Scholarship and Academic Life

The Office of Academic Services is offering free workshops during July for University advisors on a variety of topics. Prospective participants can complete an online form for session(s) they plan to attend.
The first three workshops, scheduled for Monday, July 14, in Colvard Building, Room 4103, are:

Vivian Lord, a professor of criminal justice and criminology, will present “Suicide by Cop: Current Research and Implications for Law Enforcement Officers and Agencies” at 5 p.m., Tuesday, July 15, at the Belk Action Center at the Charlotte Chamber.
In this presentation, part of the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association Faculty Speaker Series, Lord will discuss real-world tactics that have been used successfully to resolve suicide-by-cop situations.

Brenda Shue, a member of the Chancellor’s Office, is passionate about learning and the University.
At December commencement, where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies and a graduate certificate in technical and professional writing, Shue was chosen to ring the bell during the afternoon ceremony for her exemplary 49er spirit.

Spencer Salas, an associate professor of middle, secondary and K-12 education in the College of Education, recently returned from India and Nepal where he served as an English language specialist teacher trainer.
In India, Salas primarily worked with secondary school teachers of English who work in New Delhi’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Salas’ global efforts in India were funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department Regional English Language Office program and hosted by the State Council of Education Research and Training, an autonomous body of the Government of Delhi.

The UNC Charlotte Multicultural Play Therapy Center and Office of Educational Outreach in the College of Education will hold its eighth annual conference Monday, June 23, through Thursday, June 26.
According to Phyllis Post, director of the Multicultural Play Therapy Center, this event is an opportunity for professional and school counselors, social workers, psychologists and students to learn about play therapy and earn up to 24 continuing education credits.

David Goldfield, the Robert Lee Bailey Professor of History, will participate in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s “Lunch at the Library” speaker series. His talk is scheduled for noon, Thursday, June 19, at the main library (310 N. Tryon St.).
Goldfield has written 16 books on the history of the American South, including “America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation.” Two of his works have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in history, and he serves as a consultant to museums and the U.S. Department of State on the social and political history of the South.

Scott Heggen, a doctoral student in computing and information systems in the College of Computing and Informatics, will defend “Lowering the Barrier to Development and Adoption of Participatory Sensing Applications” at 12:30 p.m., Monday, June 16, in Woodward Hall, Room 338. Jamie Payton is the dissertation advisor.

Oscar de la Torre, an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies, has received a 2015 fellowship from the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition at Yale University.

In May, David Goldfield, the Robert Lee Bailey Professor of History, delivered lectures at three East China universities, drawing connections between 19th and 20th century economic and social developments and contemporary U.S. society. Goldfield is an academic specialist for the U.S. State Department; he leads seminars and workshops abroad on various aspects of American political culture.

The UNC Charlotte student chapter of an international city/county management will gather with government officials at a kick-off party 100 days before the association’s 100th annual conference in Charlotte.
“The kickoff party will give students an early opportunity to network and jump-start their careers in local government,” said Paarth Mehta, president of the student chapter of the International City/County Management Association. The chapter is affiliated with UNC Charlotte’s Gerald Fox Master of Public Administration program in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.