Faculty and Staff News

UNC Charlotte welcomed the following new staff and faculty members during the Nov. 13 New Employee Orientation session:

Atkins Library
Alva Jones, university library technician

Athletics
Ernest Scott, building environmental supervisor

Belk College of Business
Margaret Peduto, business services coordinator
Valentina Sosa-Gutierrez, administrative support associate

Benefits
Stephanie Lazzaro, human resources consultant

The 2018 Vendor Showcase is scheduled for 10 a.m.to noon, Monday, Dec. 10, in the Cone University Center, Lucas Room.

This year’s showcase, which is open to faculty and staff members, will include about 40 campus vendors ready to demonstrate and discuss their various products and services. Attendees can drop in to learn more about the products and services they frequently use, as well as others they may want to explore.

Participants can enjoy free food from Chartwells, Jimmy John’s and Papa John’s; holiday photos with Norm; and games, prizes and raffles.

Robin Drake, 60, died Nov. 6 at the Brian Center of Concord. A longtime member of the Atkins Library staff, Drake joined UNC Charlotte in 1979.

During her career, Drake worked in several units, including Cataloging, Acquisitions, Circulation, Technical Services and most recently Special Collections and University Archives.

Jonathan “Jon” Varnell has been appointed UNC Charlotte’s new associate vice chancellor for facilities management. He will assume his duties in early December.

Varnell currently serves as the vice president for administration at Indiana’s Valparaiso University, where his responsibilities include all facilities management operations, construction, capital planning and management and utilities and energy management, among other duties.

UNC Charlotte’s automotive fleet was awarded nearly $58,000 to upgrade the fleet to reduce transportation-related emissions through alternative fuel methods. This grant is from the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center at North Carolina State University’s Clean Fuel Advanced Technology (CFAT) Project.

Students were part of this funding effort, as the Charlotte Green Initiative supported a matching grant of $10,600.

Portions of the sidewalk between Reese and King buildings will be closed starting Monday, Nov. 12, to allow for repairs to underground pipes.

Expect construction fences, noise and heavy equipment, along with vehicles entering/exiting the area. This project is expected to be completed by Friday, Dec. 14.

Remember to use caution when approaching construction areas.

UNC Charlotte welcomed the following new staff and faculty members during the Oct. 30 New Employee Orientation session:

Africana Studies
Rosemarie Wickham, administrative support associate

Building Environmental Services
Sonia Espinoza, building environmental technician

College of Computing and Informatics
Aliana Jimenez, administrative support associate

On Thursday, Nov. 8, the second phase of construction on the new science building is scheduled to begin.

Fencing will be erected around the entire site, with a portion of Lot 16 to be closed permanently.

Expect heavy construction equipment and personnel as work begins to demolish the old facilities operations building, steam plant and warehouse.

New walking paths will be in place, as the north sidewalk along Craver Road will be closed. The bus stop in front of the project will be closed, too.

Work is expected through December 2020.

Across the nation, student hunger is real. Recognizing that one in seven college students is considered food insecure, UCLA student Rachel Sumekh co-founded Swipe Out Hunger, a nationwide program on college campuses that re-allocates meal swipes to students in need.

UNC Charlotte is now among the dozens of campuses in 23 states participating in Swipe Out Hunger.

UNC Charlotte recently made Princeton Review’s “Guide to 399 Green Colleges” for the second time. The guide is an unranked list of environmentally responsible “green” colleges, which students often consider when applying.