Winter 2013 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to 2013 and Happy New Year to all. I’m pleased to help you get caught up to date on all of the doings at UNC Charlotte as our students return from the holiday break.

As always, if you want additional information on any specific item mentioned in this newsletter, please contact my executive assistant, Shari Dunn.


A Productive End to 2012

Click on the article title for the full story.

Many of us think of this time of year as both a culmination and a beginning. As the year winds down, we take time to reflect on the previous year and to focus on the new year coming at us at full speed. This is especially true at UNC Charlotte because mid-December was commencement time, a celebration of the attainment of an academic degree and the beginning of a new chapter in the graduate’s life.




Every other year, January is also the time when freshman legislators at the state or federal level are sworn into office along with their more experienced new colleagues. The 2012 election ushered in many new faces among the elected officials who serve the Charlotte region and our state. Among them are two 49ers who are blazing trails among our alumni.




Of course, last fall’s elections were conducted in the aftermath of both national presidential nominating conventions. The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has come and gone and Charlotte scored high marks hosting this major event. 




As I brainstorm with my staff every semester about what to include in this newsletter, we are always challenged with selecting individual members of our faculty, staff, and student body who have earned professional recognitions or important distinctions for their work. That, truly, is a challenge, because our institution is extremely fortunate to have a large number of talented folks.




Fall semester also marked the formal opening of UNC Charlotte’s much-publicized EPIC facility. The Energy Production and Infrastructure Center now provides the region and state with a leading-edge research facility to help advance North Carolina’s future in the energy sector. The $76 million facility, funded by the State of North Carolina, is frequently cited among the state’s top competitive advantages over neighboring states.




Our holiday break ended just over a week ago, but we began moving ahead into the spring even before the students got back.




Most immediately upon our horizon is the 2013 session of the North Carolina General Assembly. The formal legislative session just opened this week, on January 9.

In the wake of the deep national recession, the state’s economy remains sluggish and most reports indicate slow growth in revenue for 2013, possibly only 2%. Additionally, North Carolina owes $2.4 billion in unpaid debt to the federal government for unemployment insurance and Medicaid budget overruns.

 




Another major activity in 2013 will be the continuation of community visitations to strengthen public awareness of and support for this region’s only public university. It is also very helpful for me to hear directly from community and business leaders about how we can better respond to their needs, including those related to workforce preparation and applied research.




Those of you who regularly receive or read this newsletter may know that it does tend to go on a bit! Brevity has never been a personal strength of mine.