Anne Braden was hailed as a white southerner who was “eloquent and prophetic” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Several hundred people will gather on the campus of UNCG April 18-20 for “Outrage!: Discourses, Practices, and Politics of Protest and Social Transformation,” the 2013 conference of the Southeastern Women’s Studies Association.

Presented by UNCG’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program, the conference topic was chosen in the wake of the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street. Organizers anticipate discussion about the interrelationships among women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and social change.

The conference features five keynote speakers: Caitlin Breedlove and Kai Lumumba Barrow of Southerners on New Ground, Wahneema Lubiano of Duke University, UCLA’s Victoria Marks, and Andrea Smith, author and co-founder of Incite! Women of Color Against Violence and the Boarding School Healing Project.

The North Carolina premiere of a new documentary film, “Anne Braden: Southern Patriot (1924-2006),” also will take place during the conference. The film explores the extraordinary life of Braden, hailed as a white southerner who was “eloquent and prophetic” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ostracized as a “red,” she mentored three generations of social justice activists.

The premier will take place at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, at Elliott University Center Auditorium and will be followed by a panel discussion. A limited number of free tickets are available for the community. Additional community members will be accommodated at the door on a first come, first served basis.

There also are a limited number of tickets to all keynote addresses. Registration and additional information about the conference is available here.

Conference co-chairs are Dr. Gwen Hunnicutt, the director of graduate study for WGS and associate professor of sociology, and Dr. Carisa Showden, associate professor of political science and the chair of WGS’s Sally and Alan Cone Awards Committee.

Conference organizers expect between 300 and 500 presenters and attendees.

Marilyn Lott, a Woman’s College student during the Civil Rights Movement who participated in the famous Woolworth sit-ins in Greensboro, will join UNCG professor and political historian Dr. Omar Ali for “Marilyn Lott and the Woolworth Sit-In: A Woman’s College Perspective” on Friday, April 12, at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum.

The 6 p.m. event, at 134 S. Elm St., is open to the public.

“The role of women is less-known and continues to be under-projected in the Woolworth’s sit-in movement,” said Ali, an associate professor in UNCG’s African American Studies Program. “Yet women – black and white, from teenagers to young adults – were there from virtually the beginning of the civil rights action and, more critically still, were there to keep the movement going until it succeeded in desegregating not only Woolworth’s but the Jim Crow South.

“Ms. Lott can personally attest to this, having arrived on scene within the first few days of the launch by the four young men from A&T,” Ali said. “It will be an honor to sit down with Ms. Lott and have a public conversation with her about her recollections and observations.”

Lott and other Woman’s College students who joined her during the protests received hate mail because of their involvement. But she called the once-segregated Woolworth lunch counter “hallowed ground.”

“We should remember these sites and tell the story of the sit-in to our children and their children,” said Lott, who graduated in 1962.

The event is co-sponsored by UNCG’s African American Studies Program and the Department of History. Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for students.

Byers reported that three out of the four apartment buildings at UNCG’s Spartan Village will be ready to open on August 1 or at the latest, December after next school year’s first semester is over.

He also said that UNCG has not been cleared to remove the debris and continue work on the buildings, which could cause further delays on opening them up to student tenants.

Kennedy will be leading a workshop entitled “Authors as Entrepreneurs” at the conference, drawing from his experience as current Associate Editor of the Greensboro Review. The conference features an all-day fiction workshop with UNCG’s Lee Zacharias, creative non-fiction with Judy Goldman, and Andrew Saulters, who will lead a hands-on demonstration of traditional bookbinding.

This innovative way of including the public in the budget analyzes both past and future economic decisions, as well as creates transparency about budget cuts and cost analyses before they happen.

“It wasn’t just on paper. We really talked about the consequences,” DeHoog added.

Anderson received his masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from UNCG. He has taught at Duke and Harvard universities and was founding director of the National Institutes of Health Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research.

UNCG’s spring graduation ceremony will be May 10 at the Greensboro Coliseum. UNCG expects to award about 2,700 graduate and undergraduate degrees.

Co-written with Kimberly J. Cook, chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the book, Life After Death Row: Exonerees Search for Community and Identity came together with 18 interviews of people who were wrongfully imprisoned on death row.

Dr. Harry Coover, a polymer chemist and the holder of 460 patents, was a 20th century leader in industrial chemical science, research management and program innovation. He also was Paul’s father-in-law, and the two shared a close relationship. Paul will discuss Coover’s general philosophies to a new generation of scientists, engineers and innovators.

Paul attended UNC Chapel Hill, the UNC School of Medicine, and served a residency in Orthopedic Surgery there.  In 1981 he entered private-practice in Greensboro, and is the founding partner of Guilford Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center, currently an eight-man practice employing more than 60 people.

Learn more here.

Research News

Recognized nationally as one of the fastest growing advertising and marketing firms, TriMark maximizes online visibility and lead generation for more than 300 clients across North America. A creative thinker, speaker and avid golfer, Goins founded TriMark in 2006 as one-man operation. The interactive marketing agency now employs 25 professionals specializing in search marketing strategy, management and consulting services.

The 5:30 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room 1214 of the Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building, 1111 Spring Garden St., on the UNCG campus. Due to limited seating, attendees are asked to RSVP to ncec@uncg.edu. The program will begin with registration and networking from 5-5:30 p.m., followed by a 45-minute program, with a Q&A session and a networking reception afterward. Free parking is available near the venue on Forest or Oakland streets or behind the Weatherspoon Art Museum.

Entrepreneurial Journeys provides monthly informal, interactive opportunities for community members and students to hear first-hand how businesses are created. Previous speakers have included Kayne Fisher and Chris Lester, founders of Natty Greene’s Brewing Company; Dennis Quaintance, CEO and chief design officer at Quaintance-Weaver Hotels and Restaurants; Lenna Hobson, co-owner of RagApple Lassie Vineyards; Robin Davis, founder of Mack and Mack clothing; Lee Comer, founder of the Iron Hen Café; and Jenny Fulton and Ashlee Furr, founders of Miss Jenny’s Pickles.

The first-place winners each will receive $1,000 and will have the opportunity to represent UNCG at events such as the Graduate Fellowship Reception on April 18 and Graduate Education Day at the state legislature in Raleigh on May 22.

The winners are:

Creative Arts: Felicia Dean (Interior Architecture) took first place for “From Fashion to Furniture: The Formation of Three-Dimensional Upholstery.” Aaron Wilson (Music Performance) received Honorable Mention for “Bridging the Virtual Gap in Internet-Based Music Instruction: A Feasibility Study in Trombone Performance Education.”

Humanities: Amirah Lane (Interior Architecture) took first place for “Aladdin Kit Homes and the Fisher Park Neighborhood.” Brenta Blevins and Stacy Wilder (English) received Honorable Mention for “The UNCG Digital ACT Studio: Toward a Future of Multiliteracy.”

Professional Programs: Megan Kemmery, Margo Appenzeller, and Stephanie Gardiner-Walsh (Specialized Education Services) took first place for “When Your Car is Your Classroom.” Minita Sanghvi (Consumer, Apparel & Retail Studies) received Honorable Mention for “The Role of Appearance Management in Political Marketing in Local Elections.”

Health Sciences: Richard Vestal (Nanoscience) took first place for “Targeting the Atypical Chemokine Receptor CXCR7 for the Treatment of Glioblastoma.” Alexa Barwick (Communication Sciences & Disorders) tied with Ciara Floyd (Kinesiology) for Honorable Mention. Barwick’s project was entitled “Can Telepractice Be Utilized Effectively to Treat Speech and Voice Disorders in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease?” and Floyd’s was “The Relationship between a Gymnastics-Specific Fitness Test and Performance Scores.”

Natural, Physical and Mathematical Sciences: Jonathan Messer (Nutrition) took first place for “Effect of Antioxidant, Quercetin, on Bone Cell Function.” Stephen Glass (Kinesiology) received Honorable Mention for “Noise-Enhanced Center of Pressure Complexity in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability.”

Social Sciences: John Nowlin (Geography) took first place for “A Mesoscale Geophysical Capability/Suitability Model for Vitis Vinifera Vineyard Site Selection in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad Region: Case Study of Rockingham County, NC.” Honorable Mention went to Lucy Lewis (Counseling & Educational Development) for “‘I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends’: The Role of Facebook on the School Adjustment of Newcomer Refugee Students.”

This year’s Expo was extremely competitive. To learn more about the winners’ projects or to check out their amazing competitors, see the Expo program.

The recently released Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index on the health of working Americans found that transportation occupations – truck drivers, bus drivers, transit operators, garage mechanics, railway conductors, etc — ranked last as compared with all other occupational categories in the nation. The poor ranking reflects the fact that these employees have less control over their decisions at work, have minimal physical activity, consume extremely poor diets, are more obese, and smoke heavily. These factors not only negatively impact an individual’s health but also can lead to a less productive workforce with alarmingly high turnover rates and the risk of a labor shortage.

The Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index corroborates the research of UNCG faculty members Yorghos Apostolopoulos and Sevil Sönmez. The pair’s research is among the most cited in the field on health problems experienced by commercial drivers and has brought commercial driver health to the forefront of occupational health and well-being. Their work has been supported by various funding sources, included the National Institutes of Health.

“Solutions to these lasting and even worsening problems do not rest only in individual drivers eating healthier or getting more exercise,” said Apostolopoulos, an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Education in UNCG’s School of Health and Human Sciences. “Problems in the overall transport sector are much more complex and dynamic than that.”

“Both the causes and the solutions for transport workers’ health problems lie in the hands of multiple stakeholders — such as government, trucking companies, truck manufacturers, unions and labor associations, and drivers themselves, among many others,”  added Sönmez, a professor of sustainable tourism and hospitality and interim head of the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality and Tourism in UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics.

Apostolopoulos and Sönmez can be reached by email at y_aposto@uncg.edu and sesonmez@uncg.edu.

For Dr. John Locke, UNCG’s director of bands and a host of the conference, the highlight no doubt came last Friday night, when a composition dedicated to his late son, J.P., was premiered by The UNCG Wind Ensemble in a full Aycock Auditorium.

J.P. died in 2002, at age 23. Locke commissioned composer John Mackey, the most prominent wind band composer in the world, to write a piece in J.P.’s honor. Titled “The Frozen Cathedral,” the composition reflects J.P.’s time in Alaska, where he worked in fishing boats and explored the vast Denali National Park.

Friday night’s concert featured four works commissioned by UNCG. The evening’s finale was the new work inspired by Locke’s son. The composer was on hand for this world premier. He tweeted about it – as did others – and by the next morning it was the No.1 song on the iTunes Classical chart – a place it held all weekend.

Full story in Campus Weekly>>

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Dubbed “The Explainer” by Wired magazine, YouTube phenom Dr. Michael Wesch is a cultural anthropologist exploring the effects of new media on society and culture. Wesch will deliver the talk “The End of Wonder in the Age of Whatever!” at 4 p.m. Monday, April 8, 2013, in Aycock Auditorium at UNCG. The talk is free and open to the public, including students and teachers from any school, parents and entrepreneurial groups.

Wesch is an associate professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University known worldwide for his studies of the effects of social media and digital technology on global society. He is the Coffman Chair for Distinguished Teaching Scholars and was named the 2008 CASE/Carnegie Professor of the Year for Doctoral and Research Universities.

Wesch’s insightful videos, which help interpret the digital world in which we live, have more than 21.5 million hits on YouTube, according to Dr. Patrick Lee Lucas, director of the University Teaching and Learning Commons at UNCG, which is sponsoring the visit.

“He looks beyond the moving images to interpret their effects on our everyday lives,” Lucas said. “In doing so, he shows us ways to connect with our students as individuals who strive for life-long learning.”

Wesch’s visit is funded through a Title III grant for faculty development. Lucas has encouraged UNCG professors to bring their classes to the talk as a way to engage their students in spirited conversations across disciplines about a vision of students today.

“You will find that Mike Wesch explains the mercurial world in less than 45 minutes and helps you and your students see their place within it,” Lucas said. “If I had a 4 p.m. class of students, I’d definitely require them to be in the room.”

“The DHG Triad Business Index continues to be one of the most important sources of information on the region’s economy, and it is a valuable managerial tool for both planning and assessing business opportunities,” said Bradley J. Newkirk, DHG’s Triad managing partner. “We have sponsored the index for three straight years and readership continues to grow. Dixon Hughes Goodman is happy to continue its partnership with the Bryan School’s Center for Business & Economic Research.”

The DHG Triad Business Index is developed and maintained by Dr. G. Donald Jud, a senior research fellow with the Center for Business & Economic Research at the Bryan School. More than 3,000 business leaders have subscribed to the monthly gauge of economic trends in the Piedmont Triad.

“We very excited that Dixon Hughes Goodman has agreed to renew its sponsorship of the Triad Business Index (TBI) for a third year,” said Dr. McRae C. “Mac” Banks, dean of the Bryan School. “Dixon Hughes Goodman has been a strong and valued partner of the Bryan School on many levels and we appreciate their support.

“I am especially pleased because the TBI, developed by our colleague Dr. Don Jud and the Bryan School, is an excellent example of how we bring part of our mission to life, and that is using research to engage with the business community to help them be exceptional problem solvers. Over the years, the TBI has proved to be remarkably accurate in predicting the Triad economy, which is why it is so valuable to decision makers, and why Dixon Hughes Goodman finds it so valuable to sponsor. ”

With 30 offices in 11 states and more than 1,700 personnel, Dixon Hughes Goodman is the largest certified public accounting firm in the Southern U.S. and the 14th largest in the nation. In addition to comprehensive accounting and advisory services, the firm focuses on eight major industries and serves clients internationally and in all 50 states. Visit www.dhgllp.com for additional information.

The Bryan School of Business and Economics helps students develop the knowledge and experience to become exceptional problem solvers that organizations and communities need. Its students and alumni carry forward their Bryan School experience to make meaningful contributions where they work, live and lead. As the largest business school in the Piedmont Triad and the third largest in North Carolina, the Bryan School has AACSB International accreditation in business and accounting, which places it among the top 3 percent of business schools in the world.  Its 110 faculty members teach 3,059 students (2,628 undergraduates and 431 graduate students).

Perko, an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Education, is the author of “Cornered!”, a story about Sheldon the turtle whose four-cornered shell garners unwanted attention from schoolyard bullies — until his difference becomes a life-saving asset.  Sheldon is also the star of “Sheldon’s Adventure,” which was co-authored by Perko and childhood friend, illustrator Nick Nebelsky.

Perko will read from his children’s books during an event Monday, April 1, at UNCG’s Alumni House. The 4 p.m. event is open to the community at no charge; children are welcome.

Sheldon’s story “blends an anti-bullying message with a celebration of our differences,” Perko said. “The literature says that anybody can get bullied. There’s no recipe. But kids who have differences — they wear glasses, they’re short, they’re overweight — might be more of a target for bullies. Sheldon, with his square shell, is a target. The message of our Sheldon stories are to celebrate our differences. It’s okay and wonderful to be different!”

Perko is a widely-quoted expert in the use of sports performance products among young athletes, research that has given him insight into what drives children and adolescents’ behavior choices.

“What is it that makes kids decide to do things? Kids want to feel something — stronger, faster, even what they perceive as normal. Sheldon wanted to look and feel like the other turtles,” he said.

“It’s all within; the self feeds the ideas of who we are. Part of what I want to do is create the message that you’re okay being who you are. Loving yourself and your gifts are the key. We don’t want you to be any different than who you are right now. “

The books were written with elementary-age youngsters in mind, Perko said, and inspired by the lessons he aims to teach his own children, ages 6 and 7. “Be nice, be a friend, don’t pick on people, don’t be a bully. You don’t have to reach very far to find storylines common to all of us,” he said. “In Sheldon, we feel we have a cute, sweet character that allows us to tell stories that have a good, positive message.”

A third book featuring Sheldon and his friends is scheduled for release this summer. “Cornered!” and “Sheldon’s Adventures” are also available as interactive apps in Apple’s iTunes store and online at Barnes and Noble.

Dr. Norman Anderson, CEO of the American Psychological Association, distinguished scientist and graduate of UNCG’s master’s and doctoral programs in clinical psychology, will receive an honorary degree during the 2013 UNCG commencement ceremony. Anderson will also deliver the 2013 commencement address.

The UNCG Board of Trustees recommended in March that Anderson receive the honorary doctorate.

Spring commencement will take place Friday, May 10, at the Greensboro Coliseum. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Currently, 2,726 candidates for undergraduate and graduate degrees have applied for May graduation.

“I am honored to be asked to serve as the 2013 Commencement speaker at UNCG,” Anderson said. “My education at UNCG laid the foundation for my life’s work and I am pleased to be asked to share a few thoughts with the new graduates.”

“Dr. Anderson is a native son,” said Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “He grew up in North Carolina and earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from public universities in this state. We are honored to welcome him back and acknowledge his outstanding contributions to scholarship and national leadership on understanding the relationship between physical and mental health, on health disparities, and as a strong advocate for interdisciplinary research and health care. What a wonderful representative of all successful UNCG alumni.”

Anderson has enjoyed a wide-ranging career as a leader in the fields of psychology and health behavior, first as a scientist and tenured professor, and later as an executive in both governmental and nonprofit sectors. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from NC Central in Durham. After earning advanced degrees from UNCG, he served on the faculty of Duke University and later at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

A former associate director of the National Institutes of Health, Anderson also was the founding director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research. He currently is serving his 11th year as CEO of the American Psychological Association, the nation’s largest organization for scientific and professional psychology, with 134,000 members including researchers, educators, clinicians and students. Anderson is the second-longest serving CEO in the 121-year history of the organization.

“Dr. Anderson is one of the most distinguished alumni of UNCG’s doctoral program in clinical psychology,” said Dr. Timothy D. Johnston, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNCG. “His research has made important contributions to our understanding of the links between physical and mental health, especially in minority populations, and in advancing our understanding of the important role of psychological and behavioral factors in health more generally. We are very proud of his many accomplishments and are pleased that he has maintained his ties with UNCG over the years, most recently by serving on the  board of the UNCG Excellence Foundation.”

Anderson is well-known for his research and writing on health and behavior, and on racial and ethnic health disparities. In addition to publishing dozens of scientific articles, Anderson is the author and editor of several books, including serving as editor-in-chief of the two-volume “Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior,” as co-editor of “Interdisciplinary Research: Case Studies From Health And Social Science,” and as co-editor of “Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life.” He currently is editor-in-chief of APA’s flagship journal, American Psychologist. With his wife, writer P. Elizabeth Anderson, he co-authored a book titled, “Emotional longevity: What really determines
how long you live.”

In addition to his important contributions to scientific literature, Johnston noted, Anderson has proven to be a strong and effective advocate at the national level for the importance of the behavioral and social sciences in understanding health and disease.

For his research, service and leadership, Anderson has received a number of awards from scientific societies and universities, including three honorary doctorate degrees. In 2012, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences.

Anderson is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. He is past-president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

Anderson is an appointed member of the first National Academic Affiliations Council for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides a forum for joint planning and coordination between the department and the nation’s health professions, schools and universities. He serves on the National Advisory Council for the National Institute on Aging at NIH and the board of directors for the American Psychological Foundation. He is a member of the Trans-NIH Health Disparities Strategic Plan Priority Setting Group and previously chaired the National Research Council’s Panel on Understanding Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Late Life. Anderson has served as president of the board of directors for the Starlight Children’s Foundation of Los Angeles and currently is a foundation trustee.

He is a Greensboro native and the son of the late Drs. Charles and Lois Anderson, former co-pastors of United Institutional Baptist Church. He also is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.  

Through a competitive application process, up to 20 entrepreneurial students will be selected and matched one-on-one with experienced entrepreneurs who will serve as mentors. In addition to mentoring, GEMS students join an exclusive network of experienced entrepreneurs and peers. The program includes meals and other events to encourage networking and information sharing among mentors and students. There is no cost for students to participate in the program.

Students participating in this year’s inaugural program come from a variety of fields in business, communications, mathematics, gerontology, sports science, nutrition and interior architecture. Mentors include successful business owners in real estate development, marketing, insurance, entertainment, retail, information technology, business services, fitness and more.

Here’s what a few of this year’s student participants had to say about GEMS:

“GEMS understands that I am an entrepreneur, someone whose idea-driven ‘wheels’ are constantly turning, and thus, has designed a program which allows students like me to thrive off the trait rather than be held back by it. I am learning more than in traditional classes because I am given the opportunity to discuss and delve deeper into the topics that truly interest me and get my heart racing.” – Emma Price, Elon University

“What?!  A successful entrepreneur who is chosen specifically just for you, so that you can get the advice and consultation you would need to be successful in the future? There’s no other program out there like this!” – Linh-An Doan, UNCG

“The GEMS experience gave me more confidence to pursue my dreams, and also helped me gain more clarity concerning how to pursue those dreams” – David Newton, UNCG

“The GEMS program has allowed me not only to grow as a contributing member within the community, but has allowed me to gain confidence and understanding of my potential for future endeavors with the help of a successful business leader and entrepreneur.”   - Sarah Lang, UNCG

 Applicants for the 2013-2014 program must demonstrate entrepreneurial passion either through their academic and work experiences, programs and ventures they have helped to create and lead, and/or their career plans. To be eligible, students must currently be enrolled in any full-time program at UNCG, NC A&T, Guilford College, Greensboro College, Elon University, Bennett College, High Point University or Guilford Technical Community College. Students from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply by submitting a current resume, photograph, letter of recommendation from a faculty member, and a three-page essay describing their entrepreneurial interests and why they would like to participate in GEMS. Applications may be sent to ncec@uncg.edu.

For more information, visit http://entrepreneur.uncg.edu. The deadline for applications is Friday, April 19, 2013.

]]> http://ure.uncg.edu/prod/news/releases/gems-seeks-entrepreneurial-students-for-exclusive-mentoring-program/feed/ 0 http://ure.uncg.edu/prod/news/faculty-staff/ribar-childhood-hunger-poverty-national-academy/ http://ure.uncg.edu/prod/news/faculty-staff/ribar-childhood-hunger-poverty-national-academy/#comments Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:11:24 +0000 Lanita Goins http://ure.uncg.edu/prod/news/?p=13883 Dr. David Ribar, professor of economics in UNCG’s Bryan School, will discuss federal policy and programs dealing with childhood hunger during a presentation at the National Academy of Sciences Committee on National Statistics April 8-9.

His presentation is part of a workshop investigating childhood hunger and food insecurity with a goal of reviewing current knowledge, identifying substantial research gaps and analyzing data regarding economic, health, social, cultural and demographic factors that contribute to the problem.

Ribar’s research into poverty includes in-depth studies on the ways federal and state welfare and food stamp assistance programs impact recipient’s lives. Recent work includes a USDA-backed study into Guilford County Schools’ universal free breakfast program and an analysis of South Carolina’s welfare caseload. Ribar has also investigated poverty issues on a personal level, twice blogging about his family’s experiments to eat meals recommended by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) and the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan budget.

The National Academy of Sciences workshop is presented in collaboration with departments from the Institute of Medicine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The students — Neha Gupta, Yi-Chen Hung and Alison Weeks — worked on the project with Bryan School faculty Dr. Dianne H.B. Welsh and Jason Bohrer. Welsh is the Hayes Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, director of the Entrepreneurship Cross-Disciplinary Program and director of the Small Business Institute Program at UNCG; Bohrer is the MBA capstone professor of practice and project director for the award-winning initiative.

The Project of the Year award is a field-based project competition for both graduate and undergraduate students at colleges and universities with a Small Business Institute program. The Small Business Institute has been at the forefront of the experiential learning movement, giving students experience in comprehensive, specialized and business plan projects that are related to actual business problems or opportunities.

Islah’s mother, Shandra Umazar, wrote the profile for the newsletter in order to express her hopes and fears for 29- year-old Islah, who now lives on her own and excels as a student at UNCG.

“Islah taught us to have confidence in her and her ability to try — no matter how hard the task might be or whether she could complete it,” Shandra Umazar said. “I realized that my fears for Islah are no different from the fears I have for my other children; it just feels different because of her label. Teaching everyday skills and functional social skills in an inclusive environment is so important for our children with DS in taking steps to independence. Letting go is not easy.”

Going with the “green” push, the UNCG School of Education was certified LEED Gold in 2012.

The School of Music, Theatre and Dance has gone Live! The new SMTD Live! streaming service brings the music to you, wherever you are.

This spring, IT experts are streaming live audio feeds of performances by UNCG’s large-ensemble groups. They plan to videostream all SMTD concerts in standard definition by fall and upgrade to high-definition video by next spring.

“The intended audience, in my mind, is those who are far away from UNCG, and cannot make the concert in person. This includes foremost alums and parents,” says Matthew Libera, the school’s webmaster who heads up the streaming project. “Of course, we’re happy to have any viewers!”

Libera, who came to UNCG in 2011, worked closely with Dennis Hopson, the school’s recording engineer, as well as other campus IT experts and graduate assistants to get the live-stream flowing. SMTD Live! is free and no login password is required. Just go to http://performingarts.uncg.edu/live and enjoy.

A streaming schedule also is posted at http://performingarts.uncg.edu/live, as well as FAQs and technical support. Because of licensing issues, concerts will not be archived for on-demand viewing, so you’ll have to catch them live.

What’s next for Libera and SMTD Live!? Hopefully, live-streamed dance performances.

Khem Khatiwada, a recent Bhutanese settler in North Carolina, will be a featured speaker.

Bhutanese refugees are ethnic Nepalis who settled in Bhutan in the late 1800s only to be driven out of the country in the 1980s. Unwelcome in both Bhutan and Nepal, more than 100,000 of these exiles have lived in refugee camps in eastern Nepal over the last 20 years. Life in the camps, where inhabitants depend on humanitarian aid for most of their basic needs, is challenging and primitive.

Since 2008, these refugees have begun to confront the new challenge of resettlement to third countries, including the United States. Over the last five years alone, 2,345 Bhutanese have resettled in North Carolina, making them the second-largest refugee group resettled in our state during that time. Guilford County, with 825 resettled refugees, is second only to Charlotte in resettled Bhutanese.

In 2011, students from Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics spent six weeks in Damak, Nepal, traveling to Bhutanese refugee camps, where they collected life stories through oral interviews, mapping and photography. Their findings, brought to vibrant life by the One Summer in Damak photo exhibit, speak of insecurity and uncertainty but also of lives filled with beauty, work, a focus on education, flexible and varied forms of worship, and deep emphasis on connections with family and friends. The CNNC is excited to host this exhibit for the appreciation of local Bhutanese and to bring greater awareness of this rich community to Greensboro residents.

The photo exhibit will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the CNNC, 915 W. Lee St. The event will include coffee, tea and light appetizers.

Tickets for the event are $15 for preferred seating, $10 general admission and $7 with a student ID. THREADS will also co-host an after-show concert with WUAG 103.1 FM, featuring Fine Peduncle and Paper Planet, in the Regency Room. Entrance for the concert is $5. Tickets for both events may be purchased at the door. Tickets for the fashion show are available online at www.uncgfashionshow.eventbrite.com. Tickets for the concert may be purchased in advance at CFBG at 930 S. Chapman St.

Doors to the fashion show will open at 7 p.m. for cocktail hour with the show beginning at 8 p.m. The second half of the night will feature upper level design students and their capsule collections.

The student run fashion show will highlight student designers and their perspectives of one or more of Earth’s elements — earth, water, fire and wind — said Mckensie Robinson, THREADS treasurer and a junior majoring in consumer apparel, design and retail studies.

Money raised by the annual event is reinvested in the student group, Robinson said, including funding scholarships for the winners of an annual retailing case study competition.

Having a hand in every aspect of the fashion show — from booking the venue to designing the outfits — gives students valuable, real-world experience, said Dr. Nancy Nelson Hodges, a professor in the department. “They are putting into practice what they have learned and they are doing it independently,” she said. “It’s a real production. They do a wonderful job of it.”

Free parking will be available in the venue parking deck on Davie Street and February 1 Place. Valet parking will also be available for a fee.

For additional information, contact Robinson at marobin5@uncg.edu.

The win marked the second-straight campaign in which the Spartans have defeated a ranked team on the road. UNCG beat the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill 8-4 last April.

Senior infielders TJ Spina and Trevor Edwards led the offense.

Full story at UNCG Athletics.

Work related to the fire investigation needs to wrap up before demolition of the building can be completed, Byers said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s very little demolition work that goes on for most of this week, so the insurance company can sort out what they need to do and the fire marshall especially can do his work,” he said.

The timeline for replacing the damaged building is still being determined, Settle added. “The construction contract requires complete insurance for the building while under construction. The construction company, in consultation with the appropriate engineers, will make a determination about the time line for replacement.”

The fire, which started the night of March 14, damaged one of four apartment buildings under construction in Spartan Village. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Jefferson Suites is the second building at the university to receive LEED certification in as many years. The UNCG School of Education was certified LEED Gold in 2012.

“Jefferson Suites is the first residence hall at UNCG to receive LEED certification. It’s a tangible demonstration of the university’s commitment to sustainability, which is a value in UNCG’s strategic plan,” said Jorge Quintal, associate vice chancellor for facilities. “Achieving LEED Silver certification sets a standard for sustainable design and construction practices on future projects on our campus.”

Silver certification is earned by scoring 50 of 110 possible credits; Jefferson Suites earned 55 credits. The project exceeded the criteria in some categories by diverting almost 90 percent of construction waste from landfills and providing state-of-the-art ventilation systems throughout the building.

Jefferson Suites opened in August 2011, but officials weren’t able to submit the building for LEED consideration until post-occupancy measurements could be taken to evaluate building performance in certain categories.

Design elements of the $31.5 million building are projected to reduce energy use 24 percent and water consumption 36 percent compared with a typical new building of the same size. The building is expected to save more than 50 percent of the annual natural gas consumption through the use of high-efficiency condensing boilers. Other energy and water-saving technologies to help achieve these savings include: high-efficiency chillers, exterior lighting that reduces electrical consumption by 50 percent, water-efficient landscaping, and motion sensors to automatically control lighting and HVAC.

Additional items for which the project earned credits include:

• The use of low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints, sealants and carpet
• 37 percent recycled content in building materials
• 65 percent locally and regionally sourced building materials

The project also received an exemplary credit for implementing a comprehensive transportation demand management plan that emphasizes alternate transportation such as university and city buses, cycling and walking.

This yellowed press release, written by University President Charles Duncan McIver, is now part of UNCG’s University Archives collection. The release, in response to a dormitory fire on campus in 1904, was typed with typing errors hastily corrected. UNCG was then known as the State Normal and Industrial College. A few surviving photos document the extent of the damage.

                                        January 21st, 1904.

The main dormitory of the State Normal and Industrial College was burned this morning about four o’clock. No student was injured in any way though a number of them lost their trunks and all their clothing. The citizens of Greensboro have opened their homes to the students, and comfortable temporary arrangements have been made. There will be no suspension of the college. The students have shown perfect self-possession, and there has been at no time anything bordering upon a panic. The three other dormitories together with the temporary equipment of rooms in the main college building, the Students’ Building, and the Curry Building will enable the college to continue its work for the present. In two or three weeks some permanent and better arrangement can be made.

Charles D. McIver, President

A 4-alarm structure fire at the Spartan Village construction site on West Lee Street last night drew attention from newspapers and TV stations across the Triad. More than 55 firefighters responded to the call and worked through the night battling the blaze.

The fire was reported just after 9 p.m. No injuries have been reported.

The affected building, located beside the Lofts on Lee, is under construction and unoccupied. The building, which will house about 200 students, is one of four residence halls under construction in Spartan Village. The residence hall was slated to open this fall.

Authorities and university officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire and to assess damages.

Read reports from:

• the Greensboro News & Record,
• the Winston-Salem Journal,
• WFMY News 2,
• Fox 8,
• News 14 and
• WXII 12.

Updated 4-3-13, 10 a.m. – The Greensboro Fire Department has ruled that the fire that destroyed a UNCG residence hall under construction on Lee Street was accidental.

A  final determination of the cause of the fire will come after forensic analysis of evidence, said Clarence Hunter, deputy chief of the Greensboro Fire Department. That analysis, which could take up to three weeks to complete, is being conducted by an independent third party laboratory. Hunter said more information will be released immediately upon completion of the forensic analysis.

The 4-alarm fire that started the night of March 14 destroyed Highland Residence Hall,  an apartment building  that was about 70 percent complete. The building was unoccupied and no injuries were reported. The fire is believed to have started in the building’s interior.

Work on the other three apartment buildings under construction at the university-owned Spartan Village complex will continue as planned and should be completed in time for students to move in next fall. Housing and Residence Life will work with students who had applied to live in Highland and make every effort to accommodate their housing preferences in the other buildings.

The damaged residence hall is insured by the construction company, said Jim Settle, UNCG associate vice chancellor for student affairs. “Student fees and room and board charges will not be affected by the damaged building.  The construction contract requires complete insurance for the building while under construction.  The construction company, in consultation with the appropriate engineers, will make a determination about the timeline for replacement.”

The total cost of the entire Spartan Village residential hall project is $52.5 million.

Updated 3-20-13, 11 a.m. — The Greensboro Fire Department began an investigation this week into the cause of a 4-alarm fire that started the night of March 14 and destroyed Highland Residence Hall,  an apartment building on Lee Street that was under construction and about 70 percent complete.

UNCG officials said work on the other three apartment buildings under construction at the university-owned Spartan Village complex will continue as planned and should be completed in time for students to move in next fall. Housing and Residence Life will work with students who had applied to live in Highland and make every effort to accommodate their housing preferences in the other buildings.

The building destroyed by fire was unoccupied. No injuries were reported.

Mike Byers, associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises, said that work related to the fire investigation must wrap up before demolition of Highland can be completed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s very little demolition work that goes on for most of this week, so the insurance company can sort out what they need to do and the fire marshal especially can do his work,” Byers told news media.

Jim Settle, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, said the timeline for replacing the damaged building is still being determined. “The construction contract requires complete insurance for the building while under construction. The construction company, in consultation with the appropriate engineers, will make a determination about the timeline for replacement.”

Shortly after 9 p.m. on March 14, the UNCG Police Department and Guilford-Metro 911 Center received reports of the fire at 917 W. Lee St. The Greensboro Fire Department arrived within minutes and began attempts to extinguish the blaze. As a precautionary measure, Lofts on Lee was evacuated. Residents were taken to a safe location and provided assistance by Housing staff. The evacuated students were allowed to return to their rooms briefly on Friday to retrieve personnel items. All residents were allowed back into the building Sunday evening.

Highland Residence Hall was a wood-frame structure and did not have fire protection systems in place yet. These factors all helped the fire spread quickly throughout the building. By the time firefighers arrived, the blaze had become deeply seated in the building, making it difficult to extinguish. The primary focus quickly turned from saving Highland to containing the fire and protecting the buildings around it, UNCG officials said.

Damage was generally limited to the one building. To maintain the public’s safety, power was cut off to the area immediately surrounding the building and Lee Street was closed between Tate and Aycock streets.

UNCG officials credited the quick action of first responders and university personnel for preventing further damage from the fire. “First responders saved this project,” said Ed Keller, associate director of operations for UNCG Housing and Residence Life. “The Greensboro Police Department, the Greensboro Fire Department and UNCG Police — they saved that project. They saved Lofts on Lee, and we are deeply appreciative of that. I don’t think there’s a black mark on the other buildings anywhere. It was an absolutely outstanding response.”

The fire is believed to have started in the interior of the building.

The damaged residence hall is insured by the construction company, Settle said. “Student fees and room and board charges will not be affected by the damaged building.”

The cost of the entire Spartan Village project is $52.5 million.

Chancellor Linda P. Brady visited the site Friday morning to assess the damage and visit with affected students.  “This has been a very difficult period for us,” she said. “Spartan Village is an important part of our future and our goal of ensuring that more of our students have the opportunity to live on campus.”

“At the same time, I am relieved that the building was under construction and not occupied and that through the incredible work of the Greensboro Fire Department, they were able to contain the damage to that one building.”

Byers added, “We are extremely fortunate that this happened at a time when our campus was on Spring Break and not many students were here.”

Updated 3-15-13, 3:05 p.m. –  UNCG officials credited the quick action of first responders and university personnel for preventing further damage from a 4-alarm fire at the Spartan Village construction site late Thursday night.

“First responders saved this project,” said Ed Keller, associate director of operations for UNCG Housing and Residence Life. “The Greensboro Police Department, the Greensboro Fire Department and UNCG Police — they saved that project. They saved Lofts on Lee, and we are deeply appreciative of that. I don’t think there’s a black mark on the other buildings anywhere. It was an absolutely outstanding response.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined. It is believed to have started in the interior of one of the four apartment buildings under construction. West Lee Street, from Tate Street to Lexington Avenue, remains closed to traffic. “The road will not be reopened until it’s determined the building has been stabilized or until it’s safe to open,” said Don Sheffield, chief building inspector with the city of Greensboro.

The damaged residence hall is insured by the construction company, said Jim Settle, UNCG associate vice chancellor for student affairs. “Student fees and room and board charges will not be affected by the damaged building.  The construction contract requires complete insurance for the building while under construction.  The construction company, in consultation with the appropriate engineers, will make a determination about the timeline for replacement.” The total cost of the entire Spartan Village residential hall project is $52.5 million.

Chancellor Linda P. Brady visited the site Friday morning to assess the damage and visit with affected students.  “This has been a very difficult period for us,” she said. “Spartan Village is an important part of our future and our goal of ensuring that more of our students have the opportunity to live on campus.”

“At the same time, I am relieved that the building was under construction and not occupied and that through the incredible work of the Greensboro Fire Department, they were able to contain the damage to that one building.”

There is no monetary estimate on the structural damage.  The building, 70 percent completed, was scheduled to open this fall. Because it was under construction, the sprinkler systems were not yet activated.

The evacuated residents of Lofts on Lee, which is located next to the damaged structure, were escorted into the building around noon Friday to allow them to pick up personal items. Affected students were also given access to free laundry services and meals through the weekend. Students, evacuated late Thursday night as a precautionary measure, were provided with alternate housing and assisted by UNCG officials and the Red Cross. UNCG’s Office of Housing and Residence Life remained open through the early morning hours to assist impacted students.

“We are extremely fortunate that this happened at a time when our campus was on Spring Break and not many students were here,” said Mike Byers, UNCG’s associate vice chancellor for campus enterprises.

Lofts on Lee residents who aren’t on campus are asked not to return to their residences this weekend. Questions regarding student housing should be directed to UNCG Housing and Residence Life.

The estimated 60 students who have paid deposits to live in the building in the fall will be offered alternate housing in the complex. The other three apartment buildings in the Spartan Village project were not damaged, officials said Friday.

As a precautionary measure, Duke Energy cut power service to some homes in the surrounding area. Power had been restored by midday Friday. No damages were reported to surrounding homes and businesses.

Extent of damages from last night’s fire not yet known

Updated 3-15-13, 10:35 a.m. – More than 60 firefighters worked through the early morning hours to contain a 4-alarm structure fire at the Spartan Village construction site on Lee Street.

The fire, reported just after 9 p.m. Thursday, engulfed an unoccupied residence hall that is under construction. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials plan to meet with contractors today to stabilize the affected building, then will begin an investigation into the cause of the blaze. Lofts on Lee, a university-owned residence hall located beside the scene of the fire, will be reopened to its residents once it has been determined that they can safely return.

Officials from the Greensboro Fire Department said they hoped to have power to the area restored by this morning. Lee Street likely will remained closed to traffic near the fire scene through midday Friday.

As a precautionary measure last night, UNCG Police evacuated about 30 students housed at Lofts on Lee. Affected students were provided with alternate housing and assisted by UNCG officials and the Red Cross. UNCG’s Office of Housing and Residence Life remained open through the early morning hours to assist impacted students. The vast majority of UNCG students are away from campus this week for Spring Break.

The damaged residence hall, which will house about 200 students, is one of four residence halls under construction in Spartan Village. The residence hall was slated to open this fall.

A roundup of media coverage of the fire can be found here.

Click here to read about a 1904  fire that destroyed a campus dormitory.

Update: Fire at construction site; no injuries reported

Updated 3-14-13, 11:30 p.m.The Greensboro Fire Department has responded to a 4-alarm structure fire at the Spartan Village construction site on West Lee Street.

The fire was reported just after 9 p.m. UNCG Police evacuated about 30 students housed at Lofts on Lee, a university-owned residence hall located beside the scene of the fire, as a precaution. There are no injuries reported at this time.

The affected building, located beside the Lofts on Lee, is under construction and unoccupied. The cause of the fire and the amount of damage is unknown at this time.

Affected students have been assigned housing and are being assisted by UNCG officials and the Red Cross. More than 55 firefighters responded to the call and were expected to work through the night battling the blaze.

The building, which will house about 200 students, is one of four residence halls under construction in Spartan Village. The residence hall was slated to open this fall.

Fire at construction site; no injuries reported

Updated 3-14-13, 11:03 p.m.The Greensboro Fire Department has responded to a 4-alarm structure fire at the Spartan Village construction site on West Lee Street.

The fire was reported just after 9 p.m. UNCG Police evacuated about 30 students housed at Lofts on Lee, a university-owned residence hall located beside the scene of the fire, as a precaution. There are no injuries reported at this time.

The affected building, located beside the Lofts on Lee, is under construction and unoccupied.

Affected students have been assigned housing.

Lofts on Lee is located at 915 W. Lee St.

The School of Education ranks 51st in the nation on U.S. News’ 2014 Best Graduate Schools list, up from 58th last year. In specific program rankings, Counseling and Educational Development was third in the nation, up from fifth last year; Library and Information Studies was 22nd, up from 29th in 2009.

“We are pleased at the continued improvement of the UNCG School of Education in the U.S. News & World Report ratings of graduate schools of education,” said Karen Wixson, dean of the School of Education. “Although the rankings are the result of a combination of factors, the highly positive rating we received from superintendents who employ our graduates contributed significantly to our overall ranking. This rating is consistent with the frequent feedback I receive from superintendents, curriculum coordinators and principals about the quality preparation and performance they have come to expect from UNCG graduates.”

Dr. Scott Young, head of Counseling and Educational Development (CED), attributes his department’s continued ranking among the top 10 to hard-working and talented faculty as well as support from university administration.

“It certainly is an honor that the work of CED is recognized by our colleagues nationally. The programs in the department are very high quality and the faculty works tirelessly to improve the training we offer. Furthermore, the professional reputation of CED faculty members as scholars and leaders in the counseling field certainly contributes to our national rankings,” Young said.

Dr. Clara Chu, head of Library and Information Studies (LIS) and president-elect of the Association for Library and Information Science Education, says her department’s high ranking is partly due to a new online master’s degree and its ACE Scholars program to increase diversity in the library field.

“LIS focuses on preparing library and information professionals to provide relevant, appropriate, and effective services in diverse, globalized, and technological communities,” Chu said. “We are thrilled by our higher ranking which recognizes our outstanding education and research that connects people, libraries and information.”

Currently, 926 graduate students are enrolled in the School of Education. Of those students, 112 are enrolled in Counseling and Educational Development, and 164 are enrolled in Library and Information.

For overall rankings, U.S. News surveyed education programs at 278 schools granting doctoral degrees in Fall 2012 and early 2013; 239 responded, and 235 provided data needed  to calculate rankings. Rankings are based on several measures, including peer evaluations, assessments by school district superintendents, student selectivity,  acceptance rates and numbers of PhDs granted.

U.S. News ranked 51 master’s degree programs in library and information studies that are accredited by the American Library Association. The rankings are based solely on the results of a fall 2012 survey sent to the dean of each program, the program director and a senior faculty member in each program.

Specialty rankings in disciplines like counseling are based solely on nominations by graduate school deans, program directors and senior faculty at peer institutions.

The rankings were released March 12 and will be featured in the “Best Graduate Schools 2014″ edition, available April 9.

The lecture series, “Delivering Quality Health Care in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities,” will take place in the Elliott University Center Auditorium. The public is welcome at no charge.

Cone Health CEO Tim Rice; Dr. Edward Abraham, dean of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine; and Charles Courtemanche, a health care economist, assistant professor of economics at Georgia State University and former UNCG faculty member, will headline a panel discussion from 4:30-6 p.m. The panel discussion will be followed by a reception.

The keynote address, “Technology growth and expenditure growth in healthcare,” will be given by Jonathan Skinner, the James O. Freedman professor in Dartmouth University’s economics department and a professor with the Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine. A research associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Human Resources, Skinner’s research interests include technology growth and disparities in health care. The 7 p.m. keynote will be followed by a Q&A session.

With health care costs constantly making headlines, lecture series organizers believe economists are able to add valuable insight to the national conversation.

“In the face of increasing health care costs and a wide range of reactions to the Affordable Care Act and the related Supreme Court ruling, the question of how to improve health care quality with limited financial resources has taken center stage,” said Dora Gicheva, an assistant professor of economics in UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics who sits on the lecture series organizing committee. “The far-reaching impact of the reforms has motivated us to seek various experts’ points of view regarding the current state and the future of health care in the U.S.”

The Harriet Elliott Lecture Series is named for Harriet Wiseman Elliott, a pioneer in the women’s rights movement and the namesake of Elliott University Center. She taught political science from 1913 until 1935 and served as dean of women from 1935 until her death in 1947.

The 2013 lecture series is coordinated by the Department of Economics, which is housed in the Bryan School.

Open the new Greensboro Google Transit app. Plug in your location and destination. Almost instantly, you’ll see the best options for catching a GTA or HEAT bus, when and where the buses will leave and arrive, and maps of each option. The app will even estimate how much money you’ll save by taking a bus instead of driving.

Greensboro’s version of Google Transit is up and running, according to Kevin Elwood, strategic information specialist at the Greensboro Transit Authority. Elwood led the project in collaboration with UNCG’s Center for Geographic Information Science, led by Dr. Rick Bunch. Bunch is a professor of geography and director of the center.

What is Google Transit? It’s an app to access routes and sites for public transit in Greensboro, Bunch explains. “It’s a dynamic map.” Students – or anyone in Greensboro – can pull out their smartphones or access the application on their laptops.

Bunch, as well as Matt Catanzarite and Anna Tapp at the center, worked with GTA in 2012 to integrate bus route and schedule information with Google Maps. They all thought they could finish the essential work for the Google Transit app in weeks. But there were challenges.

“It’s not straightforward,” Bunch explains. For example, in using the data, they had to consider the direction of travel. “The data has to have intelligence.” The data must also be correct, complete, and pass Google’s stringent quality assurance and control measures, he explained.

They used data that George Linney at GTA provided. And helped in bringing the Greensboro version of the app to fruition. “It’s a GIS, is what it is,” Bunch explains. “The app is based on the fundamental architecture of GIS.”

Elwood said that Scott Milman and Suzanne Williams in UNCG’s Parking Operations & Campus Access Management brought GTA and UNCG’s Center for Geographic Information Science together. Milman and Williams knew the project could result in something very helpful for many students – and the Greensboro community at large.

Bunch’s GIS Center, part of UNCG’s Office of Research and Economic Development, is an educational research entity that solves, analyzes and models the geographic aspects of human and natural phenomena. Created in 2006, its many projects range from radio wave propagation modeling with North Carolina’s Department of Commerce to conducting spatial analysis for research partners and companies.

Elwood said the expertise UNCG’s GIS Center brought to the project “was invaluable.”

Try the app at http://maps.google.com. Click “Get Directions” and the bus icon (between the car icon and pedestrian icon) at the top left. Type your location in slot A and your destination in slot B.

The summit will open with special recognition of Rep. Insko. During her 16 years in the N.C. House, representing District 56 in Orange County, Insko has focused on job creation and protection, defense of the state education system, helping the state’s most vulnerable citizens, and protecting the rights of all North Carolinians. Insko recognized the gap in services for transitioning high school graduates with intellectual and developmental disabilities and led the call for a comprehensive needs assessment of job training, independent living training, and continuing education in university or college settings.

The General Assembly responded to Insko’s call by commissioning an Institute of Medicine blue ribbon task force in 2009. To fill service gaps for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, the task force recommended developing postsecondary education options at state universities and community colleges. Through her efforts as the General Assembly’s representative to the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, Insko secured the research funding necessary to establish North Carolina’s first PSE option, the UNCG Beyond Academics program. Insko went on to champion allocations for the development of PSE options statewide, and the N.C. educational system now boasts nine PSE programs. Among these, the pioneering Beyond Academics program at UNCG remains the only four-year option.

UNCG’s Beyond Academics program and UNC Chapel Hill’s North Carolina Postsecondary Education Alliance are co-hosting this year’s Leading the Way summit. Attendees will include educators, disability support service professionals, transition coordinators, counselors, administrators, students, families, and community members who support PSE development. The agenda includes “how-to” break-out sessions, planning workshops, and panels on topics including self-advocacy, employment, transition and engaging families.

The summit will feature two nationally recognized keynote speakers – Stephan Hamlin-Smith, the executive director of the Association of Higher Education and Disability, and Cate Weir, the coordinator of Think College, Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Hamlin-Smith has advocated for inclusion of individuals with disabilities in education and the workplace at local, state, and national levels. Weir provides technical assistance to the 27 model demonstration PSE sites across the country. The summit will take place at Elliott University Center at UNCG. View the full summit program here.

The nonprofit Polaris Project ranks North Carolina among the top 10 states in the nation for human trafficking, the station reports.

Her talk, titled “Women’s Human Rights Globally: A Retrospective 20 Years After the UN World Conferences in Vienna, Cairo, and Beijing,” will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, in the Alumni House. The event is free and open to the public.

For four decades, Bunch has been a leading activist, author and organizer in the women’s, civil and human rights movements. She has been a key player in the global campaign to eradicate violence against women and in feminist organizing around the UN World Conferences on Women. Bunch’s accolades include induction into the U.S. National Women’s Hall of Fame, the White House Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights and her selection as one of “1000 Women Peace-makers” nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

The annual Duncan Women’s History Lecture is supported by UNCG/Woman’s College alumna Peggy Duncan Jeens, a 1959 history graduate who became an award-winning history teacher. This year’s lecture is sponsored by the UNCG Department of History, the UNCG Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and the UNCG International and Global Studies Program.

By Michael Harris

The awards ceremony honored 40 outstanding individuals who are contributing great things to the Triad region with distinguished careers and promising futures.

Only subscribers to The Business Journal can access the slideshow of the event in the article.

Since the award’s inception in 2006, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) has named UNCG to its annual President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. And this year, UNCG has made the Honor Roll with Distinction shortlist.

The 2013 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a school can receive for its commitment to service learning and civic engagement, lists 690 American colleges and universities. Of those institutions, 113 — including UNCG — were singled out for distinction.

“UNCG has always prided itself on community service, and contributing to the surrounding community is one  hallmark of a great university,” says Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “Service-learning and civic engagement are an integral part of the UNCG experience, and I congratulate the students, faculty and staff who have dedicated their time and talent to bettering Greensboro, North Carolina, and our nation.”

“This recognition is in keeping with UNCG’s legacy and the university motto of Service,” says Dr. Cherry Callahan, vice chancellor for Student Affairs. “Our students, faculty, and staff are committed community citizens and clearly recognize that we are a proud part of the larger community.”

During the 2011-12 academic year, UNCG students, faculty and staff performed 819,455 hours of community service. UNCG’s application to CNCS details several noteworthy service projects fostered by the university. Among them:

Bringing Us Benches and Bus Shelters (BUBBS). The BUBBS project arose out of the need for more bus shelters and benches in Greensboro. This is a multi-year project in which UNCG students work with students at Dudley High School in Greensboro to advocate for more bus shelters and other social issues. The Dudley students collected umbrellas for homeless shelters, and lobbied the Greensboro City Council for more bus shelters. The goal of the project was to increase retention at Dudley by helping students become more engaged in civic issues they care about.

GK–12 . GK-12 is funded by the National Science Foundation. Graduate student fellows from three departmental graduate programs at UNCG (Biology, Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Geography) are paired with teachers and students at three Guilford County Schools: Montlieu (elementary), Welborn Academy of Science and Technology (middle) and Andrews High School. Fellows, teachers and students investigate the biological, chemical, physical, health-related and socioeconomic effects of changing land use patterns in the region. Students focused on environmental issues surrounding the greenway that abuts the three schools, all located near one another in High Point.

Industries of the Blind design project. In Fall 2011, 23 second-year interior architecture students were assigned to assess Greensboro’s Industries of the Blind (IOB) building, along with two additional institutions in the community. After initial studies, a team of nine students worked directly on the IOB interior. Students began with Braille as their inspiration, creating textures, lighting effects and a color palette from those studies. They also captured oral histories of IOB employees and designed a multi-faceted series of interior installations to capture the richness and character of the institution as well as those who work there. The project resulted in a design for the lobby, stairwell and circulation spaces, conference room, and factory floor spaces to display a history of the organization and reflect IOB’s culture, mission, and role in the community. Following the studio semester, two students continued to complete details of the proposal in an independent study in Spring 2012, and one student, with funding from UNCG’s Undergraduate Research Program, carried the work forward into the summer.

Peck Elementary String Program. The Peck Elementary String Program is a collaborative effort between the Greensboro Symphony, UNCG, and Clara J. Peck Elementary School. The primary goal is to provide instrumental music instruction to underprivileged students, who might not otherwise have access to a string instrument. The secondary goal is to provide an opportunity for music education majors from UNCG to experience a diverse teaching and learning environment.

Inspired by the thousands of college students who traveled across the country to support relief efforts along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina, CNCS has administered the Community Service Honor Roll since 2006. CNCS also administers the AmeriCorps and Senior Corps programs, all focused on strengthening communities through volunteerism.

CNCS manages the Honor Roll program in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the American Council on Education and Campus Compact.

For more on service-learning at UNCG, visit http://olsl.uncg.edu/service-learning/.

UNCG employees contributed $240,696 to the SECC, which helps support more than 1,000 charitable organizations throughout the region and state. It surpassed its 2012 goal of $235,000.

NC A&T won the Silver Award in the same category.

The 2012 statewide campaign raised $4.4 million, for more than a 5.5 percent increase from the previous year, reversing a downward trend. The last increase in the campaign had been in 2007.

The SECC web site shows that UNCG had 46 percent participation. Only Elizabeth City State, with 53 percent, had a higher percentage in the UNC system. The third-highest was N.C. State, with 41 percent participation.

By Michael Harris

RHA, whose motto is “Putting the Unity Back Into Community,” provides residents with advocacy, programming and leadership opportunities. The group created training events to help Hall Council members learn how to run an effective meeting, held planning sessions and trained new board members. It continues to increase attendance at hall programs and events. This year, during RHA’s annual Stop Hunger Now philanthropy event, members worked with the Office of Leadership and Service Learning and the Associated Campus Ministries to package more than 20,000 meals for international communities in need.

“RHA is not only creating campus leaders, they’re creating a residential community that has improved life on campus. This is critical, because both campus data and national research tells us that living on and being involved in campus yields higher retention and graduation rates,” said Cherry Callahan, vice chancellor for student affairs. “I’m so proud of the work our RHA students are doing to make the UNCG experience better and to make our students more successful.”

By Michael Harris

In regards to the renovation project and the Quad itself, Patrick said, “It’s right in the center of campus and feels like the old campus. Students just love it.”

UNCG students were also interviewed for the report.

The honor recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates excellence incorporating service-learning pedagogy in the university classroom. The award was presented at the summit in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 28.

Jovanovic frequently involves her students in projects beyond the walls of their classroom. Students in a class on social change, for example, decided to document the work of Greensboro’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined the Klan-Nazi shootings that rocked the city on Nov. 3, 1979. Jovanovic recently published a book documenting the historical significance of the TRC effort, “Democracy, Dialogue, and Community Action: Truth and Reconciliation in Greensboro.”

The 5:30 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Room 1214 of the Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building, 1111 Spring Garden St., on the UNCG campus. Due to limited seating, attendees are asked to RSVP to ncec@uncg.edu. Check-in will begin at 5 p.m.

Hood has led HICAPS from its initial startup in 1984 through its capital raising phase and transition of the company’s business model to a more diverse and all inclusive services portfolio that includes projects for schools, the military, manufacturers, educational institutions, hospitals and more. Headquartered in Greensboro and employing 39 people, HICAPS helps clients meet design, construction and related challenges by delivering flexible solutions for today’s rapidly changing environments.

The program will begin with registration and networking from 5-5:30 p.m., followed by a 45-minute program, with a Q&A session and a networking reception afterward. Free parking is available near the venue on Forest or Oakland streets or behind the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Paid parking also is available nearby.

Entrepreneurial Journeys provides monthly informal, interactive opportunities for community members and students to hear first-hand how businesses are created. Previous speakers have included Kayne Fisher and Chris Lester, founders of Natty Greene’s Brewing Company; Angie Besecker, owner of Eco Dwelling; David Caudle, partner with Frogman Interactive; Dennis Quaintance, CEO and chief design officer at Quaintance-Weaver Hotels and Restaurants; Chris Laney, president of Zenergy Technologies, Lenna Hobson, co-owner of RagApple Lassie Vineyards; Robin Davis, founder of Mack and Mack clothing; Roland Johnson, founder of Piedmont Pharmaceuticals; Lee Comer, founder of the Iron Hen Café; and Jenny Fulton and Ashlee Furr, founders of Miss Jenny’s Pickles.

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The North Carolina Entrepreneurship Center (NCEC) at UNCG provides co-curricular and outreach programs to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses and to serve as a catalyst for the creation of sustainable and globally competitive enterprises in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina and beyond.

For more information on NCEC programs, visit entrepreneur.uncg.edu or call 336-256-8649.

The award, which comes with a $7,500 cash award, will be presented to Tolbert at UNCG’s spring commencement ceremony.

“It is an honor and a pleasure when an excellent teacher is recognized by their peers and by their students, and Dr. Tolbert is a most worthy recipient of this award,” Chancellor Linda P. Brady said. “Exceptional teaching is the bedrock of a quality education.”

The 17 BOG Teaching Excellence Award recipients, representing an array of academic disciplines, were nominated by special committees on their home campuses. Established in 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the system, the awards are given annually to a tenured faculty member from each UNC campus.

“Teaching is our primary obligation and proudest accomplishment of each of our institutions and their faculty,” Peter D. Hans, chairman of the UNC Board of Governors, wrote in a letter notifying Tolbert of the award. “The Board of Governors extends our warmest congratulations to you for this significant and well deserved honor.”

Tolbert earned a doctorate in American history at UNC Chapel Hill in 1994 and has taught at UNCG since then. She became an associate professor in 2000 and is a past recipient of the Dean’s Merit Award for Research and the Dean’s Merit Award for Teaching Excellence.

“Teaching is my passion and I’m really thrilled and honored to receive this award from the Board of Governors,” she said. “Students learn more when they are actively engaged in the course. Thus my philosophy of teaching may be summed up in the idea that students learn by ‘doing history.’ ”

Tolbert’s courses combine the idea that history is a practice as well as a subject matter. Rather than creating courses organized according to a traditional lecture format, she designs courses as history workshops during which students master knowledge through practice and application of the historian’s craft.

Her current research project, “Beyond Piggly Wiggly: Self-Service and the Social Landscape of Food Shopping in the Early Twentieth Century,” examines self-service as an important turning point in modern consumer history, both from the perspective of entrepreneurs who reinvented their store interiors and consumers who responded to self-service with great ambivalence. The project focuses on food shopping as a cultural practice.

Dr. Peter Alexander

Dr. Peter Alexander, dean emeritus of Butler University’s Jordan College of Fine Arts, will head UNCG’s School of Music,Theatre and Dance.

Alexander, principal clarinetist for the Hudson Valley Philharmonic from 1970-97, takes over as the school’s dean August 1.

“Dr. Alexander is an opportune match for the School of Music, Theatre and Dance,” said Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “In addition to his abilities as professor and musician, his administrative experience and commitment to community engagement will serve UNCG well as we continue to enhance the visibility of the performing arts and expand collaboration with the Greensboro arts community. The school  is a continuing source of pride for this university.”

Provost David H. Perrin agrees that Alexander has a lot to offer the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, formed in 2010. Prior to his tenure at Butler, Alexander was dean of the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of the Arts and dean of the School of Fine and Performing Arts at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

“Dr. Alexander’s experience as an arts dean at three very different universities and proven record of fostering collaboration among faculty and students in music, theatre and dance make him the ideal candidate to lead the School of Music, Theatre and Dance,” Perrin said. “He will be a wonderful advocate for the performing arts on our campus and in the Greensboro community.”

Alexander was dean at Butler, located in Indianapolis, from 2001 until his retirement  in 2010. Butler’s Jordan College — like the School of Music,Theatre and Dance — houses a broad range of disciplines, including the School of Music and the departments of Art and Design, Arts Administration, Dance and Theatre.

At Butler, Alexander was responsible for 53 full-time faculty, about 50 part-time faculty and 25 staff members. He also oversaw all aspects of curriculum, student recruitment and retention, fundraising and grants, facilities, public relations and publicity, an operational budget of more than $6 million, a large scholarship budget and alumni programs.

During his tenure, he put in place new programs in art and design, a master of fine arts in dance, a jazz studies concentration, a musical theatre concentration and a recording industry studies major. He also established a series of retention-related activities that resulted in the Jordan College often having the highest first-year student retention rate of all the colleges at Butler.

“For many years, the comprehensive music, theatre and dance programs at UNCG have enjoyed individual reputations for excellence,” Alexander said. “The recent creation of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance will strengthen all three disciplines by fostering new synergies, expanding community engagement, enhancing interdisciplinary collaborations and much more. I am honored to have been selected as the school’s next dean and very much look forward to getting started.”

He follows Dr. John Deal and Dr. Sue Stinson as dean of UNCG’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Deal — who led UNCG’s School of Music since 2001, and the combined School of Music Theatre and Dance, since 2010 — stepped down as dean last year, but remains on the school’s faculty. Stinson, a professor of dance, was appointed interim dean for the 2012-13 academic year.

One such award is given annually. The designation recognizes the students’ work in building community
partnerships, recording oral interviews, designing and facilitating public programs, gathering images and
artifacts, creating media pieces and installing the exhibition. “These students committed themselves to
listening and learning what this neighborhood’s history meant to the people who lived it,” says Director of
Public History Benjamin Filene, the advisor on the project. “Their passion for the work across a
year and a half made it a success. Seeing the excitement of community members at the exhibit opening
was the ultimate reward, but I’m thrilled that the group is getting this well-deserved national recognition.”

Students Ellen Kuhn, Shawna Prather, and Ashley Wyatt will travel to Ottawa, Canada, in April to be
recognized at the NCPH’s annual conference. They will present about the project and write an article about
their work for the publication “Public History News.”

The museum, located at 504 Norwalk St. in Greensboro, was founded by former Terra Cotta resident
Dennis Waddell, a key partner throughout the project. Currently the exhibition is open from 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Terra Cotta project was made possible in part by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the UNCG Department of History.

UNCG’s library is a good source of information on American slavery and has the potential to shed light on historical research on the topic.

“Veterans are coming from an organization and environment that is extremely structured and you know exactly what is expected of you and what your role is and if you don’t someone tells you very quickly,” Curtis said. ”It can be difficult when you come from that environment to a university, particularly a liberal arts school like UNCG, where you set your own schedules and you have a wide variety of teaching styles among faculty.”

Speaking about conference schedule, Matyok added, “We have a morning session, the impact of stress and distress and people will be looking at transition coping emotional response, suicide, traumatic brain injury and PTSD and disabilities. On Friday, we will be looking more specifically at the policy side and service side of the university.”

The series will commence in the 2013-14 season when the Spartans make their first visit to Chapel Hill, playing in the Dean Smith Center Dec. 7. It will mark the return of Spartan Coach Wes Miller to the arena he played in from 2004-07, winning a National Championship with the Tar Heels in 2005 and leading team to 31-wins as team captain his senior season.

The Tar Heels will make the trip to the Greensboro Coliseum during the 2014-15 season, marking the Spartans’ 13th home game against an Atlantic Coast Conference foe in program history. The three-game series will wrap up in the 2015-16 season when UNCG returns to Chapel Hill.

Full story at UNCG Athletics site.

The University Relations Department at UNCG has won an Award of Excellence for use of social media in its integrated marketing and strategic communication (IMSC) campaign from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The honor was presented at the 2012 CASE III District Conference, held Feb. 17-20 in Atlanta.

The CASE award recognized UNCG’s incorporation of social media into its marketing campaign, which was launched a year ago. The entry was titled “Building a Better ‘We’: Behind the Social Media Strategy of Integrated Marketing at UNCG.”

At the conference, UNCG staff presented two hour-long sessions. UNCG Marketing Director Debbie Schallock co-presented a presentation on UNCG’s integrated marketing and strategic communication strategy with Creative Services Director Lyda Adams Carpen. Staff writer Lanita Withers Goins, Web Manager Danielle Baldwin and Schallock presented a session on “Successful Social Media on a Shoestring.”

At the local level, the UNCG campaign also received a Gold ADDY award from the American Advertising Federation’s Triad chapter. The Gold ADDY recognizes the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. UNCG’s entry is recognized as GOLD at the local level and will automatically be submitted to the regional competition.

CASE is an international association of education advancement officers in a variety of areas including alumni administration, fund raising, public relations and marketing, government relations and publications editors. District III includes colleges and university in the Southeast.

Helen Dennison Hebert, associate vice chancellor for University Relations, said the awards illustrate the high caliber of work done by the department.

“A year ago, UNCG’s integrated marketing and strategic communication plan was launched,” said Hebert. “Since then the University Relations team has worked tirelessly on incorporating the campaign messaging into all of our work. It’s a thrill to have our social media engagements on IMSC recognized by peers in the advertising and higher education communities.”

UNCG’s integrated marketing and strategic communications campaign was planned for three years and involved a 37-member committee of faculty, staff, alumni and community representatives. Authorized by Chancellor Linda P. Brady, the committee developed a marketing and communication plan to enhance UNCG’s brand as an institution of higher education. Social media has been a key engagement component of the effort, particularly for students.

The University Relations team will present to another professional organization, the College News Association of the Carolinas (CNAC), in late March.

The first opera Annabel Gigley saw was her own.

Annabel, a fifth-grader at Erwin Montessori, won Greensboro Opera’s 2012 “Write Your Own Opera!” competition, judged by UNCG Opera Theatre Director David Holley. Last week, she had a front-row seat as her short opera, “Jacks are Wild!” came to life on the stage at the Carolina Theatre.

Annabel found out she had won the competition just before Christmas break, an early present.

“I love to write and I thought entering the contest would be a good opportunity for me,” said the soft-spoken young author with the shy smile. Her favorite part is the ending, when the audience votes for the winners of an imaginary game show featuring fairytale characters.

The contest, designed to introduce kids to opera and sponsored by VF Corp and the Cemala Foundation, is in its third year. Fourth-graders in the public schools enter each year.

Winning operas are performed along with Greensboro Opera’s full-length show for children. This year’s main show was “Help! Help! The Globolinks!” — a fun takeoff on Orson Welles’ 1938 “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast.

Holley chose Annabel’s short story, “Battle of the Princesses,” and set about turning it into a 10-minute libretto. Mark Engebretson, Holley’s colleague in the UNCG School of Music, scored the piece.

“Jacks are Wild!” centers on a singing contest between three teams: Jasmine and Aladdin, Jack and Jill, and Cinderella and Prince Charming. Children in the audience snapped, clapped and hollered on cue as the characters performed lively original tunes like “You Don’t Know Jack!” and “Fi Fi Fo Fum!”

Adults in the audience found a lot to enjoy as well. Like the moment one of the princes in the show breaks into “Raspberry Beret.” “Not that Prince!” scolds the host, Jack of All Trades.

Spoiler alert: Cinderella and Prince Charming win out in the end. But Annabel cheered for all three talented couples in the contest she dreamed up.

Chris Hodgkins spends some time with UNCG’s rare books collection.

For literary scholars, it’s the next best thing to being there.

After many years of tedious work, Dr. Chris Hodgkins, a professor of English at UNCG, and Dr. Robert Whalen of Northern Michigan University, have thrown open the doors to their Digital Temple of George Herbert. By subscribing to the Temple, scholars and lay readers can access ultra-high-quality, searchable reproductions of two surviving manuscripts and a first edition of “The Temple,” a collection of poems by the Welsh-born poet and Anglican priest who lived from 1593-1633.

The Temple debuts with a free presentation in the Hodges Reading Room of UNCG’s Jackson Library. Hodgkins and Whalen will show off the project and answer questions beginning at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 6.

“There’s no substitute for holding the book in your hand, feeling the pages, smelling the pages,” says Hodgkins, who describes himself as a “one and a half cheers for digital kind of guy.” “The idea is not to replace a paper archive, but to make it possible to give thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of people over the years, access to these materials.”

While acid-free paper in a dry room is the surest to way to preserve texts with the exception of cuneiform tablets, Hodgkins says, space, accessibility and searchability are a huge plus for digital editions. They also allow for immediate updates and additions.

In 2010, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) gave Hodgkins and Whalen a $250,000 Digital Humanities Scholarly Editions Grant to complete the project. The Temple went live last month, published through the Rotunda Portal of the University of Virginia Press.

Subscribers get access to Hodgkins and Whalen’s textual and interpretive notes, and pages of original sources they can actually zoom in on for a closer look. They can also read various versions in parallel for comparative study.

While University Libraries will be subscribing for all UNCG faculty, students and staff, unaffiliated individual subscribers to the Temple also get a steal, Hodgkins says, paying only $138 for lifetime access. That’s not much more than the going rate for print editions of Herbert’s works. And Hodgkins and Whalen are applying for a larger NEH grant to digitize Herbert’s complete works, using valuable rare first editions held at UNCG..

Jackson Library has one of the world’s largest Herbert collections thanks to Dr. Amy Charles, a Herbert biographer and scholar who taught at UNCG from 1954 until 1985. Charles collected nearly every early edition of Herbert’s poetry. UNCG later acquired a first edition of “The Temple,” printed in 1633, in Charles’ honor.

Hodgkins, who has been at UNCG since 1991, remembers seeing a medlar pear tree that Charles brought over from Herbert’s garden in England and planted near the clock tower in front of the library tower. The tree was uprooted by a storm, but he still hopes to find the dedication plaque that stood at its base.

“It’s become a sort of Rosebud,” he says, alluding to the sled in Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” “It will probably turn up in a huge storehouse somewhere.”

If you have interest in the art of weaving, stop in. If you don’t have an interest in weaving, you might quickly find that you do.

The light fixtures are woven from designed recyclable strips. So are the stools, from designed cardboard. (You can put one together if you’d like.) Aguilera explains the forms, which are inspired by traditional woven Petate rugs, through a series of diagrams, posters and prototypes. It’s all an analysis of cultural referents from El Salvador and the industry manufacturing process. The older meets the newer. Handcrafted meets mass-produced.

Full story in Campus Weekly>>

Allen has been involved in UNCG’s sustainability effort since joining the faculty in 2007. But his commitment to the cause goes back a long way.

At Tulane University, where Allen earned a double major – BS in ecological studies and BA in music – he led the school’s sustainability group for three years. A two-time Morris Udall Scholarship in Environmental Excellence recipient, he even taught a course on sustainability as an undergraduate. His undergraduate thesis was a case study on the “greening of the campus” movement at Tulane. One focus? How to change the culture of an institution.

Full story in Campus Weekly>>

Co-Director of the festival, Keith Barber, and UNCG Media Studies student Ben Boyles interviewed with DigTriad (WFMY News 2)’s Good Morning Show about the film festival.

The interview is posted below.

Armstrong, who was stripped of his Tour de France victories for doping, eluded drug testers for years, Perko said. “What they’re doing was very hard to detect. It takes time to develop the tests to detect the newest ways to dope, especially when you’re using blood doping and other kinds of methods.”

Stories of fallen sports heroes like Armstrong reinforce troubling messages to adolescents who look up to the stars, Perko added. “We’re allowing those kids to think that ‘I need something,’” he said. “And that’s a terrible thing for a kid who’s going to be great to think that they have to have something else other than their own, you know, work ethic.”

“We were the only institutional or large project honored,” said Fred Patrick, director of UNCG Facilities, Design and Construction. “It was a real honor for us to get it.”

The $55 million renovation — funded by student receipts — involved gutting and rebuilding the halls into updated, suite-style living with modern amenities. Steps were taken to retain aspects of the buildings’ original features, including the brick exterior and the wooden handrails in the hall stairwells. The seven residence halls in the Quad – Shaw, Hinshaw, Gray, Bailey, Cotten, Jamison and Coit – reopened at the start of the 2012-13 academic year and were re-dedicated during Homecoming 2012.

UNCG’s decision to renovate, rather than raze, the historic residences is one being echoed at campuses across the nation, Patrick said. “Other people certainly are going through these kinds of things and more will be in the future. The trend in the industry is to do more renovation and restoration and not wholesale tearing down of buildings.”

Renovation also allows institutions to take their sustainability efforts to the next level, he added, both in terms of campus facilities and institutional memory. “You’re keeping the bricks and mortar in place. You’re keeping it in use. There’s the whole historical context and the aspect of the community that lived in the buildings. If they’re gone, those memories fade, but if the bricks and mortar are still there, it keeps those memories alive.”

Officials from Facilities, Design and Construction are collaborating with the project designer and UNCG Housing and Residence Life to present a paper on the Quad renovation at an upcoming meeting of the Association of College and University Housing Officers — International.

It’s BrainMaster’s latest model, the Discovery 24E. And UNCG researchers are using it to put together a map of sorts — a roadmap, if you will, of a high-performing  brain.

The small, black box looks like something you might plug your home video components into. But it’s valued at about $6,000, and it reads brain waves not TV signals.

Only about two practitioners in the Greensboro area can provide similar services, and the cost of analysis and treatment sessions may prove prohibitive for many potential clients, says Dr. Scott Young, head of UNCG’s Department of Counseling and Educational Development (CED) within the School of Education.

Dr. Jane Myers and Young got the machine, software and training at no cost, in exchange for creating a normative database of “peak performers’” brain function. Peak performers are characterized by sustained effort, clear interpretation, empathy, insight and stable control.

“We were really excited because, as a field, counseling needs to move toward a biological measure of what we do,” Young says. Measuring brain function provides hard data for brain changes that are otherwise difficult to quantity.

Feedback from the Discovery unit can be harnessed to help clients retrain their brains for a variety of purposes, whether they want to overcome anxiety or drug addiction, improve their ability to focus or simply get a good night’s sleep.

The process is called neurofeedback. Neurofeedback machines like the Discovery read brain waves in a painless, harmless and noninvasive way. Subjects simply put on a cap similar to a swimmer’s cap. Wires are connected to 19 terminals on the cap, and then hooked into the Discovery module. Readings are made as the subject sits briefly with eyes open and eyes closed.

EEG, or electroencephalography, sensors read brainwave patterns to track levels of brain activity, eventually generating a color-coded “map” of activity. Scientists note four levels of brain wave activity in the brain: Beta, awake and normally alert, working; Alpha, alert but mentally relaxed; Theta, deep relaxation/meditation with reduced consciousness; and Delta, asleep or unconscious.

Therapists can use that information to help clients redirect their brains. For example, Young says, if a boy is struggling with ADD in school, he can play a specially-designed “video game” that monitors his brain activity and rewards him when he is wholly focused.

Treatment depends on the condition and make take as few as 20 or as many as 100 or more sessions, usually in the range of 20-40 sessions. However, the benefit “tends to hold” as positive changes are imprinted on the brain, Young says. He considers it an effective alternative to medications.  Clinical applications for neurofeedback are broad, he says, extending to sports medicine, food addictions and even hearing problems like tinnitus.

Neurofeedback equipment is pricey. UNCG’s equipment, valued at about $20,000, includes two Discovery units, computers and assorted supplies.

Brain maps in the private market can cost $750 to $1,000. CED wants to integrate neurofeedback into therapeutic services in its Vacc Clinic, giving students and outside clients access to an otherwise unaffordable treatment, Young says.

Myers, who has neurofeedback certification, is supervising the brain-mapping project for CED. The goal is to provide BrainMaster with maps of at least 200 peak-performing brains. So far about 86 UNCG graduate students and faculty members have volunteered.

“We’re chipping away,” Young says.

Neurofeedback brain-mapping sessions are done in a small office in the Curry Building. Sessions are free but do require some paperwork and background information. For details, contact Wendy Mathes at cednfbstudy@gmail.com.

“My work is meant to be a tribute to Joanne Smart Drane and Bettye Tillman, the first two African American women to graduate from UNCG,” Rachel Propst said.

Propst, who graduated last year from UNCG with a BFA degree in design, had been a student off and on since 2005. She is now building up a body of work as she considers applying for a master’s program.

The five works are not regular prints, she explained. She created them through a photographic printing process called cyanotype, where ultraviolet light creates the image. Art faculty member Leah Sobsey introduced her to the process.

Full story in Campus Weekly>>

The solo presentations were dreamed up by Andrew Willis, a professor of music who specializes in keyboards and early keyboards. And there are two more to go: Feb. 22 and March 1.

During the sessions, Willis introduces Bach’s second set of preludes and fugues in all keys, known as “Well-Tempered Clavier II.” Willis has been a UNCG faculty member since 1994, and since 2003 has directed the biennial UNCG Focus on Piano Literature.

“Using a piano such as Bach knew in the 1730s, tuned in the Bach temperament, these informal sessions invite you to kick back with Bach at the end of your week,” the calendar listing states.

Full story in Campus Weekly>>

The project, “Core Math II: Assisting Teachers’ Implementation of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics with Learning Trajectories, Reform-Oriented Pedagogy, and Instructional Support,” will empower public school teachers to better implement the state’s new math standards in their classrooms.

“It’s exciting,” says Dr. Holt Wilson, the project leader and a professor in the Teacher Education and Higher Education Department within the School of Education. “It’s a difficult  time for teachers with the changes in standards.”

The state’s new Common Core Standards were approved in 2011. Teachers put them into practice starting with the 2012-13 school year.

The major shift in math education standards involves a new focus on critical thinking – understanding the process of doing mathematics, not just the answers – Wilson says. The idea is to make sure students understand why a mathematical rule exists and can explain how they applied that rule to solve a problem. That means students must be able to justify their conclusions and critique other students’ mathematical arguments.

Wilson, other faculty members from various departments in the School of Education and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics in the College of Arts and Sciences, will work with about 30 K-5 teachers from three schools in the region. Those teachers will receive about 100-hours of training over 18 months.

“We will go to them,” Wilson says. “If you imagine that each teacher has about 20 kids in a class, that translates to about 600 students who will be impacted this year.”

UNCG recruited teachers for the project from three schools across the region — elementary schools in Asheboro, Ramseur and Rockingham County. UNCG already had a close working relationship with the schools in Asheboro and Ramseur and tailored the program to the needs of those teachers.

Participating teachers will attend a summer institute this summer, support meetings throughout the school year, and another summer institute next summer. School administrators will take part in the sessions as well.

NC Quest funds come from federal moneys as part of No Child Left Behind legislation. For each grant cycle, the UNC system’s General Administration considers one proposal from each of its 16 campuses.

For more information on the Core Math II project, contact Wilson at phwilson@uncg.edu.

Dr. Wei Jia, a nutrition professor and co-director of the Center for Translational Biomedical Research at UNCG, along with scientists in China and London, released findings Wednesday that microbes present in the gut can affect the severity of kidney disease brought on by melamine poisoning.

In 2008, nearly 300,000 Chinese children were hospitalized with kidney disease brought on by supplies of powdered milk illegally contaminated with melamine to simulate higher nitrogen content. Although melamine was known to combine with uric acid in the children’s bodies to produce harmful kidney stones, the details of the reaction were not well understood or the fact that the presence of specific gut microbes changed the risk.

By studying how melamine contributes to the development of kidney stones in rats, the research groups have shown experimentally that gut microbes may be central to understanding melamine-induced kidney failure in humans.

Jia’s research was highlighted in dozens of newspaper and television reports on Thursday, from ABC News and The Boston Globe, to The Huffington Post and U.S. News & World Report. Both “Science” and “Nature” magazines planned to highlight Jia’s work, he said.

The metabolic activities of gut microbes strongly influence human health in profound ways and have been linked to the development of multiple medical problems ranging from autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Jia co-authored “Host-Gut Microbiota Metabolic Interactions” with researchers from the United Kingdom, France and Sweden for the June 8, 2012, issue of “Science” magazine.

Find the Associated Press story about a Jia’s research here.

The keynote address by David Goldfield, titled “The Progressive Plutocracy Revisited,” will begin at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 in Room 120 in the School of Education Building. A reception will follow in the Alumni House. The event is free and open to the public. Goldfield is a history professor at UNC Charlotte and the author or editor of 16 books, including “Cotton Fields and Skyscrapers” (1992), “Black, White, and Southern” (1990) and “America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation” (2011). He is the incoming president of the Southern Historical Association.

The conference features a dozen speakers, including Deborah Beckel, who teaches women’s history writing at Lynchburg College and is the author of “Radical Reform: Interracial Politics in Post-Emancipation North Carolina;” Robert Korstad, professor of public policy and history at Duke University and co-author of “Like a Family,” “Remembering Jim Crow” and “To Right These Wrongs;” and economic historian Peter Coclanis, director of the Global Research Institute at UNC Chapel Hill and author of “The Shadow of a Dream: Economic Life and Death in the South Carolina Low Country, 1670–1920.”

Advance registration is encouraged but registration at the door will be possible. All conference events are free to UNCG faculty, staff and students. The fee for other attendees is $30 (or $15 for other students), which includes catered breaks, two receptions, conference materials and all lectures.

The series of conferences on North Carolina history is sponsored by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, Office of Archives and History, and participating universities. The theme of the inaugural conference, hosted by East Carolina University, was “The First North Carolina.” The second, hosted jointly by UNC Chapel Hill and NC Central and titled “Defining the Contours of the Old North State,” featured sessions on education, gender and race. The third, hosted by UNC Asheville, examined “The Cultural Roots of North Carolina.”

Each conference was designed to encourage the fresh examination of important topics and issues in North Carolina’s past to chart a general reinterpretation of the state’s history.

A complete conference schedule can be found here.To register in advance, contact Dawn Avolio at dawn_avolio@uncg.edu or 336-334-5992.

“As a registered nurse, I had a professional awareness but I will say this much — Latina women don’t think this can happen to them,” Gomez said.

Read the full story

This semester, students are doing the honors.

The very first star awarded this year by a student? Liz Friss was the undergraduate. An accounting major in the “UNCG in 3” program – which allows highly motivated students to complete all their work in three years – she knew exactly whom she felt should get a star.

When Katie Davenport, a lecturer in Accounting and Finance, walked into class at Bryan Building, Liz asked if she could present her with something from the “I (Heart) Teachers” program. (The moniker is “I <3 Teachers.”)

“She said that was fine as long as she was not going to get slimed,” Liz explains. “I assured her that there was no sliming involved.”

READ FULL STORY IN CAMPUS WEEKLY>>

A disproportionate number of young Latinos have symptoms of depression, she explains. Her passion is to explore why – looking at all the variables – and to help tackle the problem.

While at Chapel Hill, she helped to establish El Futuro. An award-winning mental health care provider focusing on Hispanic and Latino families, it now has locations in Siler City and the Triangle area. The organization is committed to strengthening not just the individual in need, but also the family.

See Campus Weekly for full story.

The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival has awarded Dr. Amy R. Williamsen of UNCG a certificate of commendation for the translation of “Agravio,” a romantic farce adapted from a Spanish Don Juan play written in the 1600s by

Ana Caro.

Williamsen, a professor of Hispanic studies and head of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, worked with director Ian Borden, a professor of theater studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, on his adaptation of the play staged last fall in Nebraska.

“I did the translation and Ian did the adaptation,” Williamsen said. “The main thrill is having a woman writer’s work staged based on my translation over 350 years after she wrote it.”

Williamsen translated Caro’s “Valor, Agravio y Mujer” for modern, English-speaking theater-goers.

“We want this to be a learning experience for the students, but the community needs to benefit from this as well — it has to be a partnership,” Byrd said.

The businesses and organizations who participated in this project include the Mount Airy Professionals of Surry, The Visitors Center, Miss Angels Heavenly Pies, the Downtown Business Association, Cross Creek Country Club, Mayberry Toy Company, Main Oak Emporium, Quality inn, and Mount Airy Parks and Recreation.

The conference, “Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus,” will include a showing of the Emmy-Award winning documentary, “Where Soliders Come From,” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, followed by a panel discussion. The film will be shown in room 032 of Jackson Library.

Dr. David Cortright, director of policy studies at Notre Dame University’s Kroc Center for International Peace Studies, will give the keynote address, “Winning Without War: New Security Strategies for the 21st Century.”

A full slate of events can be found at http://conflictstudies.uncg.edu/site/conference.html. The conference costs $35 for professionals; students and veterans may attend for free. Online registration is available at https://www.wepay.com/events/creating-a-veteran-friendly-campus.

The conference is designed for anyone connected to veterans on campuses, including administrators, faculty, support services, workforce development officers and employers, said Dr. Tom Matyok, an assistant professor in peace and conflict studies and a conference organizer.

“UNCG has had great success being recognized as a veteran-friendly campus,” Matyok said. “We are looking to extend that recognition by bringing together those interested in veteran issues on college and university campuses to share best practices and identify issues still needing attention.”

Last fall, Military Times Edge magazine named UNCG a “Best for Vets” school. UNCG was the only public university in North Carolina included in the annual ranking. Close to 500 military-affiliated students at UNCG receive GI Bill benefits; UNCG’s graduation rate for veterans is 72 percent.

UNCG’s School of Nursing received the greenlight Friday for a new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, which administrators say will mean more career opportunities for graduates and fill a huge demand in the healthcare field.

The post-baccalaureate DNP, to start in the fall of 2015, will offer separate tracks for nurse anesthetists and adult/gerontological primary care nurse practitioners. Students must hold baccalaureate degrees in nursing, be licensed registered nurses, and have nursing practice experience related to their track.

“Demand by employers for DNP graduates is expected to be very high,” says Dr. Eileen Kohlenberg, associate dean for graduate studies in the School of Nursing. “We currently have 90 to 100 percent of our master’s nurse anesthesia and nurse practitioner graduates who are certified and employed in healthcare positions. The added preparation at a DNP level will enhance their potential for employment in a variety of settings.”

DNP programs are designed as frontline, clinical alternatives to research-focused doctoral programs, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). DNP-prepared nurses are equipped to fully implement the science developed by nurse researchers.

The UNC Board of Governors approved UNCG’s DNP proposal Friday. UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady applauds that move as a win-win-win situation for the university, program graduates and the community.

“I am pleased that the UNC Board of Governors recognizes the significance of this much-needed program for nursing education,” Brady says. “The Doctor of Nursing Practice program will fill a growing demand for advanced-level nurse practitioners in our community and beyond, serving both graduates of the program and the citizens of North Carolina well.”

In addition to UNCG’s program, four other schools in the UNC system were approved Friday to offer the DNP for various advanced practice nursing tracks. Other universities approved to offer the degree were East Carolina, UNC Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem State, and UNC Charlotte and Western Carolina combined, says Kohlenberg.

Tracks approved included nurse anesthesia, nurse practitioner and nurse mid-wife, she says. DNP graduates will be prepared to: provide evidence-based, patient-centered care through independent and interprofessional practice; demonstrate skills in technology and information literacy; and improve health outcomes, policy and delivery.

About 60 students will be accepted each year for UNCG’s nurse-anesthetist track, offered in collaboration with the Wake Forest Baptist Health School of Nurse Anesthesia and the Raleigh School of Nurse Anesthesia, Kohlenberg says. About 24 students will be accepted into the adult/gerontological primary care nurse practitioner track each year.

Students can complete the program full time over three years, Kohlenberg says. She anticipates launching a post master’s DNP program for the same two tracks after implementing the post baccalaureate option.

According to AACN, the need for a shift toward DNP programs stems from “the rapid expansion of knowledge underlying practice; increased complexity of patient care; national concerns about the quality of care and patient safety; shortages of nursing personnel which demands a higher level of preparation for leaders who can design and assess care; shortages of doctorally-prepared nursing faculty; and increasing educational expectations for the preparation of other members of the healthcare team.”

The AACN offers some intriguing statistics. For example:

• 184 DNP programs are currently enrolling students at schools of nursing nationwide, and an additional 101 DNP programs are in the planning stages. DNP programs are now available in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
• From 2010 to 2011, the number of students enrolled in DNP programs increased from 7,034 to 9,094. During that same period, the number of DNP graduates increased from 1,282 to 1,595.
• Schools nationwide that have initiated the DNP are reporting sizable and competitive student enrollment. Employers are quickly recognizing the unique contribution these expert nurses are making in the practice arena, and the demand for DNP-prepared nurses continues to grow. According to the 2009 salary survey conducted by ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners magazine, DNP-prepared nurse practitioners earned $7,688 more than master’s-prepared nurse practitioners.

For more information on UNCG’s emerging Doctor of Nursing Practice program, contact Kohlenberg at (336) 334-5261 or eileen_kohlenberg@uncg.edu.

After being laid off from their financial industry jobs, Fulton and co-founder Ashlee Furr used Fulton’s grandmother’s recipes to start making pickles, using cucumbers from a field next door to their home. Founded in 2009, Miss Jenny’s Pickles is now a household name. Its products are sold in more than 500 stores, and the company exports from its plant in Kernersville all over the world. Fulton and Furr were featured in a segment on CBS’s 60 Minutes last October.

The 5:30 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, will take place in Room 1214 of the Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building on the UNCG campus. Due to limited seating, attendees are asked to RSVP to ncec@uncg.edu. The program begins with registration and networking at 5 p.m. A Q&A session and a networking reception follow the presentation.

The venue is located at 1111 Spring Garden St. Free parking is available on Forest or Oakland streets or behind the Weatherspoon Art Museum.

Entrepreneurial Journeys provides an informal, interactive setting for community members and students to hear first-hand how businesses are created. For more information on NCEC programs, visit the website at entrepreneur.uncg.edu or call 336-256-8649.

“Entrepreneurs are always called on to multitask, but the wisest among them know there are some things they just may not be good at,” the article explains. “On-call business student interns are one relatively easy and affordable way to fill an unwelcome skills gap.”

The study — conducted with researchers at the University of Missouri, amongst others — found that mothers who were more directly controlling of how their children played varied based on ethnicity and the children’s ages. The researchers also found that higher levels of affection from the mothers reduced the negative effects of earlier control.

“The first time I stood on the stage at the Cantab Lounge. I was supported by the audience … and people said, ‘Thank you.’ ” The feeling was very powerful.

It was Lalenja Harrington’s first “slam poetry” piece. She’d graduated from Princeton in psychology and was working in Boston. On the stage of this club, she was elevated. Her slam poetry team eventually made it to Nationals. The experience has inspired her ever since. And it inspires what she does at UNCG.

Harrington is director of academic life for Beyond Academics at UNCG. The program, marking its sixth year, is for students with intellectual disabilities. Integrative Community Studies, a four-year UNCG certificate course of study, prepares students for a self-determined life. The program emphasizes careers and meaningful avocations and community living.

She advises the students and helps them on their way to success. All the while, her artistic side is evident.

See Campus Weekly for full story.

The article says, “As an African-American male, Alston  is what some would consider a double minority. Many of his friends and relatives wonder about his future after having spent many years earning a master’s and now a Ph.D. in library science. ‘What will you be doing all day?’ ‘What’s the future viability of libraries?’ Someone even teased him once, ‘That’s no kind of profession for a man.’”

To those statements, Alston said that “he believes those inquiries shine a light on reasons his profession is struggling to recruit and retain credential librarians of color.”

“More often than not, credential librarians—those with at least a master’s degree in library and information science—don’t look like the people they serve, something industry leaders hope to change as the nation continues to rapidly diversify,” the article states.

Scott Milman, UNCG’s director of auxiliary services, said the designation reflected a changing transportation culture on campus. “It’s no longer just about parking anymore. We have been working on changing the culture at UNCG so people no longer feel they have to come to school with a car,” Milman said. “Sending a car to school adds to the cost of attendance. We want students and parents to know they can save money by coming to UNCG without a car.”

“I’ve long felt like even though we tend to be a community that can be divisive and squabble — even though we have that tendency — I really truly believe we have developed a Dunkirk spirit,” he said, referring to the British defeat in World War II that gave that country a greater resolve to win the war.

In “Romeo and Juliet,” Shakespeare captures young kids in love as well as anyone can capture them. And that, says John Gulley, is why the play still resonates with modern audiences.

“It still works,” says Gulley, theater instructor and director of UNCG Theatre’s new production of the Bard’s tragic classic. “Shakespeare has given us such a pallet that you can look at from so many different angles, and set in so many different times and places, and it still works. It’s like getting a new take on an old friend. It’s still all about these angsty teenage lovers caught up in a maelstrom of sorts.”

“Romeo and Juliet” runs Feb. 15-24 in Taylor Theatre on campus — just after Valentine’s Day. Gulley promises a “cool, hip” rendering set in a slightly futuristic world of high fashion. 

Contemporary audiences are more accepting of non-traditional productions of Shakespeare than were audiences of 15 or 20 years ago, Gulley says. “It helps when you give audiences, especially young audiences, a hook, a sort of visual vocabulary they can understand. And that visual vocabulary leads them to the poetry of the play’s language without them even realizing they’re hearing high poetry.”

Gulley describes his setting as “2013-plus.” The high-fashion embraced by the characters reflects visually the chaotic breakdown after Act II, as tension between their families, misunderstandings and unlucky synchronicities destroy the young lovers.

“The two families, the Montagues and the Capulets, compete by way of fashion,” he says. “In the first two acts, everyone is well put-together. As the play falls apart, they lose their ability to keep themselves together fashion-wise.”

To further emphasize  this ensuing chaos after Act II, Gulley has chosen to stage some scenes simultaneously as the tragedy escalates and the play fractures. Of course, in the end, a desolate quiet ensues.

The surviving characters are “metaphorically naked and psychologically fragile,” he says, and yet somehow “more human” than their kempt but shallow former selves.

As Gulley puts it, “Even in the tragedy, hopefully the audience will walk away in awe of the power of love.”

See “Romeo and Juliet” at 8 p.m. Feb. 15, 16, 22 and 23; 2 p.m. Feb. 16, 17 and 24;  and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, 20, and  21. School matinees play at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 19-22.

Tickets are $18 for adults; $15 for seniors and non-UNCG students; $12 for UNCG alumni and groups of 10 or more; and $7 for UNCG students. Call 336-334-4849 or visit boxoffice.uncg.edu  for advance tickets, or buy them one hour prior to the performance in the Taylor Theatre lobby.

“That’s a terrible number, but it’s less terrible than a year ago,” Brod said.

However, this number does not account for changes in the forecast during shopping season, he said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the seasonally adjusted number would be the same or even lower.”

On the future of joblessness in Greensboro, Brod had this to say: “Most people are forecasting continued decreases in (unemployment) throughout 2013,” he said. “But suppose it drops another percentage point in 2013 — that’s still a pretty bad number.”

Fay, a self-described “tree guy,” held off on moving the trees in December, since removing them in dry weather would have lessened their chance of survival.

“The plan is always to save trees,” said Fay, who has worked at UNCG for more than 32 years. “But it’s always related to Mother Nature.”

Wilson said, “Your article on efforts to create new living-learning communities in colleges and universities (“Colleges Design New Housing to Engage and Retain Students,” The Chronicle, January 21) reminded me of the way it was at the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina before the 1960s, when coeducation, graduate schools, and commuters changed our residential undergraduate culture.”

She later continued, “We didn’t have the bells and whistles of these splendid new residences, but we knew how to connect our academic and our residential lives: We talked. This change back to residential living is one of the few trends in higher education that warms my heart.”

All events are open to the public at no charge.

Feb. 6, discussion, “The Case of the Missing Love Story in Tarantino’s ‘DJango Unchained’ ” by Dr. Tara T. Green, director of UNCG’s African American Studies Program.  Noon-1 p.m., North Spencer Residence Hall Parlor.

Feb. 6, artist talk and opening reception, “A Tribute to JoAnne Smart Drane and Bettye Tillman, the First Two African American Women to Graduate from UNCG” by Rachel Propst ‘12. 3-4 p.m., Multicultural Resource Center, Room 062, Elliott University Center. The photos will be on display through March 7.

Feb. 8, lecture, Dr. Edward Hubbard will discuss inclusive excellence and return on investment. 2-4 p.m. Room 114, School of Education Building. Co-sponsored by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Department of Human Resources.

Feb. 12, discussion, Conversations with the Community: “Where is Tobe? Unfolding Stories of Childhood, Race and Rural Life” by Dr. Benjamin Filene, UNCG associate professor of history. 6-7:30 p.m., Kirkland Room, Elliott University Center.

Feb. 13, lecture and interactive presentation, “Stories from the Underground Railroad” featuring artist and scholar Meltonia Young. 11-11:50 a.m. Location TBA.

Feb. 27; day-long event; exhibit, film, discussion; “Remembering Struggles ,Celebrating Futures.” Day-long celebration will feature an exhibit by the Black History 101 Mobile Museum entitled: “Drum Majors for, Justice;” a documentary and discussion with Yusef Shakur entitled “Detroit’s Native Son: From Z8ne Street Thug to Prison to Community Leader;” a community mixer; and a performance showcase from some of UNCG’s brightest talents. See http://oma.uncg.edu/black-history-month for a full schedule. 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Virginia Dare Room, UNCG Alumni House.

Last year UNCG received a gold medal award and Stanford University received the highest honor. This year seven universities received gold medal awards and UNCG took the top prize in the university category, NCTR announced Thursday. The award recognizes businesses, organizations and universities that have taken exemplary steps to offer transportation options.

With choices ranging from on-campus car and bicycle sharing services to fare-free public transportation, more and more Spartans are choosing alternative means of getting to and from campus. Personal vehicles are increasingly optional with demand for parking permits continuing to decrease each year. Campus parking utilization dropped from 95 percent in 2005 to 86 percent in 2012. Greenhouse gas emissions from commuter vehicles has decreased 8.14 percent since 2008.

“It’s no longer just about parking anymore. We have been working on changing the culture at UNCG so people no longer feel they have to come to school with a car,” said Scott Milman, UNCG’s director of Auxiliary Services. “Sending a car to school adds to the cost of attendance. We want students and parents to know they can save money by coming to UNCG without a car.”

Suzanne Williams, associate director of Campus Access Management, said that innovative programs like HEAT fare-free transit and Spartan Cycles bike sharing offer students, staff and faculty a variety of transportation options.

“Partnerships with GTA, PART, Zimride and Zipcar lead to more choices. Collaborating with local nonprofit Bicycling in Greensboro (BIG) adds bike sharing to the mix,” Williams said. “While interest in sustainable transportation is growing, we’re adding value to each parking permit sold because drivers have an easier time finding a parking space.”

UNCG students and employees took more than 500,000 bus rides during the 2011-2012
academic year. Approximately 300,000 rides were on HEAT (Higher Education Area Transit) and GTA (Greensboro Transit Authority) buses. The remaining rides were on campus Park & Ride, Spartan Chariot and PART buses.

UNCG Zipcar is a car-sharing service that allows members to reserve cars by the hour or
the day, easing congestion on campus and reducing the need for additional parking. It is
estimated that every Zipcar eliminates the need for 15-20 personal cars.

UNCG Zimride is a free rideshare matching network that helps connect drivers and riders
interested in carpooling. Open to the UNCG community through a private network with
Facebook connectivity, Zimride helps registered users offer or request rides for occasional
road trips as well as daily commutes.

UNCG participants make up roughly half of the pledges collected during the annual
Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) Commuter Challenge. Those
making pledges promise to try a sustainable form of transportation such as biking, riding a bus, carpooling, telecommuting or walking.

Other universities tapped for this year’s NCTR gold medal awards were Stanford, Virginia Tech, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of South Florida, and two campuses in the University of California system, Irvine and Los Angeles. NCTR’s announcement is online at http://www.bestworkplaces.org/uncategorized/3650/

On the day before Three King’s Day, a Mexican holiday celebrated Jan. 6, Allyson Cates’ students have left their shoes at  the door as instructed. A parent tells them the story of the kings, and gifts are left in the children’s shoes according to tradition.

This is ISLA, an innovative Saturday school for young native Spanish speakers. Cates, who graduated from  UNCG’s School of Education last May, made the connections here that led her to Chapel Hill and ISLA.

The methods used by ISLA are unique, part of a new wave in learning theory: These children are learning to read and write — in Spanish. “Research has shown that when kids are able to read and write in their native tongue, that helps with learning a second language,” says Cates, ISLA’s  lead teacher. “It really closes the achievement gap.”

ISLA, short for Immersion for Spanish Language Acquisition, is the brainchild of Aerin Benavides. Benavides, now working on her PhD in Teacher Education and Development at UNCG, designed ISLA as part of her master’s level instructional design coursework.

Benavides modeled ISLA after Chinese and Korean Saturday schools throughout the U.S. She recruited Cates, who also shares administrative responsibilities, to help get ISLA off the ground.

“Aerin had this idea for years,” Cates says. “She had tutored kids who were 8 or 9 years old, and she saw that they improved their English skills by writing and reading in Spanish.”

The theory is that strong reading and writing are transferrable skills that can serve students well in any language. Cates, fluent in Spanish primarily because she attended Greensboro’s Spanish-immersion elementary school, says it also preserves the children’s native language and builds cultural pride.

“The coolest part is that the parents stay during the lessons,” Cates says. “Through creativity and a sense of ownership, they are helping to build the program.”

Parents teach about native foods, clothing and music. They have taken it on themselves to study English while the kids study Spanish, and have even sold handmade jewelry to benefit the program.

ISLA meets from 9 a.m.-noon Saturdays at St. Thomas More Elementary in Chapel Hill. The group now includes 11 pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade children recruited through area schools and churches. They come from various Spanish-speaking countries, and live in Chapel Hill and outlying areas like Carrboro, Durham and Morrisville.

ISLA, a nonprofit endeavor, is free for students. Cates and Benavides are looking to expand the program, hiring more teachers and attracting more students. For more information on ISLA, visit www.laislaschool.org or email Allyson Cates at acatesisla@gmail.com.

“It appeals to people who may be frustrated at not being able to influence or get some of the things they want,” Jovanovic said. “I think the projects kind of that were identified were actually pretty consistent with city priorities.”

Sheryl Oring at work at an “I Wish to Say” performance in Charlotte in September 2012. Photo by Dhanraj Emanuel

Sheryl Oring, an assistant professor of art at UNCG whose work has sparked public discourse across the country, will be the featured guest during a live broadcast of WUNC’s “The State of Things” on Tuesday, Feb. 5, in downtown Greensboro.

The broadcast, hosted by Frank Stasio, will air at noon from UpStage Cabaret at Triad Stage at 232 S. Elm St. Following Oring on the show will be Rhiannon Giddens of the Grammy Award-winning band The Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Admission to the event is free, but reservations are required. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and audience members are asked to be seated by 11:45 a.m. in time for the noontime show. Call 800-962-9862 to reserve a seat.

For her most famous project, “I Wish to Say,“ Oring traveled the country with a typewriter, asking people she met to dictate postcards to the president. Her work has been presented at Bryant Park in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum, the Boston Public Library and the Jewish Museum Berlin, among others. She has received numerous grants and awards, including a Creative Capital grant, a New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship and the “Person of the Week” award by ABC’s World News Tonight.

According to U.S. News, the percentage of freshman applicants who decided to attend UNCG was 38.1 percent. That puts UNCG right up there with the likes of UC-Berkeley (38.8 percent), Vanderbilt (39.3 percent) and the University of Chicago (39.9 percent).

Yield rates were based on Fall 2011 enrollment data reported by the institutions. UNCG reported 6,418 accepted first-year students, 2,443 of whom enrolled.

Read the full U.S. News report.

“We’re by no means having the type of recovery we wanted to see, but it is happening,” he said. “And this decrease in bankruptcy is a pretty good sign. The debt burden that families have has been decreasing over the past couple of years.”

The call-out told the story of what Simpson (right, in archive photo) accomplished in the team’s 77-69 win over Chattanooga that afternoon. “T. Simpson, UNC Greensboro. 41 pts, 7 rebounds, 1 assist.”

His 41-point effort is the largest for UNCG during the NCAA Division I era. His 41 points are the most scored by a player from the Southern Conference this season. He connected on 14-of-25 from the field, 7-of-13 from three-point land and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe.

“I felt like I was in the zone,” Simpson said.

The team now has 4 wins, 4 losses in SoCon play. They host Elon Thursday.

Full story at UNCG Athletics.

Open the new Greensboro Google Transit app. Plug in your location and destination. Almost instantly, you’ll see the best options for catching a GTA or HEAT bus, when and where the buses will leave and arrive, and maps of each option. The app will even estimate how much money you’ll save by taking a bus instead of driving.

Greensboro’s version of Google Transit is up and running, according to Kevin Elwood, strategic information specialist at the Greensboro Transit Authority. Elwood led the project in collaboration with UNCG’s Center for Geographic Information Science, led by Dr. Rick Bunch. Bunch is a professor of geography and director of the center.

What is Google Transit? It’s an app to access routes and sites for public transit in Greensboro, Bunch explains. “It’s a dynamic map.” Students – or anyone in Greensboro – can pull out their smartphones or access the application on their laptops.

Bunch, as well as Matt Catanzarite and Anna Tapp at the center, worked with GTA in 2012 to integrate bus route and schedule information with Google Maps. They all thought they could finish the essential work for the Google Transit app in weeks. But there were challenges.

“It’s not straightforward,” Bunch explains. For example, in using the data, they had to consider the direction of travel. “The data has to have intelligence.” The data must also be correct, complete, and pass Google’s stringent quality assurance and control measures, he explained.

They used data that George Linney at GTA provided. And helped in bringing the Greensboro version of the app to fruition. “It’s a GIS, is what it is,” Bunch explains. “The app is based on the fundamental architecture of GIS.”

Elwood said that Scott Milman and Suzanne Williams in UNCG’s Parking Operations & Campus Access Management brought GTA and UNCG’s Center for Geographic Information Science together. Milman and Williams knew the project could result in something very helpful for many students – and the Greensboro community at large.

Bunch’s GIS Center, part of UNCG’s Office of Research and Economic Development, is an educational research entity that solves, analyzes and models the geographic aspects of human and natural phenomena. Created in 2006, its many projects range from radio wave propagation modeling with North Carolina’s Department of Commerce to conducting spatial analysis for research partners and companies.

Elwood said the expertise UNCG’s GIS Center brought to the project “was invaluable.”

Try the app at http://maps.google.com. Click “Get Directions” and the bus icon (between the car icon and pedestrian icon) at the top left. Type your location in slot A and your destination in slot B.

“I feel like the policy would be catching up with what has already happened,” Perkins said. “You can be a female and be part of the unit. With the way Iraq and Afghanistan are, female or male, you are trained to do the same things. My first convoy was with two females. They were right there with us.”

Perkins later said, “I don’t think people find it that much of an issue right now. Nowadays, the way the military is, the only things that women couldn’t actually be was like infantrymen.”

Greensboro was compared with nine other southeastern cities on issues like population growth, incomes and teen pregnancy rates. Debbage said that “a tentative recovery of sorts is in place.”

“I think I see some green shoots in the seed bed,” he later added.

Industrial growth has an important role to play in what he calls Greensboro’s “fledgling” recovery.

“We’ve seen a manufacturing revitalization,” Debbage concluded. “We tend to think of that as our past. It’s also our future.”

The Pentagon’s decision to officially allow women in combat is yet another chapter in the long and evolving history of women in the military, says Beth Ann Koelsch, curator of the Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project in UNCG’s Special Collections and University Archives. Koelsch is available to discuss the role women have played in the military in the 20th and 21st centuries.

“Our collection documents the contributions of women in the military and related service organizations since World War I. The collection offers a wide range of source material, including photographs, letters, diaries, scrapbooks, oral histories and more,” Koelsch said.

“In recent years, we have begun to collect the oral histories of women involved in the Gulf Wars and the War on Terror.  These include the oral history of Rosie Noel, a gunnery sergeant who was the first female Marine to receive the Purple Heart for combat-related injuries while serving in Iraq in 2005.”

And, as UNCG continues to attract more veterans as students, the project is making efforts to document their stories as well, Koelsch said.

“The collection also provides insight into how women veterans who have served in different times and in different war zones feel about women taking on combat roles, and their opinions are certainly not uniform,” she added.

Portions of the Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project are available online.  Researchers can access photos and the transcripts of oral histories to directly interact with the experience of women in the military.

Koelsch can be reached by email at bethann_koelsch@uncg.edu and by phone at 336-334-5838.

“One of the goals reflects a movement that is going on around the country, and that is a desire to set a degree attainment goal for the state of North Carolina. That’s important for us in Greensboro and the Triad, because we know there are currently 67,000 adults living here who have earned some college credit but lack a degree. It will be important for us to focus on how we can contribute to the 32 percent degree attainment goal for our adult population that is recommended in the draft report, “she said.

“Another goal is to strengthen academic quality. We must ensure that students continue to receive a quality education, despite the fact that we are in a constrained resource environment. The focus on academic quality is consistent with UNCG’s values and the direction of this university.

“An additional goal, which again is consistent with where we’re going at UNCG, is to serve the needs of the people of North Carolina in the years ahead.”

See full interview – in which she reflects on the past five years and looks to the semester ahead - in Campus Weekly.

Dick Gregory

The Winston-Salem Journal ran an interview with Dick Gregory, the keynote speaker at a joint MLK celebration held by UNCG and NCA&T. Gregory, a civil rights activist, humanitarian and comedian, spoke in UNCG’s Aycock Auditorium Jan. 23. The event was spearheaded by the UNCG Office of Multicultural Affairs.