Neal Joseph Smatresk (''pronounced'' SMAH-tresk; born July 9, 1951), is an American academic research biologist, physiologist, and

university president A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

, currently serving as president of the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

. Smatresk had previously served as president of the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

, a role he had held since August 6, 2009.

Career

Executive roles in higher education

From 2004 to 2007, Smatresk served at the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

as vice chancellor for academic affairs ''(aka'' chief academic officer). From 2007 to 2009, Smatresk served at the

, as executive vice president and provost. Then on July 10, 2009, Smatresk stepped in as acting president, and on August 6, 2009, he became president. Smatresk has been

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

since February 3, 2014.

Academic research and teaching

In 1979, Smatresk participated in a research expedition of alpha helix in

Micronesia Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...

under the auspices of the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

. From 1980 to 1982, Smatresk was a

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

trainee at University Pennsylvania School of Medicine in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. From 1982 to 2004, he served on the faculty at The

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of ...

– from 1982 to 1988, he was assistant professor of biology, from 1988 to 1994, he was associate professor of biology, from 1994 to 1998, he was chairman of the biology department, and from 1998 to 2004, he was dean of science. While at UT Arlington, Smatresk chiefly researched how respiratory

neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

vertebrates Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...

changes during the evolutionary transition from aquatic breathing to aerial breathing.
Alumni Awards — Neal J. Smatresk ’73
'' ''Gettysburg'' (

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

alumni magazine), Summer 2011 Smatresk has published over 50 papers and book chapters in the field of marine biology and cardiorespiratory

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

and has won grants from the

and the

Formal education

Smatresk earned a high school diploma from

Kenmore West Senior High School Kenmore West Senior High School (nicknamed Ken-West) is one of two public high schools in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District. The other is Kenmore East Senior High School. History Founding In 1938, a WPA grant of about $700,00 ...

, Town of Tonawanda, NY (1969). He went on to earn a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in biology from

(1973; awarded Distinguished Alumnus in 2011). He then earned a Master of Arts degree in biology from the

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

(1978). And finally, he earned a PhD in

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

and

marine science Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dyna ...

from the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

through its Marine Science Institute at

Port Aransas Port Aransas ( ) is a city in Nueces County, Texas, United States. This city is 180 miles southeast of San Antonio. The population was 2,904 at the 2020 census. Port Aransas is the only established town on Mustang Island. It is located north of ...

(1980). Smatresk did

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to pu ...

training at the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine, commonly known as Penn Med, is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of Medicine is the oldest medi ...

. Smatresk's extracurricular activities in high school included interscholastic sports, namely

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

— the high jump. Smatresk sang in the

Kenmore High School Kenmore High School was a public high school in Akron, Ohio. It was 1 of 7 high schools in the Akron Public Schools district. The schools mascot was the Cardinals. They were a member of the Akron City Series athletic conference. History The origi ...

and

choirs, the latter of which toured every year. In December 1970, Smatresk performed with the

Choir at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

for President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

References

External links

University of North Texas President's site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smatresk, Neal 1951 births Living people 21st-century American biologists Presidents of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Gettysburg College alumni University at Buffalo alumni University of Texas at Austin alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Texas at Arlington faculty University of North Texas faculty People from Tonawanda, New York Scientists from New York (state)