General News

An oval-shaped great lawn to provide opportunities for people to be around other people, along with a monumental water element and more “pocket” spaces for activities, amenities and gatherings were the major elements of the conceptual design revealed at the final Belk Plaza Forum, April 11.

“We created a palate that would accommodate just about anything. The functional flexibility of space reflects classic design and introduces contemporary expression,” stated Adam Martin, a LandDesign associate and UNC Charlotte alumnus.

John David Smith, the Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History, is the 2016 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award in recognition of excellence in research.

A ceremony was held Tuesday, April 12, at the Harris Alumni Center to formally honor Smith. Each year since 1987, the University with support from First Citizens Bank presents this award to recognize and foster the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and creative endeavors.

An ambitious six-year project to address all of Shakespeare’s plays before the 400th anniversary of the playwright’s death comes to completion on Saturday, April 23, with “As We Like It” in the Belk Theater of the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts.

Tackling six plays a year in formats ranging from lectures to full-blown theatrical productions, the “36 in 6 Project” has been an initiative of UNC Charlotte’s Shakespeare in Action.

UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center, in conjunction with CLT Joules, will hold the energy seminar series “Reinventing the Power Industry” from 1 to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 21.

Mirsad Hadzikadic, executive director of the Data Science Initiative and director of the Complex Systems Institute, will moderate “Ideology, Conflict and Hope: The Bosnia Project” at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 26.

Technology can make life much easier, but it can distract people from their college education. Jose Antonio Bowen, president of Goucher College, envisions the use of technology in the classroom as a way to engage students rather than to simply educate them.

The School of Social Work and Department of Special Education and Child Development announce the approval of a joint certificate program in early childhood mental health (ECMH). This program, which requires 15 graduate hours, focuses on children birth to five years of age and their families.

Graduates of the certificate program will be able to:

The 15th annual Charlotte Venture Challenge, which will be held, Tuesday, April 19, at the North Carolina Research Campus, will showcase 27 startup finalists to investors, corporate innovation executives and the business community.

In addition to presentations by the startups, Chis Heivly, cofounder of MapQuest, will deliver a keynote presentation, and there will be updates from alumni who participated in past challenges. Register to attend this year’s celebration online.

Four degree candidates in the College of Education Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education have received fellowships to participate in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s prestigious Teacher Seminar program.

Brittany Gibson, Renae Kaister, and Marticia Turner are teachers at Newell Elementary School; Erin Byrd teaches at Butler High School. Gibson, Turner and Kaiser are pursing master’s degrees in teaching English as a second language; Byrd, a master’s in secondary education.

Students from the UNC Charlotte Department of Dance, under the direction of Professor of Dance Sybil Huskey, will participate in the National Water Dance. Scheduled for Saturday, April 16, National Water Dance is an annual event that builds a “movement choir” of dancers who join together to draw attention to global water issues. The topic is particularly urgent this year, with the recent drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich., and the persistent drought in California.