had found that I enjoyed working in a higher education environment. As such, I started looking for positions in local colleges and universities upon moving to Texas. One of my cousins had graduated from UNT and directed my attention to the university. The rest, as they say, is history.

What advice would you give to a new staff member?

I once heard someone aptly describe the first few weeks as a staff member at UNT as trying to drink water from a fire hydrant. It is a lot of information and a lot to learn, even as someone who came from a higher education background. Give yourself time to learn and the grace to accept that you won’t know everything right away. Find your allies and mentors – people on campus who are willing to help guide you in the right direction and encourage you when you feel overwhelmed. Finally, remember—you’ll make it. One day at a time.

What do you do at UNT?

I work in the Academic Resources department under the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Our office supports the operations of VPAA by providing administrative services relating to academic and salaried graduate student compensation, position management, faculty recruitment and onboarding, faculty credentialing, and faculty records management. My job in particular is to manage the hiring and onboarding of our full-time faculty, professional research hires, and to approve electronic payroll action requests for salaried graduate students on campus.

What is your favorite part of working at UNT?

My favorite part of working at UNT is the community and university pride as well as the feeling of diversity and inclusion that I think is demonstrated by the student body and supported wholeheartedly by the upper administration. I have loved seeing the students’ open support for each other, regardless of their differences. Especially in our current culture, it is extremely heartwarming to watch.

What is your favorite off campus lunch spot?

McAlister’s Deli