General News

Whether looking to wet your whistle or grab a hearty meal, keep these alumni watering holes in mind.

The Charlotte Business Journal has named eight 49ers, including two research faculty members, to its 40 Under 40 class for 2022.

Charlotte 49ers will add women’s lacrosse, the fastest-growing sport on college campuses, as its newest sport with competition expected to begin with the 2024-25 academic year.

“We can’t wait to start competing in this exciting sport and are committed to building for success,” said 49ers Director of Athletics Mike Hill. “We were very deliberate in selecting women’s lacrosse because of its explosive growth and popularity locally, regionally and nationally. Fans will love watching the Niners lacrosse team play.”

Lydia Thompson, professor of art and former chair of the Department of Art & Art History, is the latest Constellation CLT artist at the Mint Museum of Art.

Constellation CLT, a solo exhibition series featuring work by local artists, rotates three times per year. “Lydia Thompson: Travelers” will be exhibited through Saturday, Sept. 4, in the museum’s uptown facility.

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber and several University alumni and board members are on the 2022 Business North Carolina Power List. 

Bell ringers for the 2022 Spring Commencement were Samantha Shefte, Kiran Budhrani and Ryen Boleware; the trio were outstanding student leaders who demonstrated exemplary 49er spirit.

The University has been closely monitoring the weather forecast for Friday and Saturday, May 13-14. Because we want to be able to celebrate our graduates’ accomplishments, we will move forward with the outdoor Commencement ceremonies as scheduled. However, in consideration of the forecast for the possibility of widespread rain both days, we will shorten the length of the ceremonies with a focus on what is most important — ensuring our graduates have the ability to walk across the stage. We continue to receive questions about moving the ceremonies to Halton Arena.

A group of architecture and chemistry students spent the spring semester working together to translate the nanoscale of chemistry to the macroscale of architecture.

Students from the Graduate Topic Studio, led by Rachel Dickey, assistant professor of architecture, and graduate research assistants from the lab of Christopher Bejger, associate professor of chemistry, teamed to design proposals for a nanoscale science pop-up museum. They built full-scale components, which were displayed at the Science Building for a juried competition.

The North Carolina Botanical Garden recently honored Larry Mellichamp ’70, retired director of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens, as only the seventh recipient of its Flora Caroliniana Award.

Priya Patel grew up in North Carolina’s Lake Norman area. A member of the Class of 2022, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from the University’s College of Health and Human Services. An aspiring physician, Patel discusses her Charlotte journey and plans for the future.