What: Great Conversations — An annual dinner benefiting the

University of North Texas Honors College, with stimulating conversation

as the main purpose. Those who attend will be seated in small groups to

discuss a certain topic with a business or community leader or UNT faculty

or staff member who is an expert in that specific area. 

When: Feb. 28 (Tuesday), beginning at 6 p.m.

Where: Clubroom of UNT’s Apogee Stadium, 1251 S. Bonnie Brae St. in Denton.

Cost:    $75; parking is free. Go to the Great Conversations website to identify

a table leader and purchase tickets.

Contact:  Diana Dunklau in the UNT Honors College at 940-565-2474 or diana.dunklau@unt.edu.

DENTON (UNT), Texas —How do you juggle the schedule of a presidential candidate? How can health care professionals and others identify human trafficking? What prevents people from not breaking laws?

Those who attend Great Conversations 2017 — an annual dinner benefiting the University of North Texas Honors College — on Feb. 28 (Tuesday) could learn the answers to these and many other questions.

Great Conversations allows participants to choose to be seated for dinner at a table hosted by a specific conversation leader. The conversation leaders —faculty at UNT, notable UNT alumni and Denton community leaders — will begin the dinner conversations by discussing their expertise. No more than eight people are seated at each table. 

This year’s dinner begins at 6 p.m. in the clubroom of UNT’s Apogee Stadium, which is located at 1251 S. Bonnie Brae St. Tickets cost $75 per person and must be purchased at the Honors College website. Proceeds from the event directly benefit Honors College students by supporting scholarships and programming.

Several alumni of UNT, the Honors College or the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science, UNT’s residential program for high-achieving high school students, are among the 26 conversation leaders this year. The conversation leaders include:

∙ Denton attorney Sara Bagheri, founder of Denton Community Market and an at-large member of the Denton City Council.

∙ Criminologist Jessica M. Craig, assistant professor in UNT’s Department of Criminal Justice, who has researched factors that lead people to commit crimes as well as prevent them from breaking the law.

∙ Honors College alumna Megan O’Brien, an associate at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in College Station, and a scheduler for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

∙ Ed Soph, professor of jazz studies in UNT’s College of Music, who is known for his 20 years of involvement in health and safety issues in Denton.

∙ Katy Wesley, a 2006 graduate of the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science and creator of a training module to help health care professionals better address human trafficking. Wesley is a third-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology at Scott and White Medical Center in Temple.

For more information about Great Conversations, contact Diana Dunklau in the UNT Honors College at 940-565-2474 or diana.dunklau@unt.edu, or go to the event's website to see a complete list of table hosts and to purchase tickets online.