Something special is in store for shoppers at Salvation Army SELECT.

With its layout, furniture and fixtures designed by Matt Jones and Debbie Nestvogel as their undergraduate honors thesis in interior architecture, the store is a prototype for re-selling donated clothes and accessories in a boutique atmosphere. Located at 3610 N. Elm Street in Lake Jeanette Station, it opened Nov. 13.

“This Salvation Army SELECT store is a shining example of the good things that happen when students combine learning and service,” Provost David Perrin said during a Nov. 12 news conference.
Visitors find walls painted chocolate brown and robin’s egg blue and stylish track lighting highlighting eye-catching displays. The Salvation Army’s trademark red shield is set at an angle, reflecting a new image.

Proceeds from the 5,000-square-foot store will support the Salvation Army’s local work including Greensboro’s Boys and Girls Clubs and Center of Hope, a shelter to self-sufficiency.

Jones and Nestvogel spent the summer designing the store, including frequent trips around the state for inspiration. Faculty member Suzanne Cabrera served as thesis professor and mentor to the two students.

This has been a community project, by the community and for the community.

“We didn’t want a cookie cutter approach like many other stores,” Jones said. “We were influenced by trendy retail environments and interiors that promote comfortable adventure and discovery.”

Jones graduated in August and now works for the Department of Interior Architecture as a lecturer and woodshop supervisor. Nestvogel will graduate in December. While juggling other responsibilities this fall, they continued to work to make their vision a reality.

“It’s been an incredible experience that we’re so grateful for,” Nestvogel said at the news conference. “We’ve learned so much throughout the entire process. It’s surreal standing here right now, seeing the design we’ve had in our heads since May.”

This semester, studio courses in interior architecture led by Cabrera and Stoel Burrowes have helped with projects ranging from marketing to construction of shelves, display cases and other furniture.
Students and faculty in the Department of Consumer, Apparel and Retail Studies contributed merchandising expertise. Local artist Sage Hanna painted a wall-sized mural, “Amazing Grace,” telling the story of the Salvation Army’s charitable programs. Local contractors and volunteers provided more help.

“This has been a community project, by the community and for the community,” Jones said. “The idea of community is what drew Debbie and me to this project from the beginning.”

The design of Salvation Army SELECT grew out of an earlier collaboration between the university and the Salvation Army. A year ago, several dozen students and faculty spent all night at the Gatewood Building brainstorming a makeover for the Salvation Army’s Family Store on Lee Street.

Read more about Salvation Army SELECT and see more photos.

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

Fall colors and a row of regal Minerva flags line College Avenue. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, is an important part of UNCG’s history and identity. She appeared on the first diploma in 1893 and on every diploma since. A statue of the goddess, given by the Class of 1953 on the occasion of its 50th reunion, stands in the east courtyard of Elliott University Center. Want to learn more about Minerva? Visit this page.

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

Checked the headlines lately? Access to affordable, reliable health care is at the heart of a lively national debate. In Greensboro, there’s good news on which we can all agree: The UNCG School of Nursing Health Centers are using a service-learning model to provide preventative care to geriatric and vulnerable populations.

A growing geriatric population coupled with daunting economic challenges emphasizes more than ever the need to provide proper care for Greensboro’s older adults. Just ask Steve Fleming, President and CEO of Well•Spring Retirement Community. He’s practiced long-term care administration in Greensboro for the last 20 years.

According to Fleming, many older adults wait until there’s a crisis before seeking medical attention. “We need to help them sooner,” he says.

Putting off care leads to costly visits to over-crowded emergency rooms and acute care settings. Regular check-ups and early intervention tend to reduce both suffering and medical expenses, but too often low-income seniors lack the transportation, financial resources and support they need to get to the doctor. That’s where the UNCG School of Nursing Health Centers come in.

We’ll come to you
UNCG nursing professors and students provide personalized, compassionate care to community members in the convenience of their own homes and at four local health centers. Three are associated with the Greensboro Housing Authority. With faculty instruction, nursing students monitor vital signs, teach prevention, manage diet and medication, and tend to the physical and personal well-being of residents.

We need to help them sooner.

For more than 20 years, UNCG has provided preventative services through the health centers, primarily supported by donations from local foundations and organizations. Well•Spring Retirement Community recently provided a tremendous boon by committing a gift of $500,000 over the next five years.

Well•Spring’s gift marks an expansion of the partnership between the School of Nursing and the housing authority. Now, the nursing professors, students and other professionals who staff the centers can give vulnerable populations greater access to care that is not always easily available.

Not just nurses
The health centers provide opportunities not just for nurses, but for students and faculty from across campus, in departments like psychology and social work. Marketing faculty and staff have gotten involved by developing promotional materials for resident patients.

Amina Chin is a senior in the School of Nursing whose current focus is gerontological and community nursing. In addition to dedicating two days a week to a clinical setting, she spends four to eight hours a week working at the Guilford County Health Department, Adult Centers for Learning, Hospice of the Piedmont or Hall Towers, one of the health centers.

“I have had wonderful experiences working in the health centers. It really allows us to explore what we’ve learned in class and to implement those things into our practice. The residents are very receptive to the care that we give and thankful that we come out to help them.”

Departments or individuals interested in getting involved with The UNCG School of Nursing Health Centers may contact Suzanne Lineberry.

Read more at the Greensboro News & Record.

By Andrea Spencer, University Relations

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

Elliott University Center (EUC) is framed by lush, green grass and a stunning blue sky. Literally and symbolically, the building has been identified as UNCG’s center since it opened in 1953. Construction began as a result of the first major gift to Woman’s College – a contribution from Greensboro’s Cone Family. Do you know after whom the building is named? If you guessed Harriet Wiseman Elliott, you’re correct. Elliott came to the State Normal and Industrial School in 1913 as a faculty member and became Dean of Women in 1953. Want to learn more about UNCG’s History? Go here.

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

Four children evacuated from London at the dawn of World War II find themselves growing up and taking part in the greatest adventure of their lives. Join Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy as they travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia, where it is always winter but never Christmas.

Experience the epic battle between the White Witch, who is determined to keep control of Narnia, and the rightful ruler, the great lion Aslan. Rediscover the magic and mystery of Narnia when UNCG’s North Carolina Theatre for Young People (NCTYP) presents “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in Taylor Theatre Nov. 13-22.

The university’s theatre students direct, design, perform and stage-manage the show, which is intended for children in grades one through eight. The dramatization by Joseph Robinette faithfully recreates the C.S. Lewis classic, winner of an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book Award. It offers an inspiring message about the ability of individuals to change the world for the better.

“It’s a coming-of-age story,” says director Ariana Moses, a graduate student in the Theatre for Young People program. “The war outside Narnia the children can’t do anything about. In Narnia, they control their own destiny. They could go back through the wardrobe, but they decide to stay.”

“In the midst of fear, they find courage,” adds Rachel Briley, a faculty member and artistic director of NCTYP.

The play raises questions for performers and audience members alike. The youngest child, Lucy, is the first to visit Narnia. Is this because, as the youngest, she has the strongest imagination?

In the midst of fear, they find courage.

“Is Narnia a real place or is it fantasy?” asks Moses. “Did Lucy create it through her imagination? Do the other children add elements? I think the audience should make its own decision. I have an opinion, but I’m not going to say.”

Audiences will be captivated by the professional-quality production values. Erika Grayson designed the sets; Angela Howell designed the costumes; and Kate Devine designed the lighting.

Founded in 1962, NCTYP has performed live theatre for more than 2 million children in Greensboro and across the state. Performances are a learning experience for the cast, design team, production team and crew, along with the audience.

“Our productions are our laboratories,” Briley says. “In the sciences you have laboratories that are part of the coursework. Our productions are our laboratories, where students have the opportunity to apply what they’re learning in their classes.”

Performances are in Taylor Theatre, 450 Tate Street, at 7 p.m. Nov. 13, 14, 20, 21; 2 p.m. Nov. 14, 15, 22; 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17-20; noon Nov. 18, 20; and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Nov. 21. Tickets – $15 for adults; $12 for children, seniors and non-UNCG students; $9 for groups of 10 or more and UNCG alumni; and $7 for UNCG students – can be purchased at the door beginning one hour before performances or from the UNCG Box Office.

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

A canopy of beautiful fall leaves stretches over Market Street near the School of Music. The UNCG campus, which is known for its many stately buildings, friendly pedestrian walkways and abundant green space is made all the more stunning this time of year by fantastic fall foliage. This autumn, fall colors seem more brilliant and plentiful than ever.

Photography by Chris English, University Relations

The Nicholas A. Vacc Bell Tower (background, left) stands on Anniversary Plaza, peering through the trees at UNCG’s beautifully renovated Alumni House. The 47-foot brick tower at Spring Garden Street and College Avenue is a 2005 gift from Dr. Nancy Vacc in memory of her husband, Dr. Nicholas Vacc. Both were longtime faculty members in the School of Education. It includes a four-faced clock and four bells, which toll every 15 minutes. The Alumni House, which dates back to 1935, underwent a stunning historical preservation in 2008, thanks to generous alumni who ensured the building’s legacy would continue for generations to come. Read more about the renovation in UNCG Magazine.

Photography by Chris English, University Relations

The daisy was chosen as the official school flower in 1893, inspiring the first school colors of gold and white. Navy blue was added to the university color palette in 1987.

Photography by Chris English, University Relations

“Alright, dancers, are you ready?” Jenny Braswell, who graduated from UNCG in May, asks her class of 3- and 4-year-olds in a Greensboro Cultural Arts Center studio. The seven little girls shift their weight from one foot to the other. Parents, some more attentive than their children, sit quietly on folding chairs arranged along one wall. The lesson begins.

The class is one of dozens offered through The North Carolina Dance Project, a nonprofit founded by Jan Van Dyke, head of UNCG’s Department of Dance. Two years ago, the organization took over the City Arts dance program when city leaders decided they could no longer pay for it.

All kinds of dance for all kinds of people.

The Dance Project at City Arts now holds classes in tap, ballet, hip hop, contemporary and African dance for students of all ages. It’s a community dance studio with a simple motto: “All kinds of dance for all kinds of people.”

It’s all part of Van Dyke’s efforts to nurture dance in Greensboro and throughout the state. The lessons train the next generation of dancers and provide teaching jobs for the current generation. She wants the dancers who train in North Carolina to have the option to teach and perform here. “North Carolina has great training facilities,” she says, “but then everybody leaves.”

“Do you remember the dance rules we talked about?” Braswell asks her students. “We have to express ourselves without using voices.”
“Can you move just your head?” Seven heads bobble.
“Can you move just your shoulders?” Fourteen shoulders shimmy.
“Can you move just your toes?” Seventy toes wiggle.
One girl approaches Braswell. “I have a puppy,” she declares before returning to her place on the floor.

In addition to offering dance classes, The North Carolina Dance Project includes an annual statewide festival and a dance company, the Van Dyke Dance Group.

The North Carolina Dance Festival, now in its 19th year, promotes dance by cultivating audiences, nurturing leadership in the field, and providing opportunities for performance and education.

The festival makes its 2009 debut at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, in UNCG’s Aycock Auditorium. After its two nights in Greensboro, it will visit Boone, Raleigh, Charlotte and Wilmington.

“Let me see your proud walks,” Braswell says. “Heads up!” The girls march around the room.
“Let me see upset.” Heads and shoulders slump dejectedly. One girl sinks all the way to the floor.
“Can you show me a jump for joy?” The girls pogo up and down. “Those are some good joy dance movements. Good job! Give yourselves a hand!”

As her pupils and their parents file out of the studio, Braswell chats about teaching and her students. She understands the 3-year-olds, because that’s how old she was when she started taking lessons herself. Memories of those lessons continue to inspire her today.

“I was a mess, a handful,” she says. “But you never know who’s going to find a love for dance.”

By Dan Nonte, University Relations

Photography by Chris English, University Relations

A group of smiling, happy students known as the Spartan Guides gather outside the campus visitor center before taking prospective students on a tour of UNCG. The Spartan Guides are ready to show you what it’s like to be a Spartan. Prospective students and their families won’t want to miss their fun and informative tours. So, mark your calendar for EXPLORE UNCG on Saturday, Oct. 24. Talk with faculty about our academic programs, ask current students what UNCG is like, take a walking tour, check out our residence halls and much more. Come see what makes UNCG an inspiring place to be.

Photography by Chris English, University Relations