General News

The entire campus community will soon notice improved Wi-Fi connectivity as a result of the University’s new wireless vendor, Aruba Networks and the company’s new “Wave 2” access point technology.

Mike Carlin, vice chancellor for information technology and CIO for the University, along with other ITS leaders, carefully vetted different wireless solutions to select the most appropriate option for the state’s urban research institution.

At its Dec. 3 meeting, UNC Charlotte’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a resolution in support of the $2 billion Connect NC bond package.

North Carolina voters will consider the bond package on March 15, 2016.

If voters approve the bond package, UNC system schools will receive $980 million to build classroom buildings and make repairs. The state’s 58 community colleges will share $350 million. The bond also supports projects in agriculture, public safety, the National Guard, state parks and water and sewer lines.

Barnes & Noble at UNC Charlotte in the Student Union and the UNC Charlotte Center City Campus Shop will offer faculty and staff members the chance to purchase merchandise and receive an extra 10 percent discount on top of the 20 percent faculty and staff already receive.

The holiday sale at Barnes & Noble at UNC Charlotte’s is Wednesday, Dec. 9; the faculty/staff sale day at UNC Charlotte Center City Campus Shop is Thursday, Dec. 17.

UNC Charlotte is a leader in the field of advance machining engineering, and in support of the University’s efforts, the Gene Haas Foundation has donated $20,000 to the Lee College Department of Mechanical and Engineering Science Department for student scholarships.

Charlotte 49ers red-shirt junior quarterback Lee McNeill was named to the Conference USA all-academic football team, becoming the first 49ers football player to receive this honor.

Roy Fielding, a senior lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology, was recognized for an outstanding presentation at the 2015 World Conference on Drowning Prevention. Fielding’s presentation on the Lifeguard Rescue Reporting System he developed was one of four selected as outstanding by the conference committee. The conference was held in Malaysia, with more than 450 attendees representing 59 countries.

UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton will give his quarterly forecast for the North Carolina economy at a luncheon and press conference Tuesday, Dec. 8, at UNC Charlotte Center City. Connaughton’s presentation begins at noon in the auditorium. Lunch will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m.                               

Randy Haldeman, director of choral studies, and Jonathan Govias, director of orchestras, will be the guests on the Dec. 4 edition of “The Live Wire,” Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast. Starting at noon, they will discuss the upcoming University Chorale and Chamber Orchestra concert, scheduled for Dec. 9.

Nearly 3,550 undergraduate and graduate students will receive degrees during commencement exercises on Saturday, Dec. 19.

These graduates will swell the ranks of UNC Charlotte alumni, and they will have an impact in the greater Charlotte community and across the nation, said Jenny Jones, executive director of alumni affairs.

The University Chorale and Chamber Orchestra join forces to present a holiday-themed concert at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9, in the Belk Theater of the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. Randy Haldeman, director of choral studies, will conduct.

The Dec. 9 program will open with a piece for chamber orchestra alone, conducted by music student Faith Foster, who is one of two students in the Department of Music’s conducting mentorship program. The piece “March of the Little Lead Soldiers” is by French composer Gabriel Pierné.