Daniel Suda, Senior Director of Outreach and Engagement for the University of North Texas Alumni Association, says nothing makes him happier than seeing UNT students receive their rings each semester.
“It’s a day of tradition, smiles, pride, and accomplishment,” he says.
For many students, the day they receive their UNT rings is even more special than graduation day, he adds, because “it’s so personal.”
Suda wears two college rings with pride. He has one from Texas A&M University, U.S., where he received his undergraduate degree, and one from UNT, where he is a Ph.D. candidate.
“Texas is a big class ring state,” he says. Citing numbers from UNT’s ring vendor Jostens, Suda says, “A&M has the largest ring program in the state, and it looks like UNT now has the second largest program, with up to 20% of each class purchasing rings.”
Suda has worked with the UNT Alumni Association to grow the ring program at the U.S. institution, which has an annual enrollment of approximately 45,000.
In 2018, Suda had an idea to shake up the traditional ceremony. Since 1988, UNT has partnered with Jostens to make class rings available to students who have completed 60 hours of credits and are near graduation. Each semester, the alumni association would sponsor a ceremony, during which each student’s name was read. Suda wanted to make the ceremony less formal. He dispensed with the name reading—a bold move, he now admits, that made room for a new and highly personal tradition: the Eagle Ring Dive.
Following the short Ring Ceremony with a few speeches, each student is presented with their ring by a special guest of their choosing, often a parent, at UNT’s iconic Library Mall fountains. On the count of three, students dip their rings in the water to cheers, and some tears. They use their keepsake green towels, with the words “Mean Green for Life” on them, to dry their rings. The area is festively decorated with photo spots such as a green balloon arch, a huge ice sculpture of a class ring, and a giant inflatable eagle (the university’s mascot).
“Students and their families come decked out in ‘mean green’ to show their school spirit,” says Suda.
"We are a minority-serving and a Hispanic-serving institution,” notes Brandon Buzbee, Vice President for University Advancement. “Many of our students are first-generation. So this is a powerful moment for families, especially parents. It’s not distant, up on a stage. This is an intimate ceremony. Yes, it’s a large group, but you look around, and it’s each student sharing their accomplishment with the special people in their life. It’s very personal and emotional.”
The event has become so well known that when prospective students tour the campus, they stop at the fountain to hear about the tradition of the Eagle Ring Dive, now in its seventh year.
Well beyond its marketing benefits, the ring program is a boost to alumni engagement and philanthropy, he notes.
“We’ve just begun to track this in our database, but anecdotally, we’ve seen that alumni who received rings are more often engaging with us than those who don’t,” says Suda. “Because the program is sponsored by the alumni association, students have that early interaction and an example of engagement. Members of our alumni board personally distribute the rings at the ceremony, and they tell us it’s their favorite form of participation each year.”
A percentage of the rings’ purchase price benefits the alumni association, which in turn funds academic scholarships. Suda has a goal to ensure there is funding to cover the cost of a ring for each student who does not have the means to buy one. Currently, there is an endowment funded through a $30,000 gift that provides three rings per semester. In addition, Jostens awards one complementary ring each semester to a deserving student chosen by the university’s student alumni ambassadors.
Further emphasizing the popularity of the program, in fall 2024, a permanent class ring sculpture will be unveiled on campus in front of the UNT Alumni Center—funded through alumni philanthropic support.
“Ultimately, the goal is expansion that sees the majority of our students leave campus with rings they will wear throughout their lives as proud UNT alumni,” says Suda, who adds that it’s never too late to receive a ring. “Last year, we had a member of the Class of 1974 at the fountain with his family and his new ring.”
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July - August 2024
Creating a Global Network: Dutch alumni teams extend their international reach. Also, meaningful donor and fundraiser relationships, meeting the mission at public regional universities, and connecting the pieces on a community college brand refresh.
