UNC Charlotte The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte for Alumni and Friends • v18 q4 • 2011
Route
1961 Retracing history, building character
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Looking Back, Forging Ahead
“Our recent graduates, who join the ranks of nearly 100,000 alumni, have witnessed incredible changes to the physical structure of our campus as well as to our academic offerings.”
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Welcome to UNC Charlotte magazine. This issue arrives as we celebrate the close of an exciting fall semester and begin preparing for an equally promising spring semester. Commencement marks the end of an important chapter in the lives of our students and their families, and on December 17 we were proud to celebrate the conferral of more than 2,989 undergraduate and graduate degrees at morning and afternoon ceremonies. Our recent graduates, who join the ranks of nearly 100,000 alumni, have witnessed incredible changes to the physical structure of our campus as well as to our academic offerings. I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on some of the most significant developments of the fall semester and share some thoughts about our future. UNC Charlotte Center City, our beautiful new campus located in Uptown Charlotte adjacent to the city’s light rail line, officially opened for classes in August. Not only does the 11-story building complement the city’s skyline, but it also provides classroom space for graduate programs for the Belk College of Business and the College of Arts + Architecture, as well as much-needed space for the Office of Continuing Education. In a typical week, more than 1,700 students and 60 professors utilize the building, which also features an art gallery, auditorium, café, and other amenities. The symbolic value of the building equals the importance of the space it provides for our students, staff and faculty. Our physical presence and the resources we bring to the community will go far to advance an important component of our mission: To address the cultural, economic, educational, environmental, health and social needs of the greater Charlotte region. Indeed, we set Charlotte abuzz on November 16 when we hosted two distinguished thought leaders in our new facility for the inaugural Chancellor’s Speaker Series forum: Former UNC System President Erskine Bowles and former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson, who recently served as co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform appointed by President Obama. The event was a resounding success and set the precedent for future affairs at UNC Charlotte Center City. The University also welcomed friends and community icons Hugh McColl, banking pioneer, and Jerry Richardson, Carolina Panthers owner, in November to announce the naming of the 49ers Football Field. Thanks to their generous donations
and the additional support of others who wished to honor them, the 49ers football field will be named McColl-Richardson Field in perpetuity. Construction of the 15,300-seat football stadium is currently underway, and we expect it to be complete just in time for the arrival of our first class of football players. Head Coach Brad Lambert and his staff have been working diligently to assemble the first 49ers football recruiting class. Members of the class will begin to sign their National Letters of Intent February 1, 2012, so look for news about our first team early in the New Year. UNC Charlotte Center City and UNC Charlotte Football are two projects that have come to fruition over several years; the University faces an even more difficult budget environment now than we did when these projects were being planned and implemented. Over the past four years, our campus has sustained a $49.2 million reduction in our continuing state funding, including $33.5 million this past year. After extensive consultation with my senior leadership team, our Trustees, and with campus student leadership, I recommended a 6.5 percent increase in tuition and fees for Fall 2012, plus an added $100 “infrastructure fee” to begin to address approximately $79 million in deferred maintenance. The Trustees unanimously approved my recommendation on December 8. Final approval awaits the decision of the UNC system Board of Governors in February and review by the General Assembly later in the spring. A full set of background documents on these difficult financial decisions can be found at: http://administration. uncc.edu/chancellor/chancellors-outbox/messages As we enter the New Year, we will all face new challenges. It is my hope that the University and the community will meet these challenges together and seize on the opportunities that might arise in their stead. The Charlotte region has much to offer its residents and its workforce, and UNC Charlotte remains committed to the needs of the community we serve. Cordially,
Philip L. Dubois Chancellor www.UNCC.edu
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Serving Those Who Served Changes to the GI Bill have extended educational opportunities to greater numbers of service members. UNC Charlotte is helping to ensure their success by providing special services and new initiatives.
20 Cleaning Up the Workplace
stake your claim profiles 16
Adrienne Barnette: Route 1961 A former track star and alumna embarks on a crosscountry motorcycle ride to help educate behaviorally and emotionally disabled students about character.
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Andrew Hartley: Magical Mirror Professor, Shakespeare scholar and bestselling author Andrew Hartley uses fantasy as an analog of reality to offer students and readers new perspectives on real-world problems.
A UNC Charlotte researcher studies the effects of cleaning products on the respiratory health of the very people tasked with providing care to others — nurses, physicians and other healthcare workers.
28 Humans + Computers = Innovation
Computers are integral to our daily lives. UNC Charlotte students and faculty are developing cutting-edge interfaces and researching all aspects of human-computer interaction.
34 Digital Scholarship Lab
A new self-publishing service provided by J. Murrey Atkins Library is making it easier for scholars to get their work into the marketplace.
departments 3 News Briefs 12
49ers Notebook
22 Center Stage 38
Alumni News
40 Building Blocks 41 Perspective
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On the Cover: A personal crisis led UNC Charlotte alumna Adrienne Barnette to create a character education project that would document the trials and triumphs of the 1961 Freedom Riders via a cross-country motorcycle junket. Graphic Illustration by Myron Macklin.
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Doing Less with Less? I Don’t Think So As we go to press with this edition, we mark the midpoint in the University’s fiscal year. This is the fourth consecutive year of substantial budget cuts, based on reduced funding from the state. This year, UNC Charlotte is working through a $34 million dollar allocation cut, in addition to other reductions. In reviewing the articles in this edition — which represent the teaching, learning, research, engagement and accomplishments of our UNC Charlotte community — I recall something that was said last year about how we would deal with the shrinking budget. Someone very smart observed that we had been doing more with less during the preceding years of cuts, but that we had reached the point where the University was compelled to do less with less. That statement was a shocker; after all, how many times in the roller coaster lives of organizations are the people of those organizations actually allowed or compelled to do “less.” In my experience, never. That is because good people — skilled, motivated, creative, determined people — never stop pushing, thinking, innovating and rebounding. Look through these pages. Read the articles. Look at the faces of the people in the photos. These are people pushing onward, doing more and better things for UNC Charlotte and the entire community it serves. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteer advisory board members and other friends of the University are ensuring that we deliver a net gain to the community. Tough times? For Sure. Delivering less to the community? I don’t think so.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Volume 18, Number 4 Philip L. Dubois Chancellor Niles Sorensen Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Stephen Ward Executive Director of University Communication Editor Director of Public Relations John D. Bland Associate Editor Lisa A. Patterson Contributing Writers Phillip Brown Arthur Murray Melba Newsome Paul Nowell Shelly Theriault Meg Whalen Staff Photographer Wade Bruton Design & Production SPARK Publications
Regards,
UNC Charlotte is published four times a year by The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 ISSN 10771913
John D. Band, Editor Director of Public Relations
Editorial offices: 202 Foundation Building The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 9201 University City Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28223 704.687.5825
Printed on recycled paper
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is open to people of all races and is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.
17,500 copies of this publication were printed at a cost of $.54 per piece, for a total cost of $9,375. 2
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49er Democracy Experience
University creates unmatched civic learning opportunity Many UNC Charlotte faculty and senior staff are working on a unique community engagement and academic program that offers an unprecedented array of educational opportunities leading up to the 2012 national presidential conventions in Charlotte and Tampa. The 49er Democracy Experience is a nonpartisan activity with practical value for Republicans, Democrats and anyone interested in the American political process. The experience is designed to enhance student knowledge of the democratic process, promote the University’s intellectual capital and leave a lasting legacy among students, faculty and the greater Charlotte community. A creation of UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and colleagues at other area colleges, universities and other organizations, it will feature forums, seminars and for-credit courses, internships, scholarships and other volunteer opportunities. A list of internships, scholarships and volunteer opportunities for spring 2012 are posted online. “UNC Charlotte is using the occasion of the Democratic National Convention to launch a program of innovative civic education for Charlotte,” said Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “The experience will enhance student knowledge of the democratic process, promote the University’s intellectual capital and leave a lasting legacy among students, faculty and the greater Charlotte community.” In November, the University launched a website for the 49er Democracy Experience, http://democracyexperience.uncc.com. It was developed by members of the public relations and Web communications teams in University communication, as well as the Office of Constituent Relations and the Political Science Department. The 49er Democracy Experience also will offer many types of educational programming, led by UNC Charlotte faculty www.UNCC.edu
and others from area colleges and universities, including Davidson College, Johnson C. Smith University and Queens University of Charlotte. Scholarships through The Washington Center will be available that include activities for students at both the Republican National Convention in Tampa, and the DNC in Charlotte. The academic portion of the experience includes a “Political Convention Curriculum” for the spring 2012 semester,
with plans to do the same for the summer and fall semesters. More than 100 courses will be offered. “UNC Charlotte is North Carolina’s urban research university and deeply committed to the region’s social and civic life,” Eric Heberlig, associate professor of political science and co-chair of the experience, stated. “By taking a leadership role in this special initiative, we’re providing an exceptional new dimension in civic education.” Q411
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PORTAL TO FACILITATE PARTNERSHIPS On Dec. 15, University officials broke ground on the PORTAL building, a $37 million facility created to cultivate closer partnerships between the university and private industry. PORTAL, an acronym for Partnership, Outreach, and Research to Accelerate Learning, is projected to open in late 2013 or early 2014 on a high-profile site at the Tryon Street entrance of the Charlotte Research Institute campus. At four stories, the 95,000-square-foot building will house the Ben Craig Center, the university’s business incubator, along with the university’s technology transfer office. It will be built using a variety of non-state resources. “PORTAL will support a myriad of research, technology transfer, and economic development initiatives and will move functions housed in the existing Ben Craig Center back from its off-campus location on to the main campus,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “We envision PORTAL as an industry incubator that will facilitate private partnerships throughout the region.” The facility was designed by Pease
Associates, NBBJ, United Engineering Group, Bulla Smith Design Engineering, Land Design, and Facilities Technology Services, Inc. Edifice, Inc. is the construction manager. “PORTAL will enable us to offer opportunities for research, business development, entrepreneurial activity, and university partnerships,” said Robert Wilhelm, vice chancellor for research and economic development at UNC Charlotte. CRI is currently marketing space in the PORTAL building for educational partners, corporate research and development firms, and companies and agencies interested in classified work. There are no firm agreements at this time, Wilhelm said. “The additional partner space was provided so the R&D companies can locate scientific and engineering teams on the CRI campus,” he said. “We think it is advantageous to place these companies close to a network of gifted students and faculty.” IMAGE: (Drawing of building) The Partnership, Outreach and Research to Accelerate Learning building with rise adjacent to the North Tryon Street entrance to campus.
The Partnership, Outreach and Research to Accelerate Learning building will rise adjacent to the North Tryon Street entrance to campus. 4
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Trustees Vote to Raise Tuition At their December meeting, UNC Charlotte trustees on Thursday recommended increases in annual charges for tuition and fees for the 2012-13 academic year. By a unanimous vote, the trustees approved a $211 increase in annual in-state tuition for undergraduate residents and a $975 increase for out-of-state undergraduate students. The board also approved a proposed $206 across-the-board increase in student general and debt fees. “This proposed tuition and fee structure will help us meet critical campus funding and infrastructure needs in the coming years and, more importantly, help us ensure that UNC Charlotte’s academic quality remains high,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “At the same time, we have worked hard to balance those imperatives against the very real economic realities that we know are confronting our students and their families, as well as respond to our students’ repeated requests for additional wellness and exercise space. Dubois noted that nearly $1.7 million of the tuition revenue will be dedicated to additional student financial aid. The remaining $5 million will be used to partially offset budget reductions. Before the vote, several board members said they supported the proposal, even though they understood that any increase could present a hardship for students and their families. “The university has done an extraordinary job of managing its way through the ongoing economic crisis,” said board chairman Gene Johnson. “If this financial crisis continues, it is going to be even more difficult to maintain what the university is doing. But the state and the university have no choice but to operate the way we are operating now.” If approved by the UNC Board of Governors and the state legislature, the increase would raise undergraduate tuition and fees at UNC Charlotte to $5,857 for North Carolina residents beginning next fall, up from $5,440 for the current academic year. Out-of-state undergraduates will pay $18,386 in tuition and fees under the plan, up from $17,205 for the current academic year.
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Author Signs 300 Donated Books for Governor’s Village
Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson and former UNC President Erskine Bowles regaled a full house at UNC Charlotte Center City with stories about their lives as public servants and co-chairs of a debt commission appointed by the White House.
Bowles, Simpson draw Hundreds at UNC Charlotte Center City On November 16, two significant civic and Obama appointed them to co-chair the educational events took place in launching bipartisan National Commission on the annual Chancellor’s Speaker Series. Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Their That afternoon, more than 200 faculty, November 16 campus presentation staff and students attended “Lives of Service: offered rare opportunities for students A Conversation with Sen. Alan Simpson and to hear two nationally renowned Erskine Bowles” at the Student Union. That leaders talk personally about how their evening at UNC Charlotte Center City more lives as public servants unfolded. than 600 friends of the University attended Chris William, host of the syndicated “Telling It Like It Is: An Evening with Sen. PBS program “Carolina Business Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles.” Review” moderated both events. The The Office of the Chancellor, evening dialogue was taped and slated Student Government Association, for broadcast on “Carolinas Business UNC Charlotte College Democrats and Review” in November and December. UNC Charlotte College Republicans UNC Charlotte is grateful to Blue Cross sponsored the afternoon session. and Blue Shield of North Carolina, which Bowles served as president of the has committed to underwrite a portion of University of North Carolina, as well as the costs associated with the speaker series White House chief of staff for President for five years. Next year’s speaker is renowned Bill Clinton. Simpson served 18 years as presidential historian and commentator a U.S. senator from Wyoming. President Michael Beschloss, on Sept. 27, 2012. www.UNCC.edu
UNC Charlotte and Penguin Publishing have donated 300 copies of Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact to students at Morehead STEM Academy and James Martin Middle School. Dr. Andrew Hartley, author of the book and Robinson Professor of Shakespeare Studies at UNC Charlotte, signed each copy and read portions of his book to the students at Morehead STEM. Students were given the book as part of the University’s partnership with Governor’s Village. Earlier this year, UNC Charlotte along with TIAA-CREF announced a partnership to provide educational support to over 4,700 students and 500 faculty members at Governor’s Village schools. Opened in 1996, Governor’s Village is home to four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS): John M. Morehead STEM Academy, Nathaniel Alexander Elementary, James Martin Middle, and Zebulon B. Vance High. On December 1st, fifth, sixth and seventh grade students at Morehead STEM were each given a signed copy. Students were also given the opportunity to ask Dr. Hartley questions about the book and his inspiration for writing it. During the week of December 12th, the remaining signed books will be distributed to students at James Martin Middle School. AnStarie Sessoms McKinnon, a seventh-grade teacher at Morehead STEM Academy, said, ”Several of my students who are reluctant readers began reading Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact at lunch the day they received it, and I am so proud to say they finished it today!” Q411
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Belk College Launches Real Estate Master’s Degree Building on its reputation as one of the most productive universities in the area of real estate research and its strong relationship with the real estate industry, the Belk College of Business is launching an interdisciplinary Master of Science in Real Estate degree. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved the MSRE in November. The program will begin in August 2012. “In good times and bad, the commercial real estate industry is one of the key drivers of the economy,” said Belk College Dean Steven Ott. “There will always be a need for specially trained employees to manage the complexities of real estate finance, development and construction.” The Belk College hopes to recruit an inaugural MSRE class of 12-15 students for fall 2012, building to an enrollment of 15-20 new students each year. Students in the MSRE will take classes in various
components of commercial real estate, including law and land-use policy, finance and investment, construction management and financial management. Outside the classroom, students will participate in community service projects that emphasize social and environmental implications of real estate and promote sustainable practices in the industry. The MSRE will be unique in the state and one of a handful of master’s level programs in real estate in the Southeast. Top-ranked programs nationally include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of California-Berkeley.
Engineering Professor Earns De Silva Mentoring Award In October, Harish P. Cherukuri, professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science and the department’s former director of graduate studies, was selected for the 2011 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. During his academic and professional career, Cherukuri has chaired the doctoral and master’s committees of more than 20 graduate students and has, during his seven years as director of graduate studies, interacted directly with nearly every graduate student in the department. Cherukuri has authored or co-authored approximately 60 papers, including ones for peer-reviewed journals and refereed conference publications. A majority of the papers were coauthored with students. He came to UNC Charlotte as a postdoctoral research associate in 1995, joining the faculty as a visiting assistant professor in 1997. In recognition of Cherukuri’s dedication, innovations in teaching and mentoring skills, he has received studentnominated teaching awards, including the Tau
Beta Phi Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Maxheim Faculty Fellowship. Harshini V. de Silva was an exceptional teacher, scholar and researcher and a devoted servant of her profession and community until her untimely death in October 2000. The Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award goes annually to the faculty member whose commitment to students, research and scholarly inquiry most closely exemplifies the spirit of de Silva.
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University Offers MBA/JD Degree With Charlotte School of Law UNC Charlotte and Charlotte School of Law have signed an agreement establishing a dual JD/MBA program that will prepare students for careers in law and management, and provide them with the skills to meet challenges of a modern corporate environment. The new program launches in fall 2012. The dual degree will allow students to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte and a Juris Doctor degree from Charlotte Law in eight semesters. Pursued independently, a student would need 10 semesters to complete both degrees. Full-time students have the option of spending their first year at either Charlotte Law or UNC Charlotte. Following that, they spend their entire second or third year at the other institution before splitting their time at both schools to complete the program. Each school will grant nine credits for courses taken at the other school. Students participating in the dual JD/ MBA program must apply separately to both schools, and can begin the program at either institution. In addition, students must complete prerequisites for each institution, including taking both the Graduate Management Admission Test and Law School Admission Test prior to the application process.
Harish P. Cherukuri is the 2011 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award.
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Global Outreach Brings Chinese Delegation to Charlotte planning and management, said Friday. Prior to coming to Charlotte, the delegation was in Washington, D.C., and New York. During their week-long visit in Charlotte, the delegation participated in activities and events organized by various campus units, including the Center for Transportation Policy Studies, the College of Computing and Informatics and the Lee College of Engineering Fire Safety Engineering Technology Program. The University’s Police and Public Safety Department provided a mock demonstration
of an emergency event on campus. The Center for China Studies hosted an informal reception for the visitors at the College of Health and Human Services with Chancellor Philip L. Dubois providing a welcome to campus. Friday said the visit is a direct result of a previous visit to China by Chancellor Dubois, where he met with the director of the State Administration Department. The University will host a second delegation in February or March.
This Chinese knot combines elements of paper cutting, children, happiness and Chinese Red. This symbol is used specially before a New Year to communicate ideas like “Happy New Year” and “Best Wishes.”
A group of 20 visitors from China visited campus for a week in December, as part of a three-week trip to the United States coordinated by UNC Charlotte’s Center for China Studies. According to Paul Friday, director of the China Center and a professor of criminal justice and criminology, the delegation included governmental and private sector representatives from the China Department of International Cooperation, State Administration of Work Safety in Beijing. Members came from provinces throughout China. The visit was part of a training effort on work safety and emergency response www.UNCC.edu
Qingli Meng, associate director of the China Center and Paul Friday director of the China Center and a professor of criminal justice and criminology, welcomed a Chinese delegation for a week-long visit. Q411
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a transition as Stephen Mosier, who has been serving as vice chancellor for research Robert and federal Wilhelm has relations, will been appointed retire at the end vice chancellor of the year. Until for research then, Mosier will and economic remain on as a development special assistant at at UNC the University. Charlotte. In his “A top priority new position, will be research Wilhelm is the that directly chief research impacts our Robert Wilhelm Stephen Mosier officer for the social, cultural and University. economic communities,” Wilhelm said. The appointment, approved in October Wilhelm will continue to lead Universityby the UNC Board of Governors, provides wide efforts for university-business Wilhelm Named Vice Chancellor
partnerships, manage business access to the campus and direct campus and communitybased programs for entrepreneurship and economic development. Wilhelm has been serving as associate provost for strategic research partnerships since 2009 and as executive director of the Charlotte Research Institute since 2005. Wilhelm also is a professor of mechanical engineering and engineering science in the William States Lee College of Engineering. The federal relations component of Mosier’s job will be taken over by Betty Doster, the chancellor’s special assistant for constituent relations. Doster joined the university in 2010 after working as a senior vice president of public policy at Bank of America.
The forthcoming north entrance to J. Murrey Atkins Library will turn a fresh face to the new core of the campus.
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Parent Donor Fund Spurs New Library Entrance Over the past several years, UNC Charlotte’s rapid growth has shifted the center of campus closer to the Student Union and other new construction. It’s certainly a natural outcome with the University stretching to the north; however, it can be a little troublesome to students trying to walk into J. Murrey Atkins Library’s entrance, which faces the opposite direction. That’s about to change. Due to pre-slated University funding combined with generous parent contributions from UNC Charlotte’s Parent Donor Fund, Atkins Library’s new north entrance will open this winter. Construction, which began in November, is expected to be complete by January 2012. After this first phase, work begins to retrofit a large amount of the library’s ground floor space into more student work areas. www.UNCC.edu
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Commencement Recognizes 3,000 Graduates UNC Charlotte acknowledged approximately 3,000 graduates at two commencement exercises Saturday, December 17, in Halton Arena, Barnhardt Student Activity Center. Nearly 1,960 students received their bachelor’s degrees, and more than 1,025 advanced degrees, including 70 doctoral degrees. Graduates were from the summer sessions and the fall semester. The morning ceremony included students from the College of Arts + Architecture, Belk College of Business, College of Computing and Informatics, Lee College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Services and Graduate School. The afternoon ceremony included students from the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Graduate School. More than 25,300 students were enrolled during fall semester. More than 20,000 were undergraduates -- a UNC Charlotte milestone. Greetings from the graduating class were given by Britney Montgomery and Aprill PettigrewYakubu, who were
UNC Charlotte winter commencement saw almost 3,000 graduates take home degrees.
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CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien offered her insights at UNC Charlotte in a public lecture titled “Diversity: On TV, Behind the Scenes and in Our Lives.” O’Brien, who has reported on many of the definitive moments of our time, joined CNN in 2003. She is widely recognized for contributions to the acclaimed series’ “Latino in America” and “Black in America,” and has produced a number of award-winning documentaries that focus on race, education, diversity, identity, humanitarianism and change. The event was sponsored by Campus Activities Board, in conjunction with the Distinguished Speakers Forum, Multicultural Resource Center and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life.
chosen through a competitive process. Montgomery, from Raleigh, graduated with degrees in International Business and German. Yakubu, of Charlotte, earned her degree in Education Curriculum and Supervision. Keisha Nicole Hughes and LaJoi Wiggins were chosen for their exemplary 49er spirit for the traditional ringing of the “old bell.” “As an alumnus of North Carolina’s urban research university, I hope you take advantage of what UNC Charlotte can offer to you beyond your degree,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “As you achieve personal and professional goals, always remember that you can share your story and offer your experience and expertise to your University.” UNC Charlotte has more than 95,000 living alumni, with more than half of them residing in the greater Charlotte area.
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fe a t u re
Serving Those Who Served University reaches out to veterans on campus By Phillip Brown
Photos by Wade Bruton
North Carolina is home to one of the largest military and veteran populations in the nation, and UNC Charlotte, originally founded in part to serve soldiers returning from World War II, has staked its claim to be at the forefront of sustaining a new generation of service members. One of those veteran students is Felipe Godinez. In September 2003, just months after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Godinez arrived in the Mideast country. During this first of two deployments, he guarded the entrance for one of the largest Forward Operating Bases in
Felipe Godinez
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the Anbar province. “Every day was different — nothing was typical,” Godinez recounted. “It’s 90 degrees by the time you wake up, and then you put on your 50 to 60 pounds of gear. I worked the camp’s main gate in eight-hour shifts. In the morning, I’d pat down every person or search every vehicle that entered. It was kind of crazy — you never knew if somewhere under the vehicle, in the vehicle or on the vehicle there was some type of explosive that someone was waiting to press a button and detonate.”
The uncertainty of each day is a situation virtually every soldier faces in an active military zone, and being alert for any potential threat is vital for protecting oneself and your fellow soldiers, Godinez noted. Fast-forward five years after his second deployment, and the UNC Charlotte senior and sergeant in the National Guard views his time at UNC Charlotte as a “second-chance opportunity” to complete his degree. VETERANS CLUB FORMS When he arrived on campus in fall 2009, Godinez was familiar with how a university operated from two years of study at Florida State prior to 9/11. But he knew he wasn’t the only veteran student on campus; he and four other veterans formed a new student organization — the UNC Charlotte Veterans Club. In 2010, the University hired Logan Cason, a veteran and UNC Charlotte alumnus, to coordinate a new Veteran Students Outreach Program as part of the Division for Student Affairs. Changes to the GI Bill following 9/11 have extended educational opportunities to greater numbers of service members. “Our goal is to provide comprehensive resources and services to help support the transition of veterans onto our campus,” Cason said. “They have unique needs with a set of skills that differentiates them from other traditional college-age students, as well as other nontraditional students. They have been out there in the world with different experiences that can present challenges in a classroom of 18-and 19-year-olds.” According to research, veteran students may feel alienated in a campus setting, especially after living in intense and close communities built upon a common experience. In addition, many veteran students may have to re-learn academic habits and skills, and be challenged to transition from the routines of a regimented life to that of a less-structured academic life. However, the discipline, drive, determination and perseverance that are part of military service can help promote academic success, too. Cason notes that many veteran students www.UNCC.edu
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The University’s efforts are yielding recognition. For 2011 and 2012, G.I. Jobs magazine ranked UNC Charlotte among the top 15 percent of schools nationally doing the most to help veterans as students. The UNC Charlotte Veterans Club, for which Cason is the advisor, also has experienced tremendous growth — from the original five members to more than 100. Wisconsin native Renee Zemlock, who served in southern Iraq, moved to Charlotte to pursue a second undergraduate degree in anthropology. The Veterans Club, which was just forming, provided a source of support and camaraderie. “I knew no one here when I
Renee Zemlock
are first-generation college students, who are unfamiliar with navigating the bureaucracy of a college campus. He is a source of one-onone support, and aids their connection to the Financial Aid or Disability Services offices, the Counseling Center and other campus units. He also points them to off-campus resources, such as the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Charlotte Vet Center.
Continued on p. 37 Logan Cason, coordinator of the Veteran Students Outreach Program, and David Spano, associate vice chancellor of health services, in front of Central High School, the location of Charlotte College, originally founded in part to educate veterans returning from World War II.
VETS ON CAMPUS TRIPLE In the past three years, UNC Charlotte’s veteran student population has grown from around 300 to around 1,000. Cason worked with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to revise the application to better track veteran students, as well as dependents of veterans. “UNC Charlotte continually assesses the quality of services it provides to students, and the Veteran Students Outreach Program will seek opportunities to reshape and improve campus policies to be more military-friendly,” Cason said. www.UNCC.edu
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Senior defender Isaac Cowles was named Defensive MVP of the College Cup.
So Close! 49ers storm to National Championship game By Tom Whitestone The “Forty-Niner” chants are still echoing throughout Hoover, Ala., home of the 2011 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer College Cup – and for a weekend – the home of Niner Nation. The Charlotte 49ers men’s soccer team capped a remarkable season in which they rose as high as #8 in the national polls with the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA National Championship game. And they took all of Niner Nation, it appeared, along for the ride. Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler estimated that of the crowd 12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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of 8,777 that attended the National Championship game between Charlotte and North Carolina, 7000 were Charlotte 49ers fans. This included students, alums, former players, and members of the local community. Thousands more gathered at bars, homes, dorm rooms and the student union to watch the result. While North Carolina escaped with a 1-0 victory – the 49ers walked away with their own heartware. The chants, the cheers and the spirit that took over Regions Park were decidedly 49er green. The 49ers team played with an
energy and passion that impressed the crowd, the national television audience, media in attendance and even the opposition. “Charlotte was exceptional tonight,” said North Carolina head coach Carlos Somoano. “They came out so aggressive and played so hard, we didn’t have the legs to play the game we wanted to. It’s the first time all season we weren’t able to dominate the ball.” Instead, it was the 49ers that held the upper hand, with a 19-10 advantage in shots and a 6-2 advantage in corners. It took a brilliant goal to break the scoreless tie and a variety of soccer fates to keep the 49ers off www.UNCC.edu
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The 49ers celebrate advancing to College Cup.
the scoreboard. Such is the sport of soccer. Despite the result, it was a game for the ages that made the hearts of 49ers fans everywhere fairly burst with pride. “That was probably one of the best collegiate games of soccer people are going to see - and in a national championship game,” said 49ers head coach Jeremy Gunn. “”We couldn’t have asked for anything more in the game. We kept an incredible attacking team quiet. We kept getting great chances. The simple fact in the game is they scored a fantastic goal to win the game and we did everything but. We are so proud of the players, everybody that watched the game could see what we put into it.” When the game ended, and the trophies were presented, the 49ers team did not head quietly back to the locker room, heads hanging. They instead headed to the bleachers, arms raised, clapping their own applause for all of Niner Nation. “It was phenomenal,” senior defender Isaac Cowles said of the fan support. “All I heard was Charlotte. The fans were there for us and I loved it. It was amazing.” As midfielder Will Mayhew tweeted: “Charlotte is not a school. It’s a family.” So the 49ers team continued clapping – and continued walking – until they had joined as one with Niner Nation. They climbed into the stands to accept hugs and high fives. They walked up and down the aisles and through the rows of seats. They ventured up one section and down another. They cut through the seats, greeting everyone they could, weaving through the crowd -- as if they wanted to thank each fan individually for their heartfelt support. Like so much that transpired on the field, it was pure magic. Tom Whitestone is senior associate athletics director for sports information. www.UNCC.edu
FOOTBALL FIELD NAMED ‘McCOLL-RICHARDSON’ Thanks to generous personal contributions from Hugh McColl and Jerry Richardson — and financial support of others who want to honor what the businessmen have given their city — the Charlotte 49ers football field will be named McColl-Richardson Field. UNC Charlotte Chancellor Dr. Philip L. Dubois and Director of Athletics Judy Rose made the announcement November 1. “We have the architect of modern Charlotte and the architect of the Panthers NFL team joining forces on behalf of the University,” Dubois said.
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“Today’s announcement celebrates two community leaders whose names are synonymous with football in Charlotte and with the great progress this city has made over the last 30 years.” The 15,000-seat stadium is currently under construction on campus and is expected to be complete by August 2012, in time for the 49ers first recruiting class to begin practice. The 49ers will debut in 2013 as an independent team in the Football Championship Series. To purchase a seat license or obtain information, call 704-687-4949 or go to www.charlotte49ers.com or www.charlotte49erfootball.com
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson hangs out with Norm the Niner.
RADIO NETWORK EXPANDS FOR MEN’S BASKETBALL Anchored by its new flagship station, WZGV-AM (ESPN 730, Charlotte), the 49ers Basketball Radio Network will now include WRJD-AM (1410, Durham). The network will broadcast all the University’s men’s basketball games. In addition, selected men’s basketball games will be carried by WZGMAM (1350, Black Mountain) and WLON-AM (1050, Lincolnton). The “Alan Major Show” is airing on ESPN 730 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on
Mondays during the basketball season. The call-in show about the men’s team will be broadcast from the Wild Wing Care in the University area.
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Men’s Basketball Buoyed by Recruits, Women Eye Extending Success A new-look roster for the men’s team and a new coach for the women’s have landed the 49ers basketball programs in the spotlight for the 2012 season. The men’s team welcomes a standout recruiting class to complement its four returning starters, while the women have their eyes on a schoolrecord 10th straight postseason appearance. Get your seats for men’s and women’s games at Halton Arena by calling 704-687-4949 or going to www.charlotte49ers.com. MEN: ‘EXCITING’ NEWCOMERS Head coach Alan Major often jokes about the fact that last season, as he looked down his bench, he’d see an awful lot of suits. There were his assistant coaches, his managers, injured players and two players who were sitting out. He did not, however, see a lot of available options. Of the 30 games last year, the 49ers had eight or fewer scholarship players available. Welcome change has come for 2011-12. With a five-man recruiting class that has been ranked among the nation’s Top 10 for non-BCS 14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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guys. Seven new faces that didn’t hit the floor last year. We need to develop these guys quickly — and I don’t look at that as a negative. I’m excited about that.” In addition to Mayfield and Voncina, the 49ers welcome five first-year players: 6-foot10 centers Mike Thorne and Ilija Ivankovic, 6-foot-7 wing E. Victor Nickerson and guards Pierria Henry and Terrence Williams. “This is an outstanding class,” said ESPN. com’s national recruiting director, Paul Biancardi. “What impresses me the most is this class has enormous versatility, athleticism and promising prospects that have a ceiling to grow individually and collectively as a group. It’s an exciting class.” Dave Telep, ESPN’s senior recruiting analyst, ranks the class right along with Xavier, Gonzaga, Memphis and Butler among his Top 10 non-BCS classes. The increased depth comes with a host of advantages. One will be realized on when Major looks down the bench and sees choices — not suits.
Senior Derrio Green is one of the 49ers’ four returning starters.
schools, the 49ers roster has undergone a major overhaul. Charlotte will have 12 scholarship players available, an increase of about 50 percent. The five new recruits are joined by a pair of tough-nosed guards: DeMario Mayfield and Luka Voncina, who sat out last season but benefitted from practicing a full season with the program. “The key will be developing our youth,” Major said at Atlantic 10 Media Day in Brooklyn, N.Y. “We have a lot of new
Player development is key this season for second-year 49ers coach Alan Major.
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WOMEN: NEW COACH AIMS HIGH First-year head coach Cara Consuegra spent the past seven years as a member of the Marquette University coaching staff. She helped the Golden Eagles win 145 games and reach postseason play seven times. Seven for seven. She takes over a 49ers program that has been to postseason play in each of the last nine years, including the 2011 trip to the Women’s NIT Final Four. Nine for nine. What we have here is a coach who is used to success taking over a program that is used to success. “We have high expectations,” Consuegra said.
Coach Cara Consuegra wants to lead the women to their 11th straight post-season appearance.
A first-team all-Big Ten choice during her playing days at Iowa, she was also named the 2001 Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Championships after leading Iowa to the tournament title. She went on to play one season in the WNBA with the Utah Starzz before becoming a coach. What she has in her first head coaching gig is a program that has been steadily getting stronger and stronger. The 49ers bring back 10 letter winners from last year’s school-record 27-win season, including explosive guard Epiphany Woodson and center Jennifer Hailey. Woodson averaged 12.1 points per game a year ago while shooting 42 percent from three-point range, while Hailey averaged 10.3 points with a team-high 8.3 rebounds. She also had 55 blocked shots. The 49ers enjoyed the longest postwww.UNCC.edu
Star guard Epiphany Woodson is back from last year’s school-record 27-win season.
season run in school history, advancing all the way to the final four of the women’s NIT with wins over the likes of South Carolina, Florida and Virginia. This year, a self-proclaimed basketball junkie takes over the reins. “The first year I played I was in second grade. Right then I just loved it,”
Consuegra said. “I got a membership at the Y and went there every single day. I’d go after practice. I’d go on weekends. I’d spend entire days there, playing basketball, working out, lifting, running.” That passion has spilled over into her coaching — and that could signal more success for the 49ers women’s program. Q411
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Route
1961
Retracing history, building character By Arthur Murray
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Photos by Wade Bruton
Illustration by Myron Macklin
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Talk to Adrienne Barnette for more than a minute and you’ll likely hear a lot of words. The counselor at the Morgan School in Charlotte speaks rapidly and often. Chances are, the conversation won’t get too far before you’ll hear the word “character.” That’s what Barnette, who has master’s and bachelor’s degrees from UNC Charlotte, is all about. Moreover, character is what she is. In all the best senses. At 29, she still looks like the track star she was at the University, her old high-jump moves helping her to glide gracefully among the students at the school, which is for behaviorally and emotionally disabled children. Barnette knows the children by name, and they know her — in part because of the HarleyDavidson 1150 she sometimes rides to the campus in uptown Charlotte. She considers the motorcycle a tool. Heck, she considers nearly everything a tool for teaching character to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Other tools include her music — she and three siblings have a band and tried their luck for a year in Los Angeles — as well as nearly every circumstance that comes up during the day. But for the past year or so, her major tool has been “ROUTE 1961” — a motorcycle trip that recreated the 1961 journey by the Freedom Riders, civilrights activists who rode interstate buses from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans to protest segregation. Barnette and her companions — fellow motorcycle rider Zachariah Cashion, her brother, Rufus, and Morgan School music
Her “ROUTE 1961” motorcycle trip recreated the 1961 journey by the Freedom Riders, from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans to protest segregation. www.UNCC.edu
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teacher Holly Lambert — documented the nearly 3,194-mile trip on video. She is editing the video — also called ROUTE 1961 — and writing a companion book. Barnette has received a UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Diversity Fund grant with the help of Dr. Debra C. Smith,
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associate professor of the Department of Africana Studies. ROUTE 1961 will debut at UNC Charlotte in April 2012. CONDITION SPURRED TRIP The trip was born out of a personal crisis. In 2009, she was diagnosed with ulcerative
colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. The cause is unknown, and those who have IT can be debilitated by the intestinal and other problems it causes. “I went through all these medicines and doctors, and nothing was working,” Barnette said. That led her to the library, though not to find a book to help with the ailment. “I was just really in the African-American (book) section,” she recalled. “I felt oppressed, not by something someone else did to me. Ulcerative colitis can happen to anyone.” She wasn’t sure even sure why she was searching the stacks. What she found was the book, “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” by Raymond Arsenault. “When I saw the word “freedom” and the word “ride,” somehow in that title was just so much power. I felt like freedom had been taken from me by ulcerative colitis. I was struggling. And the word ride, I love motorcycles, love the feeling of motion.” Barnette calls the book her treasure. “I actually found healing for myself in the pages,” she said. “To this day, I haven’t been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis any more. I don’t know how that happened. I’m not going to question it. I think maybe what happened was that I began to understand my crisis and try to respond to it in a way that would be healthy for me.” How she responded was setting up her version of the 1961 event, following its route. First she had to put together team. She considered her father, Rufus Barnette Sr., a minister, but discounted that notion. “The Freedom Riders didn’t have their parents with them,” she said. “I needed to put myself in a position to experience the ride like the riders did. If I had gone with my dad, I would have automatically felt safe.” That’s when she thought of Cashion. Barnette had met him during her time at UNC Charlotte, where she was the Penn Relays’ high jump champion and became the University’s indoor and outdoor record holder in the event. A native of Columbia, S.C., she moved to Charlotte in sixth grade. At the University, she earned her www.UNCC.edu
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bachelor’s in 2004 with a double major in psychology and organizational communications with a concentration in health communications. She obtained her master’s in counseling there three years later. Cashion — she calls him a world traveler — is a veteran motorcycle rider, and he jumped at the chance to go with her. She rounded out the troupe with Lambert and her brother, who would follow in an automobile and document the journey. BEGINNING THE JOURNEY It would take place during spring break. The foursome left Washington April 13, 2011, and nearly got a ticket 2/10 of a mile later because Barnette had to run a red light to keep up with her brother and Lambert in the lead car. The police officer checked her story and let her go. Later, Barnette, who had been riding about two years, hit a bump on an exit ramp near her hometown of Columbia. She ditched the bike but wasn’t hurt other than a “rug” burn on her elbow. Lambert remembers her first words after the wreck: “Please tell me you got that on camera. I don’t plan on ever doing that again.” She didn’t, though she said the roads got bumpier in Alabama and Mississippi. Still, there were no angry mobs like those that awaited the original Freedom Riders. Her team had created special T-shirts to publicize the ride, and her “uniform” included a UNC Charlotte sweatshirt. They stopped often to interview people, mostly just passers-by but occasionally people who had seen or helped the original riders. They uploaded video daily to YouTube and blogged about their adventures so the students and others could keep up with the journey. They made it back home April 24, the day before school resumed. And since then, Barnette has used her experiences as she teaches character — there’s that word again — to the Morgan School students. She draws lessons from many aspects of the trip, and she likes to share stories about people from the time of the original Freedom Rides. www.UNCC.edu
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“He said he did what he had to do. He said when people are oppressed you have two options. You either fight the oppression — nonviolently — or you succumb to it.”
For Adrienne Barnette, a former 49ers track and field star (opposite), her odyssey developed as a way to defy a condition called ulcerative colitis.
She recalls the words of Hank Thomas, an original Freedom Rider whom she interviewed in Atlanta: “He said he did what he had to do. He said when people are oppressed you have two options. You either fight the oppression — nonviolently — or you succumb to it.” Or, she tells the story of a man named Buddy, a white volunteer firefighter in
Drew, Miss., who battled fires set by the mobs to intimidate the Freedom Riders in 1961. “He told us about the decisions he had to make,” Barnette recalled. “He said he had to put out fires. All he had to do was do the right thing.” Arthur Murray is a writer based in Indian Trail, N.C. Q411
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Cleaning Up
the Workplace Health researcher spotlights health care professionals
By Melba Newsome
Photos by Wade Bruton
At the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, health care workers began using powdered latex gloves to control the spread of infection. Over time, research linked both natural latex and powder to a high rate of allergies among health care professionals. Manufacturers responded by producing powder-free and synthetic latex gloves, which led to a dramatic reduction in the problem. Dr. Ahmed Arif hopes he and others will have a similar impact on workplace safety related to cleaning products and asthma. The associate professor of epidemiology is a leading expert on these topics related to health care workers. “We’re in the early stages,” he said. 20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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Dr. Ahmed Arif led two groundbreaking studies that found an association between asthma and workplace cleaning products.
Arif arrived at UNC Charlotte in 2007 from Texas Tech’s School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas, to teach courses in epidemiology, public health and environmental health in the department of public health services. Originally founded as the department of health behavior and administration, the new department was conceived to focus on population health and health behavior research, an academic vision that dovetailed perfectly with Arif’s research and interests. Arif has studied occupational exposures and respiratory morbidity, respiratory morbidity among children and the elderly population and chronic disease epidemiology. “My interest is in respiratory disease, and I have been focused on different types of exposures, particularly in the workplace,” he explained. GROUNDBREAKING STUDIES Arif is the lead author of two groundbreaking studies funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health that found a strong association between asthma and the workplace within certain industries. “We used existing data from National Center for Healthcare Statistics,” he said of the nearly decade-old studies. “It turned out that health care professionals are a high-risk category for www.UNCC.edu
“It turned out that health care professionals are a high-risk category for work-related asthma and asthma symptoms.” work-related asthma and asthma symptoms.” Although cleaning-related substances containing known carcinogens are routinely used in hospitals, Arif is at the forefront of research evaluating their potential adverse respiratory health effects on health care professionals. He designed and conducted the NIOSH-funded surveys to gather data for two subsequent studies to identify any connection between workplace exposure to cleaning-related chemicals and the development of work-related asthma in nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists and occupational therapists. Both studies, published in “Occupational Environmental Medicine,” an international peer reviewed journal covering developments in occupational and environmental health worldwide, found a correlation with the
prevalence being higher among female health care professionals. JANITORS SURVEYED Arif’s findings also prompted him to survey 46 Charlotte janitors who work in hospitals, schools and homes about their health symptoms. “A lot of these chemicals are carcinogens but we really don’t know the effect of low-level exposure over a long period of time,” he said. Domestic cleaners reported experiencing more respiratory symptoms than those who work in businesses. He believes that is because home cleaners may take a more casual approach to using protective gear or following safety standards. To date, there have been no changes in how these cleaning products are made or the way they are handled by health care professionals. However, Arif focuses on the analogy between his research and the evolution of protective gloves used in health care settings. “It took a long time for changes to be made once powdered latex gloves were shown to be bad for health,” he said. “I think it’s time that hospitals start exploring substituting products containing chemicals known to be respiratory irritants/sensitizers with products that may pose less health risk.” Melba Newsome is a freelance writer based in Charlotte. Q411
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Art in the City Photo by Wade Bruton
Since opening in August, the new UNC Charlotte Center City Gallery has become a vibrant venue for creative action. In September, muralists Antoine Williams and John Hairston came to the gallery night after night with buckets of bright paint to create “Here’s Hoping It Rhymes for a Reason,” a mural 30 feet wide and 12 feet tall that the artists completed right before viewers’ eyes during the Center City Building Community Day. In late October, UNC Charlotte faculty Maja Godlewska and Mary Tuma hung clouds and tricycles throughout the space to create “Playground,” a performative installation that on occasion becomes a stage for improvisational dance by Department of Dance professor E.E. Balcos. And in January, projectors installed inside the gallery will create a visual spectacle by international artist Anna von Gwinner that will only be seen from outside the building. Like the mission for UNC Charlotte Center City, the mission for the gallery includes a commitment to integrating the University into the Charlotte community in new and exciting ways.
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Shakespeare scholar Andrew Hartley pens bestselling fantasy fiction
Magical Mirror
By Meg Whalen
Andrew Hartley transports readers young and old to enchanted lands inhabited by fairies, monsters and the occasional Scottish king, who shall not be named. Photo by Wade Bruton
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The forest, the fairy world — the alternate world — is “a common thread in Shakespeare,” Hartley told the students. “Conflicts are resolved in the alternate world.” It is a dark and stormy morning, and everyone filing into Andrew Hartley’s liberal studies class — including the professor — has damp hair and rain-speckled shirts. The dozen or so students gather every Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. to explore “Shakespeare through the Ages,” with Hartley, the Robinson Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare, as their guide. This morning’s play is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The class proceeds fairly routinely: The students take turns reading passages, stumbling occasionally over the iambic pentameter; Hartley wins a few smiles (“Comedy ends in marriage, and tragedy begins with it!”); they debate whether Hippolyta does, in fact, love Theseus. And then, suddenly there is an insight: “The forest is where you go to become someone different.” The forest, the fairy world — the alternate world — is “a common thread in Shakespeare,” Hartley told the students. “Conflicts are resolved in the alternate world.” Hartley is familiar with the forest. “I’ve always loved stepping out of reality,” he said after the class, wedged into a spot behind his office desk, peering through stacks of books and papers and rainbow-colored Tinker Toys. “I love anything that’s strange or exotic or foreign.” With his wife, Phaenarete Osako, a pediatrician, and their son, Sebastian, 9, he has traveled to “some pretty bizarre places,” including a Costa Rican jungle where the river was full of crocodiles and sharks. For a book project, he experienced a “creep show scare” in the Fontanelle Cemetery Caves in Naples, Italy, where the bones of tens of thousands of dead were “stacked in patterns to the ceiling, the ends of femurs packed in hundreds, then rows and rows of skulls.” WRITINGS ON SHAKESPEARE As in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Hartley’s career straddles two worlds. As Andrew Hartley the Shakespeare scholar, he is the author of “The Shakespearean Dramaturg: A www.UNCC.edu
Theoretical and Practical Guide”; “Julius Caesar,” a part of the Shakespeare in Performance” series (coming in 2012); and “Shakespeare and Political Theatre” (coming in 2013). He also edits the world’s premier journal on Renaissance drama in performance, “Shakespeare Bulletin,” published by Johns Hopkins University Press. He also directs UNC Charlotte’s Shakespeare in Action Center. “He is more brilliant than he thinks he is,” said Lon Bumgarner, who teaches with Hartley in the Department of Theatre and serves as secretary of the Shakespeare in Action Center. “You come in contact with a lot of different people when you’re dealing with Shakespeare, and there is this image of the stuffy Brit. Nobody turns that stereotype on its ear more than he does.” Hartley and Bumgarner are working together on a bold project, “36 in 6,” in which the Shakespeare in Action Center is exploring all of Shakespeare’s work before the 400th anniversary of the author’s death in 2016. Earlier this fall, the university hosted the group, Actors from the London Stage, in performances of “The Tempest.” In the spring, a student ensemble will perform “Twelfth Night” for students in local high schools. “Andrew and I disagree about a lot of things, because we come at them from different places — and he has every right to dismiss what I say,” Bumgarner said. “But he embraces all points of view and says, ‘Let’s think about that.’ That shows a very secure intellect.” SCROBBLERS, GNASHERS While Hartley’s scholarly work keeps him firmly footed in the academic world, he resides just as fully in a world where scrobblers and gnashers chase youngsters through the woods. As A.J. Hartley, he is the New York Times bestselling author of several mystery/thrillers, fantasy adventures and historical fiction. His work includes a novelization of “Macbeth,” cowritten with David Hewson, which came out in June as an audiobook with actor Alan Cumming,
and will appear in print this spring. Hartley is a frequent presenter at national conferences with names like Thrillerfest and Dragoncon. And he just released the first book of a new middle grades/young adult series, “Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact.” In the book’s first chapter, Darwen Arkwright is given a magical mirror which, at sundown, becomes the portal to another world — a forest inhabited by fairies and endangered by monsters. Despite the dark mystery of the alternate world, Darwen eagerly climbs through the looking glass and begins an exciting — and dangerous — adventure. Hartley grew up “in a pretty drab workingclass town in northern England,” he said, where opportunities for enchanted escapades were slim. “The idea that the mundane, ordinary world is only one part of reality — and there’s something else out there that you can access — I guess I’ve accessed that world metaphorically through literature and theatre,” he said. He hopes his students do the same. “For me, the fantasy world is supposed to be an analog of reality — a different way of looking at problems that we actually face,” Hartley said. Shakespeare, too, offers a new perspective for students to approach the real world, and Hartley encourages “using the text as a vehicle — not just exploring the text, but exploring themselves and their own culture through the text.” On his many travels, Hartley has been charged by a one-horned Indian rhino in Nepal and marched in a samurai warlord parade in Japan. But would he really climb through a magical mirror into “the forest”? “Oh, yeah,” he replied, with a big grin. “I have to force myself sometimes to go somewhere where I don’t really know what I’ll find. And it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be a little scary.” Meg Whalen is director of communications and external relations for the College of Arts + Architecture. Q411
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Where Do We Need NEW COURAGE? University partners with community to probe question By John D. Bland
This fall, more than 20 classes at UNC Charlotte took on the challenge of debating “new courage” and exploring the answers, along with partners at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the Levine Museum.
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fe a t u re Almost six decades ago, Rev. J.A. DeLaine and the other citizens of Clarendon County, S.C., brought the first lawsuit in America challenging racial segregation in public schools. Combined with four other national lawsuits, the result was the 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that racial segregation of schools was unconstitutional, a decision that helped ignite the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Those actions have brought substantial change in race relations in the United States. That story inspired the 2004 COURAGE exhibit at the Levine Museum of the New South. That exhibit returns this month to the museum. That reprise inspired a unique and ambitious social and educational initiative that culminated with New Courage Day, Nov. 30 at UNC Charlotte. New Courage Day resulted from of a partnership between UNC Charlotte, the Levine Museum and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to increase awareness about and infuse lessons from the award-winning exhibit. Reflecting on the impact that courage during the last century led organizers of the “New Courage” celebration to examine how courage is exhibited in present-day education and what does this “new courage” look like. During the Fall semester, more than 20 classes at UNC Charlotte took on the challenge of debating “new courage” and exploring the answers, along with partners at CharlotteMecklenburg Schools and the Levine Museum. The University and the museum joined efforts with 12 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to produce opportunities for ninth and 10th grade students to interact with Levine Museum COURAGE exhibits, understand their themes and apply the lessons to contemporary life. Young people have been asked to look at the challenges of the past, confront current issues and answer the question: Where do we need courage now? “It’s exciting that UNC Charlotte is using history as a spark for students today, urging them to pick up the torch,” said Zimmern, president of the Levine Museum of the New South. Where is courage needed now? That’s the question that animates the exciting Levine Museum –UNC Charlotte New Courage partnership.” Throughout the day on Nov. 30, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., panel discussions, art exhibits and dramatic and musical
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This display by a CMS student defines some personal and long-held ideas on what constitutes courage.
performances examined key ideas that foster “new courage” and how to bring them to the greater Charlotte community. “Because the University is a major partner in the Crossroads Charlotte initiative to build social capital, engaging our students in the community around complex issues is critical,” said Susan Harden, Crossroads Charlotte coordinator and faculty member in Metropolitan Studies. “The New Courage collaboration with the Levine Museum has provided a wonderful platform to study challenging issues and encourage our students to explore contemporary solutions and responses. Our Crossroads themed freshman seminar class and the Levine Scholars freshman seminar class, students researched issues of immigration and how it intersects with issues of security and identity.” In the evening, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and Levine Museum of the New South President Emily Zimmern hosted a community conversation at the Student Union. Panelists included Corie Pauling, associate general counsel, TIAA-CREF; Ann Clark, chief academic officer, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; and representatives from Wells Fargo and UNC Charlotte. A flash mob and a Hip
Hop performance enhanced the conversation. “The Hip Hop Theatre class partnered with Garinger High School to create an original dance theatre production using the Courage exhibit as inspiration; the piece moves from the past, to current, to the future,” said Donell Stines, UNC Charlotte hip hop theatre director. “Through the elements of Hip Hop, this topic is explored through rap/choreography and acting scenes. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the museum brought back COURAGE: The Carolina Story That Changed America, last January, running through Jan. 15, 2012. Since COURAGE was last presented in Charlotte, the city has experienced significant demographic, cultural, and economic change. Equal educational opportunity remains at the forefront as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wrestles with school closings, pupil assignment, student achievement and graduation rates in a school system where approximately half of students are characterized as “economically disadvantaged.” John Bland is UNC Charlotte’s director of public relations.
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Humans + Computers = Innovation
Faculty, students, explore impacts, develop products
By Lisa A. Patterson and Paul Nowell
Computers are everywhere — in our cars and appliances, on our desktops, in our pockets. And they are becoming more like people; at least, they’re learning to better speak our language. Long gone are the days of the mainframe, when computers communicated exclusively with skilled
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technicians. The history of our interactions with computers follows a trajectory of language and infrastructure. As the dialogue between human and machine has become less technical, and the Internet has emerged as a powerful connector, computers have been more woven into our lives. They’re even routinely utilized in domains distinctly human, namely the arts. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, interactions between humans and computers will become even more complex and symbiotic. UNC Charlotte faculty and students
Celine Latulipe’s research probes the boundaries of technology and artistic expression, and where the two meet.
are exploring how such technologies impact our lives, as well as how they can be harnessed to solve problems, educate and entertain. Profiled here are two faculty members and three students who are staking their claim to the latest wave of the technological revolution. www.UNCC.edu
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Celine Latulipe: Where Creativity, Technology Intersect In 1993, when an English professor asked economics major Celine Latulipe to write a chapter for his book about the Internet, her reaction was, “The Inter-what?” Now an assistant professor in software and information systems at UNC Charlotte, Latulipe probes the boundaries between humans and computers, melding art with
science. Her specialty, Human-Computer Interaction, is a broad, interdisciplinary area within computer science that draws from disciplines including sociology, psychology, ergonomics and engineering, studying how digital devices interface with humans. Her particular focus? Creativity. Yet, one of Latulipe’s first encounters with computers was so “un-creative” that it’s remarkable where she is today. Rewind 20-plus years. Ten-year-old Celine sits behind a computer much like the other “chosen” students, who are mostly geeks in her estimation. The “regular” students are enjoying recess, while Celine and her www.UNCC.edu
brethren participate in an enrichment activity for the mathematically gifted. Each student is given a sheet of paper, the bright white of the page interrupted only by a sequence of ones and zeros. The gifted students dutifully peck at the keyboards, typing in binary sequences. When Celine finishes, she hits “enter” hoping for a big payoff — instead, her name appears on the screen. Celine. That’s it. She is missing recess for this. “I remember thinking, ‘Why would I want to use ones and zeroes when there are perfectly good letters on the keyboard?’” Latulipe said. Other disappointing computer encounters followed the binary translation exercise. Not surprisingly, when it was time for her to choose a major in college, computer science didn’t — well, compute. Re-enter the English professor who introduced her to the Inter-what, er Internet. The professor later requested her help with a book he was writing about the Web coding language HTML. After learning HTML for the project, Latulipe had an “ah-ha” moment. She realized she could get from technology what she was missing from economics — the opportunity to do more than analyze — the opportunity to create. “Right away I was interested in people’s connections to computers,” said Latulipe, who decided to pursue advanced degrees in computer science. “There are computers everywhere now, and we’re constantly interacting with them — sometimes more obviously than others.” DANCE.DRAW PROJECT Before proliferation of multi-touch devices such as the iPad, Latulipe focused on two-handed interaction, developing applications to allow users to control two cursors on a screen at once. That work led
to “Dance.Draw,” a three-year collaborative project developed by Latulipe, David Wilson, associate professor of software and information systems, and Sybil Huskey, professor of dance. Funded by a CreativeIT grant from the National Science Foundation, the project investigates real-time multi-body motion sensing, audience engagement and information technology support for creative, collaborative processes. The research questions are investigated through a series of performances marrying technology with dance. In seven productions performed so far, motions of dancers provide input to visualizations projected in real-time behind the dancers. After each Dance.Draw performance, the researchers survey the audience for their responses to the interaction. They also ask the dancers to provide feedback about how the technology changed, for better or worse, their artistic practice. The Dance.Draw project has yielded several academic papers and presentations about topics ranging from the temporal integration of technology into artistic productions to the feedback loop from audience to performers to choreographers and directors. The project also has led Latulipe down new avenues of research. ENGAGING THE AUDIENCE Her work is part of humankind’s employment of technology in the service of creativity, a pursuit that dates back centuries. Software such as Adobe PhotoShop is a modern example of a technological tool that enhances the creative experience for the user, while performing the practical function of altering digital images. Within the scientific community, there is growing consensus that creativity is a highlevel construct that draws on all areas of the Q411
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brain, Latulipe said. However, creativity is not easily defined, and it is even more difficult to measure. Tools such as PhotoShop could be far more effective if there were ways to measure users’ creative responses to the tools, at least that’s the premise of a new project spearheaded by Latulipe and graduate student Erin Carroll. “We’ve been investigating physiological measures for creative engagement,” Latulipe said. In one experiment, the researchers hooked audience members up to galvanic skin sensors — the same sensors used in lie detector tests — to measure arousal through sweat gland activity throughout a creative performance. “When you get a temporal representation of their arousal, you can put it in a video player and you can see the lines showing when they were engaged and less engaged in a performance,” Latulipe said. Knowledge is power, indeed. When Latulipe showed the data from the experiment to a cohort of choreographers and theatre directors, their reactions varied. “Generally people were very excited about it, except for one person who wanted us to stop our research immediately. He considered what we were doing the ‘eugenics of biology’ and stated that we were going to kill art,” Latulipe said. “His concern was that this information would be used to figure out how to get 100 percent engagement from audiences all of the time, and that would mean mass marketing and lots of flash,” Latulipe said, adding, “His point is totally valid.” The researchers had considered the potential ramifications of their work but decided to pursue it anyway. “Hollywood’s already doing this,” Latulipe explained. “If we can provide to artists tools they can use to subvert that influence, maybe it’s better to give these tools directly to the artists.”
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Mohamed Shehab: There’s an App for That Allow. Don’t allow. Those terms are familiar to most computer and mobile smartphone users. Why? Any time a friend invites you to participate in a game or take an online quiz through a social networking site, you first have to allow the application, or app, to launch. When you click “Allow,” you grant software developed by a third party access to the information on your social network profile. Mohamed Shehab, assistant professor of software and information systems, specializes in the intricacies of social network security. While some apps are secure, app users can’t be too careful, he said. “Current application platforms put
users at risk by permitting the disclosure of large amounts of personal information to these applications and their developers,” Shehab explained. Apps have become prolific, and their familiarity and availability through trusted websites and app stores gives users a false sense of security. “Usually users just choose ‘Allow’ and don’t pay much attention to what the app is requesting,” he said. As part of a research project, Shehab developed a free app to, well, protect against apps. Popularity of “FBSecure” (the “FB” stands for Facebook) has snowballed. FBSecure resides inside the user’s Internet
Mohamed Shehab is a security guard of a different kind. His specialty: Protecting social network and mobile phone users from themselves.
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Grad student Said Marouf works with Shehab to develop computer applications. Thousands of users have downloaded the Twitter client of his creation, Osfoora.
browser, and works strictly with Facebook. “When you are inside the browser and you try to install a Facebook application, FBSecure will tell you what permissions the app is requesting, and you can then pick and choose which ones you want to allow,” Shehab said. APPS REPLACING SURVEYS Whereas surveys were once a preferred method for data collection, social network researchers meet users where they are by developing apps to facilitate data collection. FBSecure was developed to collect information about user decisions; but not to worry, Shehab said — the information he collects is secure. “Companies pay a lot of money to find out what people think, what they do. We use app frameworks for this,” he said. As more users sign on, Shehab and graduate student Said Marouf keep improving FBSecure. They’ve even filed a patent for the idea behind the app — how to provide recommendations for permissions when installing third-party applications. Most users don’t realize they can say yes or no to all or some of the permissions an app requests, according to Shehab. www.UNCC.edu
He uses a driving analogy to explain. “App makers and the social networking sites try to put the user behind the wheel when it comes to making choices, but it’s like driving a car where you can only go forward and backward (Allow/ Don’t Allow),” he said. “You can put the user behind the wheel, but you have to give him the ability to steer.” FBSecure gives users that ability. Each time an app requests permissions, FBSecure users will see a menu that details, in simple terms, what kind of permissions the app is requesting. The user can then pick and choose from that menu. “We give you information about how many people have allowed a particular permission, and how many haven’t,” he said. Apps are everywhere. Most frequently accessed through social networking sites, apps also are available through mobile phones; in fact, mobile app stores make the purchase of apps the matter of a mere finger tap. Furthermore, building an app has never been easier. Middle-school-aged kids are doing it — and some, like the creator of Bubble Ball, are making serious money at it. That’s because behemoth tech companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, have exposed some of their functionalities in the form of interfaces, specifically application programmable interfaces, also known as “API.” ‘THE WORLD CAN WORK ON IT’ “In the past innovation was limited to a small set of people,” Shehab said. “Now, by exposing these functionalities as remote services, third-party developers are able to register and develop functionalities for various websites. The whole world can work on it.” With technical skills and a little business savvy, anyone can develop an app. The UNC Charlotte College of Computing and Informatics offered two new courses in mobile application development in the fall 2011 semester. “We want people to get their hands dirty and jump into this,” Shehab said. “The University helps students to get started — they learn how to learn in an evolving community.” The app revolution is the result of a shift in the infrastructure of the Web from a
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network of closed systems to a more open community where data can be accessed remotely and processed on client machines. Overall, the market is booming. Industry analysts say mobile apps sales are expected to double next year to $17 million. While large companies have relinquished some control, and have to pay to provide these services, they stand to gain a great deal from the “appification” of our lives. For instance, app developers cannot sell their products to iPhone users directly — they give Apple the authority to sell the app, and the company receives 30 percent of the profits. “They (Apple) provide advertising. They represent you in the market. That’s the model in mobile apps,” Shehab said. Conversely, users are not charged for apps provided through Facebook. “You just download them. The model is more open — what they want is more adoption. Facebook and other sites like it may be after adoption because they can sell other services after they have a big customer base,” Shehab speculated. So where is all of this going? Shehab believes apps will not be limited to phones and computers but will migrate to other devices we use; for instance, to home appliances. It won’t be long before you can install an app on your refrigerator that notifies you when products have reached their expiration date. The possibility of scanning barcodes with smart phones is no longer Orwellian. As our devices become “smarter,” it becomes even more difficult to secure personal data. Shehab said the onus will be on the user to know what an app is requesting, and what he or she is willing to divulge. But first, Shehab said, users have to start thinking of their mobile devices as more than phones. “Your phone is a computer. This computer carries a lot of your personal information, including pictures, records of your location,” Shehab said. “The processors on our mobile devices are more powerful than the processors that were used to send a man to the moon.” Lisa A. Patterson is associate editor of UNC Charlotte magazine. Q411
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Evie Powell Finds Computers a Game Changer Evie Powell hit her stride when she discovered she could earn a college degree by doing what she loved — creating computer games. Evie Powell “I could see it in my grades, which honestly were not where they needed to be,” said Powell, 28, who continued on past her undergraduate studies and is now about to earn her doctorate in the College of Computing and Informatics at UNC Charlotte. “Once I found this, my grades started to improve.” Spurred by her gaming passion, Powell earned her undergraduate degree in computer science. She then
Jeremy Olson’s App Wins Apple Design Award UNC Charlotte student Jeremy Olson had a good reason for creating his own iPhone app. “In my second freshman semester I received my first D on a statistics Jeremy Olson test,” he recalled. “It was the first time I really had to think desperately about the question, ‘OK, what do I need to do to still get an A?’” After doing the calculations on a piece of paper, he realized this could be done so much easier, faster and enjoyably as an app for his iPhone. What resulted was an app he named “Grades 2.” The application won a design award at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. 32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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enrolled in graduate school and will graduate in May 2012 with a doctorate in computer science. “The drive I have to work so long and hard at this comes from within me,” she said. “I needed the experience and knowledge and that came from attending UNC Charlotte. This University gave me a lot of that.” Powell has shown a knack for creating games that are popular and practical. She has already released a game called “Snag’em” and is currently developing a game for the iPhone called “Final Reality.” She’s also a National Science Foundation Fellow. The impetus for “Snag’em” came from her experience at a gaming conference she attended in San Francisco in 2007. “We were encouraged by the conference leaders to do a lot of networking and go outside our comfort zone by talking to a lot of folks,” she said. “I came to the conference armed with 300 business
Grades 2 allows students to calculate the scores necessary to achieve a target grade point average. Users input their grades and list upcoming assignments to achieve the desired GPA. It includes due date notification for the assignments and a calendar and “drop grade” feature to track progress for individual courses and overall GPA. “When I set out to build Grades 2, I decided I didn’t want to just put something out there and see what happens. I wanted to do it right,” he said. “I spent tons of time researching what successful app developers have done in designing and marketing their apps, synthesized that experience into principles, and applied it to my app.” Grades 2 has been featured by Fox News, The Huffington Post, PC World and dozens of other major press outlets. It has garnered close to 250,000 downloads to date, with tens of thousands of students actively using the app. While Olson is excited to win an award at
cards and an expectation by my advisor to give them all away.” One of the icebreakers at the meeting was a business card swap game. “This forced me to start talking to other people because you had to find different kinds of business cards, such as different colors or ones with rounded edges rather than straight,” she recalled. “I came home and I decided this might be fun to turn into a game.” “Snag’em” immediately caught on, and when Powell returned to another conference, she quickly found out that about half of the attendees were playing it. “It makes it all less stressful because it’s part of a game,” she said. After graduating, Powell plans to leave academia and work as a game designer. She recently accepted a job offer with Microsoft and will be working as a program manager in the Xbox Division in Redmond, Wash. “My dream is to make the next best game,” she said.
the Apple conference, he said the real prize is the opportunities the notoriety affords him. He has formed his own company, Tapity, and he plans to continue to build computer applications. “In June 2011 we decided that this was an opportunity not to be missed and turned our hobby into a full-time business,” he said of his business partners, which include brother Todd Olson, a UNC Charlotte graduate (May 2011). “We have two lines of business: Tapity products like Grades 2 and client projects. The company has only been around for a few months and we’ve already been flooded with projects. “We’ve worked with clients ranging from local startups to national brands, and the volume of inquiries is growing astronomically as the word spreads about us,” Olson said. “It’s really been an amazing experience!” Continued on p. 37 www.UNCC.edu
U.S. NATIONAL TEAM
SOCCER PLAYER.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN. MUST BE A 49ER. UNC Charlotte is home to the spirited. The tenacious. Can-do kind of pioneers who raise eyebrows and leave a mark. Whether it’s academics, athletics, or the arts, we’re home to world-class achievers and leaders. 25,300 students strong and growing, UNC Charlotte boasts an award-winning faculty, notable alumni, and a student body of winners. Stake your claim to a university that doesn’t just try – we succeed.
Lindsey Ozimek Women’s Soccer MVP B.A. Special Education Class of 2008
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By Shelly Theriault
Digital Scholarship Lab
New library service supports self-publishing
Chance W. Lewis, UNC Charlotte’s Belk Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chair of Urban Education, will soon introduce his new peer-reviewed research journal, “Urban Education Research & Policy Annuals” — a noteworthy endeavor made more so by Lewis’ chosen method of publication. Lewis, along with his graduate students, is bypassing the traditional path to producing a publication — contract-to-publisher-to-market — in favor of publishing his work through J. Murrey Atkins Library’s new Digital Scholarship Lab; in fact, Lewis’s research journal will be the lab’s inaugural publication. “It is my hope that this academic journal will become the leading outlet of graduate student research nationally in the field of urban education,” Lewis said. “This journal provides a place in academia for graduate students across the United States to publish their academic contributions.” The proliferation of open-access digital information has not only influenced the way research is conducted but the publication process itself. Today, university faculty members are just as likely to conduct research by accessing online journal databases as they are to browse through the library’s stacks. Furthermore, when their research is complete, new technology enables them to self-publish — versus the sometimes tenuous 34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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Heather McCullough is leading efforts to build the lab’s resources.
process of securing and working through publisher-negotiated contracts. Similar to UNC Charlotte, universities around the country such as Brown, Columbia and Emory are embracing this new technology through the introduction and provision of Digital Scholarship Labs. Atkins Library’s DSL not only provides
the necessary equipment to create digital content (scanning, audio and video creation, etc.) but it also provides digital publishing software services so faculty can publish their work. The software, named the Open Journal System, is a journal management and publishing system developed by the Public www.UNCC.edu
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Chance Lewis will launch a new journal through the Digital Scholarship Lab.
Knowledge Project, an organization focused on innovative online publishing and knowledgesharing environments, according to its website. SELF-PUBLISHINg CHALLENGES While DSL is an incredibly promising service, self-publication is not to be treated lightly. It comes with substantial challenges concerning authors’ rights and copyright issues. To address this, Atkins Library’s nationally recognized copyright expert, Peggy Hoon, offers her expertise. The scholarly communications librarian, Hoon has been a valuable resource to University faculty, providing countless consultations and copyright workshops.
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With the ability to create multi-format digital content, it is important that information is clearly digestible and navigable to users. The DSL offers usability testing services for website interfaces. Somaly Kim Wu, web services librarian, manages web assessment through usability testing. Wu uses quantitative and qualitative studies to identify and address user interface problems. She then supplies valuable feedback and corrective alternatives to scholars before their work is published. “These challenges highlight the DSL’s purpose,” said Atkins Library’s DSL department director Heather McCullough. “We’re here to serve as an intellectual partner with faculty and graduate students, providing expertise, guidance and critical information regarding their digital work.” Paul Youngman, director of the Center for Advanced Research in the Humanities within the College of Computing and Informatics and an associate professor of German, is paying particular attention to proposed geospatial information and research data services. ‘SEISMIC SHIFT’ IN RESEARCH “Research methods in the humanities are undergoing a seismic shift as new tools — particularly tools that enhance the study and identification of patterns as a means to discover and understand the complexities of the human experience — become increasingly available to researchers,” Youngman noted. “And I highlight ‘pattern identification’ because it is the one thing
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that ties together fields as disparate as biology and literary studies.” He adds that the lab will serve “as a research hub that will multiply and enhance existing digital humanities research initiatives on campus.” Governmental agencies have even established specific data management requirements for researchers. The National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, for example, require potential grant recipients to provide public access to research funded with public dollars, datasharing capabilities for future researchers and an electronic data preservation plan. These requirements, among others, now must be met before researchers can even apply for funding. Broader goals are also on the horizon, chiefly plans for a dedicated DSL space on Atkins Library’s second floor. “The dollars to create a new consolidated DSL space come directly from the library’s budget,” McCullough said. “We’re actively pursuing private funding to create a space equal to the innovative services the lab provides. We found it prudent to offer DSL services now and not wait for the space, although it’s much needed. We need to support UNC Charlotte’s internationally competitive research today.” For more information, go to http://dsl.uncc. edu. To make a donation to the J. Murrey Atkins Library, contact Edna Dash at edash@uncc.edu or 704-687-5457.
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giving
Westinghouse Makes $3.3 Million Donation to Energy Center By Paul Nowell
Nick Liparulo, senior vice president of Westinghouse Nuclear Services, announces a $3.3 million gift to the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center.
In December, Westinghouse Electric Co. made a commitment to provide support for the University’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center valued at more than $3 million in donated equipment, services and scholarship funding. The announcement was made at a news conference on the UNC Charlotte campus attended by top University and company officials. “This kind of support is critical to the success of this program, which we foresee as a model for business and education cooperation in the energy sphere,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “EPIC will match the needs of energy companies with 36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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graduates who have the comprehensive skill sets needed to compete in the 21st century.” The donation includes two 30-ton industrial cranes; a training course for crane design; training equipment for the handling of nuclear fuel, a training course for fuel-handling equipment design; training equipment and classes related to the nuclear instrumentation and control business, an introduction to welding course and use of the Westinghouse welding test shop in Rock Hill, S.C. The cranes were custom built by a Westinghouse subsidiary, Superior Crane Corp., to meet UNC Charlotte specifications for the new EPIC Building. The cranes
are a critical piece of equipment to help outfit the high-bay laboratory, in building power infrastructure components to scale for testing, training and research. Included in the gift from Westinghouse is a refueling grapple that connects to the cranes and fuel masts that will enable students to simulate the nuclear refueling process. In addition, the computers and software being donated will allow the University to simulate the operation of the new industry standard, the AP1000 reactor. Jimmy Morgan, vice president of Westinghouse Installation and Modification Services and an EPIC board member, said of the donation, “Good education in the nuclear industry requires access to high-capital-value activities, and it requires access to experienced engineers who are ready to pass on their skills. By providing equipment and training services to EPIC, we are making a contribution to the future of the global energy industry.” EPIC is a partnership between UNC Charlotte, state and local governments and corporations, including energy companies such as Westinghouse, Duke Energy, Siemens Energy, AREVA, URS Corp and the Shaw Group. EPIC will be headquartered in a new $76 million building nearing completion on the Charlotte Research Institute campus. The cranes are already in place in the building, which is scheduled to be finished in February 2012. “Westinghouse recognizes that industry needs to be a partner not just in the funding of higher education, but in the design of educational programming to meet the evolving needs the energy industry,” said Nick Liparulo, senior vice president of Westinghouse Nuclear Services. The training equipment has already been shipped and installed at the EPIC facility on the campus, and related courses are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2012. www.UNCC.edu
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Fabian Elliott Lands Google Internship, Job UNC Charlotte senior Fabian Elliott knew he was fascinated by marketing. And he had already interned with a major U.S. retailer, Target. So what was the big deal when he learned about an opportunity to Fabian Elliott intern at Google? “I knew this was a brand that would open a lot of doors for me,” he said. “I knew I would gain a lot of knowledge in areas I wanted to add to my resume.” Elliott, a 21-year-old marketing major, interned last summer with the global tech giant’s direct sales team. While most of his time was spent in Atlanta, he also had the chance to work with Google marketing teams in New York and Boston. The most impressive part of the opportunity would seem to be learning the ropes about Google’s technology. No, Elliott said, it was the people. “As busy as they were, everyone I met was more than willing to help me out,” he said. As an intern, he was encouraged to use his creativity to come up with his own ideas. And Elliott did, producing a system he called “Operation Noogler,” in which he designated 50 Google staffers to interview during his internship. “I got to talk to every one of them and I had oneon-one meetings with at least 25 of them,” he said. “What a great experience.” Elliott’s responsibilities included researching the team’s seven retail clients that make up a $61.8 million annual revenue account, and performing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. He also was working at Google when the company launched its social media site, Google+, created to compete with Facebook. Elliott is currently building his own personal brand as a collegiate success coach, entrepreneur, speaker and community activist. He recently accepted a full-time job with Google.
Paul Nowell is UNC Charlotte media relations manager. www.UNCC.edu
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arrived, so the vast majority of my friends are vets,” she said. “Being an older student, you feel a little out of place around 18- and 19-year olds, so it’s really nice to have other people who have shared some of the same experiences.” Now vice president of the UNC Charlotte Veterans Club, Zemlock and fellow members seek ways to raise awareness of issues related to veteran students. IN-STATE TUITION FOR ALL VETS? Out-of-state tuition is one such issue. “Offering in-state tuition to all veterans is a change that we would like to see,” she explained. “Less than one percent of the population serves in the military, and even fewer veterans will take advantage of the educational Felipe Godinez benefits, so it shouldn’t affect the University’s bottom line. We would gain more veteran students who have a greater drive and determination to do well academically.” Providing in-state tuition is one of many services the UNC system is exploring, according to David Spano, associate vice chancellor of health services. He and Cason represented UNC Charlotte on the UNC SERVES Project, a system-wide initiative. Earlier this year, the group delivered a report to UNC President Tom Ross that outlined recommendations to improve access, retention and graduation rates for active-duty service members, veterans and their families enrolled in UNC institutions. Many of the recommendations were initiatives already in place at UNC Charlotte. Spano’s expertise focuses on health needs of veterans. The University’s Counseling Center staff has received specialized training on mental health issues that some veterans experience, such as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. “The ability to identify and work with issues that some veterans could present is important,” Spano said. As more veteran students seek out counseling services, it is important for the Counseling Center to be able to meet their needs, he adds. During the past few months, several news organizations, such as National Public Radio and the Chronicle of Higher Education, have reported on forprofit higher education institutions that have “reaped a windfall from the post9/11 GI Bill.” While the GI Bill does pay veterans’ tuition, Spano explained that UNC Charlotte and the other members of the UNC system are nonprofit entities, supported in part through tax dollars, as well as student fees and private donor funding. “UNC Charlotte and the entire UNC system are not motivated by the desire to market to veterans for financial gain,” he said. “In fact, we’re looking at ways we can offer more services to veterans, such as in-state tuition and to connect veterans to campus programs and generally let veterans know the UNC campuses welcome their presence. “Our veteran population enhances the diversity of our institution, making it a richer place for all,” he stressed. “Given their sacrifices, veteran students deserve our efforts, and the University would be remiss in not conducting outreach initiatives.” Phillip Brown is UNC Charlotte internal communications manager. Q411
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Where in the World Is Meghan Hamrock? Meghan Hamrock, ’11, is denting her proverbial “bucket list” in a big way. Last spring, she climbed more than 10,000 stairs, ran through villages with ancient origins and traversed legendary towers as part of the annual Great Wall of China Marathon. A runner for nearly a decade, Hamrock only last year decided to try her hand, er feet, as a marathoner. She has since adopted a new life-time goal — to run a marathon on every continent. Hamrock recently achieved another personal goal — she qualified and was accepted into the 2012 Boston Marathon. “Attitude and determination are everything when it comes to running, and my motivation stems from the phrase ‘Daingne Intinne,’ which means ‘Strength of Mind,’” Hamrock noted. “It is what has helped me reach my personal and professional goals; it is why I am where I am today.” At UNC Charlotte, Hamrock majored in public health sciences, graduating with University Honors. She recently began graduate studies at Tufts University, Boston, in food policy and applied nutrition. She explained that her extensive travels and experiences as a University Honors Program participant have led her to her passion. “Through my travels and studies I have found my niche to be international health,” Hamrock said. “I professionally aspire to combat universal malnutrition by assessing and implementing relief systems for those in need.”
Alumna Meghan Hamrock finished the Great Wall of China Marathon 202 overall out of 552 marathoners. The 10,000-stair, 26.2-mile race took her a little over five and a half hours to complete. 38 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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Hamrock’s creed is “Strength of Mind.” In Celtic Gaelic, that translates to “Daingne Intinne.” www.UNCC.edu
a l u m n i a f fa i r s
N ominations
for
Alumni Awards
D ue
by
F ebruar y
You are invited to nominate a deserving individual for the University’s alumni awards. The UNC Charlotte Alumni Association presents annual awards to recognize alumni who embody the core principles of the University and have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to the University, their chosen field, humanity and/or society. Awards include the Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Alumni Hall of Fame and the Outstanding Young Alumnus.
Save the Date: Homecoming February 11 UNC Charlotte will celebrate homecoming Saturday, February 11. For more information, go to www.unccharlottealumni.org/homecoming.
Golf Classic Raises $8,000 The 13th Annual TIAA-CREF Alumni Golf Classic was October 10 at Pine Island Country Club in Charlotte. Approximately
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Alumni of UNC Charlotte and its predecessor institutions are eligible; however, a person must be nominated to receive consideration. Nominations are due to the Office of Alumni Affairs by February 15. Forms and information can be found at www.unccharlottealumni.org. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 704-687-7799 or 1-800-PIK-UNCC $8,000 was raised for the Dr. Gregory Davis need-based scholarship program. Pictured are the first-place team of Kevin Silva, Robert Newkirk, Jim Ashford and Curtis Kyles.
Triad-Area Alumni Enjoy the Vineyards Triad-area alumni gathered at Childress Vineyards in Lexington on October 5 for an evening of networking and University updates from Betty Doster, special assistant to
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the chancellor for constituent relations, and coaches Alan Major, Cara Consuegra and Brad Lambert. More than 125 alumni and friends attended the annual event.
Young Alums Turn Out at SouthPark The Young Alumni Chapter held an event at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in SouthPark on October 22. Over 55 young alumni and friends gathered for an evening of wine tasting and networking.
CHI PHI LEADS REUNION PARTICIPATION On October 22, approximately 100 alumni gathered for the second annual All Greek Reunion. The afternoon was filled with fun and reconnecting. Congratulations go to Chi Phi for having the most registrants.
Black Alumni Chapter Honors Entrepreneurs On November 1, the Black Alumni Chapter hosted a reception in UNC Charlotte’s new Center City Building. The event recognized both alumni and non-alumni for their contributions to the Charlotte community in the field of entrepreneurship.
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building blocks
Democracy in Action
In fall of 1984, a UNC Charlotte student registers to exercise his right to vote. Another election year is upon us. But this year, the whole world will be watching Charlotte when it hosts the Democratic National Convention. UNC Charlotte will be deeply engaged in a nonpartisan, collaborative initiative called the 49er Democracy Experience (page 3), ensuring that 2012 will be an historic year in the civic life of the University and the community. 40 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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perspective
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Our Aim: Closing the Health Disparity Gap By Nancy Fey-Yensan, Dean, College of Health and Human Services Health is the essential foundation of a vital and highly productive society. Those who enjoy good health can engage in educational, work and creative pursuits that benefit not only their lives but communities as a whole. Healthy, dynamic communities require responsive and sophisticated systems of care — including preventive health services — and systems that are accessible to all. Health care, always a highly charged and hotly debated topic, is undeniably complex but inextricably tied to poverty, education, age, race and geography, for starters. UNC Charlotte’s College of Health and Human Services is a ready, agile and critical player in an evolving health care system — which is supported by a wide
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variety of health care enterprises, grassroots community agencies, schools, our local health department, professional organizations and caring community advocates. Over the last three months, I have been immensely impressed by the capacity of individual entities to see beyond their own immediate purpose, seeking collaborative solutions and innovative approaches to close in on unacceptable disparities in health and health care access in the Charlotte region and statewide. There are several ways that UNC Charlotte’s health and human service programs will help to guarantee a healthy future. One of the most important roles we play is to educate the highest quality workforce we can in health and human sciences. Our professional disciplines require that our graduates possess a work-ready clinical skill set. But that alone won’t be adequate if we are to commit fully to develop and employ new, integrated and more responsive ways to provide medical service, improve access and embrace the goal of health for all. As an example, we have developed an interdisciplinary partnership with the College of Computing and Informatics to yield a unique master’s degree in health informatics, with our first class entering in the fall of 2012. We also benchmark processes and partnerships that affect the most positive outcomes, integrating those best practices into our didactic approaches and laboratory simulations. With the dramatic demographic shifts in the region, we also challenge our students to pursue cultural competence and to engage in interdisciplinary training in growing areas of need such as gerontology.
We also strive to graduate practitioners who are thoughtful global citizens, encouraging international experiences in health care practice or study during their time with us. Importantly, as earnest partners in improving care for all, we are listening carefully to health and human services employers as they describe the need for an increasingly amorphous skill set in their ideal work force, including the ability to lead, solve complex problems and communicate effectively across a broad spectrum of colleagues, clients and stakeholders. In addition to educating the future health care workforce, faculty and students within the College of Health and Human Services are engaged in cutting-edge scholarship that ranges from bench and laboratory research to community-based assessments, policy review and the testing of new health interventions. The college is working to expand its research portfolio to become an essential health-focused research resource in the region. Importantly, this research is pursued with one goal in mind: to improve the health and quality of life of our fellow community members. Our faculty members have roots as frontline health and human service practitioners, possessing first-hand understanding of the depth of need faced by our at-risk communities, particularly in the current economy. This, coupled with their ability to train the next generation workforce and their expertise in researching salient health and social service issues, creates a critical opportunity. The college can serve Charlotte and the region through the extension of the intellectual capital burgeoning in our classrooms and laboratories. Marshaled by the unremitting will of our communities to improve the health and quality of life of their residents, UNC Charlotte and the College of Health and Human Services is focused and ready to close the health disparity gap and create a healthy future for all members of the Charlotte community. Q411
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UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 41
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The UNC Charlotte family wishes you a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!