Awards and honors

Richard Gundacker, a lieutenant in the UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety Department (PPS), recently received the Office of the Year for Acts of Valor from the UNC System Board of Governors.The Officer of the Year Award for Acts of Valor is given to officers who have, through a conspicuous act or acts, distinguished themselves by bravery, heroism or outstanding courage and have placed the safety and welfare of others above all other considerations.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney ’92, the 2020 UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award winner, was honored Thursday for his strong leadership, listening ear and reputation as a community and relationship builder.

James Walsh, a core faculty member in the Public Policy program and professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, is the 2020 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal.

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois will receive the Charlotte Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award.

Student Gianna Agostino won first place in the Sound Design competition at the 71st annual Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Convention, held recently in Louisville, Kentucky. Agostino is a junior pursuing a double major in music and communications with a minor in theatre. She won the award for her design for the Department of Theatre production of Caryl Churchill’s “Far Away,” created under the supervision of faculty mentor Benjamin Stickles.

UNC Charlotte biology doctoral student Nicole Stott has been selected as a graduate student ambassador for the American Physiological Society (APS). 

Krystal Turner ’14,’19 M.A. recently was named Outstanding Entry-Level Student by the Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. The society promotes scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, advocacy and excellence in counseling.

Suzanne Leland, a core faculty member of the Public Policy Ph.D. program and professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, is the 2020 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award.

The Cato College of Education continues to broaden its influence nationally with the selection of Tina Heafner as president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).Heafner, a professor in the Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education, is a longtime member of NCSS and has held a number of roles and elected positions.

A book by UNC Charlotte Africana Studies associate professor Oscar de la Torre has received the inaugural Outstanding First Book Award from the Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora.