Student Affairs

The website Best College Values has ranked UNC Charlotte’s Student Union at number six on its list of “30 Most Amazing Student Unions.”

In determining its compilation, the website examined architecture and exterior appeal, facilities, interior appeal and tradition when ranking student unions across the country.

The Charlotte-based LGBT arts, entertainment and news publication qnotes recently named Josh Burford, assistant director for sexual and gender diversity in the Multicultural Resource Center, as its “2014 Person of the Year.”

The recognition stemmed from Burford’s extensive campus and community involvement, and in particular, his outreach initiatives related to the establishment of a community LGBTQ historical archive in UNC Charlotte’s J. Murray Atkins Library Special Collections.

J. Scott Derrick, executive director of the Student Union and Cone University Center, is president-elect for the Association of College Unions International (ACUI); he will be installed formally in April at the organization’s annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.

“I am both honored and humbled to have been elected by my fellow ACUI colleagues as president-elect,” said Derrick. “To be trusted with this responsibility is something that I take very seriously.”

“Accumulations,” an exhibit featuring work by UNC Charlotte alumna Carmen Neely, will be displayed through Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Student Union Art Gallery. A free reception with the artist will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 16.

According to the artist,“Accumulations” is the result of a new, more formalist approach to exploration in painting. Her earlier works focused predominately on references to the figure and have stemmed from ideologies about sexuality; Neely’s current compositions focus more intently on qualities of line and organic shape.

At its recent planning meeting, the Division for Student Affairs staked its claim to community engagement as more than 264 staff members donated school supplies to Classroom Central, a nonprofit organization serving more than 100,000 students living in poverty in  200-plus schools in six local school districts. 

National Urban League president Marc Morial will give the keynote speech for the University’s celebration of the life, work and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.  

Morial’s free, public talk “Building Bridges Through Civility, Justice and Action” is sponsored by the UNC Charlotte Multicultural Resource Center. A community reception will follow in the Lucas Room.

The University will host a three-day “Train the Trainer” session for Jason Katz’s Mentors in Violence Prevention model Tuesday, Jan 20, through Thursday, Jan. 22, at the Student Health Center.

Katz, an educator and author, co-developed the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) model. He and his team have spearheaded the idea of gender equity in the dissemination of the violence prevention message since the early 1990s.

This fall, UNC Charlotte students took part in several efforts to benefit Habitat for Humanity, including the second on-campus homecoming build by the UNC Charlotte Chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Shortly after the Homecoming football game, the chapter house was moved to its permanent location in Arvin Meadows, a neighborhood off Statesville Road.

According to an article in the Charlotte Observer, the homeowner is Peggy McMullen, 55.

Jonathan Adams is a familiar face at UNC Charlotte; he recently returned as associate dean of students and director of student conduct and outreach.

During Adams’ first UNC Charlotte tenure, from January 2010 to July 2012, he was assistant director of student conduct and outreach. During that time, he worked closely with the review, investigation, adjudication and management of student conduct violation cases. For the past two years, Adams was associate director of student conduct at Appalachian State University.

At UNC Charlotte, buildings are named for people who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of the state, and former Gov. Jim Martin qualifies, said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois at a dedication ceremony for Martin Hall Thursday, Nov. 20.