General News

As the new director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, Jeff Gillman sees his mission as engaging the public with the gardens and with nature.

“My goal is to bring the gardens to the public,” Gillman said. “The gardens have had a wonderful base over the years, and I hope we can bring it to a wider audience and help more people to experience not only the gardens but also plants in general. That is something I’ve worked on for my whole career – public engagement and getting people to appreciate plants and the environment.”

Making learning fun is a goal for many educators, and starting this fall, resources developed by two College of Education students will make that aim a little bit easier.

Celine Latulipe, associate professor in the College of Computing and Informatics, talks about the launch of a new initiative to engage female students in computer science.

This fall, Michael Maynard will be a Master of Science in Real Estate student, but this summer, he explored urban planning from coast to coast – on his bike.

Maynard is an incoming graduate student who participated in Bike and Build, a national group that organizes cross-country bicycle trips to benefit affordable housing groups.

This week’s “Live Wire,” airing at 2 p.m., Thursday, is a rebroadcast of a segment devoted to the University’s archaeological dig at Mount Zion. Religious studies professor James Tabor and other guests discuss the excavation, which is uncovering history in Jerusalem.

The Recreational Services Department will hold its annual RecFest from 2 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Northeast Recreational Field complex (1001 John Kirk Dr.).

Attendees can learn about sports club and intramural leagues, and the first 1,250 students will receive a T-shirt (with student ID). Plus, there will be carnival-style games, such as a mechanical bull and a dunking booth, along with free food from various local vendors.

Click here for more details.

Update: On Aug. 6, the House approved the bond bill described below by a vote of 76-29. It now goes to the Senate. The House amended the bill to move the date of the election to March 2016.
The Senate will likely make changes to the bond package.
On Aug. 5, the N.C. House voted 70-39 in an initial vote on the bond package.

Charlotte Pride honors outstanding individuals each year with the “Champions of Pride Awards” in recognition of their demonstrated exemplary work and dedication to the LGBTQ community. This year, Josh Burford, assistant director for sexual and gender diversity in the Multicultural Resource Center, was honored with the Charlotte Pride “Harvey Milk Award.”

More than 200 employees enjoyed free snow cones and popcorn as they learned about campus safety initiatives at the Staff Council’s “Community Safety Awareness Event” on the Cone University Plaza July 29.

Staff Council members served the refreshments, and representatives from business continuity; environmental, health and safety; the Police and Public Safety Department and the Risk Management, Safety and Security Department were on hand to provide information to employees.

Click on the menu item “Live Stream” above or here to go to “The Live Wire.”