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‘Education leader to watch’ named UNC Charlotte’s fifth chancellor
Sharon L. Gaber, Ph.D., was appointed UNC Charlotte’s fifth chancellor by the UNC Board of Governors on April 28.
Gaber, who will join the University on July 20, has been president of the University of Toledo since 2015, where she was nationally recognized for her efforts to increase enrollment, improve graduation and retention rates, keep education affordable, and make the campus environment diverse and inclusive. Education Dive, a leading publication devoted to K-12 and higher education, named her one of five higher education leaders to watch in 2018 and beyond.
Mike Wilson ’93, chair of the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees and the Chancellor Selection Committee, stated, “This is a historic moment for UNC Charlotte at a historic time in our nation and in higher education. We are fortunate to have found a strong, innovative and accomplished leader like Sharon Gaber to guide UNC Charlotte through the next chapter in its history and to solidify our position as a top-tier, nationally recognized university.”
Gaber mentioned that the connection and camaraderie she already feels with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members make UNC Charlotte feel like home. “It is the dedication and commitment of each of you to serve the needs of others and the critical role UNC Charlotte plays as an economic engine for this growing region. I hope to continue that legacy.”
She added, “UNC Charlotte is well-positioned to impact the city, region and state. I am impressed with UNC Charlotte’s outstanding reputation in academics, its growing research capabilities and its diverse student population.”
Interim UNC President Bill Roper, who selected Gaber for approval by the UNC Board of Governors, said her impressive career at each level of education makes her the ideal candidate to lead UNC Charlotte.
“Her many past achievements and future goals will benefit both the UNC System and UNC Charlotte,” stated Roper. “I have great confidence that UNC Charlotte will continue to grow and develop under her strong leadership.”
Prior to being named the 17th president of the University of Toledo, Gaber served six years as provost
and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Arkansas. In addition, she held faculty and administrative positions at Auburn University, including interim provost, and was a faculty member and administrator at the University of Nebraska.
A graduate of Occidental College with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Gaber earned a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
New leaders designated for Engineering, Business and Office of Urban Research and Community Engagement
Robert Keynton and Byron White will join UNC Charlotte to start the fall 2020 semester. They, along with Jennifer Troyer, a member of the faculty for two decades, recently were named to key University leadership positions.
Troyer will become dean of the Belk College of Business, a position she has held in an interim capacity since last year. Keynton will serve as dean of the William States Lee College of Engineering, and White was appointed associate provost for Urban Research and Community Engagement.
“We sought innovative, accomplished leaders who are gifted in building nationally recognized programs and research, developing strong internal and external partnerships and possessing a deep commitment to student success,” said Joan Lorden, provost and vice chancellor of Academic Affairs. “Following national searches, we believe these three leaders embody the right qualities to further UNC Charlotte’s mission as we enter the next chapter in the University’s story.”
Coming from the University of Louisville, Keynton was interim executive vice president for Research and Innovation and the Lutz Endowed Chair of Biomechanical Devices in the Department of Engineering at the Speed School of Engineering. His expertise includes development of biomedical micro-electromechanical systems and cardiovascular mechanics. An elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering Society and the National Academy of Inventors, he completed a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic and State University. His master’s and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering are from the University of Akron.
Prior to being named interim dean of the Belk College of Business, Troyer was senior associate dean and professor of Economics. In addition, she has served as chair of the Department of Economics, associate dean for research and graduate programs and interim dean of the College of Health and Human Services. She has taught courses in health economics and econometrics and has conducted policyrelevant research on the quality of U.S. nursing homes, the cost-effectiveness of medical interventions and strategic behavior in the pharmaceutical industry. A graduate of the University of Memphis with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Troyer completed master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Florida State University.
White will lead the reorganized UNC Charlotte Office of Urban Research and Community Engagement. Formerly called Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs, the Office of Urban Research and Community Engagement focuses on connecting UNC Charlotte’s collaborative research and engaged scholarship to expand community and regional partnerships. It includes the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, the Women + Girls Research Alliance, the Charlotte Action Research Project and Engaged Scholarship.
White comes to the University from StrivePartnership, where he was vice president and executive director of the public-private collaborative focused on cradle-to-career outcomes in urban education. Previously, he was vice president for University Engagement and chief diversity officer at Cleveland State University and vice chancellor for Economic Advancement at Xavier University, following a career at the Chicago Tribune. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University, a master’s degree in Social
Robert Keynton
Jennifer Troyer
Byron White
Science from University of Chicago and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management from University of Pennsylvania.
James Walsh
Suzanne Leland
Political science researchers honored
Suzanne Leland and James Walsh, faculty members of the Public Policy Ph.D. program and professors in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, are the 2020 recipients of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award and First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, respectively.
Leland’s research focuses on state and local government service delivery. She has published a variety of books including “American Cities and the Politics of Party Conventions” and “City-County Consolidation: Promises Made, Promises Kept.” In 2019, she received the Donald Stone Distinguished Scholar Award from the American Society of Public Administration.
“Dr. Leland has worked with her doctoral students in UNC Charlotte’s Public Policy program, placing them on successful career trajectories and enhancing the program’s stature,” said Justin Stritch, an assistant professor in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University. “Her mentoring of students is a cornerstone of UNC Charlotte’s MPA and Public Policy programs and a key component to the demonstrated success of students in both programs.”
Walsh’s work has been published by Columbia University Press, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, International Studies Quarterly and other outlets. His most recent book, “Drones and Support for the Use of Force,” uses experimental research to analyze the effects of combat drones on Americans’ support for the use of force.
“I see Dr. Walsh’s work as among the most innovative and exciting research currently ongoing in international conflict studies,” said Michael Findley, professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. “He is publishing in leading journals and landing large amounts of grant money. In all of this, he has remained committed to working with students, mentoring many of them on his various projects.”
Walsh serves as lead principal investigator on the Minerva Research Initiative grant supporting the Resources and Conflict project, which analyzes combatants’ strategic and military choices during civil war. The project also develops new research designed to improve understanding of the dynamics of conflict and contributes to the development of policies that resolve conflicts.
The First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal was created to spotlight the important contributions UNC Charlotte and its faculty are making throughout the Carolinas, the nation and the world.
Tankersley named to statewide science/tech board
Richard Tankersley, UNC Charlotte’s vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development, has been named by Gov. Roy Cooper to the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation. The appointment extends until 2024.
The role of the board, administered through the North Carolina Department of Commerce, is to encourage, promote and support scientific, engineering and industrial research applications in North Carolina. In doing so, it investigates areas of emerging science and technology and conducts studies on the competitiveness of North Carolina industry and research institutions—while accelerating the state’s next generation of technology and technology companies.
“As North Carolina’s urban research university, UNC Charlotte plays a critical role in advancing the state’s innovation economy and shaping the development of new technologies—particularly in manufacturing, energy and data science,” said Tankersley. “I’m honored to represent UNC Charlotte and the 17 institutions of the UNC System on the North Carolina Board of Science, Technology and Innovation at a time when the state’s universities are exploring ways to stimulate and support new technologies, drive new business development and, ultimately, create jobs.”
Kerr Putney
Wade Bruton
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney ’92, the 2020 UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award winner, was honored by the University for his strong leadership, listening ear and reputation as a community and relationship builder.
“We at UNC Charlotte witnessed his strength, leadership and compassion first hand following the tragedy of April 30, 2019, and in the following days,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “The overwhelming support and kindness we received from Kerr, his team and the Charlotte community helped carry us through.”
Dubois said Putney is a distinguished alumnus as well as a “terrific community partner.”
The Distinguished Service Award recognizes people who demonstrate dedication to the University and have helped shape it and the community in significant ways.
Putney has dedicated his life to policing the Charlotte community. He started his career with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in August 1992, shortly after graduating from UNC Charlotte with a bachelor’s degree in criminology. He earned a master’s degree in criminology from East Carolina University. Putney worked in various patrol, training and other special assignments before being named chief in June 2015.
The Distinguished Service Award was established in 1987 by the Board of Trustees of UNC Charlotte and the Board of Directors of the University Foundation. Each recipient receives a statue of a gold miner, cast from a sculpture by artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri.
Children’s literacy advocate receives Holshouser Award
Mark West, who has devoted his 35- year career at UNC Charlotte to advancing children’s literacy, is a 2020 recipient of the Governor James E. Holshouser Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Given by the UNC System Board of Governors, this award recognizes and rewards sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in university public service and outreach, and contributions to improve the quality of life of the citizens of North Carolina.
West, who is a professor of children’s literature and former chair of UNC Charlotte’s Department of English, attributes his success to his father. “I know I would not be a professor today if it were not for my father reading aloud,” he said. “We did not have a television, but my father read to us every single night all through my childhood, up through eighth grade. Because my father read aloud to me, it
EPIC partnering on power grid grant
UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) have received a $300,000 competitive award from the U.S. Department of Energy for a joint, two-year project to consider developing a centralized energy grid to effectively support critical services in the case of power outages.
“The cost to society after a major weatherrelated disaster can be far greater than the cost required to invest in resilience, but unfortunately, there are not good methods or metrics to evaluate these investments,” said Robert Cox, associate director, EPIC.
The two-year project, Planning an Affordable, Resilient and Sustainable Grid in North Carolina, will include opportunities for interested stakeholders to review metrics developed by the research team and to provide input into an advanced grid scenario focused on enabling a more decentralized resilient allowed me to develop a love of literature even though I struggled to read as a child.”
Throughout his career, West has been a strong advocate for children’s literacy and has brought his expertise into the community with his work with Charlottearea schools, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and others. His commitment to civic engagement is underscored by a recent grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council for the project, “The Child Character in Southern Literature and Film,” a partnership with area schools and the Charlotte Public Library to raise awareness about diversity and the history of childhood in the South as reflected in children’s literature.
Recently, West also received the most prestigious honor in his field, the Anne Devereaux Jordan Award for Outstanding
Mark West
Achievement in Children’s Literature.
Energy Production and Infrastructure Center at UNC Charlotte
grid, including micro/mini grids that can support critical services, such as hospitals, in the case of power outages.
EPIC will analyze outage data provided by Duke Energy following major weatherrelated disasters that have affected North Carolina over the last several years. Once this baseline information is known, EPIC will consider the potential impact of Duke Energy’s proposed grid-hardening measures, including distribution automation and undergrounding power lines. The team will consider the potential impact of the advanced grid scenario that would include incentives for micro-grids and other advanced technologies.
Psychological Science professor earns UNC BOG teaching award
Jennifer Webb is among the 2020 recipients of the UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
An associate professor in the Department of Psychological Science in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Webb joined UNC Charlotte in 2007. She has taught eight courses in the psychology undergraduate program and four courses for the health psychology doctoral program. Additionally, she developed two new courses for the undergraduate major.
“I do not believe in lecturing at students,” said Webb. “I view the classroom as a creative space for our collective wisdom to dynamically unfold through lively exchanges in which we can comfortably debate the merits of multiple sides of an issue. Engaging this critical lens supports students’ consciousness-raising capacities and cognitive flexibility as personal resources.”
Webb is the 2019 recipient of the University’s Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence; she was bestowed the Bonnie E. Cone Early-Career Professorship in Teaching in 2017.
As the Charlotte Racial Justice Consortium, UNC Charlotte, Johnson C. Smith University and Queens University of Charlotte will collaborate to listen to Charlotte’s many racial truths; encourage a community that understands its history of race and racism; and develop student, university and community leaders who work across the region toward truth, racial healing and equity.
The effort is supported by the consortium’s selection as a Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center by the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U). The association created the initiative to prepare the next
Jennifer Webb
Established by the UNC Board of Governors in 1993 to highlight the importance of teaching, the Awards for Excellence in Teaching recognize the generation of strategic leaders to dismantle the belief in a hierarchy of human value.
Six students from each campus will be selected to participate in a yearextraordinary contributions of faculty members system wide. Each of the winners receives a commemorative bronze medallion
Universities unite to support racial healing
and a $12,500 cash prize. long reflection of Charlotte’s history of racism and its connection to each university, while exploring racial equity and developing leadership skills. The fellowship will culminate in unique, student-led projects on the three campuses designed to foster truth, racial healing and transformation.
“Charlotte has the interest and bandwidth to listen and work collaboratively toward anti-racism, racial equity and transformation at the individual-, group- and system-levels,” said Susan McCarter, social work professor at UNC Charlotte and a principal investigator on the project.
Advancing solar energy management
Sukumar Kamalasadan, Duke Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is one of the principal investigators for a federally funded project to advance solar energy’s role in strengthening the resilience of the U.S. electric grid.
Kamalasadan and a research team received a $4.6 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop an electricity grid management tool that detects cyber and physical threats and forms dynamic clusters to optimally manage photovoltaics and energy storage.
“The tool we are developing identifies clusters of energy sources, especially the solar farms in the power distribution system, and assigns a single controller that manages these clusters, so they work together to support the electric grid,” said Kamalasadan.
UNC Charlotte researchers are working in collaboration with faculty at Clemson
A new public elementary school developed and operated by education experts at UNC Charlotte is scheduled to open at the former Amay James Pre-K Center starting in August 2020.
Niner University Elementary at Amay James (NUE) is the sixth school across the state created in response to the North Carolina General Assembly’s UNC Laboratory School Initiative, a program created to provide enhanced educational programming to students in low-performing schools.
In its first year of operation, NUE will serve 150 students in grades K-2, adding an additional grade level each year through 2024. At capacity, the school will serve 300 students in grades K-5. NUE will be operated by UNC Charlotte but will receive support services from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, including transportation and meals for students.
Sukumar Kamalasadan, back row, third left, and members of the Department of Energy project team are seeking to strengthen the nation’s electric grid through solar energy.
University, Florida International University and New Mexico State University, along with Argonne National Lab, Idaho National Lab, OPAL RT Technologies and Duke Energy.
Duke Energy will allow UNC Charlotte researchers access to real-time data from the grid. The project will benefit Duke by helping grid operators better incorporate renewable energy into grid needs, maintain reliability and respond to events like cyber attacks.
“This is just one example of EPIC’s
Dozens of UNC Charlotte faculty and staff from across campus contributed to the school’s development.
“We have a few important priorities including training the teachers of tomorrow and serving our community. We don’t just study theory, we bring it to life through practice and Niner University Elementary is a great example of this model strategic partnerships with Duke Energy, the state of North Carolina and the federal government to bring a strong focus of resiliency to grid modernization,” said EPIC Director Mike Mazzola.
Kamalasadan’s project, “Optimal Reconfiguration and Resilient Control Framework for Real-Time Photovoltaic Dispatch to Manage Critical Infrastructure,” was one of 10 awarded by the U.S.
UNC Charlotte to operate public elementary lab school
Department of Energy. in action,” said Teresa Petty, interim dean of the Cato College of Education.
In addition to academic rigor, the school will have a “whole child” focus and support achievement by engaging students outside the classroom. A committee of UNC Charlotte’s Cato College of Education faculty has identified a social emotional learning curriculum that focuses on creating a supportive community and teaches skills in areas like self-awareness and responsible decision making.
NUE is developing a school-based mental health program, too, and plans to offer resources, including play therapy.
Additionally, NUE will provide the Cato College of Education the opportunity to train and support the growth of teachers, counselors and school leaders. Selected candidates will spend their junior year at the school, which will offer students extensive opportunities to observe and practice what they have learned.
Sara Juengst
Lynn Roberson
Archaeologists discover infants buried wearing skull helmets
Sara Juengst, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, received worldwide media coverage related to the discovery of two infants unearthed in ancient burial mounds in Salango, Ecuador. They were buried wearing helmets crafted from the skulls of other children, in what researchers believe was a unique practice perhaps intended to protect the infants’ souls during their journey to the afterlife.
“This has literally not been seen before, to our knowledge. We think this is a totally novel burial practice,” said Juengst, a bioarchaeologist.
The research team is composed of UNC Charlotte’s Juengst and Abigail Bythell and Richard Lunniss and Juan José Ortiz Aguilu of Universidad Técnica de Manabí in Ecuado. Their paper, published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, attracted worldwide attention, including from major news outlets such as the Washington Post, Nature, CNN and the Smithsonian online magazine.
The infants were among 11 burials discovered between 2014 and 2016 at a ritual burial complex dated to approximately 100 BC. The mounds likely were built by the Guangala, a culture that existed on the southwest coast of Ecuador at that time.
The researchers describe the cranial coverings as helmets because they extend to the back and sides of the heads, with the face of the infant wearing the helmet looking out of the other child’s skull. Analysis shows that skin and tissue likely held the skulls together.
Between the two skull layers in one instance, they found a small shell and a small hand bone that appear to have been placed intentionally. The archaeologists also found stone ancestor figurines near the skeletons, which could be further indication of a desire to protect the infants’ souls.
“In future research, we would like to place these burials within the context of the larger mortuary complex of these particular mounds and other sites more broadly,” Juengst said.
It could be that the motivations of the people who conducted the rituals will remain a mystery. Juengst does think about the emotions of those who conducted the rituals, drawing some comfort from her suspicion that the rituals were intended as protection from further harm or a way to link to ancestors.
“We cannot know for sure what was in the minds of the people who performed these rituals,” Juengst said. “We think we know a lot about the past, and then we have discoveries like this.”
Strengthening coral reef populations
Corals depend on their symbiotic relationships with the algae that they host. But how do they keep algal population growth in check? The answer to this fundamental question could help reefs survive in a changing climate.
A new study published in Nature Communications by a team including UNC Charlotte researcher and lead author Tingting Xiang and Carnegie Institution for Science’s Sophie Clowez, Rick Kim and Arthur Grossman indicates how sea anemones, which are closely related to coral, control the size of their algal populations that reside within their tissues.
“Our work elucidates how the association between anemones and algae, or coral and algae, ensures that this symbiotic relationship remains stable and beneficial to both partner organisms,” Xiang said. “With ongoing research, we hope to understand even better the various mechanisms and specific regulators that are crucial for integrating the metabolisms of these two organisms, which could eventually allow for the transplantation of hardier algae into bleached coral and also for manipulating both corals and algae to have greater tolerance to adverse conditions.”
Before joining UNC Charlotte as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences this academic year, Xiang was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Plant Biology with the Carnegie Institution for Science. She also was a postdoctoral researcher with Stanford University and earned a doctorate in plant biology from China Agricultural University.
Tingting Xiang is collaborating with researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science to discover ways to strengthen corals’ ability to survive in a variety of conditions.
Lynn Roberson
Stockphoto-graf/Shutterstock.com
LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY
We love UNC Charlotte and wanted to do something special. Our estate gift allowed us to do more than we ever thought possible. It gives us great comfort and will allow us to provide funding for students in three programs – Architecture, Athletics and the CRC – close to our hearts. We met at UNC Charlotte and have remained in Charlotte supporting it in many ways. This is a forever gift. –Diana and Jim Hoppa
In these uncertain times, there’s a way to support UNC Charlotte without affecting your disposable income. To learn more, contact the Office of Planned Giving. Amy Shehee, Director of Planned Giving 704-687-0301 ashehee@uncc.edu
Jim Hoppa, senior associate vice chancellor for student affairs, retired from UNC Charlotte in 2018 after 36 years of service. Jim met his wife, Diana, while both worked for Residence Life. Their son, Michael, graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 2016 and a Bachelor of Architecture in 2017.
