His reasoning? A top-notch education combined with great value and support helps students from all walks of life earn degrees and pursue their career dreams.

Watts himself is a shining example. The first in his family to attend college, he graduated in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and went on to law school. He’s now the senior executive vice president and general counsel for AT&T, overseeing all legal matters for the communications giant.

This issue of your magazine is full of similar stories of alumni, students, and faculty who are capitalizing on the opportunities UT Arlington affords them.

In “Career Switch” we examine the growing trend of professionals who change occupations. You’ll meet four alumni who chose UT Arlington to prepare them for their new careers: the Wall Street banker who started a nonprofit to prevent child abuse, the aircraft mechanic turned airline executive, the engineer who’s now a nurse, and the military veteran who became a teacher.

You’ll read about Maverick Battalion Commander Ben Carroll, who went from a self-described directionless community college student to a straight-A scholar. Carroll is ranked in the top 1 percent of the nation’s nearly 6,000 Army ROTC cadets. He graduates in May and eventually plans to start his own business.

Then there are those who help the University provide opportunities. Like Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, whose record $7.5 million gift will aid researchers battling disease. Like the 6,500 benefactors in our annual honor roll of donors, whose generosity fuels advancements in the classroom, laboratory, and beyond.

Their commitment ensures that, at the University of Opportunity, anything is possible.

Watch a video of Mark Kelly’s presentation

The Mavericks finished fourth in the Western Athletic Conference, rated the 13th strongest of 33 NCAA Division I conferences. They had advanced to the WAC Tournament championship game, narrowly losing to New Mexico State. And they had been invited to a second consecutive postseason tournament for the first time in school history.

“I’m more motivated and determined than ever to win a conference championship and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament,” says Cross, whose 122–96 record includes three of the top five seasons in school history.

The Mavericks went 19–14 (11–7 in the WAC) in 2012–13 and were ranked among the top 10 nationally in field-goal percentage defense for much of the season. They lose four seniors—Jordan Reves, Kevin Butler, Karol Gruszecki, Cameron Catlett—but return plenty of talent. Brandon Edwards, Shaquille White-Miller, Greg Gainey, Jamel Outler, and Drew Charles played significant roles this season.

After one year in the WAC, UT Arlington moves to the Sun Belt Conference next season.

“I’m excited about the opportunity of joining the Sun Belt,” Cross says. “I am to the point, and I know our fans are to the point, where anything less than a championship is not good enough. We plan on winning the Sun Belt title next year.”

“The University of Texas at Arlington is a tremendous institution with exceptional students, accomplished faculty, dedicated staff, and an impressive leadership team,” says the newly appointed dean. “I’m looking forward to attracting new philanthropic support for the college.”

Dr. Croson, who began the position in January, most recently served as an economics professor and the Negotiations Center director at UT Dallas. She also spent the past two years as the National Science Foundation’s division director for social and economic sciences, managing eight programs and a $100 million annual budget.

Before joining UT Dallas, Croson held assistant and associate professor positions at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in economics/philosophy of science there and her master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University.

Much of her research centers on experimental and behavioral economics, investigating how people make economic decisions. Those fields contribute to many disciplines, including management, marketing, operations, political science, and sociology. Her work has been published in numerous journals.

George Kondraske, Khosrow Behbehani, Nai Yuen Chen, and Robert Magnusson have been named NAI charter fellows for creating inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society.

An electrical engineering professor, Dr. Kondraske developed a software feature for computers and phones that identifies text and suggests a word to be used. He is also founding director of the UT Arlington Human Performance Institute.

Dr. Behbehani, professor and chair of the Bioengineering Department, has focused much of his recent work on developing sensors to help people who suffer from sleep apnea and related respiratory maladies. He was named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2012.

Dr. Chen, a National Academy of Engineering member and distinguished research professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department, worked at ExxonMobil for 33 years before joining UT Arlington in 2011. He is inventor or co-inventor on 126 U.S. patents.

Dr. Magnusson is the Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics and an electrical engineering professor. His research expertise includes applications in drug discovery, diagnostics, medical devices, homeland security, and solar cells.

“These distinguished faculty members truly are leaders in their respective fields,” Provost Ronald Elsenbaumer says. “They are models of innovation and invention and have shared their passion for discovery with students and colleagues.”