Graduate School

Completing a doctorate is a major academic milestone that requires years of rigor and dedication. For the 74 individuals who participated in this year’s annual Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, May 9, the journey takes on even greater meaning.

Jonathan Blanton, city manager for Hamlet, North Carolina, will join UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School May 20 as director of finance and business affairs. He will report to Tom Reynolds, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School.

“As we begin developing our strategic plan for 2020-25, we are excited to add Jonathan’s expertise in management process improvement, policy development and financial planning to the team,” Reynolds said.

Yuehan Shao, who is working on a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, and Katie Wilkers, a master’s student in kinesiology, were named Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistants for 2018-19.

The Graduate School bestows the awards, which are presented at the doctoral and master’s levels, to recognize outstanding and innovative teaching techniques.

The UNC Charlotte Mu Tau Beta chapter of the international counseling honor society Chi Sigma Iota recently honored three outstanding graduate students and two faculty members in the Department of Counseling.

Lydia Roos, a doctoral student in health psychology, recently received the P.E.O. International Scholarship, a competitive merit-based $15,000 award.

Given by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an organization focused on helping women around the world participate in graduate study in the United States and Canada, the international scholarship is intended to recognize and encourage academic excellence and achievement by women in doctoral-level programs.

UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Professor Steven Rogelberg is the 2019 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award in recognition of excellence in research.

The U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 list of Best Graduate Schools rankings are out, and once again, UNC Charlotte recorded a number of superlatives.

Richard Lambert, professor of educational leadership in the Cato College of Education, is the 2019 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award.

The multidisciplinary design firm LandDesign is sponsoring a class this semester in the Master of Urban Design program to study digital placemaking. Led by Professor Deb Ryan, students in “Dilemmas in Modern City Planning: Digital Technology and Urban Activation” will work with LandDesign team members to explore the impact of technology on the design of public space.

The Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award will be bestowed for the first time this spring; the award will honor excellence in graduate program administration and will be presented annually to a graduate program director (GPD) or graduate program coordinator (GPC). Recipients will be selected by a committee of graduate faculty and students. The award recipient will receive $1,000 and an engraved plaque and will have his or her name engraved on a perpetual trophy.