General News

It was a busy week for UNC Charlotte employees who used their paid community service leave to volunteer across the campus and city of Charlotte during National Volunteer Week, April 8-12.

Employees packed 1,200 meal supplement backpacks, 1,500 pencil pack kits, 1,500 toiletry kits and made 2,500 sandwiches. University alumni helped sort clothing donations at Crisis Assistance Ministry.

UNC Charlotte’s Office of Sustainability will hold a collection event for unwanted personal electronic devices (e-waste) and professional attire from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, in Parking Lot 5A. Items collected will be donated to benefit those in need.

E-waste collection

Historically, graduating students have been welcomed into the nursing profession with a pinning, said Peggy MacKay, a lecturer in the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing. But faculty in the school wanted to do a little more for the graduates to formally usher them into the field.

The result was a White Coat Ceremony. Each semester, graduates receive a white coat to symbolize their embarking upon their careers as nurses. MacKay said faculty members write notes of encouragement to place in the pockets of each jacket.

SoVi Dining Hall and Crown Commons were designated recently as “3 Star Certified Green Restaurants” by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA), a national nonprofit organization helping restaurants to become more environmentally sustainable.

Currently, the Charlotte area has five GRA-designated facilities, and two of those are UNC Charlotte’s SoVi Dining Hall and Crown Commons. The University is one of five higher education institutions in North Carolina with a certified green restaurant.

Harris Teeter recently made a donation to the Jamil Niner Student Pantry. A gift of $10,000 in Harris Teeter gift cards and industrial shelving to update the pantry’s storage needs will assist the organization’s efforts to combat student food insecurity on UNC Charlotte’s campus.

The seven alumni, faculty and friends of the University who were honored at the 2019 Alumni Awards Luncheon included accomplished business leaders, public servants, community leaders, educators and philanthropists.

The National Association of Schools of Theatre has granted full membership to UNC Charlotte’s Department of Theatre.

For his outstanding contributions to industrial and organizational psychology, UNC Charlotte Psychological Science Department Chair Eric Heggestad has been named a Fellow of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP).

Heggestad was one of 20 distinguished industrial-organizational psychologists afforded this status at SIOP’s 34th annual conference.

The Charlotte 49ers annual Green-White Spring Football Game is scheduled for 4 p.m., Saturday, April 13, at Jerry Richardson Stadium.

Tony Schmitz from the William States Lee College of Engineering is one of the 17 recipients of the UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.