UNC Charlotte will honor former trustee Ruth Shaw for her support of education, her corporate leadership and her commitment to the community during the University’s spring commencement on Saturday, May 11. She will receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service.
Prior to joining Duke Energy Corp. in 1992, Shaw was a leader in community college education, serving as president of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte and as president of El Centro College in Dallas, Texas. Her dedication to higher education has been a life-long passion. She used her experiences in higher education and industry to advise UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and former Chancellor Jim Woodward. During two stints on the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees, from 1995 to 2003 and 2005 to 2010, Shaw served as vice chair (1996-2003) and chair (2007-10).
“I can’t think of anyone who is more qualified for and deserving of this recognition,” said Dubois. “Ruth Shaw is a leader whose service to UNC Charlotte helped guide it into a vibrant period of growth and development. And she continues to serve the University. ”
At the May 11 ceremonies, UNC Charlotte will confer bachelor’s degrees upon approximately 2,500 new graduates. In addition, 1,065 graduate degrees and certificates, including 64 doctorates, will be presented during two ceremonies in Halton Arena of the Barnhardt Student Activity Center. The colleges of Education, Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Graduate School will award degrees at 10 a.m.; the Belk College of Business, colleges of Arts + Architecture, Computing and Informatics, Health and Human Services, Lee College of Engineering and the Graduate School will confer degrees at 3 p.m.
UNC Charlotte will offer a live video stream of the ceremonies via the Web. More details are posted on the commencement website. Residents in the Charlotte area will be able to see a live broadcast of each ceremony through UNC Charlotte Cable Television Channel 22 broadcasting on Time Warner Cable.
Shaw, who retired from Duke Energy in 2007, continued to serve as executive advisor to the company until May 2009. She previously was group executive for public policy and president, Duke Nuclear; president and chief executive officer, Duke Power Company; and executive vice president and chief administrative officer, among other roles. She also served as president of the Duke Energy Foundation from 1994 to 2003.
During Shaw’s tenure on the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees, the University grew in stature and reputation – enrollments increased, academic programs were added, new academic and student-centered facilities were constructed, and in 2008, football was approved as part of the University’s athletics offerings.
Shaw continues to serve as chair of the UNC Charlotte Foundation and a member of the Charlotte Research Institute’s Advisory Board. Recently, she was chair of the “Let Me Play” luncheon, which raised more than $102,000 for women’s athletic programs at UNC Charlotte.
An active civic and industry leader, Shaw chairs the board of the Carolinas Thread Trail, which is developing an interconnected trail system in piedmont North and South Carolina. In 2011, a 1.5-mile greenway running through the UNC Charlotte campus was named the Ruth G. Shaw Trail.