Academic Affairs

The third annual UNC Hispanic/Latino Faculty Forum will be held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 12-13, on the UNC Charlotte campus.
The forum begins with a fiesta from 7 to 11 p.m., Sept. 12, in the UNC Charlotte Student Union, Room 340 D-I. There will be live music, dancing and refreshments.
On Sept. 13, there will be several forum sessions, including a panel discussion on immigration and its impact on communities and the state, advancing through the faculty ranks and UNC campus initiatives aimed at recruitment and retention of Latina/o faculty, staff and students.

Samuel Lopez, director of the Office of Multicultural Academic Services and adjunct associate professor of kinesiology, recently represented the University’s chapter of Phi Kappa Phi—the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines—at the organization’s 43rd biennial convention held in St. Louis, Mo.
Lopez currently is president of the University’s chapter and attended the convention as its voting delegate.

Effective Monday, Sept. 15, Heather Brown will become the executive director of the Women + Girls Research Alliance.
According to academic affairs officials, Brown will lead the alliance to fully realize its mission to become a recognized authority in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County on issues affecting women and girls.

Associate professor of education Tracy Rock is the 2014 recipient of the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence – one of the University’s most prestigious honors for faculty members.

Some 100 students from the new Charlotte Engineering Early College (CEEC) will be in the audience when the Echo Foundation hosts a student dialogue with two Nobel laureates on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in Cone University Center’s McKnight Hall.

The Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award committee is soliciting nominations for the 2015 award. This award was established in memory of Dr. Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology, who was noted for her deep dedication to the academic and professional development of graduate students. Each year, the Chancellor’s Office and the Graduate School present this award to a full-time member of the graduate faculty who evinces these qualities of outstanding graduate mentoring.

For nearly four decades, UNC Charlotte has held the region’s largest, most culturally diverse festival. Now entering its 39th year, the annual International Festival provides a unique opportunity for attendees to experience the world in a day. With more than 50 nations represented, this colorful festival lets individuals engage in a vast array of activities including art, costumes, games, music, dance, and of course, food.

Providing instruction to help first-year and transfer students succeed academically is the focus of the Top 40 Academy, formed in collaboration with the Center for Teaching and Learning.

The McCormack Scholarship for Nontraditional Student receives support through the Charlotte University City Rotary Club annual golf tournament, which will be Wednesday, Oct. 1, at the Skybrook Golf Club in Huntersville.
The tournament is a captain’s choice format with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. The deadline to register is Friday, Sept. 26; contact Tim O’Connell at 704-333-1966 or email timoconnell@carolina.rr.com.
The Office of Adult Students and Evening Services awards the McCormack Scholarship.

Fumie Kato, a faculty member in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, is among the five finalists for one of UNC Charlotte’s top honors – the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence.