UNT System Chancellor Lesa Roe launches podcast with FOX 4 TV's Shannon Murray

Roe, who came to the UNT System last year after serving as Deputy Administrator for NASA, said she's excited to work with Murray to discuss important issues with thought leaders from a myriad of industries, causes and backgrounds. Each podcast will be accompanied by a written companion piece, penned by Roe, and posted to DallasInnovates.com.

"Coming to the UNT System last October after 30+ years with NASA ... this has been a year of 'firsts' for me, and co-hosting a podcast will be another new and exciting experience," Roe said. "As the only university system based in Dallas-Fort Worth, I'm keenly aware of our responsibility to serve the community as a state-funded entity.  Part of our duty – as a state-funded institution of higher education – is to provide thought leadership and be actively engaged in North Texas and beyond. It's my hope that Shannon and I can contribute in this space through Bridging Gaps."

Murray, a Dallas-area native and graduate of Duncanville High School, said she and Roe enjoyed meeting a few months ago to discuss the project in its infancy. Through that initial meeting, a new partnership and monthly program was created and the very first episode of Bridging Gaps is available for download and streaming at UNTSystem.edu/podcast.

"As a driven and career-oriented woman, I want to spend time with trailblazers like Lesa Roe," Murray said. "We chose the name Bridging Gaps for several reasons. Throughout her career, Lesa has bridged the opportunity gap for women in STEM – becoming the first woman to lead NASA's Langley Research Center, as well as the first woman to lead the UNT System. In my on-air work for FOX 4, I often work on stories about bridging social gaps, as far as poverty, education and employment disparity here in DFW. On the podcast, we plan to discuss bridging generational gaps, ethnicity gaps, healthcare gaps and so on ... as we seek out topics to explore that matter in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond."

In her role on FOX 4's Good Day morning program, Murray frequently leaves the comfort of KDFW's downtown Dallas studios to cover the biggest stories in North Texas. With her community-connectedness, Murray pairs perfectly with Roe – who travels frequently to UNT in Denton, UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth and UNT Dallas, while also actively serving on the Board of Directors for the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Bridging Gaps will be recorded and produced each month from UNT System headquarters in Downtown Dallas. For more information about Bridging Gaps, please visit UNTSystem.edu/podcast or email the show's producers at [email protected].

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS SYSTEM
The University of North Texas System includes the University of North Texas in Denton, the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth and the University of North Texas at Dallas. The UNT System is the only public university system headquartered in Dallas-Fort Worth – the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Over the past decade, combined UNTS enrollment has grown by more than 25 percent to nearly 44,000 students. UNT System institutions award more than 9,000 degrees each year – including the largest number of master's and doctoral degrees in the DFW region. The UNT System has an annual budget of $1 billion and boosts the Texas economy by $5.2 billion each year.

SOURCE UNT System

Related Links

http://www.untsystem.edu