General News

Five Cool Things (August 2023)
Charlotte FC star and former Charlotte 49er Brandt Bronico ’17 scores big, two alumni are among America’s Most Influential and more.

Charlotte 49ers launching new Niner Club
The Niner Club presented by Modelo offers 49er fans a premium hospitality space.

Cruz assumes leadership of national theatre association
CarlosAlexis Cruz, associate professor of theatre, is the new president of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, the national professional membership organization for college and university theatre departments and administrators, educators, graduate students and theatre practitioners. He assumed leadership of the organization at the 2023 ATHE Conference in Austin, Texas.

LaNoticia honors senior lecturer Susan Cisneros
Susana Cisneros ’09 M.A. is among this year’s recipients of the Latin American Excelente Award. Presented by the Spanish language newspaper LaNoticia, the awards recognize honorees for their work in the community.

Art professors develop joint exhibition with partner in Poland
The Department of Art & Art History and Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław, Poland, recently jointly presented an exhibition, “The World Without Us,” curated by UNC Charlotte painting professors Andrew Leventis and Maja Godlewska.

Professor designs opera productions in Italy
Tom Burch, associate professor of scenic design, recently returned from six weeks in Italy, where he designed two opera productions for La Musica Lirica, an intensive opera training program for young professional singers. Premiering first in the town of Novafeltria, each production traveled to additional locations in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Botanical Gardens on Stinker Bell bloom watch
Stinker Bell, UNC Charlotte’s youngest blooming titan arum, is showing signs of opening during the next one to three days.
Tammy Blume, manager of the McMillan Greenhouse, said, “I am predicting a bloom Thursday, Friday or Saturday. The day it begins opening, we will keep the greenhouse open until 8 p.m. for viewing. The following day, we will open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.”

Architecture professor’s house design wins state’s top prize
A house designed, built and owned by Marc Manack, associate professor of architecture, with his firm SILO AR+D, was awarded the 2023 George Matsumoto Prize from NCModernist, a nonprofit organization and educational archive established for the documentation, promotion and preservation of residential modernist architecture in the state.

UNC Charlotte’s Natasha Stracener receives Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award
Natasha Stracener ’98, instructional media production manager for UNC Charlotte’s Center for Teaching and Learning, is the 2023 recipient of the Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award, given by the UNC Staff Assembly. She is the first UNC Charlotte employee to receive this prestigious recognition. Stracener was honored at the Staff Assembly meeting held at Winston-Salem State University on Tuesday, July 25.

Beth Crigler appointed vice chancellor for advancement
Beth Derrick Crigler has been appointed vice chancellor for advancement at UNC Charlotte, following a national search. She has served in this role in an interim capacity since July 2022.