Spartan Alert

Faculty and Staff Award Nominations Open With the New Academic Year

Posted on August 13, 2024

A drone overlook image of UNCG's College Ave, Faculty Center, and Minerva statue.

UNCG recognizes stellar faculty and staff throughout the year. Two awards are currently accepting nominations, one for faculty and one for staff.

J.E. Holshouser Award

From Interim Provost Alan Boyette:

The James E. Holshouser Award for Public Service, formerly known as the Public Service Award, was created in 2007 to encourage, identify, recognize, and reward public service by faculty of the University of North Carolina system. Each year, UNCG puts forth a campus nominee to the Board of Governors for consideration. The selection criteria include sustained, distinguished, and superb achievement in university public service and outreach and contributions to improving the quality of life for citizens of North Carolina. The creativity and impact of such achievements should be beyond the normal accomplishments of productive faculty.

The J.E. Holshouser award committee is currently seeking nominations for this distinguished award. In honor of their achievement, the UNCG nominee will be recognized at the Spring 2025 Faculty Awards ceremony. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, September 13. To learn more about the award and submit a nomination, please visit the J.E. Holshouser Award Page.

All-Southern Conference Staff Award

The Staff Senate is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the All-Southern Conference Staff Award. This award recognizes a SHRA or EHRA staff member who has had a meaningful and positive impact on the University community. As a complement to the University Staff Excellence Award, the All-Southern Conference Staff Award provides another opportunity to recognize outstanding contributions made by a UNCG staff member.

Award Criteria:

Consistent Record of Service: The nominee should have a history of service to UNCG that yields tangible and documented benefits to the university community.
Leadership and Empowerment: The nominee should demonstrate the ability to bring out the best in others and create conditions for success.
Impact on Student Life and the Local Community: The nominee’s leadership and service should have a tangible and beneficial impact on student life and the local community.

The deadline to submit nominations is August 31, 2024, and self-nominations are welcomed. While awardees need not excel in all criteria, excellence in at least one area and meaningful contributions in all areas are required.

Staff Senate encourages employees to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions of their colleagues. Their participation helps to honor those who go above and beyond in their dedication to students and the University.

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UNCG Shares Progress on Construction around Campus

Posted on August 13, 2024

A construction fence with UNCG's EUC in the background.

Students, faculty, and staff who left the campus after the Spring 2024 Commencement ceremonies will notice a dramatic change when they return to UNC Greensboro in the fall. Among the most notable changes are the construction areas at the center of campus, particularly around Jackson Library, Moran Commons, and Stirling Street.

The chilled water loop is close to completion, as managed by UNCG Facilities Design and Construction (FDC). This project connects academic buildings, common areas, residence halls, and administrative offices at the center of campus to improve air conditioning. The process has taken many months, and some streets and sidewalks will be closed or restricted as the work winds down.

A staging area has been created on the Kaplan Commons lawn outside the library. This same area will likely be used again when UNCG begins its library renovation project.

Where we are

Construction was completed in the Mossman parking lot and along Stirling Street during the summer. Work is still underway between the Bryan School Building and Walker Parking Deck. Traffic impacts may be seen on Forest Street and trucks continue to come through while crews make final improvements to the Mossman building’s roof.

Stirling Street has reopened, but buses will continue to be rerouted to a temporary bus stop near the Walker traffic circle outside the library. Signage will indicate where buses and shuttles will pick up and drop off customers.

Trucks and construction vehicles line the street at UNCG.

A construction worker climbs a ladder along UNCG's Mossman building.

The Walker Parking Deck is still accessible, but the entrance and exit on Theta Street will remain closed for the time being.

The chilled water loop will be completed at Shaw Residence Hall, where workers will connect the south plant along the railroad tracks on Oakland Avenue and Forest Street with the plant on top of McIver Parking Deck.

As always, UNCG asks Spartans and visitors to be patient, plan accordingly, and remain respectful to the work crews sharing the campus in the coming months.

The FDC Campus Maps & GIS webpage has updated campus maps and parking maps. The webpage also has an interactive map with information about ADA access, lighting, dining, and other resources.

What happens next

FDC anticipates the chilled water construction in this area to be completed in Spring 2025. Older, building-dedicated chilled water systems are being removed as the buildings are tied into the loop, creating greater energy efficiency and savings.

A map of UNCG with the phases of construction.

Work will block the road at the north edge of the Walker traffic circle along the sidewalk to Shaw. The bus stop will be relocated during construction, and a single lane will be maintained during the remaining chilled water construction so that commuters and delivery truck drivers can reach the dining hall.

The Jackson Library renovation project nears the end of its Construction Documents phase. This is the first large-scale renovation of the library since the addition of the towers in 1973. It aims to meet UNCG’s growth, meeting students’ needs for a dynamic, technology-rich learning environment and intellectual community hub.

Other construction

Renovations continue at the Jefferson Suites as crews repair water damage to the windows and facade. It is scheduled to be finished in November. Soon the bidding process will begin for upgrades to Taylor Theatre’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler systems.

A construction worker examines debris from a UNCG project.

Scaffolding covers the UNCG Jefferson Suites building.

Also anticipating construction bidding this year is the new Jeanne Tannebaum Center for Creative Practice, a multi-purpose cultural art space on West Gate City Boulevard. This space will encourage partnerships between UNCG and the Greensboro community by providing a flexible performance space, gallery, instructional and studio rooms, office and administrative space, a digital lab with low latency, and retail accommodations.

All UNCG students, faculty, and staff may follow FDC’s Construction Alerts and updates on Principal Projects for more information and evolving updates. UNCG thanks everyone for their participation as these critical projects move forward, in hopes of improving the learning experience for generations of students to come.

Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications

A walking man sign for a street at UNCG stands next to an "End detour" sign.

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WGSS Workshop Encourages Advocacy for Feminist and Queer Politics

Posted on August 09, 2024

UNC Greensboro students often praise the campus’ diversity and welcoming spirit. It’s an environment that produces community activism and leadership in its students and alumni.

This summer, a unique workshop organized by the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program and funded by the Mellon Foundation’s Affirming Multivocal Humanities grant proved a perfect example of how UNCG celebrates diversity and community.

Scheming for Better Understanding

The workshop, SCHEME, took its name from an acronym of activities planned for the week – studying, challenging, healing, embodying and making every day.

Recruitment for the workshop targeted WGSS students from institutions all around North Carolina to converge at UNCG’s campus to build community learning within a feminist and queer politics framework.

Banner hanging in a hallway with rainbow flags reads SCHEME. Down the hall we see students walking into a classroom.

“We hope that these students will share viewpoints and experiences and take what they learned at SCHEME to better serve their own home institutions and communities,” said Tiffany Holland, WGSS professor and co-organizer of the workshop.

Of the eleven attendees, six were from UNCG, but other participants represented Guilford College, UNC Asheville, and Appalachian State University. They ranged from a student who will start her first year at college this fall to another student who just graduated in the spring. Building community across campuses and breadth of the college experience made for interesting discussions and reflections.

Space for Expression

When Holland and other organizers were brainstorming how to structure the workshop, they wanted to make sure the participants felt empowered to help build the program to best serve their needs. Creative sessions with community members provided space for expression through art.

“We didn’t want to come down from on high about where we think the state of feminist and queer politics is now,” said Holland. “It was important to us for the student participants to be able to share what they have been creating and what they want to create.”

Throughout the workshop, thoughtful discussions and readings about how to facilitate open discussions were combined with sessions like printmaking and a Q&A with drag performers, which allowed the students to explore artful political expressions.

Luz Elena Borrayo graduated from UNCG in the spring with a B.A. in studio art. She joined the workshop to expand her advocacy skills but was surprised when SCHEME opened the workshop with a session for creating political prints.

“I was so excited to be creating with others! SCHEME allowed me to refocus my art and what my message is, speaking to my identity and perspective, in today’s society,” Borrayo said. “Even though I minored in WGSS, being a part of SCHEME helped me to feel more comfortable having conversations and asking questions.”

Basil Nelligan, a rising third-year art major from Guilford College, also enjoyed the way the workshop combined creative expression with leadership skills. “The interactive activities made the experience a lot more immersive,” he said. “As someone whose higher education experience is steeped in the Quaker tradition, I feel like I was able to contribute my viewpoint and also learn a lot from others who have wildly different experiences.”

The group also toured UNCG’s Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives with Stacey Krim, assistant professor and curator.

“It was amazing,” said Holland. “The students learned about local queer and feminist histories on our campus and in the larger community and they were introduced to the feminist and anti-colonial practices used by our university’s archivist to preserve and honor our community’s stories.”

A Scheme for the Next Phase

Organizers were pleased with how participants received the pilot SCHEME workshop and are looking ahead to how the program can expand. With the goal of providing resources to more students, they are considering a long weekend format open to students across the state, virtual and in-person workshops, and resources that can be offered online.

The inspiration Nelligan found in the pilot workshop drives the SCHEME organizers in UNCG’s WGSS program to continue to extend their leadership and reach even broader audiences.

“I’m already planning to bring back the information I gathered at SCHEME to the leadership spaces I’m involved in at Guilford College,” he said. “I’m using the information to help formulate plans for activities that will engage people.”

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications.

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Call for Nominations for All-Southern Conference Staff AwarD

Posted on August 09, 2024

Spiro the UNCG mascot fistbumps a woman at the Swarm baseball stadium.

We are pleased to announce the call for nominations for the All-Southern Conference Staff Award. This award recognizes a SHRA or EHRA staff member who has had a meaningful and positive impact on the University community. As a compliment to the University Staff Excellence Award, the All-Southern Conference Staff Award provides another opportunity to recognize outstanding contributions made by a UNCG staff member.

Award Criteria

Consistent Record of Service: The nominee should have a history of service to UNCG that yields tangible and documented benefits to the university community.
Leadership and Empowerment: The nominee should demonstrate the ability to bring out the best in others and create conditions for success.
Impact on Student Life and the Local Community: The nominee’s leadership and service should have a tangible and beneficial impact on student life and the local community.

Deadline to submit nominations is August 31, 2024 and self-nominations are welcomed. While awardees need not excel in all criteria, excellence in at least one area and meaningful contributions in all areas are required.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding contributions of your colleagues. Your participation in this process helps to honor those who go above and beyond in their dedication to our students and our university.

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UNCG Archaeology Students Uncover Local History in Old Salem

August 8, 2024

UNCG Archaeology Students Uncover Local History in Old Salem

Posted on August 08, 2024

Gates Emmert’s hands were tinted orange as she pulled a bandana out of her pocket to wipe the sweat from her brow. She beamed as she explained what her classmates were looking for in the red clay of an empty lot between preserved historic buildings in Old Salem.

“It’s not every day that you get to do archaeology in your backyard!” Emmert said. She and her classmates were clearly in their element as they brushed aside dirt and dust to reveal a brick foundation about six inches beneath the grassy surface.

The group of UNC Greensboro students were tasked to uncover evidence of a more than 200-year-old pottery kiln as part of their Field Methods of Archaeology and Analysis of Archaeological Data classes under lecturer Dr. Geoffrey Hughes. Hughes speculated that this brickwork might be part of the kiln or a related structure.

Dr. Hughes helps students identify findings.

Sifting Through Evidence of the Past

Man in a hat talks with his hands with another person in an outdoor location. — Dr. Geoffrey Hughes explains what the class is hoping to uncover in the field school.

Hughes has been studying the Moravian settlements since the 1990s: “One of the things that makes the Moravians’ Wachovia settlement so fascinating to me is the fact that you have this planned religious community in the back country of North Carolina, which is very connected to an emerging world system.”

From 2016 to 2018, Hughes led excavations in Old Salem that found evidence that an experimental pottery kiln had been built in 1793 and used until 1805. If excavators could dig deeper and find examples of pottery that was made here, archaeologists could determine advancements in the potters’ tools and craftsmanship that kept their community relevant in the early 19^th century. It was the perfect project for a field school project for Hughes’ UNCG students.

“The main takeaway from this dig has been the amount of information that you can find out about people in the past, just from looking at little artifacts,” said Katherine Rock, a fourth-year student with plans to become an archaeological technician after graduation. “The emotional connection is extremely important. Being able to walk in the same place that somebody did 200 years ago is pretty fascinating.”

Digging for Career Experience

The five-week dig was a partnership between UNCG and Old Salem Museums and Gardens. As part of the partnership, Old Salem set aside space in their visitor center for an archaeology lab. At the end of each day, the students brought the artifacts they found to the lab for cleaning and processing.

“There’s only so much you can learn in the classroom,” admitted Hughes. “Field schools are essential for any future archaeologist. What we’re doing here is providing our students with career-ready skills, so that as soon as they graduate, they can go on to become entry-level archaeologists.”

In addition to learning how to excavate the site and catalog the artifacts, the students were also able to engage with visitors about what they found and what the findings told them about the early Moravian settlers.

As a fourth-year student who would like to work in a natural history museum or Library of Congress after graduation, Emmert says making inferences based on traits of artifacts they uncovered was particularly interesting: “We have found a lot of variety in glazes and colors and we can see that the potters’ techniques changed over time.”

Young woman dumps sand from a bucket into a wheelbarrow as students behind her dig in a plot in the ground under a tent.

A Partnership of Historic Proportions

A man and a woman sift through artifacts in boxes on a table in the Old Salem visitors' center. — Hughes and Brown review cataloged artifacts in the lab.

Although the work sometimes felt slow and tedious, Hughes was pleased with the field school’s findings. “Old Salem will be able to use our artifacts to talk to the public about the importance of Moravian history here,” he said. “We’re finding evidence of just how technologically advanced the Moravians really were.”

Johanna Brown, Old Salem’s Chief Curator and Director of Collections agreed wholeheartedly. “We can learn so much from the material culture that we excavate, so having UNCG students here to do this work enables our research to continue even though Old Salem doesn’t have a full-time archaeologist,” she said. “It is critically important to our understanding of Moravian history and ceramic traditions in America as a whole.”

For the student archaeologists, uncovering North Carolina history and participating in Old Salem’s preservation efforts was extremely rewarding.

“Participating in this field school has really made me hone in on what I want to do,” said Rock. “This is my dream job!”

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos and video by Sean Norona, Grant Gilliard, and David Lee Row, University Communications.

Young man in suit stands at the entrance of a building with — Biology major Grant Pareja at the entrance of The Washington Center's Residential and Academic Facility.

Five UNC Greensboro students are living and working in Washington, D.C. this summer, thanks to an exciting new partnership with The Washington Center.

The Washington Center (TWC) provides educational programs, internships, and networking opportunities for college students and recent graduates. This year, Career & Professional Development (CPD) connected 28 UNCG students with experiences at TWC, the latest being a summer “Academic Internship Program” that offers real-world work experience, course credit hours, and housing accommodations in our nation’s capital.

Profitable Partnerships

95% of TWC alumni claim that its programs prepared them for their future careers, including some UNCG faculty members. “Meredith Atchison and Dr. Heather Adams had wonderful things to say about their collegiate experiences with The Washington Center,” says Megan Walters, director of CPD. “It’s a sophisticated program and we have a lot of financial support built in from the state of North Carolina. TWC is very well positioned in D.C. and connected across all industries, and the financial assistance is just icing on the cake.”

Justin Golding coordinated the program and far exceeded CPD’s internal goal of engaging ten students in WTC programs during the school year. He connected nine students with TWC’s 3-day “Workforce Readiness” networking program in November and sent 16 to the 9-day “Inside Washington” public policy seminars in January, before accepting applications for TWC’s summer internship program.

Using state funding and the “Build A Better Tomorrow” Scholarship Program with Reynolds American, CPD estimated that there would be funding for five scholarships for TWC’s Academic Internship Program this summer. These scholarships provided for housing on TWC’s campus in Washington, D.C., a class with credit hours, and placement in an internship with an organization in the D.C. area. Costs for each student are estimated at $13,000.

“We are very thankful for Reynolds American’s scholarship partnership” says Golding. “It’s a game changer for our students to have their living expenses covered by this funding. Furthermore, 70% of the internships are paid either by an hourly wage or stipend. Next year, TWC’s goal is for the internships to be 100% paid.”

Spartans at Work in the Capital City

Jessica Diaz, Taylor Hall, Molly Jones, Grant Pareja, and Tyler Whitaker were accepted from the applicants vying for the scholarship. They were immediately assigned an academic advisor to help place them with an internship matching their fields of study, goals, and interests.

“I had trouble finding a summer internship, so I went to the CPD office and Justin recommended The Washington Center,” says Jessica Diaz, a business administration major who interned with Cynuria Consulting’s human resources office. “After looking into the program, I really liked that scholarships would be available so I could live in D.C. for the summer without financial burdens.”

Young man stands with arms crossed in front of an office with glass doors etched with a seal for the National Labor Relations Board. — Finance major Tyler Whitaker in front of his office at the National Labor Relations Board.

Three young women pose in front of a screen with The Washington Center logos. — Finance major Tyler Whitaker in front of his office at the National Labor Relations Board.

Tyler Whitaker, a third-year majoring in finance, was placed with the National Labor Relations Board. “My internship perfectly aligns with my interests as I have been overseeing federal budgets and contracts, as well as identifying the purpose of budget executions. The experience has made me consider seeking employment with the federal government after college.”

Psychology major Taylor Hall is applying her studies in an internship with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. “My primary responsibility is to reach out to different psychology departments at universities to promote potential memberships through our organization. The experience has been both challenging and rewarding.” As she prepares to apply to graduate school this year, she appreciated the opportunity to connect with universities and with other students in the program. “Networking with students from diverse backgrounds and areas during my time in D.C. has made me appreciate the diversity and inclusion we enjoy at UNCG.”

Grant Pareja brings his biology studies to Off the Battlefield Foundation’s headquarters in Washington DC. “This organization focuses on improving the mental well-being of Ukrainian veterans with a mission to ‘restore and support communities devastated by conflict.’ The experience will prepare me for my future career as a science diplomat, as it gives me actual experience in integrating medical and scientific insights into tangible beneficial policies and results.”

As dissimilar as their internship responsibilities may seem, all students were unanimous in their praise for Golding’s guidance in steering them towards The Washington Center.

“Getting the chance to live in D.C. (for free thanks to scholarship funding), gain professional experience and connections, meet new people – and earn academic credit while you are at it – is a unique opportunity,” says Molly Jones, a political science and sociology double major who is getting fundraising experience with Generations for Peace, USA. “As someone who is a senior, I wish I had done this sooner. I’ve met such amazing people this summer!”

Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications.
Photos are courtesy of student submissions.

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