Awards and honors

A highlight of commencement is the recognition of individuals for exceptional and distinctive service to the University or the greater community through the awarding of an honorary degree from UNC Charlotte. The Nominations, Honors and Awards Committee is seeking assistance in nominating persons for this honor.

The University’s Board of Trustees has established the following criteria regarding prospective nominees:

As a recipient of a DeJoy-Woś Family Foundation Scholarship, Elizabeth Smith spent her summer in Washington, D.C., taking classes and interning at the American Legion, as part of the Fund for American Studies. 

She was one of nine scholarship recipients, hailing from colleges and universities in North Carolina and Estonia that received full tuition and housing to attend the program. Smith, a first-generation college student, took an economics class and a public policy class at George Mason University.

Creating supportive learning environments that enable students to succeed is a hallmark of Charlotte faculty members, and this year’s nominees for the University’s teaching excellence awards exemplify that commitment.

Mary Layton “Mel” Atkinson, associate professor of political science and public administration, has been selected for the 2022-23 American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program.

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

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.

Mark Wilson will use funding for novel research on U.S. defense industry.

Jean-Claude Thill, Knight Distinguished Professor of Public Policy in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, is the 2022 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal.

Jessica Bravo, a Master of Social Work student in the UNC Charlotte College of Health and Human Services, is among the inaugural recipients of the Equity and Inclusion Student Award.

Abey T. Dessie, associate director of UNC Charlotte’s Levine Scholars Program, recently received the Myron G. Burney Award for Inclusion and Access. This honor, presented annually by the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling, recognizes an individual who has made a significant impact on the field of college admission counseling, with a focus on promoting inclusion and access.