Chancellor Phil Dubois made his final stop for the academic year in Stanly County on Thursday, May 8, as part of a series of visits to strengthen relationships between UNC Charlotte and the 12 counties that comprise the greater Charlotte Region.
A breakfast for alumni in Stanly County kicked off the visit, where Dubois was introduced to the Albemarle community by Stanly County Schools Superintendent and alumna Terry Griffin, who holds three degrees from UNC Charlotte. Dubois spent the rest of the day meeting with education, civic and industry leaders. He first talked with Stanly Community College President Brenda Hays, Stanly Chamber of Commerce President Kathy Almond and Pfeiffer University President Mike Miller and VP of Student Development and Dean of Students Russ Sharples, and Stanly County Manager Andy Lucas, who is also a two-time UNC Charlotte alumnus.
"It's invigorating to know how deep our roots are in education, government and industry in Stanly County. I'm encouraged by potential opportunities to work together in the future," said Dubois.
He noted the shared goals between UNC Charlotte and Stanly Community College, especially in the areas of advanced manufacturing and industrial technology, energy and allied health.
Dubois was the keynote speaker at the Albemarle Rotary Club meeting, emphasizing the many connections between UNC Charlotte and Stanly County including outstanding students, notable alumni, community leaders and education and business partnerships.
Dubois spent the afternoon touring Preformed Line Products, an energy company that has worked with the William States Lee College of Engineering and employs a number of alumni; and United Protective Technologies, an advanced coating developer whose products are used in aviation, the military and NASCAR. United Protective Technologies was founded at UNC Charlotte by students based on technology developed by faculty here.
Roughly 270 students from Stanly County attend UNC Charlotte and over 1,350 alumni live in Stanly County.
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