General News

Heather Smith, professor of geography in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, is the 2014 recipient of the Provost’s Faculty Award for Community Engagement.  Established in 2012, the award honors a tenured faculty member whose teaching, research and service embodies the University’s commitment to civic involvement and whose work strengthens the relationship between UNC Charlotte and the larger community.

UNC Charlotte has created an on-campus food pantry, located in the Colvard Building, Room 3135, to benefit off-campus students who may have need. A recent national study showed an unexpectedly large number of college students are unable to find or afford nutritious food.

“As a University, we are deeply committed to fostering the best education possible, and that starts with making sure our students are eating nutritious meals consistently,” said Sean Langley, food pantry program co-founder and assistant director of off-campus and volunteer outreach.

Interactive a capella duo Dakaboom will perform at 2 p.m., Monday, Oct. 27, in the Student Union Rotunda as part of “Union Unplugged.”

Described as postmodern vaudeville, Dakaboom is a music-and-comedy duo from New York and Los Angeles.

Long-time best friends Ben McLain and Paul Peglar comprise Dakaboom; the two utilize a cappella, loop stations, stand-up, sketch, crowd interaction and several musical genres to create a world all their own.

Carlos Seminario, a Ph.D. student in the College of Computing and Informatics, is a recipient of the Lucille P. and Edward C. Giles Graduate School Dissertation-Year Fellowship, which is awarded to promising students in the final stages of their doctoral work who demonstrate strong potential to make a significant contribution to society by completing their terminal degree.

Estimating attendance can be difficult, but Staff Council officials are confident this year’s Fall Festival set a record for attendance.

The city of Charlotte will celebrate its third Minority Economic Development Week, starting Monday, Oct. 13, and UNC Charlotte will participate in the event.

The University will share event sponsorship with several locally based government agencies and building contractors that are committed to providing streamlined opportunities for minority-owned businesses in Charlotte’s growing economy.

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois recently spoke to the South Iredell Developer’s Council, where he focused on how UNC Charlotte is a driving force of economic growth and intellectual capital for the region. Alumnus Brad Howard (’02), CEO of the Langtree Group, extended the invitation for the chancellor to deliver the keynote speech at the council meeting.

UNC Charlotte’s Master of Science in Mathematical Finance program recently was ranked No. 25 in the country by Financial Engineer. 

This is the first national ranking for the Mathematical Finance program, which currently enrolls more than 100 students.  The 2015 rankings are calculated based on a series of factors, including average GRE scores, starting salaries and bonuses, undergraduate GPA, acceptance rates and the number of employed graduates.

As part of the seventh annual International Speaker Series, Furman University professor Katherine Kaup will explore contemporary violence in China’s minority regions and other themes from her recent book “Creating the Zhuang: Ethnic Politics in China,” during a talk at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Atkins Library Halton Reading Room.

The flow of life along the Catawba River changed dramatically about 50 years ago when Duke Energy created Lake Norman with the construction of Cowans Ford Dam in 1963. The lake and its surrounding region saw small farms, large plantations, mills and more replaced by state-of-the-art homes and businesses, nuclear power structures and a recreational lake culture – along with less visible changes such as shifting fish populations and a rise in community activism and environmental protection.