Scholarship and Academic Life

Akin Ogundiran, a Chancellor’s Professor and professor of Africana Studies, Anthropology and History, is the 2021 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award, in recognition of excellence in research.

Akin Ogundiran, a Chancellor’s Professor and professor of Africana Studies, Anthropology and History, is the 2021 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award, in recognition of excellence in research.

A project led by a UNC Charlotte doctoral candidate along with local high school students and experts is tracing the history of the Black educational experience in Charlotte and finding wisdom in the past to apply to the issues of today.

Two UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business faculty researchers have used their expertise to update a groundbreaking study that aims to help policymakers better understand family-owned businesses and their impact on the U.S. economy.

To most observers, the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, illustrates how extremist groups have increased in power and visibility. UNC Charlotte’s Shannon Reid, associate professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology, views the criminality and violence exhibited during the Capitol riots a major concern.

February 8, 1969, marked the first anniversary of the Orangeburg Massacre, where South Carolina Highway Patrol officers shot and killed three Black protesters and injured 28 others.

UNC Charlotte’s faculty members are quoted often and widely in the news media about current topics, ranging from the presidential transition to the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the dangers of misinformation in social media.

Tanure Ojaide, Frank Porter Graham Distinguished Professor of Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte, has received a Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship from the Institute of International Education to share his expertise with students and faculty in Africa.

As the aerodynamicist for the Speed Demon 715 Streamliner team, Charles Jenckes had the job of making the 400-mile-per-hour-plus vehicle stable without increasing its drag.

Adam Dignan, an adult student and Marine Corps veteran, recently received a $3,600 scholarship from the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society, the leading honor society for adult students in the United States.Dignan, a senior biology major, transferred to UNC Charlotte from Coastal Carolina Community College. He selected UNC Charlotte to continue his studies as he related to the school’s origins, being established to serve the educational needs of veterans.