William Scarborough is #NewToCLASS, adding to our faculty engaged in research supporting the DFW community.

Why did you decide to teach at UNT?

I felt like UNT and Denton were both creative spaces where I could be exposed to new ideas and perspectives. Turns out that is true! But even better, the local sense of community really facilitates this creative exchange.

What are you most excited to teach your students?

There are three things: First, I'm really excited to foster genuine curiosity among students for understanding social patterns and social phenomena. Second, I look forward to cultivating students' passion for addressing these social problems. Third, I can't wait to teach them the methods to investigate the causes of these social problems so that we may be better informed in designing solutions.

What are you bringing to UNT that is new and different?

My major passion is investigating local patterns of inequality. What are the forms of race/gender/class inequality in Denton, and how/why is this different from Frisco, Carrollton, or Dallas? By investigating these questions, I aim to illuminate the things we can do at a local level to improve residents' well-being and inclusivity. I can't wait to examine these types of questions with my colleagues and students at UNT!

What do you tell students or parents of students who are concerned about finding a career after graduation?

From my perspective, there are two major things a student should have when they graduate to be ready for a career. The first is a passion about a particular field or topic -- knowing the thing that drives you. The second are concrete skills that allow for a pointed contribution to that topic. Combined, these components will help students know not only what they want to do, but what their unique contribution to that area is.

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