ANNOUNCEMENTS
New Division Created; Interim Divisional Dean Appointed As Step In CLAS Organizational Review
March 02, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
A new academic division of four STEM departments will form within CLAS in January 2023, led by Interim Divisional Dean Bernadette Donovan-Merkert. The division’s creation will address needs the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics and Optical Science have expressed for identity, advocacy and research support. Meanwhile, study of the college's structure will continue over the next 10 months.
Mukherjee Named Interim Associate Provost And Graduate School Dean
December 13, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Pinku Mukherjee, who currently is the Irwin Belk Distinguished Professor for Cancer Research and associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, will serve as the interim associate provost and dean of the Graduate School effective Jan. 3, 2023, succeeding Tom Reynolds, who will retire after 40 years of service to the institution.
ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Inaugural Mathematician-In-Residence Connected Students, Faculty With Business Community As He Shared Core Skills and Insights
March 13, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
Risk management and data analysis are critical life skills for Grayson Dill, ’11. Students, faculty and staff at UNC Charlotte have benefitted from Dill’s expertise and vision over the past months, as he brought risk management to life in his work as the inaugural mathematician-in-residence in Charlotte’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Charlotte Alumnus’ Story Featured In Congressional “Grit & Grace” Film Documenting People's Quest For Economic Security
December 15, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Charlotte alumnus Joseph Graham Jr.'s inspiring story of struggle and progress is featured in a documentary film "Grit & Grace: The Fight for the American Dream," produced by a Congressional committee focused on economic disparity and fairness in growth.
STUDENT STORIES
Political Science, History Major Engages In Scholarship, Service
October 07, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Christian Rios is a double major in political science and history with a minor in American studies. His involvement on campus ranges from being a Niner guide, previously a Student Senator and now the current Student Government Association chief of staff. He also participates in the Mock Trial club and works in the Popp Martin Student Union as a reservation specialist. As a senior, he will be the first in his family to obtain a high school diploma and to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Retired Director Larry Mellichamp Joins Rare Group With Flora Caroliniana Award
September 16, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Longtime UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Director Larry Mellichamp ’70, who retired as director in 2014 after almost four decades directing the gardens, is the seventh person ever to receive the prestigious Flora Caroliniana Award from the North Carolina Botanical Garden.
Psychological Science Professor Receives National Campus Compact Award For Engaged Scholarship
May 10, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Professor Kimberly Buch has been a leader in the transformation of UNC Charlotte’s culture of service over the past two decades, while directly inspiring 500 UNC Charlotte students to devote 25,000 hours to hands-on service learning. In recognition of her work, Buch has received Campus Compact’s Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award, a national honor that celebrates faculty’s exemplary engaged scholarship accomplished through their teaching and research.
HONORS & AWARDS
Geographer Receives National Award For Mentoring Of Students, Colleagues
March 16, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
Heather A. Smith’s students and colleagues have long praised her generosity and inclusivity. For the exceptional way she mentors others, the UNC Charlotte geographer has received the 2023 Susan Hardwick Excellence in Mentoring Award from the American Association of Geographers. Smith’s professional interests and mentoring strengths have guided a generation of geography students who have carried the impact into other spaces and places.
TEACHING & ADVISING
CLAS Faculty Member Terry Shirley Jr. Named University Teaching Excellence Award Winner; Two Finalists From CLAS Recognized
December 08, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Terry Shirley Jr., associate chair and senior lecturer in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, has earned the 2022 UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence. Students and colleagues describe Shirley as dedicated, innovative, and holding a passion for teaching and learning.
Senior Lecturer In Spanish Receives Statewide Award For Exceptional Teaching, Engagement
November 08, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Susana Cisneros, ’09 M.A., sees the teaching of languages as a way to invite people to take a journey of self-exploration and join a collective learning experience. For the exceptional way that Cisneros guides language learners on their journeys, the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina presented her its 2022 Higher Education Teacher of the Year Award.
RESEARCH
Historian Wins National Book Award For Research On Women's Important Role In Dutch Reformed Church
January 12, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
A book by Amanda Pipkin, History Department chair and professor, has received the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender’s national 2022 Best Book Award. Through compelling, detailed case studies of women, the researcher reveals the vital contributions women made to the spread and practice of the Reformed faith.
New Model Reimagines National Parole And Probation Practices To Break Recidivism Cycle
December 08, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Earning probation or parole may be challenging, but having it revoked is surprisingly easy – clogging prison systems and derailing an individual’s ability to build a productive life. Nationwide, one in four state prison admissions in 2017 were a result of a technical violation by someone on supervised release. With support from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), UNC Charlotte professor Shelley Johnson and her colleagues are building and piloting a novel approach they hope will break the cycle of recidivism and lead to a new national model for parole and probation practices.
Antibody Invented At Charlotte Shows Promise For Pancreatic Cancer Treatment
November 30, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
An antibody that was invented at UNC Charlotte could be used to curb pancreatic cancer relapse and metastasis, a new UNC Charlotte study has found. Pancreatic cancer is particularly cruel — and deadly. Yet, there is hope for improved treatment options. UNC Charlotte researchers are among those leading the search for solutions, including research by Mukulika Bose ’22 Ph.D. and collaborators, including Bose’s mentor Pinku Mukherjee, published in the journal Translational Research.
INK
Charlotte Researcher Explores Ideas About Death With “Stories from the Dead Zone”
March 20, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
Thinking about death can be terrifying, or at least unsettling. One way we conquer our fear is by telling stories. Storytelling also gives death meaning and significance, as is often seen in the creative works of scholars, artists, writers and philosophers. At the next UNC Charlotte Personally Speaking series talk, on Tuesday March 28, UNC Charlotte expert Christine S. Davis will consider how ideas of death are constructed, using narratives drawn from real life and fiction.
Book Including Charlotte Historian's Essay Gains Instant Best Seller Status on The New York Times List
January 17, 2023 by Lynn Roberson
A new book that includes an essay by UNC Charlotte historian Karen L. Cox on myths related to Confederate monuments has landed on The New York Times Best Seller List just nine days after its release, making it an instant best seller. The book, “Myth America: Historians Take on the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past,” debuted on the hardcover nonfiction list at No. 8.
IN MEMORIAM
Charlotte Community Remembers Geography and Earth Sciences Faculty Member Harry Campbell
October 13, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
Harrison (Harry) Sherwood Campbell Jr., a professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, died Saturday, Oct. 8. A celebration of life will be held Friday, Oct. 14, at Heritage Funeral Home, 3700 Forest Lawn Drive, Matthews, North Carolina. The family will receive friends beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a celebration of life starting at 6 p.m.
Charlotte Mourns The Loss Of Botanical Gardens Director Emeritus Larry Mellichamp
September 16, 2022 by Lynn Roberson
The Charlotte community mourns the Sept. 12 death of UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens Executive Director Emeritus Thomas Lawrence (Larry) Mellichamp ‘70, known by many affectionately as Dr. M.
GLOBAL REACH
CLAS Faculty Building Innovation In Global Student Engagement, Working With OIP, Partner Universities
May 10, 2021 by Lynn Roberson
CLAS faculty members are leaders among those throughout UNC Charlotte who persevered during the pandemic to provide their students with global learning, partnering with the Office of International Programs to pilot a new initiative called Globally Networked Learning (GNL).
