Belk College of Business

For the first time in five years, 2014 is poised to be a “recovery year” for the North Carolina economy, UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton reported today in his quarterly forecast for the state.

The University’s Environmental Health and Safety Office, in partnership will the Charlotte Fire Department, Sigma Tau Gamma and the student group Fire and Safety Technologists, will hold a fire safety event at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22, on the front recreational fields near Moore Residence Hall.
The event will be a simulated fire of a residence hall room. Organizers will demonstrate the difference that occurs when a fire starts in a room that is equipped with sprinklers versus one without sprinklers.

UrbanEden, UNC Charlotte’s entry for the 2013 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, won the People’s Choice Award at the contest finals in California.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, UrbanEden “has a variety of sustainability features, such as thermal mass, passive solar and radiant energy, as well as unique technologies that demonstrated true innovation, including radiant geopolymer concrete walls, movable photovoltaic shading and a nighttime radiation emitter.

Babson Capital Management has renewed its sponsorship of the UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast with a new three-year agreement. Babson Capital has sponsored the program since 2010.
The forecast will continue to be known as the Babson Capital/UNC Charlotte Economic Forecast, and Forecast Director John Connaughton will continue to hold the title of Babson Capital Professor of Financial Economics in the Belk College of Business.

UNC Charlotte’s entry for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, UrbanEden, is on display in Irvine, Calif. The University is one of 20 academic teams from around the world competing in the U.S. Department of Energy contest.
The Solar Decathlon features a series of 10 contests for each team, tasked with building a solar-powered house that incorporates energy-efficient construction and appliances as well as renewable energy systems.

The College of Arts + Architecture hosted more than 20 engineers and executives from Ingersoll Rand, Wednesday, June 26, to assist in building the Solar Decathlon house UrbanEden. The Ingersoll Rand guests helped pour geopolymer tiles that will be used in the structure’s rain catchment troughs.

The North Carolina economy will grow modestly in 2013 after a relatively flat performance in 2012, but the state is positioned for stronger growth in 2014, reported UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton in his quarterly forecast for the state.

UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton will give his quarterly forecast for the North Carolina economy at a luncheon and press conference Tuesday, June 4, at UNC Charlotte Center City. Connaughton’s presentation begins at noon in the auditorium. Box lunches will be available beginning at 11:30 a.m.                               

The pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to self-regulate its direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising are “an industry-sponsored ruse,” intended to deflect criticism and collectively block new Federal regulation, according to a study in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.

North Carolina will have its fourth year of slow but uninterrupted economic growth in 2013, UNC Charlotte economist John Connaughton reported in his quarterly forecast for the state.
However, Connaughton cautioned that economic uncertainty in Europe and the ongoing negotiations on tax increases and the “fiscal cliff” may have a negative impact on the state and national economies in the coming year.