UNT’s Top Regent Pledged Total of $160,000 to Bring Donald Trump Jr. for Lecture

The University of North Texas lecture series that featured Donald Trump Jr. expects to net at least $183,000, money that school officials say will help support student scholarships.Almost all of that — $180,000 — equals the amount pledged by two prominent Republican donors, including the school’s top regent, Brint Ryan.New financial records obtained by The Dallas Morning News show that Ryan, through the tax advisory firm he runs, has pledged a total of $160,000 toward the lecture series, more than previously reported.An additional $20,000 came from Doug Deason, a Dallas investor who has said he and his father raised millions for President Donald Trump’s campaign.A university spokeswoman noted that donations to the lecture series can continue until the end of the academic year. Melissa Francis, a FOX news anchor, will speak as part of the lecture series this week.When the university announced late last summer that Trump Jr. would be the featured speaker at the October lecture, some students, faculty and alumni voiced opposition to the choice, complaining that it was an endorsement of the president and his policies. The university’s president, Neal Smatresk, told faculty in emails obtained by The News that he was trying to stop the speech but ended up participating in the event.  Continue reading...