UNC CLT News

UNC Charlotte Play a Role in the "State of the Economy"

2012-01-26T08:36:00.000-08:00

On Jan. 25, Provost Joan Lorden appeared on Bloomberg News' live State of the Economy special report with host Trish Regan. The show was part of all-day coverage of a visit by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. The segment with Lorden also included business leaders Mark Pringle, director of operations for Siemens Energy -- which is thriving and has announced a $350 million expansion in Charlotte -- and Bruton Smith, automotive mogul who owns motor speedways and automobile retailers nationwide.

They talked about the state of the economy in Charlotte and nationally, using Charlotte as a micrcosm of the United States overall. North Carolina is still mired with 9.9 percent unemployment -- worse than the national average of 8.5 percent but better than some states. One of the key issues of the show was the prospects for manufacturing in Charlotte and North Carolina.

So, why invite an "academic" to a conversation about manufacturing? Here's why:

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina's urban research university. We're committed to research and development that helps solve the challeneges facing Charlotte as an urban city. One challenge is improving the level of employment, which is partly tied, long-term, to the condition of local and regional manufacturing. UNC Charlotte also has a bias for applied research -- research in which we partner in some way with businesses, industry and related organizations. That research, whatever it may be, will be linked toward refining ideas, and eventually commercializing technology and products that may be made and sold in this region. In many cases that means jobs -- not always directly, but eventually. That's one way UNC Charlotte acts as a vital cog in the economic development chain. And by affecting the local and regional economy, we augment our urban research on social and cultural issues.

UNC Charlotte, like leading businesses and non-profits, is a key cultivator of this region's quality of life. And lest we forget, we educate the workforce that will manage and lead the economy, in sectors as diverse as high-tech precision manufacturing, financial services, energy production and the creative class.

When you watch the clip below, remember, there's a lot more there than meets the eye. One brief appearance is part of a larger whole. Step by step, through TV interviews, campus visits by dignitaries, community volunteership projects, research in league with local organizations, interactions with business leaders, UNC Charlotte is helping make life better for all of us; that's our mission and we're sticking to it.

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Cake boss keeps campus life sweet

2012-01-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

With 25,000 students on the roster at UNC Charlotte, and more people visiting day and night for events and activities, someone on campus is always thinking about their next meal.

People often anticipate cakes, pastries and other treats as much as the main course. So you'll find Executive Pastry Chef Joseph Torcasso working his way through 600 pounds of flour, 300 pounds of sugar and 75 quarts of liquid eggs every week to keep up with demand for sweets and breads for multiple campus dining halls and snack shops. Read more about the central bakery ...

Cake boss keeps campus life sweet

Artist Marek Ranis Features Sublime Aspects of "Cold and Icy" Spaces

2012-01-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

Giving Green Partnership with Schools Shares Hope, Inspiration

2012-01-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Many people have heard the adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” This year, the University is putting that proverb into action.

In August 2011, TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider, and UNC Charlotte announced a partnership to provide educational to over 4,700 students and 500 faculty members at Governor’s Village schools. Governor’s Village is comprised of four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS): John M. Morehead STEM Academy, Nathaniel Alexander Elementary, James Martin Middle, and Zebulon B. Vance High.

“We have been working with CMS and the principals at each school to identify specific needs and areas in which we can help,” said Ashley Oster, director of community affairs at UNC Charlotte. “These schools are in our backyard, and as a university, we have access to a multitude of resources that can help the students and teachers at these schools.

TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have looked for strategic ways to create excitement for this partnership. “We have created a theme for each month and designed activities around it. For example, the theme for December was literacy, and it was quite exciting to come up with a fun way to encourage reading,” added Oster.

For the literacy event, UNC Charlotte and Penguin Publishing donated 300 copies of Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact to students at Morehead STEM Academy and James Martin Middle School. Dr. Andrew Hartley, author of the book and Robinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at UNC Charlotte, signed each copy and read portions of his book to the students at Morehead STEM.

“It was a special moment to see the children’s faces light up when they were given a brand-new book, signed by an author, to keep,” said Oster.

The teachers at the schools were pleased too. AnStarie Sessoms McKinnon, a seventh-grade teacher at Morehead STEM Academy said,”Several of my students, who are reluctant readers, began reading Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact at lunch the day they received it, and I am so proud to say they finished it the same day!”

In addition to the literacy event, a number of programs and initiatives will take place throughout the school year including a professional development conference, a job shadow event at TIAA-CREF offices, a financial literacy employee volunteer program, and various athletics, arts, and cultural events. Moreover, volunteers from both TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have been serving as mentors, tutors, and lunch buddies since September and will continue with these volunteer efforts throughout the year.

Although the events have created excitement among all involved in the partnership, Katie Suggs, assistant director of community affairs at UNC Charlotte, thinks the project represents something even bigger: Hope. “I keep thinking that at least one child is being inspired to do something more with their life. Maybe they heard Dr. Hartley speak and thought, ‘I want to write a book’ or ‘I want to be an author.’ Maybe they work with one of our volunteers in the Levine Scholars program and think, ‘I can go to college too.’ This partnership is about education, but it is also about giving hope, inspiring kids to be the best they can be, and introducing them to some of the opportunities that await them.”

To get involved with the Governor’s Village Project, please visit:

"Cash Crop" Examines Dynamics of Slavery, Race

2012-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

“Cash Crop,” an exhibition related to American slavery, will be displayed through June 30 at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture. As part of this event, core and affiliated faculty members from the Department of Africana Studies will participate in public presentations on slavery, labor and globalization.

The first event, “The Artist as Story Teller: Conversation with Stephen Hayes,” will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 14. Tanure Ojaide will moderate.

English Department faculty members Janaka Lewis and Malin Pereira will participate in the discussion “Bearing Witness, Redeeming Memory – Biographies and other Representations of Enslavement in African-American Literature” on Thursday, Feb. 2.

Christopher Cameron and Gregory Mixon, history, and Erika Edwards, Africana studies, will discuss “Pioneers of Freedom: Slave Revolt, Rebellion and Revolution in the Atlantic World” on Thursday, March 22.

College of Education faculty members Charles Hutchison and Greg Wiggan will talk about “From Slavery to the Prison Industrial Complex: Race and the African-American Experience” on Thursday, April 19.

Eddy Souffrant, philosophy, will lead the panel “Capitalism, Globalization and Human Rights” on Thursday, May 24.

With the exception of the first event, forums will be at 6 p.m. in the Gantt Center, 551 South Tryon Street.

“Cash Crop” artist Stephen Hayes is a native of Durham. He completed a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from North Carolina Central University and an MFA from the Savannah College of Arts and Design. Comprised of 15 life-size relief sculptures, “Cash Crop” is a symbolic representation of Africans imported to the New World between 1540 to 1850. Atkins Library Special Collections contributed additional images for the exhibit.
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Phillip Brown is internal communication manager at UNC Charlotte.

Spotlight: The 49er Democracy Experience

2012-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

This is a rare and novel initiative by a public university, in collaboration with other colleges and universities in the Charlotte area, as well as local and national organizations -- a truly value-added, experiential civic learning opportunity.

Spotlight: The 49er Democracy Experience

49ers-Logo License Plates Help Fund Scholarships

2012-01-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

You don't have to be an alum to purchase a 49ers-logo North Carolina automobile license plate. For every 49ers license plate sold and renewed, $15 of the fee goes to fund scholarships at UNC Charlotte. Paying a few extra dollars for one of these plates shows your support of the 49ers but also of UNC Charlotte itself -- its deep committment to community engagement, urban research, applied research with business and industry, its positon as the leading higher education institution in the southern piedmont -- and its timeless contribution to bettering the quality of life for its students and this region.

Poet Tanure Ojaide Gets Cadbury Book Award

2012-01-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

In another indication of how UNC Charlotte affects arts and culture on a global scale, Tanure Ojaide, Frank Porter Graham Professor in the Department of Africana Studies, recently received the Cadbury Prize for Poetry awarded by the Association of Nigerian Authors for the book “The Beauty I Have Seen.”

According to the association, “The extensive range, experimentation and maturity of voice in this collection enhance the density and rich texture of the text giving it a wholesome aperture. This marvelous collection of poems coherently presents the poetic experience as a movement in three interconnected configurations – the poet as a public commentator, as one who observes and sees what others do not see (or what they see but do not assign significance) and one united with and standing in symbolic relation with the land or culture.”

Fifteen books of poetry were nominated for the Cadbury Prize; Abubakar Othman’s “The Passions of Cupid” won second prize, and third place went to “Ode on Lagos and Other Poetic Portraits” by Jeff Unaegbu.

Department chair Akin Ogundiran, in congratulating Ojaide, stated this honor consolidates the professor’s position as the preeminent poet of Africa with transnational range.

Signcryption Standard Can Help Protect Confidential Digital Info, Worldwide

2012-01-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

A new international standard is now available for protecting confidential digital information -- thanks to a UNC Charlotte professor regarded as the father of such technology.

After nearly a three-year process, the research efforts of College of Computing and Informatics’ professor Yuliang Zheng have been formally recognized as an international standard by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO).
Zheng invented the revolutionary new technology signcryption and continues his research in the college’s Department of Software and Information Systems.

Signcryption is a data security technology by which confidentiality is protected and authenticity is achieved seamlessly at the same time. When logging in to an online bank account, signcryption prevents a person’s username and password from being seen by unauthorized individuals and, at the same time, confirms that person’s identity for the bank. More traditional means of cyber security make this a more time-consuming, two-step process.

News of the adoption by the ISO of signcryption as an international standard comes amidst daily reports of cyber attack and cyber crime around the world. Zheng adds that the application will also enhance the security and privacy of cloud computing.
“The adoption of signryption as an international standard is significant in several ways,” said Zheng. “It will now be the standard worldwide for protecting confidentiality and authenticity during transmissions of digital information.”

Known as the father of the signcryption technology, Zheng is internationally recognized as an authority in cryptography and network security. He has published more than 200 scholarly articles and books on security and holds several patents in cyber security. His most recent publication “Practical Signcryption” is currently on sale worldwide.

“This will also allow smaller devices, such as smartphones and PDAs, 3G and 4G mobile communications, as well as emerging technologies, such as radio frequency identifiers (RFID) and wireless sensor networks, to perform high-level security functions,” he said. “And, by performing these two functions simultaneously, we can save resources, be it an individual’s time or be it energy, as it will take less time to perform the task.”

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National Finalist Soccer Team Gets New Coach -- From the Inside

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Charlotte 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose announced Jan. 3 the hiring of associate head coach Kevin Langan as the 49ers’ new head men’s soccer coach. As a member of the coaching staff, Langan played an integral role in helping the 49ers reach the College Cup Finals this past season. During Langan’s three years as a member of the 49ers coaching staff, Charlotte won 40 games, reached the College Cup Finals, captured an Atlantic 10 regular-season title and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. Langan will be the seventh head coach in the 36-year history of the 49ers’ men’s soccer program.

“Kevin has been an integral part of the success of our soccer program,” Rose said. “We are thrilled that he has decided to take over the reigns as head coach. I am confident that the continuity of his leadership along with his strong knowledge of soccer will provide a smooth transition for our returning players and will be extremely attractive to prospective players.”

Langan just completed his third season with the Charlotte 49ers and his first season as associate head coach. He was promoted from his role as assistant coach last July.

“I am extremely excited and honored to become the head coach of the Charlotte 49ers soccer team,” Langan said. “I would like to thank Athletic Director Judy Rose, Senior Associate Athletic Director Kim Whitestone and the University for giving me the opportunity to lead the program onwards. I would also like to thank the current players, alumni and the Charlotte Soccer Community for the fantastic support I have received over the past few weeks; it has all been quite humbling to be honest.”

Since Langan has come to Charlotte, the 49ers’ wins totals have increased each season from 11 wins in 2009 to 13 wins in 2010 to 16 wins this past season. In 2009, the 49ers made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1997. Charlotte ended #3 Wake Forest’s nation’s-best 46-game unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents. In 2010, Charlotte captured the program’s first-ever Atlantic 10 regular-season title. In 2011, Charlotte reached the College Cup for the second time in school history and advanced to the College Cup finals for the first time. The 49ers won 16 games which ties for the second most wins in the program’s history.

Before moving to Charlotte, Langan spent four years as the head boys' coach of the Classics Elite Soccer Academy in San Antonio, Texas. He also coached the Classics Elite Soccer Academy's U-18 United States Soccer Federation Academy team in 2008.

As a collegiate player, Langan was a standout player for the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas for the 2004-05 seasons. He captained them to a #1 national ranking and the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in 2004. In his two seasons at Incarnate Word, he was named Regional Defensive Player of the Year, Student Athlete of the Year and the International Graduate Student of the Year.

The Jersey, United Kingdom native also represented Great Britain at two World University Games; in 2001 in Beijing, China and then captaining the team in Daegu, South Korea in 2003. He was also selected to play for the England National Futsal Team on a Tour of Portugal in 2003. In England, Langan played professionally with Bristol City FC for six seasons, making his league and cup debut as an 18 year old. He was a member of the team that won promotion to the Championship in 1998.

Langan graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Coaching Education and Sports Development from the University of Bath (England) in 2004 and with a Master's Degree in Sports Management from the University of the Incarnate Word in 2006. He also holds his USSF Coaching "A" License.

Langan replaces Jeremy Gunn, who resigned a couple of weeks ago after five years at the helm of the 49ers men’s soccer program.

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For more information, contact Brent Stastny, 704-687-6313, bmstastn@uncc.edu.

Art in the City -- and Much More to Come

2012-01-03T11:31:00.000-08:00

Since opening in August, the new UNC Charlotte Center City Gallery has become a vibrant venue for creative action. In September, muralists Antoine Williams and John Hairston came to the gallery night after night with buckets of bright paint to create “Here’s Hoping It Rhymes for a Reason,” a mural 30 feet wide and 12 feet tall that the artists completed right before viewers’ eyes during the Center City Building Community Day.

In late October, UNC Charlotte faculty Maja Godlewska and Mary Tuma hung clouds and tricycles throughout the space to create “Playground,” a performative installation that on occasion becomes a stage for improvisational dance by Department of Dance professor E.E. Balcos. And in January, projectors installed inside the gallery will create a visual spectacle by international artist Anna von Gwinner that will only be seen from outside the building.

Like the mission for the Center City building as a whole, the mission for the gallery includes a commitment to integrating the University into the Charlotte community in new and exciting ways.

Doing Less with Less? Not Hardly.

2012-01-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

As the new year begins, we mark the midpoint in the University’s fiscal year. This is the fourth consecutive year of substantial budget cuts, based on reduced funding from the state. This year, UNC Charlotte is working through a $34 million dollar allocation cut, in addition to other reductions.

In stories that have been developed for this blog, the University magazine, and other channels — which represent the teaching, learning, research, engagement and accomplishments of our UNC Charlotte community — I recall something that was said last year about how we would deal with the shrinking budget. Someone very smart observed that we had been doing more with less funding during the preceding years of cuts, but that we had reached the point where the University was compelled to do exercise even greater focus and efficiency. We would be having more impact because efforts are more relevant, focused, and better executed.

How many times in the roller coaster lives of organizations are the people of those organizations actually allowed or compelled to do “less.” In my experience, never. Somehow we become more productive, more selective and oftentimes more efficient -- yet still effective based on our organization's mission.That is because good people — skilled, motivated, creative, determined people — never stop pushing, thinking, innovating and rebounding.

Check out the link to the latest edition of the UNC Charlotte magazine: http://bit.ly/wqPoyT. Look through these pages. Read the articles. Look at the faces of the people in the photos. These are people pushing onward, doing more and better things for UNC Charlotte and the entire community it serves. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteer advisory board members, and other friends of the University are ensuring that we deliver a net gain to the community. Tough times? For Sure. Delivering less to the community? Not hardly.

In Memoriam: Dorrie Fretwell, former University First Lady

2012-01-03T08:52:00.000-08:00

In Memoriam: Dorrie Fretwell
Former UNC Charlotte First Lady

The following obituary was published Jan. 1, 2012 in The Charlotte Observer. The UNC Charlotte community extends its condolences to the Fretwell family.

Dorrie Shearer Fretwell

Dorrie S. Fretwell, of The Stewart Center, The Cypress, Charlotte, born January 2, 1927 to Alice Hassinger and Frederic Shearer, passed away peacefully on December 30, 2011.

Raised in Evanston, Illinois, Dorrie completed her B. Mus. and M. Mus. in music at Drake University in Iowa. At Drake she taught voice and piano and was president of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Following voice study at the American School of Music in Fontainebleau, France, Dorrie began her career as a professional soprano, performing as a soloist with choral societies, musical clubs and in opera productions on stage and television.

In 1951, she married E.K. Fretwell, Jr., with whom she recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. She and E.K. raised their four children in New York City, Albany, Chappaqua, and Buffalo, NY during her husband's career as a leader in higher education. In each locale Dorrie was an active volunteer and served as an officer on numerous civic and professional boards including the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, The Community Music School (Buffalo), and the Girl Scouts of America. While in New York City, as President of the Columbia University Dames, she hosted Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to that university's campus. The couple moved to Charlotte in 1979 when E.K. became the Chancellor of UNC Charlotte.

Dorrie continued her civic activities in Charlotte with the Symphony, the Opera and The Literacy Council. During her husband's presidency at Buffalo State College, chancellorship at UNCC, and interim presidencies at The University of Massachusetts system and The University of North Florida, Dorrie was widely known for her trademark gracious hospitality and modesty as the First Lady. In 1985, Dorrie was among the first graduates of UNC Charlotte's MA in Psychology and shortly thereafter began her career as a practicing psychologist and published a number of articles related to depression and headache management. Dorrie received special recognition during the dedication of a new building being named in honor of E.K.'s service at UNC Charlotte when she learned, in a surprise announcement, that her name would also be included in the building's official name. After her retirement, Dorrie remained active with Charlotte's Myers Park Presbyterian Church, including singing with the church choir, and was a regular attendee at the Charlotte Symphony and Opera.

She and E.K. traveled extensively, including visits to universities in China, Australia, England, Brazil, Italy, and Germany. She was an avid reader and crossword devotee, and enjoyed her seven grandchildren. She is predeceased by her sister, Margie Parcell, and is survived by her loving family: her husband, E.K. Fretwell Jr.; four children, Barbara Fretwell, MD (Peter Cooke, MD), Peggy Cross (John), Jim Fretwell, and Katie Fretwell (Bob Saul); seven grandchildren; and her brother, Gary Shearer (Jane).

Dorrie's family would like publicly to extend its gratitude to the staff at The Stewart Center of The Cypress and the Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region for their support and care, particularly during Dorrie's last months.

A celebration of life service is scheduled for Saturday, January 7, at 11 a.m. at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, Charlotte. The family will receive friends at a reception at the Clubhouse of The Cypress of Charlotte, 3442 Cypress Club Drive, Charlotte on Friday, January 6, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and then again following the service on Saturday at the church. An interment committal will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorrie's memory may be sent to The Dorrie Fretwell Professional Development Fund (a scholarship for Ph.D candidates in health/psychology), c/o UNC Charlotte Foundation, Office of University Development, 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 or to The Charlotte Symphony at www.charlottesymphony.org.

Arrangements are in the care of T. H. Robertson Funeral Service Lic.; friends are welcome to share condolences online at www.throbertson.com.

Shakespeare Comes to Campus in November

2011-10-26T06:40:00.000-07:00

Shakespeare’s Tempest Comes to Campus

The Actors from the London Stage will come to UNC Charlotte for a week-long residency that includes three public performances of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, November 3-5. Co-sponsored by the Shakespeare in Action Center and the Department of Theatre, the five-member troupe will participate in a variety of classes and workshops on campus, leading discussions and coaching students in Shakespeare performance.

Founded 35 years ago, Actors from the London Stage is headquartered at University of Notre Dame. British actor Sir Patrick Stewart developed the troupe’s touring concept, which takes the actors to colleges and universities across the United States for a series of residencies that combine public performances and educational outreach. The troupe will arrive at UNC Charlotte on October 31. The tour ends at the Cockpit Theatre in London.

The five actors in the current tour come from prominent British schools and stages, including the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. They will play all the roles of The Tempest (there are 21 characters) in an innovative and minimalist production.
The presentation of Actors from the London Stage and The Tempest is part of the Shakespeare in Action “36 in 6” project. Between 2010 and 2016, the university’s Shakespeare in Action Center will mount six events per year, each devoted to one of Shakespeare’s plays, so that by the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, it will have staged—in some form—all 36 plays in the canon. The events will include major productions, staged readings, and the performance of selected scenes, alongside public lectures, colloquia, and guest appearances.

Tickets for The Tempest are $14, $9 for seniors and UNC Charlotte faculty and staff, and $6 for all students. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.performances.uncc.edu or call 704-687-1849.

Housed both in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts + Architecture but working across colleges and disciplines, the Shakespeare in Action Center serves to advance and coordinate various activities and initiatives related to the production and exploration of Shakespeare’s work and that of his contemporaries. Its goal is to advance the study and enjoyment of Renaissance/Early Modern drama and culture, particularly through performance, on campus and in the broader Charlotte community.

4.NINER K raises funds for needs-based scholarships

2011-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Join UNC Charlotte Saturday, October 22, 2011 for the third annual 4.NINER K scholarship fund-raising event. Run or walk your way through this challenging and family-friendly 4.9K course, located throughout the beautiful UNC Charlotte campus. All race proceeds will be used to fund need-based scholarships for current students. After the race, stay for FREE food, entertainment, awards, and fun activities!

Why are we doing this now?

Last year, more than 70 percent of UNC Charlotte students received some type of financial assistance to help pay their educational expenses, the number of financial aid applications for this year has increased almost 6 percent over last year’s numbers and over 20 percent from two years ago. The dire economic situation has had the dual effect of increasing the need of financial aid for our students while decreasing the University’s capacity to provide assistance.

Race Day Schedule

7:30 AM: Race day registration and packet pickup
8:49 AM: Race start time
9:00 - 10:30 AM: Post-race celebration
9:49 AM: Awards Ceremony (will occur as soon as the last participant has crossed the finish line)
Registration Fees

Online registration through October 20:
$25 for individuals
$49 for families
$15 for UNC Charlotte students
Onsite registration on October 21 at Bike Line of Charlotte:
$30 for individuals
$55 for families
$20 for UNC Charlotte students
Day of registration at the Student Union (7:00 - 8:45 AM):
$30 for individuals
$55 for families
$20 for UNC Charlotte students
Individuals must be 15 years of age or older. Family registration is limited to a maximum of 4 participants; kids 14 and under are free! Students must have a valid UNC Charlotte Student ID.

Pre-race packet pick up will be held at Bike Line of Charlotte on Friday, October 21, from 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM. The store is located across the street from campus at 8528 University City Blvd., Suite M. Registration fees may be paid by cash or check only. Call 704-549-8804 for more information.

http://syc.uncc.edu/4.niner-k

Center City Gallery offers a gentle push out of the comfort zone

2011-10-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

UNC Charlotte Center City provides an art gallery that will welcome a full, broad-based slate of exhibitions, installations and receptions -- from a diverse range of local, national and international artists. Center City Gallery offers a gentle push out of the comfort zone

Levine Scholars Class of 2015 Take Alaska

2011-09-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

The second annual class of Levine Scholars have returned safe and sound from their summer trip to the Alaskan wilderness and are nowe ensconced on campus, deep in study. For three weeks they toured the backcountry, growing, learning and having fun. These super-scholars are some of the best and brightest -- 16 chosen from more than 1,100 appicants natonwide. They are smart, studious, serious (sometimes) and ... they're teenagers.

The UNC Charlotte Faculty Jazz Quintet

2011-09-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

Jazz artists on UNC Charlotte faculty will perform as quintet Sept. 27 at Robinson Hall. These accomplished musicians have played with some of the great jazz performers, in some of the great venues in America and beyond.

DOE Solar Decathlon: People's Choice Award

2011-09-23T08:05:00.000-07:00

Vote Now for Appalachian’s Solar Homestead!

Show your North Carolina pride by supporting Appalachian State University’s Solar Decathlon team. Appalachian’s Solar Homestead, one of 18 net-zero designed houses selected to compete in the competition that includes representation from five countries, is proudly representing our state and the UNC system. Please show your support by voting in the People’s Choice category.

Voting is live now and will remain open until 7 p.m. Sept. 30.

It is easy to vote just click on this link: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/poll/pca/pca_register.php

Learn more about the competition:
• Via the Solar Decathlon website www.solardecathlon.gov/

• Via the Solar Decathlon mobile website (www.solardecathlon.gov/m/
To learn more about Appalachian’s entry visit www.thesolarhomestead.com/.
Information about all teams competing in the Solar Decathlon is available at www.solardecathlon.gov/teams.html

DOE Solar Decathlon: People's Choice Award Registration

Countering Terrorism: our Learning Curve is Good but We Must Learn Faster

2011-09-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

By Cindy Combs

Ten years after the events of 9/11, if we want to assess how well we have learned about the threat of terrorism we need to look back. But we also need to look at our world today, to see how well our learning curve compares with those planning and carrying out terrorist events. And we must look to the future to decide how high the cost of failure – or success – could be.

The passage of time has not changed the number killed or the damage to our country, but during those 10 years at least three important things have changed: our perception of terrorism as a real threat to domestic security, our ability to detect and deter emerging terrorism threats, and our awareness of the critical need for cooperative effort in preparing for and responding to this threat.

During the past decade terrorism has occurred with increasing frequency, but not on the scale of 9/11. This suggests several possibilities about our ability to deal with terrorism today, compared to U.S. counterterror capabilities 10 years ago. A brief look comparing the failures identified in the Report by the 9/11 Commission with more recent reports of patterns of global terrorism and counterterror initiatives offers insights both reassuring and troubling. Our learning curve is improving, but terrorism may be changing more quickly than our counterterror measures.

The report issued by the 9/11 Commission in July 2004 identified four critical failures in U.S. policy and preparedness: in imagination, policy, capabilities, and management. Each contributed to the attacks’ catastrophic impact, and each has been addressed, with some measure of success. Although the report detailed many different manifestations of these failures, we can look at just one to highlight the problem: the failure of imagination which led us to assume that airline hijackings could generally be resolved by negotiation. While numerous books and movies depicted suicidal airline hijackings, this was not built into our preparations for such events. Indeed, even though after the 1993 World Trade Center bombing attack – by al-Qaida operatives – we secured computer records indicating the group was planning to use planes as weapons of attacks in multiple cities, our imagination did not force us to envision this type scenario. So our pilots were unprepared.

This has certainly changed in the past 10 years. Today, training programs to prevent and, if necessary, deal effectively with the use of planes as weapons is fundamental to airports and airlines. But our imagination, our willingness to think outside of the box when envisioning modes of terrorist attacks, remains limited. Two simple points make that clear: First, we still do not match luggage with passengers on domestic flights. This allows a terrorist to buy two tickets, using one for travel and the other for the explosive-laden luggage which could be placed on a different flight, using the second ticket. Simple, yet we do not scan and match all luggage to prevent this.

Second, our airport checks focus on failed attempts to bring explosives aboard (in shoes and in small bottles of liquids). Unless we continue to assume that terrorists are stupid, announcing that these are what we are checking makes the checking essentially useless – and unimaginative.

Today, one area of assessment offers positive encouragement: We have substantially improved, particularly in the Charlotte region, on one of the other failures the report noted –the failure of management. While the report made clear that 10 years ago our country had a critical shortfall in interagency cooperation, organization, and convergence planning, Charlotte at that time already had substantial success in this arena with our ALERT system. Starting in 1998, emergency response agencies in Charlotte-Mecklenburg identified the area as a potential terrorist target and developed the Advanced Local Emergency Response Team (ALERT), made up of local law enforcement, fire, emergency medical and physician personnel to ensure preparedness for urban terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and natural disasters. Today Charlotte ALERT is a model for many cities, and in this arena Charlotte is ahead on the learning curve for counterterrorism response.

But even if we are learning quickly, it’s important to remember that terrorists are growing in numbers and, potentially, learning at least as fast. Terrorism today is more likely to be carried out by leaderless movements than by groups with fixed leadership structures and regular meetings. Instead of going to countries like Afghanistan for training, training camps today are often mobile, even available online, as are most of the weapons of choice. Today, password-protected Internet chat rooms are more likely venues for recruiting and motivating young people into terrorism than the coffee house and club meetings of previous decades. Our ability to track, identify and prevent terrorist attacks is challenged by the volatility and diversity of the terrorist movements, even after the death of Osama bin Laden.

So our learning curve concerning terrorism is good: Courses are taught in schools across the nation and in the military academies; we have pooled substantial resources to develop counterterror strategies and to equip national, state and local law enforcement organizations; we perceive terrorism as a clear domestic as well as foreign threat to security. Our problem tomorrow will be that terrorism is rapidly changing. What we perceived in 9/11 to be a large organization led by Bin Laden is now a dangerous but scattered and leaderless movement, spanning many continents, and our ability to defeat it is not clear. What is clear is that the technology that makes terrorism able to connect across vast spaces and to coordinate attacks, as occurred in Mumbai, also makes accessible weapons of mass destruction, particularly biological and chemical weapons such as sarin, ricin and anthrax.

In the future, we must be able to prevent, not simply most potential terrorist attacks attempted in the United States, as the FBI has done since 9/11. If only one occurs successfully, using a nonconventional weapons, it will be far worse than 9/1. So we must learn faster.

Cindy Combs is a professor of political science and public administration and is associated with the University's Center for Applied Counterterrorism Studies and with similar organizations worldwide.

UNC Charlotte Center City Community Day is Sept. 17

2011-09-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Community Day planned for UNC Charlotte Center City

Event Date:
Sat, 09/17/2011 - 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Event Location:
Center City Building, 9th & Brevard, Uptown Charlotte

With the opening of the Center City Building, UNC Charlotte is responding to the needs of the Charlotte region. The facility will offer programming focused on arts and the creative economy, business and finance, urban and regional development, health and community engagement.

On Saturday, Sept. 17, Center City opens its doors to welcome the neighboring community and University partners into the building to learn more about how UNC Charlotte plans to enhance existing connections and create new ones. UNC Charlotte faculty and staff members along with their family and friends are invited to the celebration.

“The campus community and our First and Fourth Ward neighbors will have a great opportunity to get better acquainted with UNC Charlotte Center City through our family-friendly Community Day celebration,” said Jerry Coughter, executive director. “This building promises to inspire collaboration between the University and the community, so it is fitting to bring us all together to discover how we can join forces.”

The UNC Charlotte Center City Community Day celebration will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The colleges of Arts + Architecture, Business, Computing and Informatics and Engineering, as well as the Auxiliary Services Office, Extended Academic Programs Office and Athletics Department are participating in this celebration. Parking will be available for a fee in nearby lots; visitors are encouraged to walk, bike or take public transit. UNC Charlotte Center City is two blocks from Seventh Street Station.

A fully operational race car, provided by the Motorsports Engineering Program will be among the displays featured at UNC Charlotte Center City. Motorsports students and staff will be available to talk about the car and the research associated with it. Also, the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) will have an interactive, robotic virtual human on display; CCI students built it under the supervision of college faculty.

Mira Frisch, assistant professor of cello in the College of Arts + Architecture’s Music Department, will perform in a string trio with Charlotte Symphony musicians Kari Giles and Jenny Topilow. Adjunct faculty member and pianist Noel Friedline will perform with a flutist and flamenco guitarist, and Terranova Dance Theatre will give a preview of its performance that will be part of the N.C. Dance Festival. Two UNC Charlotte art professors will help children create print screen T-shirts while an art teacher from First Ward Elementary School helps others make tie-dye shirts.

English professor Mark West will stage a puppet show and deliver literary readings geared toward children and families, and there will be performances by the First Ward Elementary School step team and UNC Charlotte alumnus and slam poet Boris “Bluz” Rogers. Film screenings and more cultural and technological presentations are part of the celebration, too, and throughout the day, Charlotte 49ers mascot Norm the Niner will be on hand.

A complete schedule of events is being finalized, and new offerings from campus and community partners may be added prior to the celebration.

The 143,000 square-foot Center City Building houses graduate programs for the Belk College of Business and the College of Health and Human Services. Also, the College of Arts + Architecture’s Master of Urban Design and College of Education’s urban education program will meet at the building, and the Office of Extended Academic Programs will base its continuing education offerings there.

With its location at Ninth and Brevard streets, UNC Charlotte Center City borders the light rail tracks on one side and the First Ward neighborhood on the other. Fourth Ward is a few blocks away, and the core of Uptown Charlotte is nearby. University and community leaders envision the building will be a catalyst for continued redevelopment in the First Ward.

UNC Charlotte Center City Community Day 9/17/11

Spotlight: Charlotte Research Institute is Portal For Industry Partners

2011-09-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Research Institute is UNC Charlotte's portal for businesses and other organizations looking for partnerships in research -- especially applied research that that results in commercialized products and services (economic value). CRI specialities include visualization technology, optoelectronics, precision manufacturing, nanoscale science, biomedical and motorsports engineering.
Spotlight: Charlotte Research Institute is Portal For Industry Partners

CMS to spend up to $56,500 on search | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

2011-09-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools board will turn to UNC Charlotte to assist in searching for its new superintendent. The board chose the University because of exemplary previous work that UNC Charlotte did in helping the library system with its budget crisis.

CMS to spend up to $56,500 on search | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

TV coverage at http://charlotte.news14.com/content/top_stories/646748/cms-board-reaches-out-to-uncc-for-help-in-superintendent-search

Students anticpating $4.5 million UNC Charlotte Motorsports Building | NinerOnline

2011-08-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

The new Alan Kulwicki Motorsprts Engineering building is nearing completion on the UNC Charlotte campus. The new facility will provide additonal laboratory space for what is already one the nation's top motorsports engineering programs. Students move into $4.5 million UNC Charlotte Motorsports Building | NinerOnline

Going Back to School, Giving Back to Schools

2011-08-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

The signs are unmistakable – the new academic year is fast approaching. The University’s annual Convocation Aug. 16 was followed by today’s announcement of a partnership that will afford students, faculty and staff many opportunities to give back to the community this year.

TIAA-CREF and UNC Charlotte have jointly adopted Governor’s Village, comprised of schools including John M. Morehead STEM Academy, Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School, Morehead Elementary School, James Martin Middle School and Zebulon B. Vance High School, all named for former North Carolina governors.

Governors Village schools educate more than 4,700 students and employ 500 faculty.
The University and TIAA-CREF have pledged to provide educational support to Governor’s Village schools in the form of financial education, cultural experiences and mentoring programs for students, parents and faculty.
The partnership builds on an initiative that began last year, when UNC Charlotte adopted James Martin Middle School.

Here’s a clip from today’s announcement:

Violins of Hope

2011-08-18T09:47:00.000-07:00

International cultural event coming exclusively to UNC Charlotte Center City in April 2012. Preview events will begin in August.

Failure of nerve: Bolder vision needed for an uncertain future | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute

2011-08-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

Commentator shares his thoughts on the recent Vision 2020 plan for Charlotte. The author is a professor at UNC Charlotte but his views do not necessarily represent the views of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, its staff, or the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Your thoughts?
Failure of nerve: Bolder vision needed for an uncertain future | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute

Campus collecting supplies for school kids; please help

2011-08-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Join Us for the School Tools Campaign
August 15th-19th

UNC Charlotte is joining Classroom Central, Communities in Schools, and WSOC-TV Channel 9 for the 15th annual School Tools Campaign. Last year, UNC Charlotte collected 3,966 items for children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area.

UNC Charlotte is supporting School Tools by collecting school supplies at 12 collection sites across campus. We will be collecting the following items:

1, 3, and 5 subject notebooks
Boxes of crayons
Pencils

Donations will be accepted from August 15th through August 19th at the following locations:

Atkins Library
Auxiliary Services Building
Cato Building
College of Education
Foundation Building
Fretwell Building
Friday Building
Facilities Management
Grigg Hall
Reese Building
Student Activities Center
Student Union

Thank you for staking your claim!

*Remember tax free weekend in North Carolina is August 5th through August 7th. This would be a great time to purchase your School Tools!

Please feel free to contact your area staff representative or contact Katie Suggs at (704) 687-7788 or aksuggs@uncc.edu with any questions.

About School Tools:
School Tools is a drive to collect and distribute school supplies to children who need them. All supplies collected will be distributed through Classroom Central, a place where teachers can pick up supplies for their students for FREE. In 2010, School Tools collected over 472,744 items.

About Classroom Central:
Classroom Central, a nonprofit organization, equips students to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies. Classroom Central exists so that every child, regardless of their economic status, will have the essential tools like pencils, paper, scissors, markers and other basic materials they need to learn. Classroom Central serves high-poverty schools in six school districts: Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Gaston County, Kannapolis City, Iredell-Statesville, Union County, and Rock-Hill. To learn more about Classroom Central, please visit www.classroomcentral.org.

Fire Safety Engineering Technology

2011-07-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

Researchers from UNC Charlotte have conducted a series of studies to determine how best to protect structures from approaching wildfires. Last year, researchers completed a three-year study and now another two-year study is under way to investigate the effectiveness of wetting agents, gels and foil wraps in protecting structures. The research is sponsored by FEMA and the U.S. Forest Service.

See a short video below to witness some amazing new substances to resists fires.

Fire Safety Engineering Technology

The Teachers We Need

2011-07-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Mary Lynne Calhoun, Dean, College of Education

Everybody’s talking about education these days. Much of the conversation is worry-filled. Budget crises are leading to unprecedented cuts in education budgets. School closings. Lay-offs. Some of the conversation focuses on anxious questions: Are America’s schools failing? Is America losing its competitive edge? Is test-based accountability the right way to gauge the success of children? Of teachers? Of schools? And the big question: Is there a future for American public education?

Central to the discussion of the future of our schools is a laser-sharp focus on teachers and teaching. Recognizing that teachers have a powerful impact on student learning, questions have arisen about who should be teaching our children, how should they be recruited, prepared and evaluated, and how we can retain and support excellent teachers. These questions provide a strong platform for taking teaching seriously in America.

While many voices – policy makers, elected officials, philanthropic leaders, business and corporate entities, school boards and executives – bring important ideas and perspectives to the conversation, I wonder if all the right voices have joined the conversation and if all the right voices are being heard. I encourage us to broaden the conversation and to make sure that parents, young people, and most especially teachers have the opportunity to shape America’s educational future.
And institutions of higher education must have a voice in the conversation as well. At UNC Charlotte, we are committed to the recruitment and preparation of the teachers we need now and in the future. Close to 7000 UNC Charlotte alumni are teaching in North Carolina’s public schools. UNC Charlotte is now the second largest teacher education program among North Carolina’s 47 colleges and universities, recommending over 600 new teachers for the North Carolina license each year. These new teachers come to the profession both through undergraduate teacher licensure programs and graduate pathways to teaching for college graduates from other fields. In the current environment of tension, worry, and negativity around schools and teaching, we should all be heartened by the presence of thousands of UNC Charlotte students – bright, caring, committed – who have said “yes” to careers in education.

We care not only about preparing “more” teachers but “better” teachers as well, those who can tackle the pressing challenges of children, youth, and schools and who give every child the educational opportunities to learn, grow, and have successful adult lives. Our faculty constantly examine the changing needs of children and schools to make sure our teacher candidates are prepared to help all children have rich, rigorous, and authentic learning experiences and to help all children succeed. Recent innovations in our teacher education programs include a more intense focus on the clinical preparation of teachers, including experiences in schools throughout the four-year baccalaureate program, and new impact studies that link P-12 student achievement to our teacher education programs and which help inform our practice.

If the next generations of Americans are going to be able to cooperate, compete, and succeed in our globally interconnected world, the answer to the big question – Is there a future for American public education? – must be a resounding “yes.” UNC Charlotte stands ready to continue the conversation with our community, school, and policy colleagues to work toward a bright educational future.

# # #

Spotlight: Camps on Campus = Fun, Friends, and Learning

2011-06-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Spotlight: Camps on Campus = Fun, Friends, and Learning

Web-based Wellness Program 411Fit Goes Commercial

2011-06-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

The Web-based health and wellness management system 411Fit is now a stand-alone commercial venture, demonstrating the University’s ability to foster entrepreneurial enterprises.

Experienced business executive Terry Montgomery is president and CEO of 411Fit LLC. When he first reviewed 411Fit, he discovered “a very effective exercise and nutrition journaling site. As I dug deeper and saw the brilliance of the development that had gone on, it was obvious that the uniqueness of 411Fit was in its architecture, functional breadth, versatility and ease of use…all at a modest cost to demonstrate a true return on investment for a company’s wellness program.”

411Fit was created through the Software Solutions Lab in the College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). The lab, recognized for its expertise in social networking and data analytics, provides software research and design consultancy and world-class information technology services to the University and the greater Charlotte business community. David Wood, a Web developer with the lab, was one of the founders of 411Fit.

“We started with creating a capability for individuals but our vision was to provide an easy-to-use tool that could be the foundation for a successful corporate wellness program,” said Wood.

According to Montgomery, the vision for 411Fit is to simplify the design and management of wellness programs and put the power of the software’s data analytics to work. The site will deliver ready access to cost-effective wellness management for companies, health professionals and organizations.

411Fit brings together journaling, content, social networking, data analytics and insight into a highly usable website, stated Montgomery. “While existing Web-based wellness management technologies may include one or more features independently, 411Fit offers a comprehensive approach for individuals and corporations.”

Since 2009, developers have worked with eight universities to refine the technology; it was later released for free to the public for further testing. Without any promotional efforts, more than 30,000 registered users have discovered 411Fit.

Mirsad Hadzikadic, director of the CCI Complex Systems Institute, is a recognized expert in the field of predictive analytics. He sees the capability of 411Fit to address the growing needs of corporate health and wellness programs. “From the very beginning, we saw the potential of using data analytics in the field of health and wellness in conjunction with Web-based technologies to improve the well-being of our communities.”

# # #

UNC Charlotte Introduction to Robotics: A* Traversal Lab Exercise

2011-05-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Engineering students test a robotic device.

Getting Our Garden On at UNC Charlotte

2011-05-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Patterson

Chancellor Dubois established the Advisory Committee to the Chancellor for Employee Health and Wellness (ACCEHW) to find out what types of wellness programs UNC Charlotte employees want and need, and to promote existing programs and resources — not a small task when you consider that the campus employs more than 3,000 staff and 1,000 faculty. So for starters, we chose to narrow our focus to smoking cessation, physical fitness and nutrition, and mental health.

When University dietician and committee member Katie Powers passed along a New York Times article about companies that have started organic gardens in the workplace, including the likes of PepsiCo, Kohl’s, Google, and Toyota, the committee began a discussion about how we could offer something similar to our employees.

Well, we’ve come a long way in a year – this spring 40-plus UNC Charlotte employees signed up for 6’ x 6’ garden plots, and planting will begin early next week. With the support of the Chancellor, Facilities Management, ACCEHW and Dining Services, the Community Garden has become a reality. The garden is located near the Facilities Management building – right now it looks like a raised 50’ x 50’ mound of dirt, soon to be bordered by a fence. I’m looking forward to the day when it is lush and green.
Some of the participating employees are avid gardeners, others have never touched a trowel in their lives – but I’m certain we’re all in for a great learning experience.

For more information about employee health and wellness at UNC Charlotte, go to http://yourhealth.uncc.edu

###

Lisa Patterson is senior writer in the Office of Public Relations and an ACCEHW committee member (and amateur gardener).

A Regional Model for Sustainability

2011-05-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

By David Jones, Sustainability Coordinator

UNC Charlotte has and is making a commitment to become a more sustainable institution by planning to adopt and implement sustainable practices in all functions of the University.

Sustainability at UNC Charlotte is defined as more than only environmental, and includes economic and social aspects as reflected in the sustainability mission and vision statements.

Vision: To be the regional model of sustainable stewardship through the social, economic and ecological legacy we create.

Mission: All citizens of the university understand the impacts and consequences of our activity on the natural systems that support our life. And that this knowledge guides the research, education, outreach and operations of the University.

The goal of our sustainability program is to make sustainability a core value of UNC Charlotte. To achieve this goal we have developed a program that works for key areas: emissions reduction, resource conservation, stewardship enhancement and commitment. These four areas drive our practices that are then implemented across the key functions of the University, these being education and research, outreach and partnership, culture and community and business operations. This structure should support the implementation of a holistic sustainability program.

UNC Charlotte has made great strides in becoming a responsible global citizen through its sustainability efforts.

Our students established the first campus recycling program in 1987. Since then the students have continued to be instrumental in pushing the sustainability agenda at UNC Charlotte. In 2002 the Earth Club was established that promotes sustainability at UNC Charlotte through activism, education and social events. The Earth Club was the body responsible for spearheading a student lead campaign that lead to the establishment of the Charlotte Green Initiative. The Charlotte Green Initiative Committee is responsible for allocating student fees to pay for sustainability based projects at UNC Charlotte. The Student Government Association (SGA) appointed its first Secretary of Sustainability in 2007, to engage students’ faculty and staff in a dialogue about sustainability and to help further initiatives on campus.

Faculty at UNC Charlotte contribute to our mission and vision through their research and teaching roles. Members of the faculty through the Environmental Academy have been sharing information on sustainability research and courses, sharing experiences and lessons learned. UNC Charlotte engages the external community in sustainability initiatives through our Centers and Institutes such as the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and the IDEAS CENTER (Infrastructure, Design, Environment and Sustainability) and the Daylighting Laboratory to name a few. Beyond this, faculty are involved in a diverse set of sustainability related and focused research efforts.

Our staff play a critical role in carrying out sustainability initiatives on a daily basis. From Materials Management (purchasing), building design and construction, energy and water efficiency programs through to our recycling and petroleum replacement award winning programs.

More and more educational institutions are taking on the challenge of implementing sustainability practices on their campuses. Institutions such as the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education have arisen to support colleges and universities in this effort, which in turn is leading to some national trends such as focusing on green house gas reductions, unified reporting on sustainability practices, partnering with the community and infusing sustainability into the curriculum. UNC Charlotte is aligned with some of these national trends and has signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, an undertaking by colleges and universities committing to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from campus operations. We submitted our first greenhouse gas inventory on January 15 and are now developing our climate action plan to reduce emissions form identified sources.

For more information on the UNC Charlotte sustainability program and specific actions being undertaken please visit the sustainability website at http://facilities.uncc.edu/Recycling/KCG/.

# # #

Helping Charlotte Become the Nations's Energy Capital

2011-05-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Prof. Steve Patterson, director of UNC Charlotte's Energy Production & Infrastructure Center, weighs in to a Business North Carolina roundtable discussion on the energy sector. UNC Charlotte, through partnerships with leading energy companies and with state support, is building EPIC to educate the next generation of energy engineers, which will go a long way to helping Charlotte evolve from an important energy hub, into a national energy capital.

Says Patterson, "The students are seeing that there’s an expanding job market, and educating and doing the research in these areas is a steadily growing business. In fact, I would say interest in the education is probably growing as fast or faster than the business itself. We have not built nuclear plants for a very long time, but we’ve also not built most of the major turbine installations. It’s all aging infrastructure, including the expertise that’s maintaining it. So I’m looking for another generation of hardware, and I’m looking for another generation of engineers to be able to design and service that hardware."

Business North Carolina - North Carolina's business magazine

Ruth Shaw Trail opens at UNC Charlotte greenway

2011-05-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

There's now 1.5 miles of new greenway running through UNC Charlotte's beautiful campus. It's named in honor of Ruth Shaw, an accomplished business person and educator who has been a leader in the Carolinas Thread Trail. She also happenes to have served UNC Charlotte for many years as a trustee and as the former chair of the Board of Trustees. Now, she's chairing our university foundation. Couldn't be more fitting. Come to the Ruth G. Shaw Trail for a walk,ride or run.Ruth Shaw Trail opens near UNC Charlotte | CharlotteObserver.com & The Charlotte Observer Newspaper

Fun at Work

2011-04-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Working at UNC Charlotte is the best job I’ve ever had – in many ways. One of the reasons is that my work is fun. There’s a goodly amount of stress, but most of that is the fun kind – making decisions under pressure, celebrating achievements by the team and sharing them with others, and learning about the endless array of amazing things being done by students, faculty and staff.

UNC Charlotte, with 25,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff, is a small city – one populated with an unusually creative, curious and driven citizenry. Hence, as a public relations person (read: advocate) being part of these stories is fun for me. Yes, this has been a rough year of sorts, due to lingering budget pressures and uncertainty about how looming cuts will effect this great university and its people -- and the community we serve.

But amid the uncertainty and concern, there remains plenty of fun. In recent weeks, I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy participating in a sneak-peek reception at our 11-story Center City building, which is nearing completion; the 10th annual Five Ventures competition for start-up companies -- $50,000 in prizes and some amazing presenations; a stirring dedication of our Memorial Hall and its tribute to UNC Charlotte "fallen heroes"; and several meetings with deans and campus communicators to find out about their most exciting projects. All those things are my kind of fun because they inform, challenge and even entertain me. What could be more fun than that?

Spotlight: A Room with a View

2011-04-06T06:42:00.000-07:00

When we turn over the past in our hands, breathe it in, feast on it with our eyes, we develop a better understanding of the present, and quite possibly, a more profound appreciation for the forces that shape our future. For a sensory journey of this sort, start in UNC Charlotte’s Atkins Library Special Collections, located on the 10th floor.

Special Collections at the Atkins Library is a treasure trove. Go spend some time there.Spotlight: A Room with a View

Economic Optimism Flickers Among Business Leaders

2011-04-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

UNC Charlotte's Urban Institute has released a report that shows optimism among area business leaders. Let's keep the good vibes going as North Carolina seeks to fix a $2.4 billion budget deficit. A stronger economy lifts all boats and helps preserve the UNC system, one of the finest in the nation. Mecklenburg County Business Leaders Optimistic About Second Quarter | UNC Charlotte Urban Institute

Visual Analytics Enhances Disaster Response and Homeland Security

2011-03-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

The visual analytics program within the College of Computing & Informatics is deeply engaged in developing tools to enhance homeland secutiry and disaster response.Here's one example.It's all part of UNC Charlotte mission as North Carolina's urban research university -- solutions to problems and challeneges facing the greater Charlotte region, and beyond.

Dr. Bill Ribarsky Discusses His Work in the Visualization and Analytics ...

2011-03-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

The fast-growing field of visual analytics is key to homeland security, urban development and a specialty of UNC Charlotte's.

Students remain safe in Japan

2011-03-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

Ten UNC Charlotte students studying in Japan are shaken, but OK following another earthquake Tuesday morning. All of them checked in are said to be safe. The group is part of the Education Abroad Program at the university.

Another tremor shook Japan Tuesday. This recent one registered a 6.0. UNC Charlotte has 10 students studying in Japan. News 14 Carolina spoke with one of them via Skype.

"It was literally 60 seconds of the room shaking,” said UNCC student Edward Stahl. "It's pretty much the whole building shakes. It creates, an odd noise... the entire ground is moving. It's quite an odd sensation."

Stahl an international studies major, is studying in Japan, and never experienced an earthquake before moving there. Stahl was in his dorm room in Tokyo last Friday when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck, and again Tuesday during a 6.0 magnitude aftershock.

Stahl said he's going to try and stay in Japan to finish out his semester. But right now it's difficult; Tokyo has rolling blackouts and food and water are scarce.

"The grocery store was closed, McDonald’s was closed. We were trying to find food for that and it was very scarce,” Stahl said about the situation. “We finally found some about a mile away."

UNC Charlotte's Director of Education Abroad, Brad Sekulich, said students are prepared for emergency situations while abroad.

"We talk about the potential for emergency situations,” said Sekulich. “And try to get them prepared. Obviously we didn't prepare them for an 8.9 magnitude earthquake because no one saw that coming.”

The UNC Charlotte students studying abroad have the choice to leave Japan. Right now only one student decided to go home.

Reprinted from News 14, Charlotte

Gov. Beverly Perdue visits UNC Charlotte

2011-03-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

Gov. Bev Perdue in a roundtable discussion with Charlotte area business and civic leaders ON March 7, praised UNC Charlotte as NC's urban research university and pledged continuing support for public education.

Purchase your Football Seat License

2011-03-08T13:56:00.000-08:00

Got Social Media? Get Some!

2011-02-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

Today I took part in a "social media for faculty" workshop on campus, sponsored by the Charlotte Research Institute, Division for Academic Affairs and the Division for University Advancement. More than 50 folks showed up -- staff and faculty, many novices in blogging, Tweeting and Facebooking. Several were experienced, prolific users. All were interested -- and interesting.

On Twitter see #unccfsm11.

The subject at hand was if and how social media can be better utilized by university faculty (and staffers like me who work in communications). Some of the assertions by heavy users of social media who participated:

* Facebook may be jim dandy for fun and games, but Twitter and Blogging is the better vehicles for broadening personal knowledge, interacting with colleagues, engaging in debates on professional issues, promoting one's work product and opinions, finding support groups and staying connected with one's profession. (FB lovers, of which I am one: don't shoot the messenger!).

* Blogging is a writing laboratory for faculty and staff who publish regularly; blogging is good practice and opportunity for experimentation.

* All of social media is an intrusion into the pastoral pursuits of our already-harried professional and personal lives. Some folks just don't accept social media yet. But by sitting through four hours of workshop and engaging in debate, they showed that they recognize SM as a major force.

* For those who partake, social media should be engaged consistently, however periodic. Only by consistent use can you learn -- and actually gain insight into the people you engage with.

(Key word: engage?).

* Some people are threatened by social media, perhaps concerned about being washed to sea on the strong tide or worried to be left isolated on the beach.

One concerned participant approached me later and asserted that I should not have mentioned the amount of advertising dollars that are flowing into blogs. Seemed an innocent bit of data to me, but he received it as an ominous portent of ... corporate greed and potential pollution of faculty blogs. Hmm.

The workshop was a good thing. We shared. I learned.

# # #

An ever-safer campus

2011-02-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

For 2010, UNC Charlotte recorded major decreases in campus crime. Reductions achieved by the University’s Police and Public Safety Department (PPS) were greater than those of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s University Division.

Robbery on campus declined 75 percent in 2010 versus 2009; larceny from auto was down 61 percent and auto theft dropped 78 percent. Within the CMPD University Division, the declines were 30, 10 and 26 percent, respectively.

“These statistics illustrate significant crime reductions, and the success that can be achieved through collaboration with CMPD and our campus partners – students, faculty and staff,” said Jeff Baker, UNC Charlotte’s interim police chief.

According to Baker, the ability to maintain a fully staffed department this past year contributed to the decline in crime on campus and within the surrounding neighborhoods.

“With full staffing, the department can perform more foot patrols in the academic areas, directed patrols in the parking decks and lots and provide quicker response to calls,” Baker stated.

The University’s PPS Department operates 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. In addition to the normal operations, the department provides a number of additional safety and security programs, such as RAD classes (Rape Aggression Defense), Operation ID and presentations related to identity theft, date rape, domestic violence and “club” drugs. Officers also participate in National Crime Victims Week, Take Back the Night and National Campus Safety Awareness Month.

A new initiative for its community policing program involves posting an officer at the Student Union. Officer Jerry Lecomte will be stationed at the building to provide information to students and address any concerns from the campus community.

# # #

Industry commits big $ for Energy Center

2011-01-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

By Lisa A. Patterson
In the midst of bleak economic news and in what is shaping up to be a frigid winter, the good news of an $8.8 million financial commitment from Duke Energy and Siemen’s Energy to UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) comes at the right time. The announcement was made today at the Charlotte Business Journal’s Energy Leadership Awards event.

EPIC represents the positive outcome that is possible when academia, industry and government cooperate to tackle a problem or seize an opportunity. The forward-thinking people behind EPIC, including University administrators, energy industry leaders, local and state government officials, understand that the future of energy production in the United States is a major economic and national security concern.
Some facts:
• By 2012, roughly half of the engineers and technicians in the energy industry today will be eligible to retire. These are the people running our current fleet of plants. This number does not account for any new facilities.
• A 2009 survey of energy and engineering firms done in the Carolinas showed that they will need in excess of 3,000 engineers in the next five years to meet the demands of their industry. Remember, these are just companies in the Carolinas.
• As the United States looks toward the development of renewable energy, the gulf widens between the level of need and the engineering talent available.
• The same kinds of expert mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering skills needed to produce fossil fuels and nuclear energy are at the core of alternative energy technologies as well.
• According to the American Association of Energy Engineers, more than 40% of energy professionals plan to retire in the next 10 years.

Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers and Siemens Energy Director of Operations for Charlotte Mark Pringle joined Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco to make the announcement. According to the press release, “the combined support from the two companies will provide engineering scholarships, advance research capabilities in Smart Grid and precision manufacturing, provide access to large-scale manufacturing equipment and enable recruiting of key faculty in power engineering disciplines.”

Rogers said EPIC will help transform Charlotte from an energy hub into the nation's energy capital.

The State of North Carolina will add to Duke Energy’s $4.5 million contribution with another $667,000. Siemens Energy is providing $4.3 million in support.
UNC Charlotte is uniquely positioned in the heart of a region that is rapidly becoming “The New Energy Capital” in America. As a region and as a University we are answering the call for energy engineering talent and research through EPIC. This generous financial commitment from Duke Energy and Siemens Energy will contribute to our students’s education, the economic health of the region and the energy needs of the country and potentially beyond.

Lisa Patterson is senior writer in the Office of Public Relations.

A University with a Plan

2010-12-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

By Chancellor Philip L. Dubois

(This column is reprinted from the Q4 2010 edition of UNC Charlotte magazine,published in December 2010)

North Carolina’s looming fiscal crisis is old news to anyone who followed the recent elections or read the headlines in the newspapers in the past few weeks. A projected $3.7 billion deficit in FY12 against a total state budget of approximately $19 billion is sobering and, most assuredly, will have an impact on us at the University.

Notwithstanding what we expect will be tougher times ahead, we’ve enjoyed terrific progress in the past few years toward establishing UNC Charlotte as North Carolina’s urban research university. Total enrollment crossed the 25,000 mark, we awarded a record number of 95 doctoral degrees last year and, in just two-and-a-half years, we will play the first intercollegiate football game in our history.

These are great times to be a Niner. We cannot afford to allow the State’s fiscal issues to slow our momentum.

Since July 1, 2008, the permanent reductions to our State appropriations have totaled over $15 million and undoubtedly, further cuts are looming. Clearly defined campus-wide priorities and objectives will help us make the difficult decisions over the next few months to ensure our progress as a university in this era of fiscal constraint. For that reason, we are mid-way through a 12-month planning cycle aimed at producing an institutional plan that will guide the University through 2016.

We’ll use this planning process to restate our institutional goals so they more clearly reinforce our revised Mission Statement, identify key strategies to pursue over the next five years in a constrained economic environment, and revise assumptions about our overall planning process. We expect the final plan to be reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees by early summer, 2011.

Two other external factors make the development of this plan especially timely. “UNC Tomorrow,” the ambitious effort by President Erskine Bowles and the system Board of Governors to aggregate and focus local campus planning to meet the needs of the State, will be continued through the transition from the Bowles administration to that of President Tom Ross. Second, UNC Charlotte’s reaccreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools is scheduled for 2013. Our plans for the future will form an important element of that examination.

The University has already launched a revision of the campus Academic Plan, the college academic plans, and the plans of academic support units. My Cabinet will similarly assess each administrative division within the University. Several goals and major implementation strategies have already been approved for discussion with faculty, staff, students, and off-campus constituents, including alumni.

A draft of our planning assumptions as well as our draft institutional goals and strategies are available in the Chancellor’s Outbox at http://administration.uncc.edu/chancellor/outbox.html.

Resolutions are useful. As we begin a New Year at UNC Charlotte — one that will surely be full of unknown challenges and opportunities — we will do so with a new plan for the future and the resolve to fulfill goals established collaboratively with our growing community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends.
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A Giving Institution

2010-12-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

By John D. Bland

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university. It leverages its location in the state’s largest city to offer internationally competitive programs of research and creative activity, exemplary undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, and a focused set of community engagement initiatives. UNC Charlotte maintains a particular commitment to addressing the cultural, economic, educational, environmental, health, and social needs of the greater Charlotte region.

What you have just read is the mission statement of UNC Charlotte. What it promises is that our University is committed to making the Charlotte region a better place. Ours is a public university and thus it is must give back to the public value that validates the public’s investment in UNC Charlotte. (This past Saturday, we delivered unto the community almost 3,000 new graduates during our cmmenecement ceremonies; may the job market provide them with the opportunities they are seeking.)

In challenging economic times such as these, with new leadership taking the helm in our state and a reorganization of state government in the offing, it’s important to remember that the University adds incredible value to our community; it is a giving institution.

In the edition of the UNC Charlotte magazine, available digitally at the URL below, you’ll see prime examples of how the people of UNC Charlotte are addressing the needs of the Charlotte community. Ross Meentemeyer and his associates are studying how a fast-growing metropolis like Charlotte still retains some of the pastoral spaces of bygone days – and what that means for future development. You’ll read a moving account of how a husband-wife team of researchers are making breakthroughs locally in the fight against a heartbreaking disease – Alzheimers. Also in those pages are articles about UNC Charlotte’s Freedom School and our work in presenting the Women’s Summit.

The Freedom Schools program provides summer and after-school enrichment that helps budding CMS scholars fall in love with reading, increases their self-esteem, and generates more positive attitudes toward learning. The Women’s Summit provides a forum and concerted effort for local women to help solve the region’s challenges and ensure that women leaders stay engaged in leading our community.

There’s much more in this edition that shows how invaluable UNC Charlotte is to the Charlotte region. Take a look and find out. Thanks for your investment in UNC Charlotte and your continuing support. And never hesitate to stake your claim to your share of a great urban research university.
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http://www.publicrelations.uncc.edu/default.asp?id=41

Despite cold and rain, campus open for final exams

2010-12-16T02:08:00.000-08:00

UNC Charlotte will be open on a normal schedule and exam schedules remain in place for Thursday, December 16. Come Saturday, the campus will host commencement ceremonies in Halton Areana at 10 am and 3 pm. Almost 3,000 will graduate.

Support the State Employees Combined Campaign

2010-11-01T13:46:00.000-07:00

I read an article last week – an obituary of sorts – in which the subject was described as a person who always declined financial assistance because, he said, “There’s always someone who needs it more than me.” A few days later the State Employees Combined Campaign (SECC) kicked off at Robinson Hall. It’s the annual drive to raise money for charitable organizations that many of us contribute to each year.

My first feeling about the request to give centered on the fact that this awful recession continues to linger and that we haven’t had raises in two years and won’t again next year, and that, frankly, a call to give was becoming tiresome. But I quickly remembered the quote above and that straightened out my thinking.

I don’t know who is reading this, so I can’t pretend to know about your life and how you’re weathering the Great Recession. Perhaps your spouse or adult child is unemployed or underemployed. Maybe, God forbid, your mortgage is teetering on default. Or maybe like me, you’ve been blessed by maintaining a stable financial situation. What I do know is that you are employed. Not just anywhere but at an institution that is very well managed by smart, thoughtful people of integrity. As such, I can’t deny that there’s always someone with less than me, and I need to be thoughtful and generous in supporting organizations that do good for those who need help.

Someone very successful and very spiritually rich once told me that the more one gives to others, the more one gets in return. Even if we aren’t seeking something in return for our giving, we will benefit. Whether you call it God, or the Universe or karma, doing good begets good. And to share when it’s hard to share is even better.

None of this is news to you, and I’m not here to lecture anyone. I’m just sharing how I feel about my responsibility to give – through SECC and other channels. Some of you may be big givers to SECC. But if you’re ambivalent about how much to give, I recommend giving at least enough to qualify for payroll deduction -- $60 spaced out with deductions throughout the next year.

There’s always someone who has less than us; someone who just needs a little help. By supporting SECC, we help people. And that’s good for them and us.

From Script to Screen: a Unique Competition

2010-10-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

By Rodney Stringfellow

Award-winning filmmaker and UNC Charlotte graduate, Scott Eriksson recently paid a visit to my Introduction to Screenwriting class (FILM 3051) here at UNC Charlotte. Mr. Eriksson was in town for the screening of his film, “No Asians… It’s Just Not My Thing,” in the Charlotte Film Festival. After speaking to the class about how he made the transition from Charlotte to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of filmmaking, he decided to stay for the duration of the class to watch students present their short screenplay assignments.

At the conclusion of the class, Mr. Eriksson complimented the students for both the quality of their writing and for the bold stories they chose to tell. He then shocked us all by offering to shoot one of their short screenplays!

After conferring with him, Mr. Eriksson and I turned the idea into a screenplay competition for the class. The students will vote to determine which three scripts will become finalists. The finalists will be announced in class on November 5 and Mr. Eriksson will announce the winning screenplay on November 19. The winning student’s screenplay will be cast and shot in Los Angeles, CA in December, 2010.

I am extremely excited for my twenty-five students because they are gifted storytellers and are passionate about becoming filmmakers. Screenwriting is a notoriously difficult field to break into, so this unique competition is a great opportunity for them to be noticed by having one of their first screenplays shot by an award-winning director.

We will document the progress of this competition each step of the way and watch as a class assignment is turned into a story for the big screen. And, more importantly, we’ll get the opportunity to see a talented student receive an opportunity of a lifetime.

###

Rodney Stringfellow teaches in the Language & Culture Studies program

Dumpster diver stakes claim against hunger

2010-10-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Patterson

UNC Charlotte student Kaitlyn Tokay has made waves with a unique experiment designed to raise awareness of wastefulness and hunger. She’s been “dumpster diving” (retrieving discarded food for her own consumption from grocery store dumpsters) for about five months now and has been blogging about the experience – more than 1,600 people from around the world follow her posts. This week the Charlotte Observer wrote a story about Kaitlyn:

http://tinyurl.com/39zd3et

The inevitable snarky comments from readers followed, but so did genuine expressions of admiration. More than anything, Kaitlyn’s venture was meant to start a dialogue about food policy and what might be the best way to utilize the surplus in a country where thousands of people continue to go hungry. Whether you agree with Kaitlyn’s methodology or not, it sure has gotten people talking.

Wasting Time and Probing the Future on Facebook

2010-10-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

By James Hathaway

I’m a university communicator who normally writes about research and science, but lately I’ve been led to thinking a lot about something strange and un-science-y and seemingly unrelated to my profession: social media. Facebook… Twitter… where people update you on how their day went or give you their deepest thoughts in one short sentence… To see how unrelated this appears to be to my work, consider how much complex research you can actually talk about in 140 characters (about the length of the sentence before the parentheses).

I came to social media a couple of years ago, first as a parent of teenagers, doing what parents often do – checking up on what my kids were doing on Facebook (which suddenly seemed to be occupying a lot of their time). I didn’t make the immediate connection, but at the same time, the world of science writing was changing and morphing into something new and different too. While most public writing on science had always been in books, magazines, and newspapers, much of it was now suddenly migrating to blogs. The blogs, I soon began to understand, were social media too – they had relatively small audiences of fellow-travelers interested in whatever subject area they covered, and they tended to develop enthusiastic online communities around the topic. Curiously, all my science writer colleagues all around the country also suddenly had Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, which they connected with their blogs… between showing off cute pictures of their cats and the details of their latest vacation. It started to occur to me that some pretty serious communication could also be happening on these seemingly “personal” social tools that my kids had been using.

I decided that the phenomenon needed further investigation, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. The social media “experts” I found out on the web did not seem to be saying anything terribly profound about where social media was going and what it was going to do to professional communication, except for saying over and over something increasingly evident – that it was “going to be big.” I work with science and scientists day in, day out, so I decided to do something that they would do – I decided to experiment with the tools. I took my existing Facebook account (which so embarrassed my kids) and set up a Twitter account and began using both actively in ways that I thought might be useful for communicating things I cared about: topics in science, the environment, neuropsychology, psychiatric medicine, education and education reform – a hodgepodge of the things I was most expert in from doing science writing.

Meanwhile, the professional world generally decried social media as “frivolous,” “a time-waster,” “childish,” and generally as a dangerous thing for professional people to be involved with. I felt pretty foolish, but the tools were still growing and I was still intrigued.

And then the world began to change. Major companies hired “social media managers” to advise them and orchestrate company activities in these media. Ads on television suddenly had Facebook and Twitter logos displayed right next to the product name. All the major media were suddenly providing buttons for linking their stories to personal pages in social media. The New York Times and the Washington Post websites started showing me articles that my Facebook friends and acquaintances had also read and liked… And it started to be a little more socially acceptable to tell professional colleagues that you had a Facebook page or a Twitter account.

Which brings me to what I really want to write about here. The other day, I ran across another sign of social media’s sudden “street cred” among serious people: a reference on a science blog to a “new finding” about Facebook – a published academic study on how to best use the tool: http://scienceblog.com/39087/researcher-finds-top-reasons-for-facebook-unfriending/ Someone doing academic research in business had done a study aimed at discovering what were the worst mistakes someone could make while writing on their Facebook page, causing their “friends” to “unfriend” them. A scholarly study on the best and worst practices in using Facebook – clearly social media had arrived!

The study was interesting, but (I think) a bit superficial in its view of how Facebook (and other social media) works. The top two reasons for “unfriending,” the researcher found, were when users posted far too many irrelevant things in a single day and or posted on “polarizing” topics, like politics. This is an interesting, if fairly predictable finding – if you dominate the conversation and bore people, or if you get strident about a sensitive topic, folks are likely to walk away. However, from my own experimental research, I have my own thoughts.

I've been quietly testing these "parameters" of sociability for about a year by posting fairly frequently and posting links heavy with political comment, hoping for controversy and discussion. Intriguingly (at least to me), my findings have been significantly different from those of the researcher. People may be "hiding" my posts, but I haven't lost many friends, which I thought might well happen. This has led me to begin to think that there’s something more complicated going on here than is covered in the researcher’s assumptions -- the idea that being on Facebook is like being at a large dinner party where the idea is to be witty, pleasant and not make waves so all your new acquaintances will like you.

In some ways, Facebook is like a dinner party, but it’s a dinner party where (depending on how you use it) you might have invited hundreds of acquaintances (and even acquaintances of acquaintances) or perhaps just your close friends and colleagues. And it’s a dinner party that doesn’t just last an evening, but goes on for years, at least for some of the guests. Those who stay tend to be people who enjoy each others conversation and share each other’s interests. While the people who just “friend” you out of courtesy may get bored with what you like to talk about and want to leave, those know you (like you, agree with you, or are interested in the same things as you) tend to stay. After you have been on Facebook for a while, your Facebook friends naturally tend to be more of the latter than the former.

I've been deliberately pushing the “sociability” line on Facebook because I'm interested in Facebook’s potential as a "hybrid" tool, combining personal networking with "professional" communication. My friends are a blend of actual friends and of my writing business contacts – the kind of people that I might want to invite to a dinner party (if I wanted to enjoy the party) and the very group of people I most want to communicate with, professionally and personally. Over time, I’ve made friends with some of their friends – the ones who share my interests. It’s not a big network, but it’s one that is satisfying and even useful to me.

This leads me to an important issue in the field of “network theory” (yes, Virginia, there is such a field): the concept of “weak ties” – network connections that are casual (a friend of a friend), trivial (someone who shares your interest in Irish fiddle music), or remote (someone you met once on a trip) and the concept of “strong ties” – network connections that come out of strong relationships (childhood friends, family members), many shared connections (business partners, close colleagues) or close compatibility (political allies). In network theory, both kinds of ties are important -- weak ties serving as connections to the broader world and important links between smaller, tight networks; strong ties serving as the links that hold local, tight and organized networks together. Now, to get back to the researcher’s finding, while I'm sure that frequent, personality-laden posting on Facebook has a negative impact on developing large networks of primarily "weak-tie" acquaintances just as the study’s data suggests, conversely I wonder if it doesn't, in fact, actually strengthen a smaller number of "strong-tie" relationships and help build the kind of networks that we actually care the most about.

Now, dear reader, I am going to test this blog’s limits of “sociability” by bringing in yet another related theory, something researchers in communications studies call “framing.” Simplistically put, “framing theory” says that people naturally tend to listen to communication that they already agree with (or know about, or are interested in) and tend to disregard communication that they are not comfortable with because it disagrees with (or conflicts with) their interests, knowledge and viewpoints. Framing theory goes on to say that people thus tend to seek out news sources that support their interests and to avoid news sources that conflict with those interests. This natural focus on compatible news (with the rejection of everything else) tends to strengthen initial viewpoints and harden those viewpoints against conflicting viewpoints. (Framing theory is often used to explain the current trend towards polarization in our society.) In other words, strong-tie communication networks form naturally and become stronger and more unified over time.

So, is being ourselves on Facebook (outrageously or otherwise) turning away people who aren’t fully compatible with us, but at the same time helping us develop a powerful strong-tie network, where like-minded people come together and share important information? If we are interested in effective communication, this is a question I think we should explore.

If you are interested in using social networks and social media for communication and network dissemination, there are two ways to go. First (as this article seems to assume) you could try to build up a large network of people who are mainly just acquaintances and friends of friends and try to keep them as network contacts by basically not being annoying. While this gives you immediate access to a large number of people, it's of limited message utility because the people in your network are not necessarily interested in what you are interested in. If you post a message or a link on a topic you care about, most of them are not going to care, and if you do it too frequently, they are going to de-friend you. The second strategy would be to deliberately build a smaller network of "strong-tie” people -- close friends, political/business allies, people with deep interests in the topics that you are deeply interested in. While messages you post go to a smaller number of people on such a network, they are more likely to be re-transmitted through other people's networks (networks that are related to yours in some way) and to find solid reception in the minds of people with similar interests.

I think this second strategy actually shows the real power of network communications and social media. Just as the internet itself has evolved to develop rapid pathways for information transmission through a large number of routers and network systems, social networks encourage the development of networks based on relationship, including relationships that you couldn't develop easily without the internet. Suppose you are interested in wildlife diseases or motorcycles or defending all that you think is right and good about America ... by expressing yourself to friends who share similar interests, you make contact with their friends who have similar interests, and so on. Messages that are important to that interest group get quickly passed along the grapevine. A communications network specific to a certain topic, a particular view, a key issue (etc.) naturally develops and spreads and finds its receptive audience throughout society.

So this is why I care about Facebook and am wasting my precious time playing with it. Yes, it's a nice simple way for close friends and family members to keep in touch across the country and share news, pictures, etc., but it is also a subtle force that is encouraging the development of stronger communication links between like-minded people, though they may not be neighbors or associates. It is creating stronger networks of people who were not necessarily cohesive before. Professionally, politically, and personally, this may be very useful to some of us. On the other hand, I also think that technology’s influence in building tight, organized networks is also at least partially responsible for the interesting events that we are seeing politically. As in most things, the good and the bad are intertwined.

If you share my obsession in this kind of thing, I think you might find these ideas interesting to mull over. If not, well, I’ve just wasted your time. Then again, I doubt you would have read this far if you weren’t interested…

You can follow UNC Charlotte on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UNCCharlotte.

James Hathaway is research communication manager at UNC Charlotte

Good people + good work = good day!

2010-10-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here's why today was an exceptionally good day at North Carolina's urban research university, despite being busier than ever, stretched almost to breaking and beset by uncertainty.

It started this morning with the Charlotte Housing Authority Scholarship Fund breakfast uptown. UNC Charlotte was one of many sponsors because we believe so thoroughly in this awesome resource for disadvantaged youth. The fund provides scholarships for promising young people who live in CHA homes. Some of these scholars attend UNC Charlotte, and many of the CHA scholars achieve truly great things. This year's keynote alum, Robert Wingate, is a high-achieving educator with an incredible record of success and a strong, exuberant message of motivation, faith and gratitude. The fund, founded by John Crawford, is a truly special endeavor. I walked away on a cloud, energized and grateful. And committed to lending my personal support.

At noontime I sat in on a meeting that dealt with the University's response to the continuing budget pressures that grow out of the state's financial crunch and the nation's long recession (which perhaps is slowly on the mend). This is a topic that involves a lot of uncertainty, but it's very clear that the University has smart, thoughtful, responsible professionals doing their best to operate a great university with fairness for all in the campus community.

By mid-afternoon I gathered with several colleagues for a very fruitful, highly collaborative work session that is helping further organize and streamline our communication work internally and externally -- getting more value and more impact than ever before, thanks to the willingness of associates working more closely together. There's uncertainty surrounding this work as well, but we are making great progress; I know our work will prove valuable for each of us and for the University.

Finally, by late afternoon it became clear that we'll reach a new milestone in our main internal communication channel: Campus News. On Oct. 13 we'll launch an interactive new version of this Web publication. Developing this new generation publication has ben a challenge and a stretch for our team, and the process has been far from perfect. But it's an achievement, and one that will grow in value as we provide more opportunity for building community.

So, it's been a good day, thanks to good people and good work at a great University.

International Staff Intern Embraces UNC Charlotte

2010-09-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

By Fatima Tauqir

After working with enthusiasm and dedication for the last three years as Student Affairs and Marketing Officer, at NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, in Islamabad, Pakistan, I was highly motivated and engrossed in learning more about the world and convinced of the importance of global perspective. My Director General Dr. Arshad and I contacted a colleague at UNC Charlotte to arrange for a professional internship dedicated to examining and understanding student affairs and higher education in the United States.

On my home campus in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, I am responsible for the management of the student affairs office and activities; developing, coordinating and distributing marketing materials reflecting School and University interest and services; overseeing large events for students including annual Open House, Alumni Homecoming, Convocations, and International Culture Day. I also manage the Alumni Office of the school. As an alumnus of the school’s program (I graduated in 2006 with a degree in Information Technology), I bring specific understanding of the school’s academic offerings and the individual student experience.

Warmly welcomed by the UNC Charlotte community, I immediately took advantage of all the opportunities and within a month had visited with a staggering number of campus departments and units including: Student Union, Student Activities Group, Career Office, Counseling Center, Graduate School, Human Resource Office, Housing and Residency, Continuing Education, Development and Alumni Office, International Office of Students and Scholars Office and Dean of Student Affairs. My meetings provided a platform from which I built relationships and strengthened my understandings of policies, system and rules. Through this experience and interaction I have learned a lot. It has enhanced my ability to think and helped me in diverse perception of things.

Apart from scheduling myself with all these departments with my supervisor Marcia Kiessling every week, I have also been keenly engaged on the UNC Charlotte campus I led a discussion during Graduate Education Week in March and presented about NUST and Pakistan to the campus community in April 16. I took professional development courses at UNC Continuing Education. Lastly as part of my internship experience I worked with UNC Charlotte’s Intercultural Outreach to help connect with a group of MBA students from India.

I attended an array of on seminars, workshops and various other campus activities that are being arranged for the students, faculty and staff. I find people working in a collegial and organized manner. During my interactions I have tried to study and observe how these good quality methods and procedures practiced at UNC Charlotte can be incorporated in my parent university, back home.

I enjoyed the life in the USA, including traveling, shopping and cooking. I have a passion for cooking and trying dishes from around the world and loved seeing the behind-the-scenes-work of the Chartwells culinary team at UNC Charlotte. In my last two weeks in the USA I traveled from lush beautiful greenery of Charlotte to the amazing Golden Gate Bridge of San François to Malibu on the Pacific Ocean, and then to Manhattan in New York, experiencing different yet amazingly diverse cultures in three states of the USA.

My camera was always at-the-ready from my first ever experience with snow and then twice again, to the beautiful colorful spring and in the end to the blazing hot summer, giving me the best six months of my life.

I was recognized at 5th Annual International Women’s Day. I made extremely wonderful and talented mentors and friends and had an experience which I never thought was meant to happen. At the end, I hope my experience will bring about a positive change in terms of innovation in NUST processes that enables maximum support to students and faculty members. Through this internship opportunity I have tried to establish a strong partnership through collaborative exchange programs between NUST and UNC Charlotte.

I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to UNCC for providing me this international exposure. It has enhanced my life and polished my professional skills beyond my expectations.

We ARE Running. Are You?

2010-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Patterson

I am not a runner, but I do love a good race. And the 4.NINER K is a great race.

Last year more than 600 people battled inclement weather to get a little exercise and raise funds for need-based student scholarships. The second annual 4.NINER K run/walk is scheduled for Oct. 23, and it’s conceivable that 600 people and then some will be participating. I hope so.

The race is a well-organized affair, and the course is simply beautiful. In fact, the scenery is a great distraction for a non-runner like me…takes the mind off of the burning lungs. Last year, the pre-race atmosphere was festive, the coffee hot, and the good will palpable. It’s safe to expect an even better event this year.

The race was created as a direct response to challenges brought on by the economic recession. Unfortunately, things haven’t changed much since 2009 in terms of financial aid — less financial aid is available to students in need even as UNC Charlotte’s enrollment increases. Sometimes $100 can mean the difference between staying in school and dropping out.

Several of the students who benefited from the more than $27,000 raised in 2009 have since shared their stories with race organizers – the scholarships they received allowed them to stay in school, and they are sincerely grateful. That knowledge might be the motivation I need during the last leg of the race course.

So, I hope you will join me and my teammates Oct. 23 for what promises to be a great race for a great cause. We’re on team “We ARE Running” – and we’ll likely be doing a lot of walking.

I am not a runner, but I am a supporter of education and need-based scholarships.

For more information about the 4.NINER K or to register, visit http://syc.uncc.edu/4.niner-k

# # #
Lisa Patterson is senior writer in the Office of Public Relations

Waste or innovation for economic value? You judge

2010-08-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

UNC Charlotte is North Carolina's urban research university, which means that, among other things we are committed to doing research that affects the greater metropolitan region of Charlotte. The arts is one area of economic activity that helps Charlotte thrive. So it makes sense that some of our research would center on the arts, and the many businesses that comprise the artistic industry.

One major research project that is currently having a valuable, if modest, impact on the local arts business -- and may someday affect the national and international entertainment industry in a much, much bigger way -- is a project called Dance.Draw. It's an interdisciplinary collaboration (one of UNC Charlotte's specialties)between the College of Computing & Informatics and the College of Arts + Architecture.

Dance.Draw will allow the motion of dancers, tracked through small radio frequency transmitters inside their clothing to log dancers' movements. It will be able to provide video of the dancers that can be used by choreographers to explore interactive dance without always having a full cast of dancers present. It will also allow artists and musicians to experiment offline with their media and adjust how it interplays with the choreography.

Essentially, it's leading to software innovation in the business of choreography and dance, a sector of the arts that is seeing a resurgence with the mainstream public thanks in part to popular TV shows such as "So You Think You Can Dance," "Dancing with the Stars," and other popular fare.

This project won a National Science Foundation grant of more than $700,000 to be spread over three years. That's a lot of money and the NSF is one of leading funders of research at universities. The NSF is an experienced and deliberate judge of programs requesting funds and it's evaluators deemed this project eminently worthy for investment. Yet the Dance.Draw project became embroiled in national politics this week when it was cited by two U.S. senators as wasteful. The senators issued a report that provides incomplete information that lacked the context that would portray the value of Dance.Draw. Some national and local media attention followed; the most fair and balanced report appeared in The Charlotte Observer.

Here's what the senators didn't explain:

Three students are working part-time on the project, and being paid to do so; that's economic value. The grant also provides summer salaries for the three professors on the project (1 month per year), as well as stipends to the dancers (10 separate dancer stipends have been paid thus far), contracts for costumers, a contract to a digital artist, and a sub-contract to a research collaborator at another university who helps with evaluation. That's more economic value flowing directly into the regional marketplace. The project also involves studies in which participants are paid. The research team have also bought equipment, and spent money on travel to present their results, so money is flowing directly into the economy in many ways from this grant.

Some have criticized the fact that a considerable percentage of the grant is directed toward adminstrative costs. The coverage implies that the university administration may be taking an undue portion of the funds.

Here's the truth, in context:
The percentage (44 percent) is established for UNC Charlotte (and for every other institution) by the federal government after auditing our actual expenses in administering externally-funded projects like Dance.Draw. These administrative costs occur at the department, college, and central levels (accounting, personnel, payroll, research facilities depreciation, utilities, library use ...). The university puts those funds back into research development, including the development of new research facilities.

UNC Charlotte is reimbursed for facilities and administrative costs at a rate of 44 percent against the applicable direct costs of on-campus research projects. If all of the direct costs were applicable (they aren't), UNC Charlotte's administrative costs would be just under 31 percent of the total costs. Also, NSF grants often involve contributions of resources from the applicant institution (institutional cost-sharing), making the effective cut smaller still. That money is used to operate facilities that are expensive to run. The university is reimbursed for a share of the funding in order to pay itself for the resources it provides to the researchers. The researchers spend their share of the money on the actual research.

Also, the 44 percent cost rate -- which is mandated by the U.S. government after an extensive audit -- is not unusual." For example, one published report says the comparable overhead rates for on-campus research at the flagship universities of the senators' home states is 50 percent and 51.5 percent, respectively.

Also, consider some of the very real potential value of this research: The researchers are not only studying dance in order to develop software, they are studying motion. The software they develop could eventually be used in the entertainment industry – think Spielberg, Lucas, Disney, “Avatar,” animation, the television and film industries. The entertainment industry is a huge sector in the American (and global) economic system. Consider the scope of the jobs this research could eventually help create.

Taking a good, close, watchdog look at the government's use of taxpayer money is admirable, especially when it is done in good faith. In the constant power struggle of national politics, recognizing good faith can be a challenge. In this instance, the Dance.Draw research project has been maligned. Now you've heard another perspective on the story. What do you think?

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Soft launch of new Web site under way

2010-08-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

North Carolina’s urban research university has a new digital presence. UNC Charlotte’s redesigned home page, which had its soft launch Tuesday, is the result of around 18 months of planning and efforts by units and departments across campus.

In introducing the site via an e-mail to the campus community, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois wrote that the new home page “reinforces UNC Charlotte’s logo, colors and brand message” and was designed with an “audience-centric navigation scheme that allows visitors to easily locate content.”

Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, commented that the University’s Web site is the world’s window into UNC Charlotte. “Our site is newly organized to reveal the depth and breadth of what we do and make it easier for external audiences to find, appreciate and benefit from the work of our campus community.”

The Marketing Services Department in the Division for University Relations and Community Affairs will administer the site using Drupal, an open-source content management system (CMS).

“One fresh, clean, simple and uniform template with lots of flexibility – I will be able to use it across all of my pages. Web site management just got easier,” said David McIntosh, manager of Web services in the Information Technology Services Department and a member of the core team for the project.

Drupal will allow for quicker updates to Web sites than those built in “static HTML.”

The redesigned Web site includes a Stake Your Claim presence as well as consistent use of color and fonts that are central to the brand. The main image, designed to reflect the real characteristics of the University, will use UNC Charlotte students, faculty and staff. The images are part of the spotlight stories that will focus of core areas of the University – arts and culture, athletics, global reach, research and scholarship and academic life. A “share this” icon will enable site visitors to distribute content via their preferred social media outlet.

During the soft launch, users can see the new design at www.home.uncc.edu. After Aug. 10 the new design will be accessed at www.uncc.edu

If you redesign it, they will come…

2010-07-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

By Lisa A. Patterson

This time of year is always exciting as fall approaches and with it the advent of a new academic year. And as always, there are a slew of great things to report on at UNC Charlotte – but this blog entry is dedicated to one project that particularly tickles my cockles: the launch of the re-designed University Web site.

If you’ve visited www.uncc.edu in the past (and I’m guessing you have, seeing as how you subscribe to this blog), you know that the Web site in its current form is, well, difficult to navigate (to put it mildly). I say this with affection – universities were early and enthusiastic adopters of all things Internet, but early adoption of a rapidly changing technology can sometimes come back to bite you. So, as UNC Charlotte forged ahead with its Stake Your Claim branding initiative, the decision to revamp the University’s Web site was a no-brainer.

This much-needed, oft discussed project has come to fruition after more than 18 months of planning and collaboration led by the Marketing Services Department in the Division of University Relations and Community Affairs…That’s a lot of planning and collaboration. The home page and upper tier pages were the first to be re-designed, and the rest of the site’s pages will follow through a planned migration process. Launch of the new site will take place August 3, so be sure to check it out (same url – www.uncc.edu).

I’ve seen a preview of the site – I won’t spoil it for you, but I guarantee you’ll find it much easier to navigate. And if you have an inclination to learn more about the process behind the final, glorious product, you can go to http://webredesign.uncc.edu

Lisa Patterson is -- surprise -- senior writer in the Office of Public Relations

Former Long-time Dean Schley Lyons Dies

2010-07-19T06:26:00.001-07:00

Dr. Schley R. Lyons, former long-time dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (now the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) passed away on Saturday, July 17, in Charlotte. Dr. Lyons joined the faculty of UNC Charlotte in 1969 as Chair of the Department of Political Science, a position he held for 11 years. During that time, he established the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology in l971 and developed a graduate program in urban administration.

Dr. Lyons was appointed Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1980 and interim dean in 1985. He served as interim dean of the college during 1985-86.

Following a national search, he was appointed dean and held the position until he retired in 2005. During his tenure the number of full-time college faculty increased from 281 to 435 and student enrollment almost doubled, from 4,307 to 8,465. New departments and academic programs were added, including five doctoral programs. Student services were expanded, adding a College Advising Center, and a technology service unit for students and faculty was established. Under his leadership, external funding and faculty research in the college grew significantly which greatly enhanced the growing reputation of UNC Charlotte as a major research university.

"Schley was a wonderful dean," said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, who'd known Lyons since the early 1990s when Dubois was UNC Charlotte's provost. "That job is all about hiring the right people. He hired really good faculty and really good department heads. He probably hired all the senior faculty on campus. That's why we're as solid an institution as we are."

After retiring in 2005, Dr. Lyons continued to teach for several years and recently authored the Politics and Government chapter in The North Carolina Atlas.

Dr. Lyons was a 1955 graduate of Shepherd University and, following his military service, received his Ph.D. from American University in 1964. His research areas included North Carolina state and local politics and American Electoral behavior. His research continues to be cited and he was sought after as a political commentator in news media locally and regionally.

His distinguished legacy includes the founding of Leadership Charlotte, which has cultivated over 1,000 community leaders since its inception in 1978, and the UNC Charlotte Taft Institute for Two-Party Government, which taught thousands of secondary school teachers to place real politics at the center of their teaching of social studies. Leadership Charlotte annually recognizes an outstanding community leader with the Schley R. Lyons Circle of Excellence award commemorating Dr. Lyons contributions to the development of civic leadership in Charlotte. In recognition of Dr. Lyons’ 36 years of dedicated service to UNC Charlotte and the greater community, a lecture hall in Fretwell Hall is named in his honor.

"Dr. Lyons was known across the UNC Charlotte campus community for his distinctive laugh, his sharp political wit, his competitive tennis game, and his championship ballroom dancing skills," said Dubois. "He will be missed by his many friends and colleagues."

An article about Lyons' passing appeared in the July 19 edition of The Charlotte Observer: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/19/1570844/schley-lyons-1933-2010.html#ixzz0u7iHr5bE

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New Web Stuff is Good Stuff

2010-06-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Two Web projects are underway that will provide better access to UNC Charlotte for current and prospective students, parents, staff, faculty. It's fun stuff.

A complete redesign of uncc.edu, completed now and integrated step by step over the next two years (beginning in late July)will present a new face to the entire world. The new site will be easier to navigate and will tell the story of an amazing university community in more dyanamic ways. Using an open source content management system, it will be much easier, and far more affordable for web managers to update and it will accommodate print, graphic and video content much more easily than the current Web site. The new look is clean, fresh and uncluttered. The new feel is contemporary, dynamic and upbeat. The process of developing the new design, funtionality, templates and purpose has been a tremendous achievement of teamwork by more than 30 people campus-wide.

The other project is an updated, interactive version of Campus News, the web newsletter targeted to faculty and staff. Campus News was published online as a PDF only a few years ago. It moved to a web format two years ago, but has continued to be published weekly and is presented as a more traditonal one-way oracle. That will change by late August when Campus News, using the same Drupal content management system as uncc.edu will debut a whole new range of functionality and interactive features. Readers -- or better yet, patrons -- of Campus News will be able to post messages, comment on articles, send e-cards to colleagues, take surveys, and enjoy a wider range content. We'll update the site multiple times per week.

Also through the web, we made great strides with our Facebook page, with almost 8,500fans using it as a forum. We're using Twitter as well, to help tell followers about good things at the university. And our YouTube channel is packed with content for all types of viewers.

At UNC Charlotte, we're accustomed to doing good things with limited resources, but even so, the grueling recession has been an exceptional challenge. Yet we're moving forward to make communication better and more meaningful to our campus community and those interested in it. Stay tuned. More fun web stuff is on the way.

Childhood Obesity Taking Center Stage at Movie Premiere

2010-05-26T08:51:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Patterson

When I heard UNC Charlotte was partnering with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Levine Children’s Hospital to bring the movie premiere of “The Fat Boy Chronicles” to our campus, I was thrilled. We live in the wealthiest country in the world, and yet in the United States many children and adults don’t get the nutrients their bodies need from the foods they eat, and schools eliminate recess and gym classes from their schedules in response to budget cuts.

The factors that have contributed to childhood obesity have multiplied since the 1970s, when the childhood obesity rate in the United States began its rise from five percent to today’s rate of approximately 20 percent. In fact, this generation could be the first to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

The physical effects of childhood obesity are well known, and are driving local and national efforts to address the issue. Last week, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released a report that calls for returning the childhood obesity rate to five percent by 2030.

The psychological and social effects of childhood obesity are as detrimental to a child’s health and well-being as the physical. The most recent national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicates that the largest percentage of those bullied attributed that bullying to body size.

The Charlotte region is taking a positive step to acknowledge the prevalence and effects of childhood obesity with the launch of “Charlotte, Get Your Move On!,” a community initiative modeled after “Let’s Move,” a nationwide campaign to tackle childhood obesity (www.letsmove.gov). The official launch of the program begins with the premiere of the movie “The Fat Boy Chronicles” at UNC Charlotte on June 2.
Based on the book by Diane Lang and Michael Buchanan, “The Fat Boy Chronicles” follows 14-year-old Jimmy as he enters the freshman year of high school and chronicles his struggle with bullying and obesity. Thousands of CMS students are reading the book and preparing to discuss it in community forums, and a host of other activities are planned as part of the premiere/Get Your Move On initiative launch.

Through Jimmy’s eyes, audiences will learn what life is like for vulnerable teens facing daily self-doubt and discrimination. Perhaps Jimmy’s story will help put a human face on the statistics, medical terminology and policy recommendations that are so often used to communicate about this issue. After all, a little empathy could go a long way in mitigating the social and psychological effects of what is more than a physical problem.

TICKET INFORMATION
Open seating tickets are available for reservation. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and are free. Tickets can be picked up at the Student Union Information Desk. The Student Union is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more ticket information, call 704-687-4949 or 704-687-7100.

http://www.universityparent.com/uncc/2010/05/10/reflections-on-a-first-impression

2010-05-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

http://www.universityparent.com/uncc/2010/05/10/reflections-on-a-first-impression

Sure-footed Steps Through a Transition

2010-05-11T18:40:00.000-07:00

One thing I've noticed in the four and half years I've worked at UNC Charlotte (my only higher education experience): although "academic time" may move slowly, it very often works wisely and effectively -- especially when Chancellor Dubois is in the lead.

A recent case in point is Dubois' response to the recent resignation of David Dunn, who moved on to a corporate job. Dunn led the division of university relations and community affairs (URCA) -- the group primarily responsible for cultivating an up-to-date identity for UNC Charlotte. Dunn also served as the university's legislative liaison (read lobbyist) in Raleigh. That was a very crucial role and one at which Dunn excelled.

Instead of moving immediately to fill the vacancy through the usual national search, Dubois is taking his time to initiate a comprehensive, methodical assessment of the division's structure, staffing and scope of work. Should the time-consuming legislative liasion be separated from the rest of the vice chancellor duties and assigned to a specialist? Should URCA be expanded and if so, how? Should it be folded into Development and Alumni Affairs? Should it be partly dissembled?

Dubois has assigned an interim vice chancellor (Niles Sorensen, who already serves as Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Affairs) to help guide the URCA staff, and he's also bringing in a highly respected outsider (former Wachovia executive Shannon McFayden) to manage the assessment. Dubois is looking to McFayden for a smart, thorough and objective review and recommendation about the future needs of URCA; her findings will be based on interaction with URCA directors and various officials at UNC Charlotte and elsewhere in the community.

McFayden's work, which begins June 1, likely will continue through Dec. 31. Only then would Dubois move to fill Dunn's vacant position permanently.

There are practical reasons for being methodical. Chief among them is that it helps ensure a decision of lasting value.

Dubois is taking sure footed steps. And for this URCA staffer, that's reassuring.
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Eureka! Levine Scholars Will Change Lives

2010-04-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

By Paul Nowell
We all have those occasions when the light bulb turns on over our head. A perplexing problem is finally answered or a solution to a dilemma suddenly surfaces. Yet few of us will ever have the chance to change the course of a university’s history based on one of these “Eureka!” moments.

On this occasion, it was a rather serendipitous conversation that inspired philanthropist Leon Levine’s brainstorm. While waiting for his doctor, he observed a certificate hanging on the wall that recognized Dr. Michael Richardson as a Morehead Scholar at UNC Chapel Hill.

Curious, Levine asked his physician about the impact the scholarship had on his life.
Without hesitation, Richardson replied it was the single most important achievement in his life. Those words resonated with Levine, who has used his considerable fortune to improve the lives of thousands of people in Charlotte and the surrounding region.

The Leon Levine Foundation has contributed millions to improve the lives of children, the needy and many other worthy causes. In this case, Levine and his wife, Sandra, wanted to provide scholarships to bright high school students so they could become the next generation of “ethical leaders” in Charlotte.

On Wednesday, UNC Charlotte introduced the first class of 15 Levine Scholars, including 10 high school seniors from North Carolina and five from other states. The scholarship covers the cost of all tuition and fees, housing and meals, books, a laptop computer and summer experiences. Additional funding is provided to support community service work during the academic years.

The value of the scholarship is about $90,000 for each in-state student and $140,000 for each out-of-state student. It’s no surprise the selection process was rigorous and extremely competitive. More than 1,000 high school seniors from 25 states were nominated by their schools.

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer, the Levines said they wanted to raise the academic standing of UNC Charlotte and bring in talented and committed students who would choose to live and work in Charlotte.
You know, just like Dr. Michael Richardson.

Based on the resumes of two of the Levine Scholars, there’s good reason to be hopeful.

Evan Danchenka, of nearby Harrisburg, has already volunteered on the effort to build the Carolina Thread Trail that will link 15 North Carolina counties in one walking trail. He'll continue that work as an undergrad at UNC Charlotte.

Celia Karp, of Bethesda, Md., was attracted to the public service requirement in the Levine Scholars Program. While still in high school, she has served food to the homeless, raised money for breast cancer research and worked with children with terminal illnesses.
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Paul Nowell is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations

Living History: Prof's Ground-Level Experience

2010-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Lisa A. Patterson

Every year, a select few UNC Charlotte faculty members are honored in award ceremonies for their dedication to teaching, exceptional research or the mentorship they provide to students. We’re gearing up to present one such award April 14 – the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. This year’s recipient, Dr. Lyman Johnson, a professor of history, is being honored for his achievements as a scholar of late colonial Latin American/Argentine history.

One of the amazing things about quality scholarship is the way it can illuminate a subject that might seem esoteric at first glance. Even better if the person doing the research is passionate about his/her subject – that passion becomes evident to students and colleagues and informs everything the scholar produces. Dr. Johnson is a prime example of a passionate scholar who has contributed to the advancement of his field and the growth of his department, and to the reputation of UNC Charlotte as a research institution.

Like all of the best scholars, Dr. Johnson has immersed himself in his field, spending extended stints in Argentina, the country in which he specializes. In a recent interview, he recounted a harrowing experience from one such trip that led him to a greater understanding of his subject and the struggles his Argentine colleagues face. This is the story in his own words:

I feel I’ve been very fortunate because my wife and I and my family has opportunity to travel all over Latin America. You can find yourself being in history. I was a Fulbright professor in Argentina – we arrived a few weeks after the military had driven Estela Martinez de Peron from power. When we arrived at the airport there were tanks in the parking lots, and soldiers. You could hear gunshots in the streets at night. We had one personal incident that was really terrifying to us. We were in Salta, close to the Bolivian border, and in the middle of the night two guys beat on the door of the hotel room. They were armed with pistols. They ransacked our luggage, asked a series of questions and left. What we discovered the next day was that the federal police chief had been assassinated and the police were looking throughout the country for people with fraudulent passports. There were other incidences like that. In the end my wife decided to take our 5-year-old daughter home early. I finished my term, but it took my wife a while to want to go back. We’d had a wonderful time just six years earlier, but it was a shock to us. But in some ways that was the experience of all my Argentine colleagues – almost all had been forced to flee the country under threat of death and had spent time outside the country. It helped me understand the enormous difficulties my colleagues faced in Latin America during political conflict. The experience didn’t sour us, or change my love of the place. But it reminded us there was a series of huge political issues outside of the archives you had to pay attention to. Having seen that, it’s made me understand it in some way, what the ground level experience of people was during times of violence and political confrontation.

Prepare to Love this Dance Ensemble

2010-03-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Guest Blog by Natasha Williams
Wednesday made the first time I have ever attended The UNC Charlotte Dance Ensemble, and I must say it was amazing. I enjoyed every moment of it. The best part about it was the location and price of tickets. I only paid $6 for lower level seats in UNC Charlotte’s own Robinson Hall.

I could see and hear everything. Yes, even the dancers breathing.
The first moment, “Shadowland”, was my favorite. It was somewhat complex, and I’m not particularly sure I got the message the dancers were trying to convey. However, the message I did receive is that UNC Charlotte has amazing, exceptionally talented students.

The dancers moved gracefully, sometimes aggressively, but most of all simultaneously across the stage.

Another favorite of mine was the male dancers. I think it’s wonderful to see men dancing because dance is so often attributed to women. I think it takes quite the man to wear some of the dancers’ costumes.

The costumes were an interesting component of the dance ensemble. During one of the movements the dancers wore different flowers on their backs and hips, which gave a unique element to the entire dance. In a duet piece the two dancers wore mirroring costumes. One wore cutoff shorts and a T-shirt, while the other wore a cutoff T-shirt and pants. It was very interesting and creative.

The Dance Ensemble started Wednesday, Mar. 24 and concludes Sunday, Mar. 28. For anyone with even the slightest attraction to dance, this is a ‘must see’.
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Natasha Williams is a UNC Charlotte senior majoring in Communication Studies

Workaholism the Best Dressed Problem of the Era?

2010-03-24T11:47:00.000-07:00

Work nearly destroyed Bryan Robinson’s life 20 years ago.

The UNC Charlotte professor emeritus and psychotherapist wrote about workaholism in his book, “Chained to the Desk: A Guidebook for Workaholics, Their Partners and Children, and the Clinicians who Treat Them.”

Robinson said, “I used work to defend myself against unwelcome emotional states — to modulate anxiety, sadness, and frustration the way a pothead uses dope and an alcoholic uses booze.”

His experience led him to study work addiction — what he calls “the best-dressed problem of the 21st century” — and its consequences. While a professor of counseling, special education and child development at UNC Charlotte, he was among the first researchers to publish on the topic, and he continues to counsel patients from all over the world in his clinical practice in western North Carolina.
Robinson said workaholics tend to be separatists, preferring to work alone and focusing on the details of their job. They often attach their egos to their work. Healthy workers see the bigger picture and work cooperatively with others toward common goals.

Perhaps the most salient distinction is this: Healthy workers experience work as a necessary and sometimes fulfilling obligation; workaholics see it as a haven in a dangerous, emotionally unpredictable world.

“I would ask people when they see some of the symptoms to look a little deeper. The 10-year- old in the class who is a little adult might be that way because of what’s going on in his or her life; the same goes for the child who has a fit when he gets a 99 instead of 100 percent on a test . These children can be treated and taught how to let go,” Robinson said.

obinson says workaholics often require professional help that encourages them to put the smartphone or laptop computer away. But beware that many therapists don’t recognize workaholism, and some therapists are themselves work-addicted. Workaholics Anonymous is an option, with chapters worldwide. It can provide referral services for the workaholics and their families, Robinson said.

At a time when he unemployment rate has skyrocketed, broaching the subject of work addiction becomes more difficult than in times of prosperity, but Robinson is determined to continue to preach the gospel of work-life balance to the public.

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A feature article, on this topic appears in the Q1 2010 edition of UNC Charlotte magazine for alumni and friends of the university. It is accessible online at ...

I Agree with Survey Results: Most Students Feel Safe on Campus

2010-03-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Natasha Williams

In my position as an intern in UNC Charlotte's Office of Public Relations, I had access to some wonderful information on the student perception of personal safety at UNC Charlotte. A comprehensive survey of 3,000 students was conducted several months ago to measure students’ perception of campus safety.

The findings validated my thoughts on campus safety and, in my opinion, should make the student body feel safe. Some of the findings include:
• Nearly 90 percent of respondents felt very safe or reasonably safe while in class.
• Nearly 95 percent of students have never been victims of crime on the UNC Charlotte campus.
• Of the 5 percent who reported being victimized in 2009, more than 65 percent suffered a property crime and 24 percent suffered a personal, violent crime.
• Overall, 60-plus percent of respondents said they feel very safe or reasonably safe on campus; 22 percent felt neither safe nor unsafe.
• Nearly 60 percent of students responded that they had never been in a situation on campus where they feared for their safety.
• Participants were asked about the degree to which they are worried that a mass assault similar to those at other universities will happen here at UNC Charlotte. Nearly 70 percent responded they were not worried to moderately worried.

As a transfer student from a small private school to UNC Charlotte, I was definitely concerned about safety. In my couple years of attending the university, I’ve found UNC Charlotte is a safe school, and I’m glad to read that students feel the same way.

However, I do acknowledge the fact that crime is everywhere, including this university (we had a small case of arson last night), but it is certainly not a major problem or something students talk about every day. Even post-Virginia Tech, I think the overall feeling of campus safety is positive at UNC Charlotte.

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Natasha Williams is a senior majoring in Communication Studies

Steinem's About Social Justice, Not Man-Bashing

2010-03-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Lisa A. Patterson

Gloria Steinem Rocked My World. How Was Your Monday?

This is a monster blog entry, but you know what? I have a lot to say about Gloria Steinem’s March 1 visit to campus.

I was one of the lucky ones – I got in line early enough to get a coveted green ticket, which would guarantee me a seat in McKnight Hall for the lecture. While in line, I overheard a conversation between the two individuals behind me. The man asked the woman, “So have you seen her speak before? Is this going to be, like, man bashing?” The woman explained that feminism is not about man bashing. I smiled – it was already an educational evening, and we weren’t yet in the auditorium.

The lecture began with a photo montage that aroused emotion, at least for me. One photo in particular caught my attention – a black and white still of a multitude of women standing with arms linked. I found that photo to be striking for several reasons: 1) the closest thing to that kind of solidarity I’ve witnessed personally are the crowds President Barack Obama drew during his campaign for the presidency; 2) it reminded me of just how young the movement for social and political equality for women really is; and 3) it reminded me that people committed to a cause can affect change. It also inspired a longing for connection and got me thinking about all of the things that get in the way of people forming connections with one another. All of this before Steinem even stepped on the stage.

In her speech (which was delivered by Kelly Finley because Steinem had laryngitis), Steinem addressed division – we separate ourselves from one another based on externalities such as race, social class, or age, instead of celebrating and learning from our differences and reflecting on the many similarities we share. Steinem warned against buying in to the stereotypes that are propagated by the media. She deconstructed the myth that young women are not socially aware and focused on women’s issues (citing some pretty compelling statistics), she talked about the inherent links between sexism and racism, and she implored us to share our stories and mentor one another across generational lines.

These things hit home. My grandmother was a woman with whom I identified not as a mother figure but more as a friend with a great deal of experience. I call upon the insights I gained from her nearly every day, and I wish everyone the opportunity to have that kind of relationship with someone. From the perspective of her 75 years, Steinem is saying that cross-generational relationships are essential to creating unity and understanding among people, and that we can and should nurture these relationships.

From a quiet kid, a silent observer, I became a story teller because I enjoy people and I love that they are not all like me, and they deserve to be heard, and maybe I have the words to help them or the platform to tell their stories. We all deserve to be heard. That black and white photo of a multitude of women (and I’m sure, some supportive men), standing with arms linked, is worth a thousand words. It gave me a glimpse of how far we’ve come, and it got me stewing over how far we’ve yet to go, and how I can contribute to advancing social justice for all people. At the end of her speech Steinem requested that each member of the audience perform one act of rebellion, and said that she would match us, act for act. I have to confess, I haven’t performed my act yet…or maybe I’ve taken one small step toward rebellion.

I’ve decided to reclaim the label of “feminist” because it is not a dirty word. It is a word that signifies a movement that has made life better for men, women and children. And I’ve begun to search for heroes, because inspiration is a necessary ingredient to the change making process. Some heroes I’ve met while working in higher education, some are among my family members, and many are in our community, toiling in obscurity.

It’s a bit daunting, this social justice thing. But it’s also invigorating, terribly human, and from what I gathered from Steinem, it can be a helluva lot of fun.
*Steinem said that women lose intellectual self-esteem for every additional year of higher education they receive. I’ve done a cursory search for studies on this, but if any of you can point me in the direction of a definitive study on the topic, please send me a note (llambe17@uncc.edu.

# # #

Lisa A. Patterson is a public relations writer at UNC Charlotte, and a proud feminist.

I Disagree, Therefore You are Bad (?)

2010-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

This is my "Why can't we all get along" entry.

One of my responsibilities is to publish a quarterly magazine. The editorial team does its best to develop thoughtful articles that highlight UNC Charlotte's diverse and deep scholarship, practical applied research, solutions-oriented community engagement, and stories about amazing people.

Recently, I was contacted by a reader who doesn't like the magazine. The reader called the magazine socialist crap. He believes the magazine is an example of selling out to people who want to do us harm. He didn't like that the cover of the magazine bore a middle-east flag (actually the cover bore a cross, a Star of David and a crescent moon as symbols of three of the world's major religions; the article was about the work of our esteemed religious studies department.)He didn't like a story about research into diabetes among Charlotte's Latino population, because he assumed most of them are here illegally. He believes the magazine cotributes to the ruination of a great city (the writer lives almost 2,000 miles away from Charlotte). His message communicated frustration and anger. He said I have a lot to learn.

The reader is correct that I have a lot to learn. I hope I never stop learning.

One of the things I haven't really learned is why some people respond so vehemently and politically to things they don't agree with. Granted, every one has their opinion, and those opinions are shaped by one's personal experiences. And, it takes all kinds to make the world go 'round. I respect this reader's opinion and even respect the rather coarse way in which he expressed it to me. But why did he feel the need to lash out? To me, his anger must grow out of fear. People are fearful about all sorts of things and during times of economic hardship and exceptional uncertainty, fears get aggravated. Sometimes the fear finds expression in actions of frustration, resentment, exasperation, hate -- or spiritual development, open-minded attempts to understand, comedy and even expressions of love.

Personally, I am not fearful about the future of greater Charlotte, nor of the future of the United States of America. I believe in our essenital strength and in a free market of ideas. I believe that through the crucible of representative democracy and forces of the marketplace come decisions and actions that we are pledged to live with until the same process creates changes -- and that the process of change is continual.

I'm not offended by the reader who contacted me. I neither resent him nor feel sorry for him. I wish him well and hope that he'll find liberation from fear.

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Students Bust a Move for Haiti Relief

2010-02-10T18:44:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Rayshawn Watson
Dance-4-Haiti is a Dance-A-Thon being put on by the UNC Charlotte Student Alumni Ambassadors. There have been a lot of charity events and people around campus collecting donations, so we thought this would be a way for students to not only donate, but have fun.

The main reason for the Dance-A-Thon is to raise money for Haiti and to show that students and the 49er family really do care. All donations are welcome and it’s open to the public.

Admission is $3 if you just want to get in and party with us. If you would like to be in the dance contest its $5 dollars and you must arrive by 5:15pm, to be entered into the contest. There will be free food, drinks, and raffles all night long. It will be a fun event and the Student Alumni Ambassadors look forward to seeing you there.

The date for the event is: Feb. 13, 2010 at the Barnhardt Student Activity Center (Halton Arena building) Salons from 6pm-midnight. The SAC is located on the 3rd floor of the Halton Arena.

Rayshawn Watson is a UNC Charlotte student and member of the Student Alumni Ambassadors group.

January brings faculty artists to the stage

2010-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Christopher T. Barton
The beginning of a semester can be a quiet time at Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. Auditions, rehearsals, choreography and set construction have only just begun for the many student performances that will take place on our stages. And unless you’re a set designer, an empty stage just doesn’t quite capture the imagination. Fortunately for UNC Charlotte, we have talented and active faculty in the performing arts and in these next several weeks we have exciting opportunities to enjoy their work.

In October, our newly appointed Anne R. Belk Distinguished Professor of Music, violinist David Russell, performed his inaugural recital and earlier this month he helped “Light the Knight” at the gala opening of Charlotte’s new Knight Theater with a solo performance that Classical Voice of North Carolina called “impossible not to enjoy.” This Friday, January 22nd, David is joined by fellow faculty members Mira Frisch (cello) and Dylan Savage (piano) as well as a distinguished group of guest artists from The UNC School of the Arts, The Hartt School, and West Virginia University for the next program on our Faculty & Friends Concert Series. This concert promises to be an exceptional performance of two of the great masterworks of the chamber music repertoire by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – his Piano Quartet No. 1 – and Franz Schubert – the Cello Quintet. The concert series will also continue through February and March with performances by tenor Brian Arreola and Duo Savage, the musical partnership of husband and wife Dylan and Susan Savage.

January also brings two remarkable performances of dance to the Belk Theater at Robinson Hall. Our Department of Dance once again hosts the annual tour of the North Carolina Dance Festival on Friday, January 29 and Saturday January 30. Unique in the country and now a North Carolina institution, NC Dance festival began in 1991 as a weekend of concerts in at UNC Greensboro and has grown into an annual tour showcasing dance artists from across the state. Eight different dance companies tour (stops in 2009-10 include Boone, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Wilmington) and are joined on the program by artists local to the host communities. Those local artists featured in our UNC Charlotte performances are E.E. Motion, Caroline Calouche & Co., and NCDT II. E.E. Motion is directed by E.E. Balcos, Assistant Professor of Dance at UNC Charlotte and will perform “The Party”, a work for six dancers choreographed to music written by UNC Charlotte composer, Dr. John Allemeier. Caroline Calouche & Co., a Gastonia based contemporary and aerial dance company, will perform an excerpt from the piece “The Macabre Mask”, an original work that blends the poetry and literary works of Edgar Allan Poe. And in a very special appearance, North Carolina Dance Theatre 2 (NCDT II), a group of young professional artists affiliated with Charlotte’s prestigious North Carolina Dance Theatre, will perform the piece “City South”, an NCDT signature piece choreographed by Mark Diamond.

These special performances are just the beginning of an exciting semester at Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. Please join in – once again or for the very first time – as we support and celebrate our faculty and student artists. Visit www.performances.uncc.edu, stop by our Box Office, or call 704.687.1TIX (1849) for information and tickets to upcoming performances.

See you at Robinson Hall!

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Chris Barton in marketing/box ofice manager for Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts

Campus Police Prove Mettle in Emergency Exercise

2010-01-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Paul Nowell

It’s an old adage that an admirable performance by police officers is akin to one turned in by a first-rate referee crew – they are usually doing a commendable job when they are scarcely noticed.

UNC Charlotte campus police did a first rate job last Tuesday and this time they WERE noticed.

Anyone who witnessed the full-scale emergency response exercise on Jan. 5 on the UNC Charlotte campus would come away impressed by the performance of our campus police. I did witness it and I would like to give them some well-deserved credit.

Those cheering the loudest included some veteran Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers and representatives from the consulting firm that organized the exercise, EnviroSafe. These are not the sort of folks who worry about making you feel better about yourself.

On Jan. 5, UNC Charlotte Police officers were the first to respond to the simulated “active shooter” incident at Duke Centennial Hall near the Highway 29 entrance to the sprawling campus.

Arriving in a matter of minutes, they were in charge of the scene until CMPD officers arrived. Before long, one of the two assailants was detained and the other was located. The officers performed their duties impeccably.

Although there was one simulated “fatality” during the simulated siege, the "shooting" occurred before the UNC Charlotte police officers arrived on the scene. Another 33 volunteers played the role of injured; they were treated and transported to area hospitals.

The hostage ordeal ended without additional injuries to students, faculty or staff. And no one was injured as a result of a hazardous material investigation that was thrown into the mix by EnviroSafe to test the overall response.

“I think it went really well. The collaborative effort out at the scene was really compelling,” Major Jeff Baker of the UNC Charlotte Police said following the exercise.

The simulation, sponsored by the Risk Management, Safety and Security Department in conjunction with Homeland Security, was designed to test the readiness of University departments, campus and local police, the fire department, local hospitals and other first-responders.

The bottom line is that the UNC Charlotte police officers were properly trained and prepared to handle their part of the crisis. By participating in a simulated “active shooter” exercise, valuable lessons were learned.

I came away from the day’s events with far more respect for all the law enforcement, fire and emergency officials – including our campus police. It’s no surprise that they are dedicated public servants. But now I’ve seen them in action and my respect is even greater.

Paul Nowell is Media Relations Manager in UNC Charlotte’s Office of Public Relations.

Emergency Response “Exercise” Important Step for University

2009-12-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Lisa A. Patterson
Shortly after the holiday break (Jan. 5), a full-scale emergency response exercise will be held on the UNC Charlotte campus. The simulation, sponsored by the Risk Management, Safety and Security Department in conjunction with Homeland Security, will include staff from many University departments, campus and local police, the fire department, local hospitals and other first-responders.

The live-action exercise will simulate an “active shooter” situation in which one or more gunmen open fire and/or take hostages. First responders and those involved in UNC Charlotte’s emergency response teams will react to the exercise as they would in the event of an actual emergency.

I fear that referring to the planned event as an “exercise” somehow diminishes its importance — the use of the word allows us to tune out. We might be tempted to nod in agreement with the plan, happy that the UNC General Administration is serious about campus safety — serious enough to contract with a consulting firm to design and coordinate this type of simulation for each campus in the system. If we’re not directly involved in the exercise, we might forget about it and go on with our business.

But the safety of the campus community is dependent upon the vigilance of all its members, and survival in an active shooter situation is largely dependent upon the mental preparation and prior knowledge by the individuals involved. Research has shown that individuals who have received even minimal training to deal with potentially deadly situations react much differently (and with more success) than those who’ve never received instruction.

On Jan. 5 the majority of the campus will not be involved in the exercise because, in order for the exercise to be effective, it has to be somewhat controlled. However, campus safety should be a priority of every student, faculty and staff member. Even if you aren’t a participant in the exercise, you can take steps to enhance your personal safety. Video resources are available through business continuity department. They may be checked out by individuals or groups and are ideal for viewing at team meetings. The videos, which also can be viewed online, are:
• “Shots Fired on Campus” provides strategies for dealing with an active shooter situation in the workplace.
• “Campus Safety 101,” which is primarily a security awareness video course for college and university students, but it contains relevant information for faculty and staff.
• “Flashpoint – Workplace Violence” deals with identifying and addressing “behaviors of concern” early as the best way to prevent violence in the workplace.
• “Stay Safe at College” is an instructional video that covers topics in seven separate chapters, such as protection of personal property, identity theft, assaults, stalking, travel and common-sense measures of protection in adverse situations. While it is oriented toward students, it is relevant for faculty and staff.

Students, staff and faculty can access these videos online, by contacting the information technology services department at 704-687-7027.

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Lisa A.Patterson is a writer in UNC Charotte's Office of Public Relations

Signing Climate Commitment Just the Start, Not Conclusion

2009-11-17T08:32:00.000-08:00

Guest blog by Paul Nowell

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois has signed the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which designates UNC Charlotte as one of 16 colleges or universities across North Carolina to sign the pledge to address global warming.

By signing the pledge, UNC Charlotte also joins more than 650 institutions of higher education across the nation that have declared they would address global warming by neutralizing their greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating research and educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate.

“Anyone who is familiar with this university’s legacy understands we have had a strong commitment to environmental protection, and signing the Presidents’ Climate Commitment shows we are demonstrating how a large public institution can be a good environmental steward," Dubois said.

“We also realize signing this piece of paper is just a start, not the conclusion” he said. “We must continue to discover practical sustainability goals for our students and employees and do what we can to help them succeed.”

Under Dubois’ leadership, the university has launched a number of initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The ACUPCC will be viewed as a key driver to future sustainability efforts on campus.

One of Dubois’ first moves in support of the agreement was to appoint a UNC Charlotte Sustainability Committee. The panel will meet several times each year to review the progress of the implementation of the commitment and also will play a key role to ensure the resources and expertise of the institution are brought to bear on this project.

UNC Charlotte already has a proven track record in environmental stewardship and sustainability and research, said David Jones, sustainability coordinator at the university.

Some examples include:

• The Charlotte Green Initiative (CGI) was established in the fall of 2008 as the result of a student-led campaign spearheaded by the Earth Club. The CGI consists of an additional student fee of $1 that full-time students pay each semester for environmentally sustainable projects at UNC Charlotte. The fee is allocated by the Charlotte Green Initiative Committee, a group of student leaders who select projects that will help UNC Charlotte operate in a more sustainable manner.

• UNC Charlotte has created a fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles. These electric vehicles have replaced many gasoline carts and similar high emissions vehicles all over the campus. The university has added approximately 65 low-speed, electric vehicles along with 19 flex-fuel (E-85 or gasoline) vehicles for a total of 84 alternative fueled vehicles (AFUs) to UNC Charlotte’s Automotive Fleet. Since the 2005-06, UNC Charlotte has realized a 21 percent reduction in petroleum use within the campus fleet.

• The UNC Charlotte Recycling Department was established in 1992. Over the years, the department has grown to 14 employees and collects over 40 items. Roughly one-third of all waste on the campus is diverted to a recycling facility or special construction and demolition landfill.

• A car-sharing program, “Connect by Hertz,” offers qualified drivers, ages 18 years and up, environmentally friendly vehicles to rent at a low rate – by the hour or the day. The goal of the car-sharing program is to make public transportation or carpooling a more attractive and convenient option.

As part of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, other steps will be taken to move the campus closer to climate neutrality. In the short term, the university will take the following actions:

• Work towards adoption of green standards for buildings, following U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) construction guidelines. LEED certification is being sought on new capital projects, including the new Center City Building and the EPIC Building.

• Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all areas for which such ratings exist.

• Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation for all faculty, staff, students and visitors.

“The fact that Chancellor Dubois is willing to sign on to this agreement sends an important message to our students, faculty and staff as well as the Charlotte community at large,” said Jones. “It says our efforts to reverse the effects of global warming are critically important to everyone on this campus.”

So UNC Charlotte is among an elite list of universities to sign the pledge. What do you think of the University's track record and its future goals for reducing the detrimental effects of global warming?

Boomtown Ethos: Where do we go from here?

2009-10-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Lisa A. Lambert

Former Charlotte Observer reporter Binyamin Applebaum recently published an opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “This is the bust in the boomtown that banks built” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003786.html).

In the piece he explores the importance of the financial sector to the Charlotte region’s economic health. The piece concludes:
Some local leaders have suggested that Charlotte diversify its economy. But it is much more common to find people who say the city's destiny as a financial center has simply been postponed.

Applebaum implies that more of the same is in Charlotte’s future. But what exactly is more of the same?

Charlotte remains a major metropolitan area, despite the financial crisis. The city is making strides to improve public transportation and greenways, and enhance cultural offerings, while maintaining a robust business community. The piece fails to mention that eight Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Mecklenburg County. It also fails to mention that the opening of the Afro-American Cultural Center will be followed by a new Mint Museum of Art, the January opening of the museum of modern art and the opening of a 1,200 seat performing arts venue in Uptown.

As the state’s only urban research university, UNC Charlotte has been a resource and partner as the region has grown. And perhaps now more than ever before the University is positioned to help drive the region’s development. For years, Charlotte was among the few major metropolitan areas in the country without a doctoral degree granting university. In 1994, UNC Charlotte implemented its first doctoral programs. Charlotte needs a highly educated workforce to meet the needs of the employers who’ve chosen the city as their home, as well as to attract new organizations, and UNC Charlotte is working to meet that need.

Exemplary of this effort is the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), which will train engineers and contribute to research in energy production fields. EPIC is a partnership with the burgeoning energy production sector currently located in Charlotte. The initiative is indicative of Charlotte’s efforts to grow a diverse regional economy, an economy less easily shaken by global or national recession. I could cite scores of similar examples of the University’s reach into the community (including the Center City Building), but I won’t for the sake of brevity.

This brings me back to Applebaum’s piece, which read like a post-mortem on Charlotte and its financial sector. If anything can be gleaned from the piece, perhaps it’s that complacency snuffs out innovation and diversification. The financial sector was and will remain an important component of the region’s economy but Charlotte has been moving toward, and should continue to move toward, a more diverse regional economy. And UNC Charlotte will prove to be an invaluable resource in the process.
What do you think? What are some of the problems/opportunities that need to be addressed in order for the Charlotte region to prosper? How can UNC Charlotte play a meaningful role going forward?
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Break a Sweat, Help a Student Stay in College

2009-10-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

The 4.NINERK's not just another autumn run (or walk) in the park, benefiting a worthy charity. It's a scrappy attempt to bring in money that can help cash-strapped UNC Charlotte students stay in school. And as of today, organizers expect more than 300 runners and walkers to take part in the 4.9 kilometer run (or walk), and a fun slate of entertainment on the campus, Oct. 24 at 8:49. For details point your browser to syc.uncc.edu/4NINERK.

UNC Charlotte students returned form fall break last week. Among the 24,700 are hundreds who barely made ends meet for fall semester, and without something extraordinary intervening, they likely won't be able to return in January -- because they don't have the money. Traditional sources of financial aid have been exhausted; the Great Recession has seen to that. So, rather than sitting back and bemoaning the sad state of affairs, UNC Charlotte's division of university relations and community affairs is driving this novel idea to stage a recreational event and forward every dollar of proceeds to need-based scholarships.

UNC Charlotte is becoming a more traditional university in that more students live on or immediately near campus. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs and works closely with business and other community leaders to add value to metro Charlotte; in this ways it is traditional. But many of its students are not traditional. Many are first generation college students, and many work more than one job just to get by. They can't rely on the home folks to foot the bill -- even in the pre- and post-recession years.

Case in point: Devlin Horton, whose story will appear Oct. 20 in the University Times and NinerOnline.com (look for links on the UNC Charlotte Facebook fan page and via Twitter from UNC Clt_News.)A sudden family illness when he was in high school left his family scrambling to keep afloat. They managed to deliver him to UNC Charlotte but he only stayed in school through a succession of financial aid, some of which may no longer be available to others in his position. Many, if not most of us who graduated did so with the help of loans or scholarships, but relatively few of us were desperate to make it through. Imagine if the financial doors had been shut to you -- maybe they were, and you know what it means to delay your dream of a college education.

In any case, Oct. 24 is a special date on the calendar. A time to get some fresh air, enjoy the beautiful UNC Charlotte campus, take on an awesome race course and break a sweat to help a student stay in college.

A-OK Re H1N1

2009-10-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

It may help to be a code reader in deciphering the headline here, but the upshot is that UNC Charlotte is well prepared to manage the effects of H1N1 flu on the campus -- particularly with students, and their parents' needs to stay informed.

At last count, we had recorded approximately 85 cases of flu-like symptoms. In accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention practice we are not testing specifically for H1N1 but prescribing through our Student Health Center, responsive measures to flu-like symptoms.

So, the good news is that our campus has so far been spared the rampant spread of flu that has hit some sister UNC schools and others around the nation. There's more good news. On Sept. 22 we launched a special H1N1 Update micro-site that contains information tailored to four important audiences: students, parents, staff and faculty. The site is easily accessed by clicking on the blue and orange H1N1 Update icon at our home page uncc.edu. On that site, readers will find information on flu prevention, response to flu, related university policy, and even information about preparedness should the pandemic become disruptive to university operations. We have informed the campus community of this web site via meetings, newsletter, email and social media.

There's even more good news. UNC Charlotte has taken two innovative steps to help students who may be afflicted. First, our dining services department has created Food for Flu, a program whereby students who are sick and self-isolating in their campus dorms can order in a box of food that includes all sorts of nutritious and yummy easy-to-prepare munchies and drinks to tide them over for a few days. The Food for Flu boxes aren't free-of-charge, but they are convenient. Another innovation: a self-reporting mechanism in which students who are ill complete an online form that links to the Dean of Students Office. That office verifies that the student is in fact ill, and then touches base with the student's academic advisor to validate that the student is excused from class without prejudice. Of course, the form includes disclaimers and checks that discourage falsely reporting illness.

That's a lot of good news related to an unfortune situation. So, what's the bad news? There is none, except that, as with any flu season, people will get sick, and that with H1N1, more people than usual will be inconvenienced. In their usual proactive and collaborative way, UNC Charlotte's people have stepped up to meet a challenge and staked their claim to thoughtful improvisation and can-do. And so far, we feel warily confident that we will manage, come what may.

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K-8 @ the U?

2009-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

The headline above, disciphered into plain English any school kid could understand, refers to a proposed partnership between UNC Charlotte and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to open a new elementary school on the university’s campus.

The idea is analgous to a "teaching hospital," with a mission to prepare the next generation of professionals. The proposal would provide College of Education students with more professional development training, and for CMS it would mean a new K-8 school with close ties to the university’s College of Education. That's important when you consider than UNC Charlotte graduated the second highest number of new school teachers of any university in North Carolina -- more than 630 new teachers in 2008. The more opportunities aspiring teachers get to work in direct contact with school children in classroom experiences, the better prepared they'll be to teach full time. And, “There’s a great need for additional schools in this part of Mecklenburg County,” Calhoun told the board.

The proposal is in the early stages and if approved by all parties the new school would open its doors in 2017, she said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is the top employer of UNC Charlotte College of Education graduates and nearly 2,000 graduates of the college are working in the state’s largest school district. The university currently has professional development partnerships with several CMS, Cabarrus County, and city of Kannapolis schools.

If approved, the new school would be located on the UNC Charlotte campus in a shared-space agreement that allows for K-8 school-based professional preparation for education majors. The plans call for a K-8 facility with an enrollment of 1,000 students, who will come from surrounding neighborhoods.

The 54-classroom school would offer the university a campus location for faculty to observe, collaborate, research, implement and evaluate best practices in an on-site, urban public school.

The new school also would serve as a recruitment tool for future educators. And it will symbolize the university’s role as a public education partner with CMS. Calhoun said the next step will be to make sure the proposal is included in CMS’s new master construction plan in November.

With this initiative the Collge of Education is once again staking its claim to leadership in the training of new teachers.
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University doing its part to make UCity safe and livable

2009-09-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Guest blog by Paul Nowell

The Charlotte Observer recently ran a column that highlights the enormous, if not insurmountable, challenges facing the part of the city aptly named for the campus it encompasses.

Located less than 10 miles from the city’s business district, the residents of University City have plenty of reasons to be proud. First and foremost, University City is home base to North Carolina’s urban research institution. UNC Charlotte's enrollment of 24,700 includes students, faculty and staff from 80 countries. Consequently, UCity is the most diverse area in Charlotte.

University City also is the Charlotte region's second-largest employment center. Not too shabby, huh? So what’s the problem?

Much like UNC Charlotte’s efforts to shed a persistent but outdated image, University City faces its own self-esteem problem. Kevin Toomb, marketing co-chair for University City Partners, noted too few people don’t know or just don’t care to find out the kinds of things the community has to offer.

Toomb is launching a brand campaign for University City. It comes on the heels of the UNC Charlotte’s own brand campaign, which urges students, faculty, staff and neighbors to “Stake Your Claim” in the university.

Toomb calls UNC Charlotte the “crown jewel” of UCity. He’s absolutely right. In addition to being the center for learning and research, the university also serves as a gathering place for neighbors to attend cultural events.

Still, anyone who lives or works in UCity knows there are challenges. Some Observer readers commented that the community suffer from crime and urban sprawl. While some of those comments may be true, UNC Charlotte is working to make UCity a better place, from the campus, outward.

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois has made campus safety a top-of-mind issue; data on campus-area crime show that the campus is very safe. Even during tight economic times, Dubois has beefed up campus security.

Police patrol the campus and surrounding areas 24/7 on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, and car. Efforts also have been made to reach out to property managers at off-campus housing complexes to make sure they are providing safety tips to their residents. The University's new Master Plan, which will be finalized in a few months, presents options that will enhance the campus area even further. UCity is go through growing pains, but it is getting better.
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Paul Nowell is media relations manager at UNC Charlotte

Hair on Fire Was Never This Much Fun

2009-08-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Working in public relations is usually fun and stressful at the same time, and that's never been more the case during July and August at UNC Charlotte. These last several weeks have seen many days when our hair was on fire, rushing about trying to meet deadlines, finding experts for media interviews, planning a major press conference, sewing together the latest edition of a great magazine, writing op-eds and ballyhooing our new branding campaign. We gird our loins and bring our "A" game everyday. We love the "juice" of stress and never skimp on laughs; sometimes we lapse profane.

Communicating about UNC Charlotte is fun because we are working on behalf of a university that's one of the "good guys." Here are some of the stories we've been wrapped around lately, all of which bode well for all 28,000 students, staff and faculty, and indirectly for all of Charlotte.

On Aug. 18 we announced with The Leon Levine Foundation, a magnificent new merit scholarship program, Levine Scholars. Beginning next fall we'll bring to campus 15 top scholars every year -- stellar students from NC and beyond. The Levines are committing at least $9.3 million to this program that will seed the campus and community with young people who will enrich the community. From a room in our new Student Union, overlooking campus, an overflow crowd cheered this new initiative. The PR team, and colleagues in marketing, admissions, conference services, development and more busted it to make the event one for the ages at UNC Charlotte. On Aug. 18 we made history! Learn more at LevineScholars.uncc.com.

Speaking of the Student Union, it opened offically on Aug. 24. The sparkling new 196,000 square foot mecca is stunning. It dominates the new center of campus and is a spacious, gorgeous and inviting new home for all 49ers. Read about it, see photos and watch video on You Tube and the UNC Charlotte fan page on Facebook or at studentunion.uncc.com. The Student Union marketing team has another great story to tell and the PR team will help spread the word about yet another development that will make campus life exciting, fun and fulfilling. Drop by our Barnes & Noble book store, Starbucks, 49per Mac computer store, movie theater, dining courts and piano lounge.

Our Stake Your Claim branding campaign is gaining legs, especially now that students are back on campus. Our giant pickaxes are drawing attention --one is set up near our Dickson Gate front entrance, one at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and one at First Citizens Plaza in Uptown. Our billboards have sprouted around town and advertsing is appearing in media all over town. Social media sites are polka dotted with SYC postings.

This week we're pushing hard to get our latest UNC Charlotte magazine into production. When it is posted online in late September, you'll read about amazing faculty and staff who are staking their claim: cancer researcher Pinku Mukhurjee, special education leader and award winner Dianne Browder, Joe Gamez's work with the Charlotte Latino community, our novel Center for Global Public Relations and awesome student entertainers Brandon Kirkley, Jocelyn Ellis and The Sammies.

One of the great film noir movies says, "There are a million stories in the Naked City." Likewise, there are a million stories at the Great University. And the PR team and our many colleagues across campus aim to tell as many of those stories as we can. Let the hair burn!

Big Doings on Campus

2009-07-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

The beginning of fall semester is moving fast toward campus like last night's thunderstorm. And like a storm, the coming semester presents challenges in dealing with the deluge of activities on a campus of 24,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff. But the beginning of an academic year is the lifeblood of a university and the excitement is building in all corners of the campus.

Two events are already capturing the enthusiam of students, even as most of them are off-campus for the summer. First, UNC Charlotte's new 196,000 square foot Student Union is nearing completion. A few tweaks are still in the works on the exterior, which is striking. Inside, the building is even more awesome. Just check out the UNC Charlotte fan page on Facebook or You Tube to see photos and video clips students have posted recently. The union is the new magnet for students -- an Apple computer store; Starbucks; a stunning Barnes & Noble store for books, supplies and branded gear; a hair salon (do they still call it that?); movie theater; an amazing atrium; a massive ballroom; an array of knoshing options and lots more -- this facility rocks. Grand opening officially begins with an Aug. 28 dedication.

Earlier in August, beginning the week of the tenth, UNC Charlotte officially launches its Stake Your Claim brand campaign. It debuts publicly with advertising in The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Business Journal, Charlotte Post and Charlotte Weekly. Underwriting announcements also will appear on WFAE radio beginning that week. The University will communicate the launch internally using Web-based media such as the UNCC.edu Web site, Facebook and Twitter. Visotors to campus can already see the giant SYC pick axe set prominently just inside the Dickson Gate entrance to campus.(In response to the recession and a recent freeze on almost all State of North Carolina spending, no state funds are being spent on this initiative.)

We'll soon complete our imposing Bioinformatics building which embodies what will be one of the leading bioinformatics programs in the nation. We'll also break ground on our Energy Production Infrastructure Center this fall and we will complete the Master Plan that will guide campus development for the next 10 years; wait til see what the future holds -- it is fantastic!

Stay tuned also for a blockbuster academic announcement coming in late August.

The recession has presented many challenges at UNC Charlotte, but it has not stopped our high-velocity blast up the growth curve. The 2009-2010 academic year is going to be one of the best on record. Great things are happening at UNC Charlotte. Come see us.

People create a truly engaged university

2009-07-13T07:45:00.000-07:00

A great public university provides all sorts of benefits to its locale. College-educated people, of course. Jobs. Arts, athletics, thought-provoking speakers, research in concert with business to produce solutions to problems in the marketplace. And it also provides engagement with the community.

At UNC Charlotte, examples of community engagement are countless, which is one of the reasons the University was selected for a prestigious 2008 Community Engagement elective classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The designation recognizes institutions that have internalized and sustained their commitment to collaborate with communities through teaching, research, and outreach.

One person, among many, who embodies UNC Charlotte's culture of community engagement is Susan Harden. This month whe was recognized with the 2009 Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award from Campus Compact. Harden is coordinator for UNC Charlotte’s Crossroads Charlotte initiative.

A national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents, Campus Compact represents some six million students who are committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. The Civic Engagement Professional of the Year Award highlights Harden's critical and valuable role in UNC Charlotte's higher education mission. The award validates the fact that Harden has become a vital link between the community and campus.

During this past year, Harden introduced new Crossroads-themed courses such as UCOL 1200 Freshman Seminar and LBST 2215 Citizenship. More than 600 students participated in the courses, which resulted in almost 2,000 community service hours. Harden also spearheaded the development of a strategic network of Crossroads partners for service learning and event collaboration. These partners include Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Levine Museum of the New South, YWCA and the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

UNC Charlotte is staking its claim as a leading institution for the Charlotte region. It leads through scholarship, research, arts, culture, athletics, global outreach and community engagement. Harden is one of many, many students, faculty and staff who enrich the Charlotte region through their service.

Keep reading UNC Clt_News to meet more students, faculty and staff like Susan Harden.

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Students Create Their “Home Away from Home”

2009-06-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

The prospect of living on campus can be a challenge for new students. As part of this year’s orientation program, the Office of Housing and Residence Life partnered with three local businesses to provide ideas on how incoming residents can create a “Home Away from Home.”

For this first-time program, designers from Bed Bath & Beyond, IKEA and Target each decorated a lounge in Lynch Hall. They were asked to transform a portion of the lounges to depict a typical 10-by-15-foot bedroom area. The decorators were given a room’s basic furnishings – bed, desk, chair and wardrobe/dresser. They used the remaining space in the selected lounges to give examples of decorating ideas for common spaces (living rooms and bathrooms) that can be found in suite units.

“Students and their parents are always eager to see where their son or daughter is going to be living; our goal was to provide incoming residents with some great ideas on how to accessorize their rooms to not only maximize the space available but to create a home away from home,” said Carla Hines, assistant director of administration for housing and residence life.

According to Hines, parents of incoming students are concerned with their children succeeding academically and socially. Providing students ideas on how to create a comfortable living space is a new initiative that supports these goals.

“Living on campus is one of the best ways for students to excel in college,” said Jackie Simpson, associate vice chancellor and director of housing and residence life. “On-campus residents establish stronger connections to fellow students and faculty; they become more involved in campus life; and they achieve greater academic success.”

Hines, who spearheaded the “Home Away from Home” event, said the University-area businesses were excited to participate. During SOAR sessions (student orientation and registration), up to 10,000 people will view the design concepts. She added that the three retailers donated selected items from the designs for a drawing scheduled for Wednesday, July 22. SOAR sessions, which began recently, are held over two days. Incoming freshmen and their parents reside in Lynch and Witherspoon halls during their visit.

Research to help wounded warriors

2009-06-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

I saw a news item today about a group of swimmers (NightTrainSwimmers.com) , who will attempt to break the world record for the longest continuous relay swim, when they venture into the Sea of Cortez off Baja California Sur on June 28. The swim is a fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor and empower wounded warriors.

That story reminded me of reserach underway at UNC Charlotte that has a similar goal.

Dr. Laura Talbot, the Dean W. Colvard Distinguished Professor of Nursing, is conducting a Department of Defense-funded study which tests two different approaches to prosthetic rehabilitation for “wounded warriors.” Talbot has served in the military for three decades.

Traumatic amputation is one of the major injuries seen among American warriors as a result of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. An intervention that Dr. Talbot is using in her research for amputees returning from the war is a nurse managed neuromuscular electrical stimulation rehabilitation program. The objectives of her research are to test two different approaches to prosthetic rehabilitation as potential treatments for improving muscle strength, pain and function in military personnel with a below-the-knee amputation.

In such amputations, the amputated limb is less active in daily activities of standing and walking, resulting in progressive weakening of the leg muscles.

If successful, Talbot's nurse managed intervention could have an additive effect to the standard of care program with greater improvements in muscle strength. That would enhanced the performance of daily activities, quality of life, and decrease disability. This program may be very important to accelerate the rehabilitation of amputees so they can achieve functional independence and regain lost muscle strength.

UNC Charlotte is a university of collaboration and discovery, where talented people are working hard to do good. Dr. Talbot is one such 49er.

Innovating to Better-Manage Risk

2009-06-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

United Educators, a higher-education insurance company, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges have released the results of a survey that shows "less than a quarter of colleges regularly assess how they could prevent or respond to threats such as criminal acts, environmental catastrophes, and financial misconduct. And half of colleges plan for such risks only after receiving an audit, experiencing a campus crime, or seeing the fallout from such a problem on another campus."

United Educators' chief executive was quoted in a news release saying, "This data is certainly a wake-up call for higher-education leaders that they need to make enterprise risk management a priority now so they can avoid such pitfalls.”

Why should you care? You should care because how a university plans and prepares to manage risk can affect the people who live, work and visit campus, and people in the surrounding community. Risk management also affects the financial standing of the university and the university's reputation.

Several people responded to an online posting of the story. Some of them felt risk management only adds to a university's bureaucracy while others understand the potential value in planning and preparation.

Earlier this year, UNC Charlotte formed the Risk Management Department, which combined the offices of Business Continuity Planning, Police and Public Safety, Environmental Health and Safety and Risk Management and Insurance.
Bringing these four areas under one umbrella is a relatively new model, though Cornell University has utilized this structure for many years.

UNC Charlotte is adopting a model that is visionary by combining four operating units together in an umbrella organization to assist in the ERM initiative.”

The areas represented by the Risk Management Department have contact with virtually every operating unit across campus. By bringing them into one unit, the University will benefit from improved communication and strategic planning. Because large research universities such as UNC Charlotte operate as small cities, they are subject to adverse situations that can impact students, faculty, staff and visitors.

There are many scenarios that could affect operations or the University’s reputation, including a pandemic, such as swine flu; a residence hall or laboratory fire; severe weather; or sanctions resulting from failure to comply with federal, state or local regulations.

Risk won't go away, and occasionally adverse thigs happen. But the Enterprise Risk Management approach will help plan for and manage the risks inherent in operating a public research university.

We DO talk about religion in public

2009-06-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

They used to say that you should never talk about politics, religion or sex in polite company; no longer. There's an amazing series of community conversations going on monthly at the Levine Museum of the New South that serves as a complement to the museum's exhibit “Changing Places: From Black and White to Technicolor.”

Last week's topic was “Keeping the Faith: Making Room in the Pews," a panel discussion. As education sponsor for the exhibit, UNC Charlotte is hosting a community conversation every third Wednesday of the month through February 2010. The conversations are designed to take a deeper look at issues raised by the exhibit.

Panelists for “Keeping the Faith” were Sean McCloud, associate professor at UNC Charlotte; Jorge Prado, pastor of Spanish and Caring Ministries, Calvary Church; and Bruce Marcey, lead pastor of Warehouse 242. Maria Hanlin, executive director of Mecklenburg Ministries, moderated the talk.

Some of what we learned:

* Charlotte has a much more diverse faith community that many realize. Once homogeneous churches such as Calvary are now heavily integrated yet also tailor services to peopel from other cultures and with other first languages
* Non-traditional churches such as Warehouse 242 and Watershed are serving congregations that draw heavily from young people; these churches are typically less focused on building up the "kingdom on earth" -- large capital projects and such -- and more focused on outreach.

McCloud, who teaches courses in American religions and religion and culture, is the author of “Making the American Religious Fringe: Exotics, Subversives and Journalists, 1955-93” and “Divine Hierarchies: Class in American Religion and Religious Studies.”

Prado is responsible for preaching, teaching and guiding the Spanish-speaking members of Calvary Church and develops cross-cultural ministries for international members.

Marcey is leader of a vibrant church community that meets in a warehouse on Wilkinson Boulevard. Not afraid to think outside the box, this community of people engages the arts, music and small groups in a bold and nontraditional way in order to better explore faith.

Community Conversations are free and open to the public.

Smart, dedicated people respond to budget crisis

2009-06-11T12:34:00.000-07:00

The State of North Carolina is up to its nostrils in an economic crisis. Our legislature is working hard to come up with a state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Yet, a budget is only a plan, a structure that people and organizations use to invest/allocate/spend money.

More specifically, NC is in a cash crunch. A budget without the cash to make it work, gets you nowhere. All agencies of the State of North Carolina are being affected by this cash crunch. This includes the UNC system -- all 17 educational institutions -- of which UNC Charlotte is one.

(For updates on how this crisis is affecting UNC Charlotte, check out http://businessaffairs.uncc.edu/vice-chancellor-for-business-affairs/budget-news.)

During the last several months, I've had the privilege of participating in UNC Charlotte's Budget Council. I am not a number cruncher -- I'm a communications guy. But the other 15-20 folks on this council are numbers people. They are the ones responsible for managing the money of various divisions and other organizations that comprise UNC Charlotte. And they are an impressive group.

If, perchance, you are one of those who disparage the "government," or one of those who choose to believe that "working for the state" is a cushy, no-pressure gig, I'm here to tell you that the people on this Budget Council are awesome -- smart, proactive, tireless, effective people. They are led by Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs Beth Hardin. Next month she'll be among the 25 outstanding women from the Charlotte area honored at the 13th annual Women in Business event presented by the Charlotte Business Journal.

The Budget Council, like all of us, is grappling with the effects of a severe economic challenge. The council often meets twice a week, with some of the members meeting daily to respond to conditions that are changing constantly. Yet the council members remain upbeat and focused on solutions. The work of the Budget Council is grinding work that the team is handling with characteristic 49er qualities: collaboration, improvisation, tenacity and fearlessness. These are fine people doing a great job.

Choice of Woodward reflects on UNC Charlotte

2009-06-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

When UNC President Erskine Bowles chose Jim Woodward as interim chancellor at NC State this week he did so in the midst of a crisis. The crisis is that the ongoing controversy about former NC first lady Mary Easley's position at NC State had led directly to the resignation of NC State Chancellor James Oblinger -- whose stepping down followed those of the provost and the chairman of the NC State board of trustees. This regretable saga is a blow to NC State's heretofore sterling reputation. State is a fine school and a great asset to North Carolina. But, bad things happen and this one happened to State.

So when Bowles needed someone to help the school recovery from this stunning chain of events, he acted decisively and with wisdom. He looked to someone who is has an unassailable history of integrity, effectiveness and wisdom -- Jim Woodward. UNC Charlotte's chancellor from 1989-2005, he led UNC Charlotte firmly into its current era as a doctoral, urban research university. Among numerous other achievements, he methodically built up the facilities to support our expanidng academic prowess. Simply put, he's a giant among UNC Charlotte's constellation of incredible servant-leaders.

So, how does this reflect well on UNC Charlotte? It validates that this school has been led by outstanding leaders of vision and capability -- and of course, that description fits our current chancellor, Philip L. Dubois, as well. But not only are we a well-run instituion, we are -- and have been -- perhaps the very best run UNC school for years. UNC Charlotte has had to scrap and scrape to get by, perenially short-changed in terms of state funding-per-student. We're a relatively new school, growing in the shadow of long-hallowed counterparts like Chapel Hill and State. Our alumni base is still young and relatively less affluent. Yet we are an efficiently and cost-effectively run campus. We're a university of opportunity, collaboration and discovery -- you'll find no ivory towers at UNC Charlotte. We are moving fast on an upward trajectory, thanks to people like Dr. Woodward, Dr. Dubois, and former chancellors E. K. Fretwell and Dean Colvard.

So, out of all the stellar leaders he could have chosen from, Pres. Bowles tapped someone from little ol' UNC Charlotte. He chose a great man from a great school. Those of us invested in UNC Charlotte should be very, very proud.