A Look Back at Spring Commencement, AI Summit This Week, First-ever Forever a Niner and more

May 12, 2025

Categories: Niner Insider

Spring Commencement Recap

UNC Charlotte conferred nearly 6,000 degrees May 8-10, during Spring Commencement. Graduates in the Class of 2025 represented 24 countries, 43 states and 82 North Carolina counties. Read some of the highlights from the ceremonies.

what you need to know: faculty and staff

Academic Affairs Weekly News Digest: The 2025 AI Summit is this Wednesday, May 14. Learn more about the day, along with other important announcements in this week’s news digest.
Spending Cutoff Deadlines: As the fiscal year winds down, please review the fiscal year 2025 spending cutoff deadlines and other year-end reminders.
Mental Health Awareness: As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, UNC Charlotte’s partners at ComPsych have created a mental health awareness toolkit.
Motor Fleet Update: You spoke, and we listened. Motor fleet will continue to offer vehicle reservations for University-sponsored events. While the fleet is limited in size, it includes 15-passenger vans, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car will be an option for campus departments.

what you need to know: students

Softball Earns Top Conference Honors: Charlotte 49ers softball tallied six American Athletic Conference postseason honors, including Player of the Year for Jenna Lord and Freshman of the Year for Jaylah Jarrell.
Niner Engineers Reach New Heights: Niner engineers in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Student Branch at UNC Charlotte competed for the first time in the association’s international Design-Build-Fly competition.
Mental Health Awareness: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Explore the mental health education resources available at UNC Charlotte through the Center for Wellness Promotion.

event spotlight

Charlotte’s Independent Picture House will host its latest collaboration with the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences: CHILL at IPH. This newest CHESS Initiative of Lifelong Learning comprises a full schedule of short, multi session workshops to provide community, intellectual stimulation and a place to beat the heat. Weekly workshops are June 2 through Aug. 14.

additional news, events and announcements: faculty and staff

P-card Training: Attend the Concur for Purchasing Card (nontravel) virtual training from 10 to 11 a.m., Thursday, May 15, by registering on the learning and development portal.
Free CATS Rides for Bikers: As part of Bike to Work Week, the Charlotte Area Transit System is giving free transit rides to those who rack a bike May 12-18. Reminder, prorated CATS All-Access Transit Passes are still available for faculty and staff to purchase.
Apporto Training: The Office of OneIT will host faculty training Thursday, May 15, to dive into Apporto virtual desktop. Apporto provides faculty and students access to specialized virtual applications in the cloud no matter the hardware used.
Sustainability Faculty Workshops: The Office of Sustainability will host its annual faculty development workshop, “Infusing Sustainability in Your Curriculum,” from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., May 19-21. The workshops are based on highly successful programs offered at hundreds of campuses through the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; apply today.
Poll Everywhere Training: Sign up for a Poll Everywhere training session at noon, Wednesday, May 21, to learn to use the new course management features.
49er Mart Users: Attend a virtual forum from 2 to 4 p.m., Thursday, May 22. Registration is encouraged on the learning and development portal, and more information is on the 49er Mart message board.
Writing and Renewal Retreat: Register for urbanCORE’s Writing and Renewal Retreat, offered in partnership with the Writing Resources Center and the Botanical Gardens, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wednesdays, May 28 through July 2. Take part in guided reflection in the gardens followed by goal setting and writing in Sycamore Hall.
Call for Faculty Reviewers: The STEM Communication Training Program is recruiting faculty reviewers to rate work produced by graduate students. Reviewing will take place May 27-28; a stipend will be provided. If interested, contact Elise Demeter.
Access Career-aligned Content: Starting July 2025, all UNC Charlotte faculty and staff will receive free access to a library of industry-recognized microcredentials in high-demand fields such as data analytics, project management, cybersecurity, UX design and artificial intelligence.

only at charlotte

Anna Spangler Nelson, champion of literacy education, was presented an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree during the Friday, May 9, morning commencement ceremony.

around campus

Members of the Class of 1976 celebrated 49 years of Niner pride at their 49th Reunion during Friday morning’s commencement ceremony.

Graduates and their guests came together to celebrate their Charlotte journeys at the inaugural Forever a Niner event.

campus resources

join the niner conversation on social media

There are a lot of ways to stay up-to-date and show your Niner pride. Make sure to follow Charlotte on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.

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