General News

Alumni are among the most valuable advocates for their alma mater, and the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association recently recognized eight individuals for outstanding contributions to their professions, their communities and to the University.

UNC Charlotte’s Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration program is ranked in the top 25 percent of public affairs programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The MPA program continued its strong ranking in the 2017 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings released in March 2016, landing at No.  63.

UNC Charlotte alumnus Bobbie Cavnar of Gaston County is the North Carolina Teacher of the Year for 2016-17.

Cavnar, an English teacher, completed a master’s degree in English at UNC Charlotte in 2011. This is his 17th year in the teaching profession; he has taught since 2003 at South Point High School in Belmont.

“Bobbie sees public education as the one thing that is equal and fair in a child’s life,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson. “He sees teachers as the equalizers, the keepers of America’s promise of equal opportunity.”

Winners of the 16th annual Graduate Research Symposium were named at the event, held earlier this month in the J. Murrey Atkins Library. 

The top presenters, by category, were:

Public Health, Social Sciences, Business

Oral sessions:
First – Elmer Fos, Master of Health Administration
Second – Meika Berlan, Ph.D., Public Policy
Third – Konstantin Ekstrom, Master of Economics
Honorable Mention – Shahar Gur, MS, Industrial/Organizational Psychology

Poster sessions:
Best poster – Lee Ann Long, MS, Nursing

Last week, I informed you that the University was anticipating formal guidance from the General Administration as to how the newly-enacted Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, also known as House Bill 2, applies to UNC Charlotte. We now have that guidance in the form of a memorandum from UNC President Margaret Spellings, available here on the General Administration website. The text of the Act, which I would encourage you to read, is appended to the memorandum.

How World War I transformed the Charlotte region is the focus of a documentary screening and “teach-in” scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 23, at UNC Charlotte Center City.

This event is free and open to the public; advanced registration is requested and includes a parking pass and refreshments.

In celebration of Earth Month, the Office of Waste Management and Recycling is sponsoring several events in which the campus community have opportunities to contribute to a cleaner, greener UNC Charlotte.

The student group Voices of Eden Gospel Choir recently completed its spring semester tour with concerts in Winston-Salem and Greenville, N.C., and Richmond, Norfolk and Suffolk, Va. The group will be featured in concert at Mission Gathering Charlotte at 10 a.m., Sunday, April 10.

In Richmond, the choir sang at a nursing home and visited with residents; the performance was part of its established tradition to uplift the campus and community through sharing its gift of music.

The Department of Music will celebrate the music of women composers on Thursday, April 21, with “Set No Limits,” a free concert at UNC Charlotte Center City at 7:30 p.m. Developed by Assistant Professor of Clarinet Jessica Lindsey, the program will present music by eight composers, performed by Lindsey and guest artists Christian Bohnenstengel, piano, and Christy Banks, clarinet. Funded in part by a Chancellor’s Diversity Grant, the concert is free and open to the public.

The Department of Music will present the final concert in the 2015-16 Faculty and Friends Concert Series at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, in Rowe Recital Hall. The concert features Anne R. Belk Distinguished Professor of Violin David Russell with guest pianist Kyle Linscheid.