When Meghan Dours accepted a position as the Development Officer for UNT's College of Science, the College itself was less than a year old. While the roles of this position can vary depending on the unit where they work, a development officer generally serves as the liaison between alumni and the faculty, leadership, and programs at UNT to benefit current and future students.

"Joining UNT as a Development Officer with a brand new college was such an exciting prospect to me," said Meghan, who has since been promoted to Senior Director of Development. "Since I started here in 2018, the growth we've seen in COS has just been phenomenal and being part of that growth has been such a wonderful honor."

Originally following a career in media advertising with her Marketing Degree from Southeastern Louisiana University, Meghan soon realized her passions were more aligned with helping others. She switched to the non-profit sector and got involved in fundraising. "My experience in fundraising has been so fulfilling!" she said. "Making a difference for students, faculty, and programs at the university - helping them grow - really brings me full circle from all those who helped me along the way, and now I get to help others."

As the Senior Director of Development, Meghan oversees the COS Advancement Board, a group of UNT alumni and friends, and helps connect them to the projects that can make the biggest impact on the COS community. Some projects they have worked on include updating technology in the planetarium, supporting the Elm Fork K-12 outreach program, and championing the COS Student Support Fund, which helped UNT math and science students with urgent financial needs during COVID and is now raising funds to subsidize textbook costs.

"Each board member brings fascinating life experiences, perspective, and accomplishments to the table," said Meghan. "The Board works throughout the year to determine the biggest immediate and long term needs within COS, then we work toward a solution together."

There's never a dull moment in the College of Science, especially from the perspective of someone who works with every department, like Meghan. As a nature enthusiast, she enjoys learning about the work being done at the Pollinative Prairie at Discovery Park and at LLELA, but notes that there are great conversations happening within each department about their research and programs.

"My work with COS is really thrilling because we have so many opportunities to build and grow," she said. "Getting to know faculty, programs, and research, connecting with alumni to tell those stories, then finding where mutually beneficial commonalities exist, is really the core of my daily work. In other words: I connect the dots!"

Meghan's favorite part of her job is that she is constantly learning about everything from data that improves pediatric outcomes to the existence of treadmills for fish. She said it can be challenging to reach alumni with a small team, but that the opportunities for growth are what keeps her going.

When asked what she hopes for the coming year: "This is a shoot-for-the-moon goal: some of our buildings do not currently support the research needs of our departments - or the population growth of our students and faculty - and funding new spaces and named buildings would be a dream come true."

The COS team is proud to help tell the stories of our faculty, students, and alumni. "We want to hear from you! Give us a call, send us a message through email, Facebook, Twitter…or join us at an event!" said Meghan. She can be reached at meghan.dours@unt.edu or at 940-369-5320.