Awards and honors

Associate Professor of English Juan Meneses will spend four weeks this summer in residency at the National Humanities Center in the Research Triangle Park completing the third chapter of his second book, tentatively titled “Denizens! On Foreigners, Visitors and Other Outsiders.”Meneses will join a select group of about 40 scholars from across the nation who were chosen to do research in residency at the center, with the timing guided by the state’s protocol on COVID-19.

Didier Dréau, Angela Jakeway and Andrew Goff have received the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Excellence in Teaching Awards for the 2019-20 academic year.

Eleven outstanding students were recently honored at the annual University Honor and Awards Ceremony, held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.One of the most prestigious awards, the Bonnie E. Cone Leadership Award, is presented to a member of the graduating class whose leadership, scholarship and service to the University embodies the spirit of Cone, who devoted her life to the development of UNC Charlotte.

Lara Vetter, professor of English, is this year’s recipient of the Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award for her contributions to student success and enrollment management.The honor comes with $1,000, an engraved plaque and the recipient’s name engraved on a perpetual trophy on display in the Graduate School.

The Provost Awards recognize faculty and academic units for exemplary work in teaching and community engagement. This is vital to UNC Charlotte’s mission to prepare students for chosen careers and to address community needs in the Charlotte region.

Jennifer Webb is among the 2020 recipients of the UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

Nitika, a doctoral student in Biological Sciences, and Caroline Brinegar, a master’s student in Geography, were designated UNC Charlotte’s Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants (TA) for 2020. The pair, who were recognized remotely due to the University’s effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic, were awarded $1,000 and a plaque.

Mark West, who has devoted his 35-year career at UNC Charlotte to advancing children’s literacy, is a recipient of the Governor James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.

The College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) honored its 2020 Distinguished Alumni on Friday, March 13, during a ceremony in the Anne R. Belk Theater in Robinson Hall. The event was the college’s sixth annual ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of alumni who demonstrate in their work the core themes of the college’s vision: professionalism; global perspective; environmental engagement; connectivity with community; collaboration; and the emergence of new ideas, skills and practices.

Richard Gundacker, a lieutenant in the UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety Department (PPS), recently received the Office of the Year for Acts of Valor from the UNC System Board of Governors.The Officer of the Year Award for Acts of Valor is given to officers who have, through a conspicuous act or acts, distinguished themselves by bravery, heroism or outstanding courage and have placed the safety and welfare of others above all other considerations.