Academic Affairs

The UNC Charlotte chapter of Phi Kappa Phi recently received a Chapter of Merit Award, given to chapters that excel in recognizing and promoting academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engaging the community of scholars in service to others.

Jerry Coughter, executive director of UNC Charlotte Center City, recently climbed Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to help eradicate polio worldwide.
Coughter made the excursion with a group of Rotarians from Charlotte Rotary District 7680. Rotary International sponsors the End Polio Now campaign. According to Coughter, Rotary International and its partners have raised funding to provide polio vaccine worldwide since 1985.

International Open Access Week is Monday, Oct. 21, through Sunday, Oct. 27, and the J. Murrey Atkins Library will hold a number of public events to promote the open access movement in the publishing of scientific and scholarly literature.

When Joe Howarth started working with UNC Charlotte’s Charlotte Action Research Project in Charlotte’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods in 2011, he kept hearing about the City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood Matching Grant program.

The University Career Center’s annual Majors Day, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, is an opportunity for students to explore all of their academic options, including majors, minors, concentrations and certificates.
Representatives from all of the University’s colleges and departments will be at Majors Day to talk with students about their respective programs. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Cone University Center Lucas Room.

Elizabeth Rollins recently joined UNC Charlotte as the director of financial aid. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the field of higher education financial aid.
In undertaking this role, Rollins plans to streamline financial aid processes within the office, and she said she plans to implement a “more holistic approach to customer service, ensuring the financial aid staff provides a positive experience during every meeting with students and/or parents.”

UNC Charlotte students can apply for paid internships to work with a faculty or staff mentor through the University Professional Internship Program (UPIP).
This unique program, possible through the joint efforts of the University Career Center (UCC) and sponsoring academic departments, is designed to engage undergraduate students in academically relevant, on-campus work while earning both academic credit and pay, said Carrie Silver, UPIP program manager.

The Office of Academic Affairs has created the Office of Assessment and Accreditation, which will be led by its executive director, Christine Robinson.

Nine focused work sessions around specific strategic issue topics have been scheduled for October and November as the IT Master Plan project enters the final phase.
The objective of the IT Master Plan work sessions are to facilitate a collaborative process for engaging University stakeholders in a productive discussion about strategic IT issues that UNC Charlotte is currently facing, explained C.E. Pierce, ITS, who is the University’s project manager for the IT Master Plan initiative.

Drive by UNC Charlotte Center City at night before Sunday, Oct. 6, and see it “pretty in pink” in support of the Queen City in Pink Initiative and national Breast Cancer Awareness month.
According to Donell Stines-Jones, starting at dusk, the building’s internal stairwell from the first to 12th floors shines “bright pink.” Reusable sleeves that cover the florescent bulbs are responsible for the temporary transformation.