General News

Fall means cool weather, cozy nights in and fun activities that only feel right in the fall. Take a look at what the UNC Charlotte community thinks are some of the best fall activities. 

Pumpkin Frenzy 

Krista Saral, associate professor of economics in the Belk College of Business, is executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Her appointment advances UNC Charlotte’s support of the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and demonstrates the University and Belk College’s commitment to use-inspired research in innovation and entrepreneurship.

The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Oct. 6-7, in Parking Lot 5.

Fall typically is the best time to plant in this region in preparation for spring blooms. Sale attendees will find an outstanding selection of native and non-native hardy shrubs, trees, perennials, wildflowers, ferns and cool weather annuals at the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale.

UNC Charlotte students celebrated a ribbon-cutting for the 49th Acre, a three-acre student outdoor event venue and tailgate park, Saturday, Sept. 16.

UNC Charlotte faculty members Brittany Anderson, Janaki Gooty, Tehia Starker Glass and John Tobias ’94 are among the top 100 “power players” helping to build a more diverse, inclusive Queen City.

UNC Charlotte has named the building that houses the Cato College of Education Mebane Hall in honor of a transformative endowment of up to $23 million from the Mebane Foundation to support early literacy.

For the first time in its history, UNC Charlotte has achieved a coveted position among the nation’s top 100 public universities, according to the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings, which were released Monday, Sept. 18.

UNC Charlotte’s International Festival is back and better than ever. The University’s longest-running cultural event is set for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 23, in and around the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.

For the second year in a row, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, or FIRE, has ranked UNC Charlotte among the nation’s top universities for free speech.  

In its recently released 2024 College Free Speech Rankings report, FIRE ranks Charlotte No. 21 with an overall score of 62.54.    

The ranking is based on a composite of 13 areas, six of which assess perceptions of freedom of speech on campus through student surveys. 

Charlotte joins several Charlotte-based companies on the list, including Duke Energy, Atrium Health and Bank of America.