Staff Council

The 2014 Staff Bowling Tournament will be from 2:30 to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, at the AMF University Lanes, 5900 N. Tyron St. The registration form is online; return it to Shannon Homesley in the Controller’s Office by 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 10.
An annual event, the tournament is open to bowlers of all levels, and it is considered one of the most popular events among UNC Charlotte staff members.

The Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award committee is soliciting nominations for the 2015 award. This award was established in memory of Dr. Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology, who was noted for her deep dedication to the academic and professional development of graduate students. Each year, the Chancellor’s Office and the Graduate School present this award to a full-time member of the graduate faculty who evinces these qualities of outstanding graduate mentoring.

Jessica Barton is taking on a new challenge this year as the first-ever communications officer for the UNC Charlotte Staff Council.
“One of our goals is to reach out to more staff members to increase awareness about Staff Council events and initiatives,” said Barton, who is a business analyst for the Belk College of Business. “I plan to explore how to use other forms of communication beyond email, such as the digital displays in buildings, and we are in the process of reworking the Staff Council website, too.”

Andrew Helms and Jake Whitaker recently teamed to win the 2014 Carhartt Bassmaster College Series National Championship held at Chatuge Reservoir in Georgia.

Helms, a junior marketing major from Monroe, and Whitaker, a senior civil engineering major from Fairview, caught 15 fish during the three-day team event. Their total catch weight of 38 pounds and 9 ounces topped the second-place finishers by 8 ounces.

University Convocation, which traditionally marks the start of the academic year, will begin at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 19, in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall. This annual event is an opportunity for the campus community to learn more about the University’s short- and long-term goals and plans.
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and Provost Joan Lorden will address faculty, staff and students.
In addition, Jim Kay, chair of the Staff Council, will give remarks; Greg Starrett from the Department of Anthropology will present the faculty agenda for the 2014-15 academic year.

Staff Council officers Jim Kay and Penny Stevens recently honored Elizabeth Mace for her years of volunteer service as the council’s webmaster.
Mace, a post-award specialist in the College of Health and Human Services, was nominated for the role in 2009 when budgetary restrictions eliminated funding for the work-study student who maintained the council website.

Jim McKay, an employee with the Student Union, was sworn formally as chair of the UNC Charlotte Staff Council during a retreat July 9.

UNC Charlotte staff members can vote for Staff Council executive board positions (chair, vice chair, secretary and communications officer) through 5 p.m., Friday, June 27. The election process is online.
Nominees are Jim Kay for chair; Ron Greer and Penny Stevens for vice chair; Shannon Homesley for secretary; and Jessica Barton, Lyndee Champion-Ivey and Dave Frantzreb for communications officer. More information on the nominees is on the Staff Council website.

Individuals may nominate colleagues to serve as chair, vice chair, secretary or communications officer for the UNC Charlotte Staff Council through Wednesday, June 11.
Position information and the nomination process are online.

 Craig Ogle, the Charles H. Stone Professor of Chemistry, is the 2014 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. The prestigious award, presented by First Citizens Bank and UNC Charlotte, honors faculty scholarship and intellectual inquiry.