UNC Charlotte Magazine, Q1 2013

UNC Charlotte The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte for Alumni and Friends • v20 q1 • 2013

AGING WELL Faculty researchers study optimum aging

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c h a n ce l l o r ’s l e tte r

Big Data Means Big Opportunities

“Carolinas HealthCare System is focused on creative and innovative ways to continue to transform healthcare in terms of high quality, excellent service and exceptional value.

We applaud your efforts to educate this skilled workforce and encourage the support of [data science and business analytics programs] led by UNC Charlotte.”

Carolinas HealthCare System CEO Michael Tarwater

“It is not enough to capture the data, but to also have the critical thinking and analytical skills to boil down millions of data points into actions that benefit our customers. The great news in all this is that it appears the University is uniquely qualified to satisfy this need.”

Belk Inc. CFO Brian T. Marley

Big Data is big news at UNC Charlotte, and it will become very big news for the Charlotte region in the next decade. If you’re wondering what Big Data is and why you should care, here’s the what, why and how.

Big Data refers to sets of data so large and complex that they become difficult to process and analyze using existing database management systems. People who manage data are overwhelmed by the exponential increase in data available through the electronic and digital tools at our disposal. We all leave an incredible data trail in our wake every single day. Organizations collect that data and do their best to utilize it, but they leave a lot of information “on the table” because they lack the capacity to parse and analyze that tsunami of data. That wasted data can be turned into information, and then into knowledge, and eventually, into business insights and economic value.

The term “tsunami” is no exaggeration on the topic of Big Data. Ninety percent of all stored data in the world was produced in the last two years. But those data are being underused by businesses in such data-heavy fields as retail, healthcare, manufacturing and financial services.

The McKinsey & Company consulting firm estimates that, by 2018, the U.S. will have a deficit of nearly 200,000 professionals with deep analytical skills, and will need to retrain 1.5 million managers in order to capitalize on the value of data.

That’s the problem. With the exponential growth of data, businesses need leaders who have the data science skills to understand analytics and the knowledge to apply the data to the mission of the business. Therein lies an opportunity which UNC Charlotte is seizing upon with all the resources we can muster.

My highest priority this year is to secure a state investment and support from private sector partnering organizations to help UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte region eventually win the nationwide race for Big Data investment and jobs. To win that race, we need to launch our proposed Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) initiative.

UNC Charlotte is proposing DSBA as an industry-university-state partnership to broaden and deepen North Carolina’s ability to develop business analytics talent and stimulate strategic innovation. It will directly support high-end job creation and business investments in the greater Charlotte region and across the state. Indeed, in the “Strategic Directions” plan adopted by the UNC Board of Governors for the next five years, data science is identified as one of the primary “game-

changing” areas of research and instruction that should be strengthened within the system.

UNC Charlotte is strategically positioned to launch DSBA because of the concentration of large data-intensive industries in our primary service region, including financial services, retail sales and distribution, healthcare, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

We’re already taking meaningful steps in this direction based on the recent gift of $5 million from Belk, Inc. (page 4 and back cover). This investment by the company will fund both an endowed Chair in Marketing Analytics and an endowed Professorship in Business Innovation.

These senior faculty members provide additional research and teaching expertise in the growing fields of customer analytics and customer relationship management. They will also help develop a learn-work-hire program for Belk College students to prepare participants for direct entry into the retail industry. Matching funds from the State of North Carolina for endowed faculty positions will eventually add $1 million to the company’s investment.

In addition to adding new senior faculty, we will also move forward to create the Belk Scholars Program, through which we will identify undergraduate business students with high potential and groom them for careers in analytics and business innovation. Scholars will participate in a fast-track program that leads directly to a graduate program.

Through the budget request of the UNC Board of Governors and President Tom Ross, UNC Charlotte is requesting a state investment of $3 million for implementing DSBA in Fiscal Year 2014 and an additional $2 million in Fiscal Year 2015 to recruit new faculty and technical staff members in the Colleges of Computing and Informatics, Business, and Health and Human Services. The proposed FY 2015 state funding would be a match investment, contingent upon the university securing private-sector investments and documented pledges of at least $4 million by December 31, 2014.

Big data means big opportunities for UNC Charlotte and our community. We aim to make the most of those opportunities.

Cordially,

Philip L. Dubois Chancellor

contents

| UNC CHARLOTTE

22 8 FEATURES

8

12

15

12

3

News Briefs

A team of UNC Charlotte students and professors are pursuing the Solar Decathlon, perhaps the most prestigious and challenging design competition in the United States.

16

49ers Notebook

32

Class Notes

Aging Well

36

Building Blocks

Prestigious Competition

Researchers in the College of Health and Human Services are studying the factors that contribute to healthy old age as well as the process underlying old age related diseases and disabilities.

Alums Stake Their Claim Nine UNC Charlotte graduates serving in the North Carolina General Assembly share remembrances of their time at the University.

22 It Does Take a Village

South Village, the residential and dining complex near UNC Charlotte’s front entrance, is undergoing an amazing transformation.

26

departments

The Chemistry of Opportunity A program to encourage scientific research by underrepresented high school students initiated a long-term mentoring partnership between a talented undergrad and her dedicated professor.

28 “ED” Drug Advertising Short on Rectitude

According to a study by a Belk College of Business management professor, makers of erectile dysfunction drugs are skirting regulations.

www.UNCC.edu

20 Center Stage

37 Perspective stake your claim profiles 18

‘No Slowing Down’ Engineering undergrad Joey Coulter is a professional racer in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – and still studies on Sundays.

34 On the Same Page Super-benefactor Dale Halton has cultivated a long-term friendship with Athletics Director Judy Rose.

On the Cover: Changes in the heart are central to the aging process. College of Health and Human Services researchers are studying processes affecting healthy and unhealthy aging.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

1

U N C C H A R LOT T E

| e d i to r ’s d e s k

Stakin’ All Around

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

I recently made a presentation at New Employee Orientation, wherein I attempted to imbue new staffers at various levels, divisions and departments with the Stake Your Claim spirit; that is, I was attempting to explain why UNC Charlotte is such a dynamic place and why working here is more than just parking one’s self in a new chair in a new cubicle, office, desk or truck.

The presentation was not my usual gig. I was filling in for a vacationing colleague who delivers a more scintillating and polished indoctrination. A few of the 20-plus attendees seemed thoroughly bored, some appeared attentive to something (not necessarily me) and a few dear souls were rapt. In other words, they comprised a typical audience.

I heard myself repeating something I’ve shared with many, many new hires, prospects, colleagues inside and outside the university, friends and family. I heard myself assert that UNC Charlotte is a fantastic place to work, a place where Stake Your Claim is more than a “brand positioning” motto. In my experience, Stake Your Claim defines the culture of UNC Charlotte; it reflects the culture here. That’s why after more than seven years in a – dare I say – grueling and relentless type of work, I still love working at UNC Charlotte. It is the best job I’ve ever had. UNC Charlotte is never dull and – knock on wood – never staid. It is kinetic, challenging, ever-changing and a place full of opportunity.

Read this edition cover to cover (or at least flip through every page, reading the headlines, subheads and captions). Look at the photos and graphics. I hope you see what I see – the Stake Your Claim spirit on every page.

Volume 20, Number 1 Philip L. Dubois Chancellor Niles Sorensen Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Stephen Ward Executive Director of University Communication Editor Director of Public Relations John D. Bland Associate Editor Susan Shackelford Contributing Writers Mike Hermann Tamara Johnson Lisa A. Patterson Lynn Roberson Michael Solender Shelly Theriault Meg Whalen Tom Whitestone Staff Photographer Wade Bruton Design & Production SPARK Publications

Regards,

UNC Charlotte is published four times a year by The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 ISSN 10771913

John D. Bland, Editor Director of Public Relations

Editorial offices: 202 Foundation Building The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 9201 University City Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28223 704.687.7214

Printed on recycled paper

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is open to people of all races and is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability.

17,500 copies of this publication were printed at a cost of $.54 per piece, for a total cost of $9,375.

2

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

n ew s b r i e f s

| UNC CHARLOTTE

UNC Charlotte Is Green Conference Award Winner Charlotte is an integral part of the team and essential as they create a green campus.

Dean Gutierrez Elected President of Academic Association

UNC Charlotte is a recipient of this year’s Charlotte Chamber Wells Fargo Green Award sponsored by the GreenWorks Committee.

The Green Award recognizes a company that represents innovative “green” business with clean energy production, distribution, or storage, energy efficiency, environmentally friendly production, conservation and pollution mitigation industries, and training and support within these industries.

UNC Charlotte earned its title in the Green category from a simple idea discussed in departmental meetings that developed into a campus-wide initiative. The idea was to remove trash cans from all of the classrooms and reduce the size of the trash bin in all of the offices.

Working together, the Housekeeping and Recycling departments created a fundamental shift in operations by taking the focus off the trash and putting it on resources and recycling.

This simple shift has increased recycling of bottles and cans in all academic buildings by 25 percent over the last two years and increased office recycling by 10 to 15 percent in the last few months. Everyone at UNC www.UNCC.edu

Nancy Gutierrez, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, has been elected president of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), the nation’s most influential association for academic leaders in the liberal arts and sciences.

“Dean Gutierrez is a national leader in the advancement of knowledge in the traditional areas of liberal arts and sciences,” said Provost Joan Lorden.

“She is vigilant in Nancy Gutierrez reminding us of the centrality of the liberal arts and sciences to our mission as the state’s urban research university and has helped us interpret traditional disciplines in a contemporary context, promoting the connections across disciplines and championing emerging disciplines.”

Gutierrez said her election to the national post provides an opportunity to advocate nationally on behalf of the mission of liberal arts and sciences education.

The mission in the liberal arts and sciences is to lead in the discovery, dissemination and application of knowledge, Gutierrez said. “Faculty in these colleges contribute significantly to the stores of new knowledge that are critical to the advancement of humanity while at the same time they also develop creative, pragmatic solutions to the world’s problems.

Gutierrez joined UNC Charlotte as dean of the

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in July 2005.

Prior to coming to UNC Charlotte, she served as vice provost for academic affairs at Arizona State University, where she was a professor of English.

University to Participate in International Partnership The Institute of International Education (IIE) has selected UNC Charlotte as one of five American colleges and universities to participate in the International Academic Partnership Program's (IAPP) India initiative.

During the next year, international education professionals at each of the institutions will participate in a series of training activities to help them implement and sustain partnerships with institutions in India. The program includes a study tour to India to learn about Indian higher education system and meetings with potential partner campuses.

Partnership activities may include joint programs, student exchanges or faculty linkages for collaborative research and teaching. IIE’s goal in creating the IAPP program of webinars, workshops and site visits is to empower institutions with the resources necessary for building partnerships with India and other countries.

"UNC Charlotte has nearly 300 international students from India currently enrolled primarily in our graduate programs. The greatest number of our international students is from India," said Joel Gallegos, assistant provost for international programs, who is chairing the University steering committee for the program. "It makes good sense to explore partnerships with a country with such emerging importance.”

The IIE is an independent, not-for-profit organization that conducts policy research, program evaluations and provides advising and counseling on international education and opportunities abroad.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

3

UNC CHARLOTTE |

news briefs

$5 million to Help Transform Business Education In February, Belk, Inc. and UNC Charlotte announced that Belk, Inc. will donate $5 million to the university’s Belk College of Business over five years. This gift is the largest in the history of the Belk College, which was named in honor of the Belk family and organization in 1990.

“UNC Charlotte and the Belk College of Business have long benefited from the generosity and dedicated personal involvement of the Belk family and executives at Belk, Inc.,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “This gift not only reinforces that very special relationship, but marks a new era in corporate-university partnerships for the college and the university.”

COMPONENTS OF THE GIFT INCLUDE: • Endowed Professorship in Business Innovation Building on a growing focus on innovation in business as well as Belk’s specific emphasis on this area, this faculty position will add expertise in the research and teaching of innovation – ideas and processes that add value to business, customers and society. In addition to creating curriculum and teaching courses on innovation, the professor will teach alongside Belk, Inc. associates and will serve as a liaison to the company for programs that support innovation. Matching funds from the State of North Carolina will provide an additional $500,000 to this endowment.

• Endowed Chair in Marketing Analytics This faculty position will play a key role in development of the Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) initiative being championed

by UNC Charlotte, providing research and teaching expertise in the growing fields of customer analytics and customer relationship 4

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

Belk Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer John R. Belk announces a $5 million gift to the college that bears his family name.

www.UNCC.edu

n ew s b r i e f s

management. This professor will also help develop a learn-work-hire program for Belk College students to prepare participants for direct entry into the retail industry. Matching funds from the State of North Carolina will provide an additional $667,000 to this endowed faculty fund.

innovation. Scholars will participate in a fast-track program that leads directly to a graduate program, with students encouraged to pursue the proposed Professional Science Masters (PSM) in Data Science and Business Analytics currently under development at UNC Charlotte.

• Belk Scholars Program This program will identify undergraduate business students with high potential and groom them for careers in analytics and business

• Faculty Research and Teaching Grants These funds will support research and curriculum development by Belk College faculty in the areas of marketing analytics, customer

www.UNCC.edu

| UNC CHARLOTTE

analytics, customer relationship management and strategic innovation.

Some research projects and educational offerings will be developed in partnership with Belk, Inc. “This is a transformational gift for the Belk College,” said Steven H. Ott, dean of the college. “With the support of Belk, Inc. we can build on our strong reputation of collaboration with the business community by moving into new areas of growth and opportunity. We want to be seen by Charlotte’s business community as the region’s school of choice for business education, and to be recognized as a preeminent public urban research business school.”

The UNC Charlotte gift comes as Belk, Inc. prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary this spring. “As we celebrate our 125th year in 2013, we are honoring our heritage while celebrating the future. This gift symbolizes both values,” explained Chairman and CEO Tim Belk. “This contribution honors our decades-long support of education, while it provides the foundation of future growth for the university’s Belk College of Business.”

Ties between the company and UNC Charlotte’s college of business run deep. The college was named in honor of the Belk family and organization in 1990, in recognition of their long-standing personal and philanthropic contributions. The late Thomas M. Belk, a UNC Charlotte trustee, was the first chair of the college’s Business Advisory Council in the 1980s, a position later held by his son, current Belk Inc. President and Chief Operating Officer John R. Belk, in the early 2000s. The late John M. Belk, then chairman of the company, contributed $1.5 million to the college in 2003 to support expansion of international programs.

Most recently, The Belk Foundation provided a $250,000 grant for the Belk College to launch the Student Center for Professional Development this year, a comprehensive career resource center for undergraduate business students.

“We’re grateful to Belk, Inc., for believing in the Belk College’s aspiration to be at the forefront of business education in the 21st century,” said Dubois. “We hope this gift – and the resulting partnerships between the college and the company – will serve as a catalyst for other companies to strengthen their involvement with the university and mobilize our vast intellectual resources.”

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

5

UNC CHARLOTTE |

news briefs

Communication Studies Chair Receives National Service Award Shawn Long, chair of the Department of Communication Studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, was the 2012 recipient of the Outstanding Service Award from the African American Communication and Culture Division and the Black Caucus of the National Communication Association.

The award honors an individual who exemplifies excellence in service, in recognition of extraordinary works of service by an active NCA member, specifically with an impact on the livelihood of African Americans Shawn Long in academia and in the national and international black community.

“I was honored to be chosen for this recognition,” said Long, who is associate professor in communication studies and organizational science, a doctoral program offered in partnership with the Belk College of Business. “Service is an important component of my professional and personal life, and I am humbled that this organization would recognize me in such a way."

CATS Blue Line Artwork Displayed in Storrs Gallery UNC Charlotte’s Storrs Gallery hosted an exhibition of art proposed for Charlotte Area Transit System’s Blue Line light rail extension in January.

In 2009, 16 artists were selected to integrate art into the light rail system.

Designed by Leigh Brinkley of Brinkley

Design, the Storrs Gallery display presented artworks proposed by the artists for the 11 stations, as well as walls and bridges, elevators, bike facilities and park-and-ride lots along the nine-mile extension.The light rail extension will begin at 9th Street, next to UNC Charlotte Center City, and it is expected to continue through the North Davidson Arts District and terminate at the UNC Charlotte campus.

The exhibition was sponsored by CATS Art in Transit program with support from the UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, Innovation Institute and McColl Center for Visual Art.

Three Staffers Get N.C.'s Highest Award The Governor’s Award for Excellence is the highest honor bestowed a state employee, and having one recipient at a single state agency or university is noteworthy. Having three in the same year is virtually impossible – but it’s a reality at UNC Charlotte in 2012.

Staff members Jo Ann Fernald, Jerry Lecomte and Connie Martin were honored last November, during a special ceremony at the Museum of History in Raleigh for their contributions to the citizens of North Carolina.

Fernald, director of disability services, was recognized for outstanding state government service. A UNC Charlotte alumna with undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology, she joined Fernald the University in 2003.

In the nomination packet, Fernald was cited for displaying an

unselfish devotion to duty that balanced the competing demands of “providing for student’s needs for services while conserving University resources; supporting faculty expectations for academic excellence while accommodating the genuine needs of disabled but otherwise qualified students; and protecting the University against disability lawsuits while serving the other needs of the entire University community.”

Lecomte, a member of the Police and Public Safety Department, received his award in the category of public service. On the job since September 2007, Lecomte was named the community-oriented Lecomte policing coordinator for the Police and Public Safety Department last year. Since undertaking this role, he revamped the department’s Community-oriented Policing (COP) Division, dramatically increasing the number of COP presentations for students, faculty and staff. To make the department more accessible to the campus community, Lecomte spends much of his time at the Student Union Information Desk to maximize contact with students.

Martin, executive director of extended academic programs, was honored in the category of innovation.

A veteran state employee with 18 years of service, Martin undertook the challenge to develop and implement innovative, Martin new continuing education initiatives for displaced workers in the Charlotte region impacted by the “Great Recession.” Martin, who has 32 years of professional experience in the field, reached out nationally to fellow colleagues and discovered that project training leading to a Project Management Professional certificate offered successful career options. She and her unit designed an accelerated project management certificate targeting displaced workers. By September 2009, the program was up and running.

Teachers Institute Honors 94 for Achievements Charlotte Teachers Institute recently honored 94 teachers in the Charlotte6

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

n ew s b r i e f s Mecklenburg Schools for accomplishments that include the writing of 1,900 pages of new curriculum accessible by teachers worldwide.

The teachers, called CTI Fellows, completed CTI seminars led by Davidson College and UNC Charlotte professors. They expanded the impact of what they were learning by developing the new curriculum units for their own students, and for other teachers via the CTI and Yale National Initiative (YNI) websites.

“Together, these teachers spent nearly 3,000 hours attending CTI seminars at Davidson College and UNC Charlotte,” said CTI Executive Director Scott Gartlan. “In addition, they spent time reading and researching, and writing the original curriculum units. They plan to share their curriculum units with nearly 500 other CMS teachers and 7,425 CMS students will learn from the units the teachers created this year.”

The Charlotte Teachers Institute is an educational partnership among CharlotteMecklenburg Schools, Davidson College and UNC Charlotte, working to improve teaching in Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools.

CTI cultivates content-knowledge, creativity, leadership skills and collaboration within and among Charlotte’s public school teachers. The Institute is housed at UNC Charlotte within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

Burson was first dean of Arts and Sciences Sherman L. Burson Jr., first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (now College of Liberal Arts and Sciences) died on December 3, 2012. He was 88.

Burson was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Sherman L. Burson Jr. Christmas Eve 1923, the first of four children. Burson was educated in the public schools of western Pennsylvania and Harwich, Mass. After graduating from Harwich High School, he went to the University of Alabama as a freshman, then on to Pittsburgh where he worked and enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh. He served more than three years in the U.S. army before graduating from Pittsburgh with bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry. He was a research chemist for Lederle Laboratories in Pearl River, N.Y. At the UNC Charlotte he moved from chairman of the Chemistry Department to dean of the College of Science and Math, and when www.UNCC.edu

three colleges were combined he became the first dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Burson held that position until he retired in 1985. He received the NCNB (Bank of America) Award for Excellence in Teaching and was the first Charles H. Stone Professor of Chemistry.

In 1999, UNC Charlotte renamed the physical and chemical sciences building in his honor.

Burson was the chairman of the Piedmont Chapter of the American Chemical Society, held several positions of the Charlotte Friends Meeting, and was active in many peace, social justice, and community activities. He was appointed by the Mayor and the chairman of Mecklenburg County commissioners to serve on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee over several terms.

Burson enjoyed sailing his boat, Mother Macree.

He traveled in many countries on five continents.

Burson used his substantial gifts to improve the lives of others. He dazzled and entertained with his intellect and wit, and led and mentored with compassion. Parkinson’s disease and other infirmities crippled his body toward the end, but his fortitude, perseverance, kindness and humor never wavered.

Sherman is survived by his wife of 68 years, Theodora Burson; his four children, Valerie Burson (David Aldridge) of Houston, Texas; Laurie Gates (Mark Massoni) of South Chatham, Mass.; Sherrie Burson (Robert Ralls) of McLean, Va.; and Sherman “Shan” L. Burson III (Linda Franklin) of Moose, Wyo. He is also survived by his four grandchildren: Serj Gates, Brittany and Lindsey Aldridge, and Austin Ralls; his sister, Shirley Hauck of Gibsonia, Pa.; and brother, Bill Burson of Farmington, N.M.

Huber Gets de Silva Mentoring Award Larissa R. Brunner Huber, an associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Public Health Sciences, is the 2013 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. She was presented with the award at a reception on Feb. 20.

During the ceremony, Provost Joan Lorden said Huber has mastered the art of mentoring students.

“She is recognized by her colleagues for her approach to the student-mentor relationship, and she is lauded by her students—both present and former—for offering an unparalleled level of support and guidance,” she said.

Lorden also shared some stories from Huber’s past and present students.

“One former student recounts the ways in

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Larissa Huber is recognized as a stellar mentor.

which Dr. Huber mentored and accommodated her as she worked through her thesis,” she said.

“The level of support Dr. Huber provided was extraordinary for a number of reasons, including that she maintained and fulfilled her role as thesis chair to eight students while dealing with a very serious medical issue.”

The student wrote in her nomination letter: “Throughout this entire process Dr. Huber exhibited unparalleled generosity, patience and understanding. Selflessly, she spent Thanksgiving Day helping me make final edits in preparation for my upcoming proposal and responded to panicked messages I’d send regarding statistical analysis syntax errors while at the doctor’s office.”

In the words of one graduate, “Dr. Huber honestly cares about each and every one of her current and former students and goes above and beyond just teaching course material or serving as an advisor.”

During her academic and professional career, Huber has chaired or served on 44 thesis and dissertation committees. She has published extensively, including jointly authoring 13 publications with students, and she has worked with more than 60 students on a variety of research projects. Huber also has secured or provided expertise on grants totaling more than $400,000, including funding from the National Institutes of Health.

Huber earned her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University, master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and doctoral degree in epidemiology from Emory University. Huber joined UNC Charlotte in 2005. She serves as a reviewer of numerous publications, including Maternal and Child Health Journal and Annals of Epidemiology, and provides expertise to professional organizations, such as the American College of Epidemiology, the Society for Epidemiologic Research, and the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

7

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Prestigious

Competition UNC Charlotte builds house for national Solar Decathlon

By Meg Whalen 8

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

As far back as October 2011, a team of UNC Charlotte professors and students began to design the house of the future. Inspired by the U.S. Department of Energy’s call for proposals, the team submitted its design for a fully solar-powered home in hopes of winning the opportunity to compete in the DoE’s Solar Decathlon 2013.

Word came in January 2012; UNC Charlotte was among the 20 academic teams chosen from around the world to enter the competition.

“The Solar Decathlon is probably the most prestigious and challenging design competition in the United States,” said UNC Charlotte School of Architecture Director Chris Jarrett.

“UNC Charlotte’s selection to participate in the Solar Decathlon is an extraordinary opportunity for the University and its partners to be in an

“This is very likely going to be the first geopolymer cement concrete house constructed.”

The UrbanEden house is being built on campus.

It will then be disassembled, trucked to the prestigious Solar Decathlon competition in Irvine, Calif., and reassembled there.

international spotlight with respect to issues of renewable energy and solar power.”

Designing and building a net-zero energy solar house is a complex, multidisciplinary project, involving students and faculty from the School of Architecture, the William S. Lee College of Engineering and the Belk College of Business.

The team of principal investigators includes Assistant Professor of Architecture Mona Azarbayjani, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Aba Ebong, Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Valentina Cecchi, Professor of Marketing Linda Swayne and Ben Futrell, the project manager and a lecturer and research associate in the School of Architecture.

‘REAL-LIFE OPPORTUNITY’ “The kind of experience the students get out of the Solar Decathlon competition is the kind of education that they would not get in a regular architectural school,” said Azarbayjani. “They learn how to interact www.UNCC.edu

with other departments, such as engineering — and different disciplines of engineers, like mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, civil engineers…so it’s a real-life opportunity. They see how buildings come together.”

The UNC Charlotte solar house, “UrbanEden,” is inspired by Charlotte’s commitment to revitalizing its urban center.

Envisioned as an urban-infill project, UrbanEden’s design begins with an ancient urban material, expertly modified to become an eco-friendly, innovative building material: precast geopolymer cement concrete.

The subject of more than five years of research led by Brett Tempest, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, geopolymer cement concrete replaces the Portland cement binder in conventional concrete with fly-ash, a by-product of coal production, resulting in a 90 percent reduction in carbon footprint.

“The opportunity that Solar Decathlon gives to a number of emerging technologies is that you’re able to demonstrate it and really make sure that this stuff works,” said Tempest. “This is very likely going to be the first geopolymer cement concrete house constructed.”

VERSATILE ENVIRONMENT UrbanEden consists of four integrated interior modules, each with a corresponding exterior component. The series of connected indoor and outdoor rooms create a versatile environment that can be adapted to meet multiple uses, thus allowing the 800-squarefoot home to feel big. Other key innovations include a passive cooling and heating system composed of water-filled tubes embedded in the concrete walls and ceiling, as well as responsive technology that allows the house and its inhabitants to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

UrbanEden is being built on the UNC Charlotte campus at the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center. It will be completed in June and open this summer for scheduled tours before being dismantled and shipped to Irvine, Calif., where the 2013 competition takes place October 3-13.

Since its inception in 2002, the Solar Decathlon has grown into one of the most highly anticipated design competitions in the world, attracting more than 300,000 visitors in 2011. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency.

“It’s great for our school and puts our school on the national map,” said Azarbayjani. “I’m so excited that we got this position in the 2013 Solar Decathlon competition and for the whole opportunity that it brings to our school.”

Meg Whalen is director of communications and external relations for the College of Art + Architecture.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

9

UNC CHARLOTTE |

news briefs

Chancellor Dubois, Ike Belk, Athletics Director Judy Rose and UNC Charlotte Trustees Chair Gene Johnson celebrated the unveiling of the sculpture depicting University benefactor Belk.

Chancellor dedicates sculpture of Ike Belk UNC Charlotte dedicated a bronze sculpture depicting Irwin “Ike” Belk, one of Charlotte’s most prominent leaders and a historic figure in the life of the University.

In addition to endowing a number of academic scholarships and professorships at UNC Charlotte, Belk has provided funds to construct more than two dozen track and field facilities at institutions across the country, and he has beautified many campuses with unique works of art.

Currently, the UNC Charlotte campus is home to more than 25 sculptures that Belk commissioned, and there are more to come. Most recently, two new larger-than-life sculptures were installed at the 49ers football stadium complex, one outside of each of the main stadium entrances.

A successful businessman, Belk is a member of the family that established the Belk department store chain. He served in the North Carolina legislature as a member of the House of Representatives and the state Senate. In 1965, as a North Carolina state senator, he introduced the legislation that would make UNC Charlotte the fourth university in the consolidated North Carolina system.

During 40 years of steadfast support for UNC Charlotte, Belk has served UNC Charlotte in many capacities, including as a long-time member of the UNC Board of Governors and the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees.

The Belk bust was sculpted by Jon Hair, the artist who also designed and built the striking sculpture “Ascend,” which graces the front plaza of the Student Union. The UNC Charlotte Athletics Foundation commissioned the creation of the Belk bust.

Energy Production and Infrastructure Center Building Dedicated UNC Charlotte marked another milestone 10 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

with the dedication of the new $76 million Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC) Building in November.

A LEED Gold certified building, EPIC contains a High Bay Lab, one of the five largest of its kind in the country that will serve as a site for large-scale structural design and testing high-tech cooling system, a rain collection system and precise window locations and treatments that are among the energy-reducing technologies embodied within the 200,000-square-foot facility.

Located on the Charlotte Research Institute campus, EPIC features classrooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, Smart Grid facilities and offices and labs for electrical, civil, environmental and computer engineering programs. EPIC opened this past fall and houses the civil and environmental engineering and electrical and computer engineering departments of the William States Lee College of Engineering.

EPIC

Handwritten Note Helped Inspire Paralyzed Graduate A handwritten note from Chancellor Phil Dubois was a source of inspiration for Hannah Martin, a paralyzed student who graduated with honors this past December.

In July 2007, Martin was severely injured in a car accident prior to starting her freshman year at UNC Charlotte. The accident left the aspiring dancer paralyzed from the neck down.

According to Martin’s mother, Rhonda, they still have the letter encouraging Hannah not to give up on school and that her spot would remain until she was able to attend.

After months of recovery, Martin began taking classes in fall 2008, and on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012, she graduated with a double major in criminal justice and psychology, a minor in sociology and a 3.96 GPA.

During December’s afternoon ceremony, Chancellor Dubois shared Martin’s story with her fellow graduates and those in attendance, and she was the first student awarded her undergraduate degree that afternoon. The chancellor also presented her with a UNC Charlotte scarf.

For Martin’s parents, they expressed excitement and pride in their daughter’s accomplishments and appreciation for the chancellor’s gesture five years ago. “Please know just how much one handwritten note has meant to a girl who thought at one point her life was over.”

University Reaches Out in Rowan, Lincoln Counties In his December visit to a key regional community, UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois delivered the keynote address to members of the Salisbury Rotary Club in Rowan County.

He will travel to Lincoln County on March 11.

In his Salisbury presentation, Dubois discussed the close relationship between Rowan County and the University. Delivering an upbeat message for even more future collaboration, he updated key business, civic, elected and education leaders on UNC Charlotte and asked for their input.

"Over the past year, we have intentionally visited important communities in our region," Dubois said. "With the vast majority of our alumni, students and donors within these 12 counties, it is important for us to update you on your University and receive your feedback on what you need from us."

Dubois also stressed the value of maintaining the connections between the University and Rowan County.

During his day-long visit, Dubois also met with key business and community leaders, including Carol Spalding, president of Rowan Cabarrus Community College, and Lynne Scott Safrit of the N.C. Research Campus and Castle & Cook. Also, Salisbury Mayor Paul Woodson Jr. officially proclaimed Dec. 4 UNC Charlotte Day in the city.

Chancellor Dubois (right) and alumnus Seamus Donaldson (center) talk with a Salisbury businessman prior to the Rotary Club meeting in December. www.UNCC.edu

n ew s b r i e f s University, Levine Cancer Center Team on Pancreatic Cancer In February, Carolinas HealthCare System’s Levine Cancer Institute and UNC Charlotte announced a joint project to advance translational and clinical research in the field of pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly forms of cancer.

The collaborative effort, called the Charlotte Pancreatic Cancer Project (CPCP), aims to foster more working relationships between physicians and scientists at both institutions by offering funding for innovative research ideas, submitted to and reviewed by a committee of their peers.

“The survival figures for pancreatic cancer are unacceptable. There is a glaring need to conduct more research into prevention, earlier detection and treatment options, and together with UNC Charlotte, we are uniquely positioned to be a national model for accelerating research in this area,” said Derek Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D. “Levine Cancer Institute is dedicated to enhancing the quality and convenience of cancer care for patients. This partnership will spur scientific investigation and discovery and bring more access to pancreatic cancer research closer to home for people across the Carolinas.”

According to the American Cancer Society, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and only one fifth of Americans diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive for a full year. The most common type is pancreatic adenocarcinoma, an aggressive disease that can spread quickly to other parts of the body and is difficult to cure, which accounts for more than 90 percent of all pancreatic cancer diagnoses.

“Through clinical and basic science research, we are rapidly learning how to better detect and treat many diseases,” said Robert Wilhelm, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development and Executive Director of the Charlotte Research Institute at UNC Charlotte. “By combining the efforts of a strong research university with a strong academic healthcare organization, we hope to drive advances in pancreatic cancer research and offer access to more cutting-edge research to improve outcomes for people with this devastating disease.”

This partnership is part of an ongoing relationship between the two institutions to advance the healthcare of the region and beyond. Since 2010, researchers at UNC Charlotte have worked with CHS researchers www.UNCC.edu

and clinicians to analyze pancreatic cancer tissue samples.

UNC Charlotte has researchers active in other epithelial cancers such as breast and ovarian. The project will also incorporate ideas Robert Wilhelm from various disciplines including virus therapy, engineering, chemistry, physics and biology. UNC Charlotte adds significant expertise in systems biology, biomarkers

| UNC CHARLOTTE

and bioinformatics while CHS and UNC Charlotte are both developing biostatistics talent.

The request for application is open now and interested scientists and researchers from Levine Cancer Institute, CHS and UNC Charlotte will jointly apply for grants between $50,000 and $100,000 funded by the two organizations and were accepted through March 1. The project will last two years, and is intended to stimulate new work that will eventually lead to the development of competitive applications for more grant funding from national institutions.

Pinku Mukherjee, a UNC Charlotte biologist, is a leader in pancreatic cancer research.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

11

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c o v e r s to r y

Prescription for

Aging Well

By Lisa A. Patterson

Photos by Wade Bruton

Faculty members Michael Turner, Tricia Turner, Susan Arthur and Trudy Moore-Harrison study the factors that affect healthy — and unhealthy — aging.

With nearly 40 million Americans age 65 and older, never before has aging presented such significant challenges and opportunities – both in understanding the health needs of older people and in identifying what factors hurt or contributed to well-being over a lifespan.

An eight-year MacArthur Foundation study provides an evidence-based definition of optimum aging, along with recommendations for how to achieve it. According to the study, successful aging appears to depend on the ability to maintain three key behaviors or characteristics: low risk of disease and diseaserelated disability, high mental and physical function and active engagement with life.

While the MacArthur study found that genes play a key role in promoting disease, the most profound revelation turned 12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

out to be that heredity is less powerful than scientists previously assumed.

Moreover, breakthrough findings from the Harvard Study of Adult Development show that it is almost never too late to begin benefiting from healthy habits such as smoking cessation, sensible diet and exercise.

Researchers in UNC Charlotte’s College of Health and Human Services study the factors that contribute to healthy old age as well as the processes underlying the diseases and disabilities that are associated with growing older.

These faculty members study a broad range of factors related to aging, from basic cellular changes to the biomedical, social and behavioral aspects of age-related conditions. UNC Charlotte magazine caught up with experts in the college’s department of kinesiology to discuss

some of the key components of healthy aging.

GIVE YOUR HEART A BREAK

By American standards, aging gracefully and independently means maintaining the ability to drive, bathe, feed oneself and otherwise maintain a lifestyle that does not require outside care.

The heart is a key organ that provides nutrients to the rest of the body, making possible the daily functions that define a “normal” life.

“Changes in the heart are central to the aging process,” said Michael Turner, associate professor of kinesiology. “We want to try to be healthy so that the heart can pump well.”

As people age, the heart muscle gets bigger and less pliable, Turner explained. The stiffening of the muscle restricts blood flow into the heart, making it less efficient. www.UNCC.edu

c o v e r s to r y Turner’s research focuses on how the heart changes throughout the aging process, as well as how to slow the stiffening and thickening processes.

“What we’re seeing is that right around a person’s 20s to early 30s, the heart starts to get thicker if we’re not very physically active.

If we’re active, the heart doesn’t get as thick and stiff as quickly,” Turner said. In the third quarter of one’s lifespan, activity tends to slow down the aging process, but not as much as in the second quarter of the lifespan, he noted.

Changes in the heart are compounded by the fact that blood vessels also get thicker and stiffer with age, forcing the heart to pump harder against a constantly increased blood pressure throughout the day. Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Reuben Howden is currently studying another beneficial effect of physical activity to the cardiovascular system, which is to reduce the constant work of the heart by lowering blood pressure.

While it’s well established that physical activity boosts the heart throughout one’s lifespan, staying active is not always simple. Because of sedentary jobs and time constraints, most Americans have to make a conscious effort to prioritize physical activity to realize its long-term benefits.

“It’s surprising how little activity we normally get. Someone who sits at a desk for an eight hour day probably walks about 3,000 steps per day, versus someone who has a labor intensive job — they’re probably walking around 8,000 or 9,000 steps per day at work,” Turner said.

Research suggests a healthy lifestyle includes between 6,000 and 8,000 steps per day.

FLEX YOUR MUSCLE If the heart is the body’s fuel pump, the musculoskeletal system is the body’s motor and frame. Even the most uncomplicated movements require the cooperation of a vast network of muscles; however, the older we get, the more muscle mass we lose.

Susan Arthur, assistant professor of kinesiology, studies sarcopenia, or the age-associated loss of skeletal muscle mass and function.

There are many causes of sarcopenia. As individuals age, they might not receive the nutrients and vitamins essential to healthy muscles, or they might experience the effects of chronic inflammation caused by elevated levels of circulating inflammatory cells, a common condition in older adults.

For these and other reasons, skeletal muscle loses its ability to repair itself following injury — another factor that contributes to sarcopenia. “Just from walking and climbing www.UNCC.edu

stairs the elderly experience numerous microtraumas, or small muscle injuries, from which they cannot fully recover,” Arthur said. Microtraumas spur a cycle that results in sarcopenia.

By age 60, somewhere between 15 and 24 percent of men and women suffer with debilitating loss of muscle mass and function.

More than 50 percent of those who reach the age of 80 are affected in the United States.

Sedentary individuals are the most at-risk

| UNC CHARLOTTE

group. “People with diminished muscle mass suffer from pain when they move; it’s a vicious cycle, because the less folks want to move because they feel the pain, the more muscle mass they lose because they’re not moving,” Arthur said.

Skeletal muscle works with other organs such as the heart and is closely connected to metabolic functions. With poor skeletal muscle mass come cardiovascular problems and metabolic issues. For instance, sarcopenia has

For reasons that remain somewhat mysterious, the process of skeletal muscle regeneration becomes impaired with age.

A machine called the Bod Pod calculates a person's percentage of body fat.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 13

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c o v e r s to r y

been closely associated with Type 2 diabetes and an increased body fat percentage, Arthur said.

For reasons that remain somewhat mysterious, the process of skeletal muscle regeneration becomes impaired with age. Adult skeletal muscle stem cells, or satellite cells, are critical for skeletal muscle repairs. As we age, these cells become dysfunctional, Arthur explained.

Cells communicate via a complex network of signaling pathways, like an information superhighway with thousands of off-ramps.

Satellite cells are activated when specific cell-signaling pathways are involved in a “communication.” Exercise, and the muscle contractions that result, cause a type of skeletal muscle injury that activates satellite cells.

“Previous research has looked at satellite cell activity and function in aged individuals without considering the attributes exercise might bring to skeletal muscle repair,” Arthur said.

Arthur’s research focuses on the cell-signaling pathways that are important for satellite cell activation and progression of skeletal muscle repair in young individuals. She also studies how exercise can improve impaired cell-signaling pathways and contributes to dysfunctional skeletal muscle repair in older individuals.

Various pathways have to interact and coordinate together to initiate skeletal muscle repair. Arthur and her research team are attempting to characterize what happens in these cell-signaling pathways in aged skeletal muscle as well as what can be done to rejuvenate impaired skeletal muscle regeneration in aged muscle.

While there are no quick fixes for sarcopenia, loss of muscle mass can be slowed significantly simply by moving. “Stronger muscles readily regenerate when exposed to micro-traumas,” Arthur said. “So the stronger the skeletal muscle is throughout the lifespan, the stronger one can recover when exposed to injury.”

ACUTE INJURY, BIG IMPACT To work well (and age well) as a whole, the body relies on all of its parts, down to each ligament and joint.

Along with Michael Turner and colleague Erik Wikstrom, Associate Professor of Kinesiology Tricia Hubbard Turner looks at orthopedic issues across the lifespan and their effect on overall health. An ankle sprain — a common, acute orthopedic injury — serves as a model for the research.

“Daily habits are important for a healthy aging process, so someone who has experienced orthopedic issues will likely experience heart impairment because they’re not able to engage 14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

By age 60, somewhere between 15 and 24 percent of men and women suffer with debilitating loss of muscle mass and function. in activities to condition the heart,” Turner said.

“What we’re seeing now in the second quarter of the lifespan is that an ankle sprain could cause the heart to change more quickly.”

The biggest misconception with any musculoskeletal pathology or chronic injury is that it’s not a big deal, Turner said.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a coach or someone say, ‘It’s good they sprained it and didn’t fracture it,’ when from a functional healing standpoint, a fracture often is the better bet,” Turner said.

Around 55 percent of individuals do not seek any form of treatment for an ankle sprain, and approximately 60 percent develop chronic ankle instability, which causes them to alter their activity level.

Turner described a snowball effect. The initial acute ankle sprain that doesn’t get treated properly can turn into chronic ankle instability, which leads to inactivity, diminished cardiovascular function and ultimately ends in a bad overall health situation as the person ages.

“To prevent chronic pathology you need to seek out treatment and complete a rehabilitation plan,” Turner said. She added, “And also be smart about

things — if tissues haven’t healed, you shouldn’t go back to certain forms of activity. Work with a medical professional to help you decide what you can and can’t do to promote healing.”

Most sprains are not preventable and result from freak accidents or missteps, but Turner said there are some measures that help to prevent ankle sprain. For one, joints that have more movement, or laxity, benefit from a good strengthening program. And, though the fashion conscious might not want to hear it, wearing sensible shoes can go a long way to curb joint injury.

Lastly, Turner recommended balance exercises or activities. “Some people really struggle with balance especially when they close their eyes.

Doing things to make the neuromuscular system struggle, like balancing on one leg, throwing a ball while doing so or squatting to touch cones, will lead to more stability,” Turner said.

KNOW YOUR BMI As a part of healthy aging, it pays to understand your body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight.

Trudy Moore-Harrison, a lecturer in kinesiology, examines how community-based exercise programs help older adults maintain physical function throughout their lifespan.

She also serves as director of the University’s Community Testing Program, which provides risk assessments based on aerobic-capacity testing and body-composition testing — or how much fat and muscle you have.

The testing program employs a space-age machine called the Bod Pod to provide fast, valid risk assessments. “You get into the Bod Pod wearing minimal clothing, and it calculates your percentage of body fat by displacing the air around you,” Moore-Harrison said. “Your body fat percentage helps determine your risk for diseases such as diabetes or heart disease.”

The testing is available for faculty, staff, students and individuals in the community. In addition to risk assessments, the Bod Pod can be employed to help individuals who are interested in reducing their fat and building their muscle capacity monitor their progress. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact the department of kinesiology at 704-687-0874.

Aging might be inescapable, but many of the factors that predict longevity are within human control. Everyone, the researchers agreed, can make lifestyle changes that move them in the direction of aging well.

Lisa A. Patterson served as director of communication for the College of Health and Human Services. www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Alums Stake Their Claim in N.C. legislature

UNC Charlotte is well represented in the North Carolina General Assembly, with eight alumni staking their claim to legislative leadership. UNC Charlotte magazine caught up with them in Raleigh and during visits to campus, to get quick comments about their remembrances of their alma mater. contemplating a run, he was one of the first people I called – not for support – but for his thoughts.”

Gene McLaurin, N.C. Senate (Richmond, Anson, Rowan, Scotland, Stanly), BA, Psychology ‘78: “As a non-traditional student, married and living and working in Charlotte, my college experience was very different than my son’s who just graduated from UNC Charlotte. But we both were instilled with Niner pride.”

Bob Rucho, N.C. Senate (Mecklenburg), MBA ‘94 “I realized while managing my dental practice, that my dental school education wasn’t broad enough to assist me in making informed business decisions. The opportunity to earn my MBA from the Belk College of Business helped me gain the business acumen to efficiently manage my dental practice. In my responsibilities as a state senator, the experience and knowledge that I gained from the MBA program prepared me to understand and analyze complex issues in order to make sound business decisions for the benefit of our citizens.”

Dean Arp, N.C. House (Anson), MS, Civil Engineering ‘99: “As a graduate student in the College of Engineering I was inspired by the faculty and grateful for their personal interest in my success. I enjoyed teaching engineering and also serving on the Engineering Advisory Board. I have seen firsthand the quality of our graduates working in our region.”

Bill Brawley, N.C. House (Mecklenburg), BS, Accounting ‘78: “The glory days of UNC Charlotte basketball made it a great time to be a student. The quality of my degree in accounting from UNC Charlotte has made it great to be an alumnus. As a freshman legislator I helped run a complex tax bill in the House because the knowledge I had gained from Professor Tom Turner.” www.UNCC.edu

Mike Hager, N.C. House (Burke, Rutherford), BS, Mechanical Engineering ‘87: “As the first engineer to serve in the House in a number of years, I quickly saw that the rigor of the curriculum and the discipline I learned in the field helped me organize my arguments and build coalitions on important legislation.”

N.C. Senators Gene McLaurin (left) and Bob Rucho

Tricia Cotham, N.C. House (Mecklenburg), BA, History ‘01: “I can trace the roots of my desire to enter public life back to Professor Tim Mead in the Political Science Department. His inspiration and encouragement helped me know that I could run for office. When I was

Kelly Hastings, N.C. House (Cleveland, Gaston), Teaching Certificate, ‘09: “It is a tremendous asset to have earned my graduate certificate in education from UNC Charlotte. I now understand the complexities in public education, and this greatly enhances my ability to serve the people of Cleveland and Gaston counties and North Carolina.”

Alumni continued on p. 32

N.C. Representatives Kelly Hastings (left), Dean Arp, Bill Brawley, Tricia Cotham, Mike Hager and Jason Saine.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 15

UNC CHARLOTTE |

49 e rs n o te b o o k

Spring Kickoff Approches

Football Spring Scrimmage April 20, Homecoming Oct. 12

With UNC Charlotte’s inaugural football season only months away, get a glimpse of what’s to come at the 49ers’ spring football scrimmage. The game is Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m. at McColl-Richardson Field inside the 49ers Football Stadium.

Looking ahead to the season, don’t forget to reserve Oct. 12 to return to campus for homecoming. More details will be coming out in the near future on the big weekend.

Meanwhile, tickets for the spring game are $10

for non-holders of Football Seat Licenses, while the spring ticket is included in FSL purchases.

FSL holders will be able to sit in their permanent stadium seat location Call 704/687-4949 for ticket information.

Gates open at 11:30 a.m. the day of the scrimmage, and concessions and restrooms will be available.

Parking is available throughout campus according to the Football Game Day Parking policy. Admittance to certain parking locations

will be limited to Athletic Foundation members/FSL holders with proper parking passes. Additional parking will be available in the Cone Deck.

Tailgating is allowed in accordance with the University’s tailgate policy. Tailgating is permitted only in designated areas. Grills are not allowed on brick pavers or in decks. Also, tailgating in any lot cannot block the passage of vehicles or pedestrians.

Information on game-day policies can be found online at www.Charlotte49ers.com.

Photo by Wade Bruton

16 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

49 e r s n o te b o o k

FEWER THAN 500 FSLs AVAILABLE The purchase of a Football Seat

| UNC CHARLOTTE

MAXWELL, BENNETT NAMED A-10 LEGENDS In 2013, the Atlantic 10 Conference unveiled its Men’s and Women’s Basketball Legends program and honored Charlotte 49ers all-time great Cedric Maxwell and Paula Bennett. The inaugural class of legends recognized 32 former student-athletes and coaches who made a significant impact on each A-10 institution and its basketball program.

Each of the A-10 Legends was selected by their respective schools. Other members of the inaugural A-10 Legends class include: Tony Hinkle, Butler; Red Auerbach, George Washington; Gerald Henderson, VCU; Skip Prosser, Xavier and John Chaney, Temple; Ann Meyers, Dayton and Sue Peters, Massachusetts.

Maxwell, a native of Kinston, N.C., is the 49ers lone first team All-America in men’s basketball. He led the 49ers to the 1977 NCAA Final Four in the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. He completed his career with 1,821 career points and a stillstanding school record of 1,117 career rebounds.

Maxwell went on to enjoy an 11-year NBA career, notably with the Boston Celtics. In 1981, he was named MVP of the NBA Finals after leading the Celtics to the NBA title. His number was retired by the 49ers in 1977, and his Celtics

License for UNC Charlotte games guarantees your right to buy season tickets to 49ers football, forever.

Paula Bennett

FSLs are available at two levels:

jersey was added to the rafters of the Boston Garden in 2003.

Bennett, of Williamston, N.C., starred for the 49ers from 1979-82. A two-time AllAmerica, Bennett earned first team honors in 1980 from the American Women’s Sports Foundation, becoming the 49ers’ first and so far only first team All-America in women’s basketball.

She averaged 21.1 points in 1980 as the 49ers won the North Carolina AIAW Division II Championship. She earned honorable mention All-America honors in 1981-82. The only player in school history to score over 2,000 points, Bennett is first all-time with 2,078 career points ranks and second all-time with over 1,300 career rebounds. Bennett went on to play professionally with the military and was named to the all-Army team seven times as well as to the all-Military team.

Green ($1,000) and Gold ($2,500). A limited number of FSLs remain.

With half of the 15,000-seat stadium dedicated to students and with allowances for the ticket needs of the two competing teams, the 49ers have fewer than 500 FSLs currently available from end zone to end zone. Less than 200 of those are at the Green Level.

With the FSL one-time purchase price, FSL holders have the right to purchase season tickets year after year and also have the ability to make their seat location permanent. This guarantee includes including 2015, when the 49ers make the jump to Conference USA in the Football Bowl Subdivision. www.UNCC.edu

Continued on p. 31

Cedric Maxwell Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 17

UNC CHARLOTTE |

s t a ke yo u r c l a i m

‘No Slowing Down’ Motorsports student Joey Coulter excels as NASCAR driver

By Mike Hermann Joey Coulter isn’t slowing down — which is a good thing for the UNC Charlotte student and NASCAR driver.

Coulter is a mechanical engineering student in the motorsports concentration in The Williams States Lee College of Engineering. He is also an accomplished professional race car driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

For the past three years, his class work has been getting harder and his racing schedule busier. “It wouldn’t be fun if anything was slowing down,” Coulter said. “There will be even more going on this year, and I’m really excited for it all. It’s going to be good on all levels.”

It’s been pretty darn good so far. In the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Coulter drove the No. 22 truck for Richard Childress Racing. He was Rookie of the Year in 2011 and finished third overall in the season’s point championship in 2012. In 2013, he is signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports to drive the No. 18 truck.

TOP CHOICE: UNC CHARLOTTE Originally from Miami, Coulter has been racing his entire life. When it came time

18 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

to decide where to go to college, UNC Charlotte was his top choice.

“I applied to several schools, but this was the only one I really wanted to go to,” Coulter said. “I was set on the UNC

www.UNCC.edu

s t a ke yo u r c l a i m Charlotte motorsports program. I had heard a lot of good things about the school, and this is the perfect place to be for racing.

When I came to college, my dad and I moved our race team up to Huntersville.”

Coulter started his driving career as an 8-year-old racing go-karts. He and his family toured the country with several other Florida racing families for six years doing karting. He then raced short-track cars for two years and did the Hooters Pro-Cup series for two more.

“At that point we got Harold Holly as our crew chief and went ARCA racing with him,” Coulter said. “Harold is fantastic and he totally turned everything around for us. We started having some top finishes, and after a race at Rockingham, I got a call from Richard Childress Racing. They wanted to meet us to discuss joining their team.

We met and then went truck racing in 2011.”

The 2011 truck season went extremely well, with Coulter winning the top rookie award. In 2012 he had another good year, capturing three poles, posting eight topfive and 15 top-10 finishes, getting his first win at Pocono Raceway and finishing third overall in the points championship.

Coulter also ran two Nationwide races for Childress in the No. 21 car in 2012. He finished 10th in Charlotte and 14th at Homestead in Miami after some tire trouble. “It was a lot of fun,” Coulter recalled. “The cars drive totally different from the trucks. We get limited practice time, so I talked to as many drivers as I could who switch back and forth from truck and cars. That helped a lot. The races are also longer, so you get an extra hundred laps or so to figure things out.”

NOW DRIVING TOYOTAS For 2013, Coulter and crew chief Holly have moved to Kyle Busch Motorsports, where he is driving the team’s primary truck, the No. 18 Toyota Tundra.

“When we met with KBM General Manager Rick Ren, he told us this would be the first year they really would try for the overall driver championship in the truck series,” Coulter said. “The championship is the goal and we’re really going for it.

Anything less will be a disappointment.”

Coulter also likes driving the Toyota truck.

“I’ve been doing Chevys forever,” he said, “so it’s neat getting a chance to work for Toyota.

They have a very impressive truck package.

I’ve gone to some wind-tunnel testing with them, and it’s very impressive. They also have a lot of cool simulation software.”

Learning about computer simulations www.UNCC.edu

| UNC CHARLOTTE

As Rookie of the Year in 2011, Joey Coulter drove the No. 22 truck for Richard Childress Racing.

He now drives the No. 18 truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Joey Coulter isn’t slowing down — which is a good thing for the UNC Charlotte student and NASCAR driver. will also be part of Coulter’s mechanical engineering course work this semester, as he takes computational methods. “The class is a lot of programming, which is all new stuff to me,” Coulter said. “But I’m looking forward to the challenge and making the connection between the classroom and the race shop.”

In class, Coulter said things are getting tougher and at the same time more meaningful. “It’s definitely starting to make more sense. And I have the opportunity that if something doesn’t make sense to me in class right away, I can take my notes and sit down with one of our race engineers and go through how it relates to racing.

“An example is I took solid mechanics last semester, which has a lot to do with stresses and strains in materials,” he continues. “We learned how parts like metal get weaker when they get hotter. In a race car you have to apply that principle and make sure you understand how parts are heating up based on where they are in the car.”

The schedule of a race car driver/student is demanding. Classes are Monday through Thursday. Coulter usually goes to the race shop two to three days a week to work out with the

pit crew and do briefings with his crew chief and engineers. Since most of the truck races are on Fridays, the team usually leaves town on Wednesday evenings or Thursday mornings.

SUNDAYS ARE FOR STUDYING “I do my homework and studying when I can,” Coulter said. “Sundays are always spent studying all day. I have a lot of friends at school who help me with notes when I’m gone and studying when I’m back. The professors also are extremely understanding and helpful with my schedule.”

In addition to studying and truck racing, Coulter also races his own late-model dirt car. “My philosophy is you have to find what works for you, and for me that means seat time. So, I try to expose myself to as many scenarios as possible,” he said. “That’s why I race the dirt car. It puts me into all kinds of different situations, and I have to learn how to respond. When we race at so many different tracks, adaptability is critical.”

Leading up to Daytona Feb. 24, Coulter planned to compete in 10 late-model races, which means racing every Friday and Saturday. He’ll then back off the latemodel events for the rest of the semester.

When classes are out for the summer, though, he’ll be back racing late model cars multiple times every week, in addition to running the full NASCAR truck series.

“It’s a lot, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Coulter said. “I want to keep moving forward in my career and in school, so there’s no slowing down. No way.”

Mike Hermann is director of communications in the William States Lee College of Engineering.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 19

UNC CHARLOTTE |

center stage

20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

Show Me the Money Photo by Wade Bruton

For Homecoming 2013, Niner Nation came together to raise money for one of its neighbors – the Governor’s Village Schools. Governor’s Village consists of four public schools named after North Carolina governors: Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School, James Martin Middle School, Morehead STEM Academy and Vance High School. The gesture underscores UNC Charlotte’s role as an integral part of the Charlotte community. UNC Charlotte’s Sean Langley, assistant dean for off-campus and volunteer outreach in the Dean of Students office (left) and James Contratto, assistant director of student activities for Weekend Programs presented a check to Tonya Benson resident principal of Vance High School at the 49ers’ Homecoming basketball game.

The donation is just one aspect of UNC Charlotte’s community outreach with the Governor’s Village. On March 15, student and faculty volunteers worked on beautification projects at all four of the Governor’s Village schools.

The projects, which included painting, landscaping and breaking ground on a community garden, worked to visually enhance the entire four-school campus and will help to provide more pride for the students. www.UNCC.edu

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 21

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

It

Does take a Village Residential area on south campus undergoes transformation

Many thousands of years ago, the Neolithic Revolution brought a significant game-changer to human civilization. Until this time, people were nomadic creatures, moving continuously in search of food, water and other resources.

Over time, they determined that staying in one place — village living — was better for survival.

Almost a century of research has offered reasons why, including agriculture, religious values and the rise of existentialism, but there is no 100 percent definitive answer.

One thing we can be sure of: humans decided group living worked.

UNC Charlotte’s current Campus Master Plan embraces this belief, incorporating the village concept as an innovative solution for an aggressively dynamic and growing University.

“Student housing is clustered together to form residential villages that promote student interaction and sense of belonging to a collegiate community,” the plan says.

One current example is the re-invention of South Village, located near the front entrance of campus. A vision in the master plan just a few years ago, the now 40-acre area is on schedule for completion in 2018. It specifically addresses the formation of student residential villages.

“With varying levels and types of spaces and

By Shelly Theriault

The new facilities of South Village provide a more cohesive environment for students.

22 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

services,” the plan notes, “these ‘villages’ address the diverse needs of our current and future campus residents.”

Better Living Experience Originally constructed in the 1960s, the area formerly consisted of four high-rise residence halls, a small parking lot and a student cafeteria.

In a few years from now, the area will feature four new residential halls, renovation of the existing three halls, a new residents’ dining hall, a parking deck, a utility plant and car/ pedestrian connectivity from High Rise Road to Cameron Boulevard. Repurposing the existing cafeteria is in discussions to determine the best use of its space.

The major overhaul of South Village not only gives the University a more compact footprint it will provide students a better living experience.

“It improves the oldest, and somewhat disconnected, residential community on campus through efficient land use and improved accessibility to the campus community,” said John Neilson, the associate director of capital construction for Facilities Management.

Kevin King, associate principal of Ayers Saint Gross, a lead architectural consultant on the Campus Master Plan, noted that the increased residential space brings these students “into a cohesive environment” for a more integrated experience.

First and second-year students are the area’s primary residents, so the University can focus specifically on their needs, said Jacklyn Simpson, associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs and director of Housing and Residence Life.

“They (these students) all have that moment of separation from family at move-in,” she said.

“They are all experiencing living away from home for the first time; they are all trying to find their classes, (and) they are all learning what it takes to succeed academically at the University.”

More than 73 percent of new freshmen choose to live on campus at UNC Charlotte, which is a good thing for potential success. In his January 2012 newsletter, Chancellor Dubois noted, “It is well-documented that students who live on campus have better grade-point averages, have more frequent contact and deeper relationships with faculty and staff and are more likely to continue in school.”

Officials within Housing and Residence Life concluded students consider privacy and space as key features to be integrated into the interior designs of residential halls. At South Village, www.UNCC.edu

| UNC CHARLOTTE

The new parking deck continues the trend toward moving parking to the periphery of campus.

A vision in the master plan just a few years ago, the now 40-acre area is on schedule for completion in 2018. students will enjoy apartments and suites designed to maximize the highest use of space.

Layouts to increase privacy in hallway bathroom facilities are also being considered.

Natural lighting is another important factor.

New and renovated high rises will include large open spaces with glassed-in areas, optimizing sunshine and light into the buildings.

‘REAL TROOPERS’ As South Village continues, students will need to reside in the existing residential halls during construction. Simpson heralded these students as “being real troopers in this effort.”

Although managed as closely as possible, water and power outages must occur and parking is challenging. Construction leaders try to plan outages when fewer students are on campus, and a direct shuttle has been added to run between South Village and the North Parking Deck. It’s still quite a distance, and extra effort is needed when carrying belongings or laundry, but Simpson has heard little grumbling.

“They (the students) have just been great about it,” she said.

Also unavoidable is construction noise, but contractors are managed closely on “exactly what hour they can begin work in the a.m. and how long they can work in the evenings,”

The Six-Level Deck: Materials Facts The new six-level parking deck in South Village is slated for completion in July 2013.

Here are few construction fun facts:

61

million pounds of concrete used

112

miles of post-tensioned cable placed in the deck

5,000

truckloads of dirt moved from site

52,000

O ver worker hours to build the concrete frame

709 cubic yards L argest Elevated Slab: 700 Largest footing:

cubic yards

1.7

million pounds of reinforcing steel used Simpson said.

The new dining hall broke ground last year, and its planned opening date is August 2014.

According to Business Services, the dining hall will occupy 67,500 square feet of space. “We’ve worked hard to develop a plan that provides good service to students so they get what they need,” said Keith Wassum, associate vice chancellor for Business Services. “The future is a Continued on p. 30 Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 23

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Hidden Gem

Revealed

By Michael J. Solender

College of Arts + Architecture presents Martha Graham’s lost 1935 work

Sharp, angular and direct movements characterize Graham’s groundbreaking language in choreography.

The February program also featured the Graham-choreographed piece, “Panorama,” danced by UNC Charlotte students and professionals from across the Charlotte community.

24 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

Kim Jones’ smile lit up the foyer of UNC Charlotte’s Robinson Hall as she spoke of her admiration for legendary dancer/choreographer Martha Graham. On this bright November day, Jones, assistant professor of dance at UNC Charlotte, was almost two years into one of the most challenging and exciting projects of her career.

With the support of a faculty research grant from the University and in partnership with the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, Jones was leading a small team of professionals in the reconstruction of a lost Graham work from 1935, “Imperial Gesture.”

“The process of bringing out the beauty in her work is exciting,” said Jones, who performed as a dancer with the Martha Graham Company from 2002 to 2006 and remains with the troupe as a “régisseur,” a choreographer who restages productions. “Graham was such a towering figure that her work garners significant attention. This particular piece has not been performed since 1938 and was only ever performed by Graham herself. I feel an enormous responsibility to her legacy in the reanimation.”

Jones and a team of designers recreated the choreography, lighting, musical score, and costume for the six-minute work, which features a lone dancer in a dramatic, flowing black and auburn gown that becomes her “partner.”

The rediscovered work premiered Jan. 17 and 18 at Charlotte’s Knight Theater as part of a performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company. Also, the program featured the Grahamchoreographed piece, “Panorama,” danced by UNC students and professionals from across the Charlotte community, whom Jones trained and led.

When Jones was preparing “Imperial Gesture,” it received a great deal of enthusiasm from the dance community in New York City, where she routinely visited to conduct research and to work with Blakeley White-McGuire, the Graham Company member who danced the piece. The historic performances, part of the company’s first program in Charlotte in more than 30 years, were presented by the UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture, with support from Wells Fargo bank. “Danced powerfully” is how The Charlotte Observer described White-McGuire’s performance.

Dancer of the Century Graham, who died in 1991, exerted unparalleled influence on contemporary American dance. She created more than 180 dance compositions, was the first dancer to perform at the White House and received the Local One Centennial Award for dance by her theater colleagues, awarded only once every 100 years. She also earned the United States’ highest civilian honor, The www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

Medal of Freedom, and was named “Dancer of the Century” by TIME Magazine in 1998.

Sharp, angular and direct movements characterize Graham’s groundbreaking language in choreography. Her influence is felt well beyond the arena of dance, as she collaborated with visual artists such as Isamo Noguchi, composers such as Aaron Copland and fashion designers including Halston, Donna Karen and Calvin Klein.

Jones had restaged Graham works before, including “Steps in the Street” and “Secular Games” for the Millennium Dance 2000 in London. In the four months leading up the

“This particular piece has not been performed since 1936 and was only ever performed by (Martha) Graham herself.”

January performances, she relentlessly trained the 40 dancers who performed “Panorama,” a work that Graham choreographed in 1935 for the students of Bennington College. The group’s excellent performances, praised for their “precision and verve” by the Observer, were a testament both to the dancers’ hard work and to Jones’s skills as a régisseur.

Choreographic Archeology With “Imperial Gesture,” however, Jones had never had so little to work with. There are no known film recordings of the piece or other detailed documentation, such as choreographer’s notes, that could serve as guides in recreation.

The musical score, by Lehman Engel, was lost.

But Jones’ dogged sleuthing and her collaboration with University colleagues and New York artists paid off handsomely. “Imperial Gesture” has been welcomed into the Graham Company repertory, receiving its New York City premiere at the Joyce Theater in February.

Jeanmarie Higgins, assistant professor of dramaturgy in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Theater, helped Jones in her choreographic archeology. The two analyzed written reviews of Graham’s performance of “Imperial Gesture.”

Several newspaper notices and accounts of the day, available through archival records at the Library of Congress, provided Higgins and Jones with interpretations of the movement, descriptions of the costume and specifics about the length

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Kim Jones, assistant professor of dance at UNC Charlotte, led a small team of professionals in the reconstruction of a lost Graham work from 1935, “Imperial Gesture.” Jones’ dogged sleuthing and her collaboration with University colleagues and New York artists paid off handsomely.

of the performance. More than 30 previously unpublished photographs by noted dance photographer Barbara Morgan were also obtained, providing information about gestures and movement, as well as additional costume detail.

“One of our best sources of information came from a pair of dancers who performed with Graham,” recalled Jones. Ethel Winter, who died in March 2012, and Linda Hodes both danced with Graham in the 1940s.

Jones was fortunate to speak with both dancers in 2010 as she embarked upon the project, gaining valuable insight regarding Graham’s approach to this particular piece.

Jones was then able to hire costume designer Karen Young and lighting designer Judith Daitsman, both Graham Company veterans.

Pianist and composer Patrick Daugherty, who had also worked for years with the company, composed a new score in the spirit of Engel.

“Imperial Gesture” suggests the collapse of monarchy. The overly proud soloist, with hair aloft in a crown-like headdress, parades theatrically around the stage, whipping her voluminous skirt like a toreador’s cape. In the end, she drowns underneath a wave of her own fabric.

“I learned so much more about Graham during this process than I ever knew,” said Jones. “She was complex, in a good way, and used dance as a vehicle to touch upon humanity. She was curious and fierce in pushing boundaries, not simply settling.”

(A version of this article appeared first in UCity Reach and is part of the Charlotte Arts Journalism Alliance, a network of five media partners and UNC Charlotte.)

Michael Solender writes widely on Charlotte area arts and culture.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 25

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

The Chemistry of

Opportunity

By Tamara Johnson and Lynn Roberson

Photos by Wade Bruton

Undergraduate research inspires first-generation student

After struggling with chemistry at first, Lizeth Hernandez discovered that chemistry is a challenging, yet enthralling puzzle.

26 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Lizeth Hernandez’ interest in chemistry first someday help treat certain diseases. see what’s out there other than my studies,” took root in the summer of 2008 when she came Hernandez presented in April 2012 at the Hernandez said. “In research, it doesn’t end in the to UNC Charlotte as a North Mecklenburg High UNC Charlotte Undergraduate Research lab. It’s not only the education that comes with it; School junior to participate in the Project SEED Conference, where she earned second place in it’s the skills too. You meet interesting people, and summer program sponsored by the American chemistry for her presentation, Synthesis and these interesting people allow you to see things Chemical Society.

Reactivity of a new Bis(pyridyl)selone. This you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.”

Hernandez worked alongside chemistry annual university-wide event showcases research Rabinovich thinks that undergraduate professor Daniel Rabinovich and UNC Charlotte projects completed by undergraduate students students should be challenged to present at students in his lab in 2008 and again in 2009. from all colleges and departments. academic conferences where faculty and other This initiative enables under-represented minority In the summer of 2012, she participated in researchers are presenting. high school students to conduct research with a the Charlotte Research Scholars (CRS) program, “Presentations are important,” he said. mentoring scientist. an undergraduate research initiative in which 50 “I’m pushing them to get those skills. Every The seeds planted then have continued to UNC Charlotte undergraduates received $4,000 time they present, they need to be treated like bear fruit through a long-standing mentoring stipends while they worked with faculty mentors professionals. They need to be surrounded by relationship between Rabinovich and on research projects. Rabinovich continued as professionals. When they are with such a group, Hernandez that illustrates how students and her mentor. She was among 170 undergraduates they will see beyond where they are now. That’s faculty are working together at UNC Charlotte who applied for the 50 slots, and more than 125 how it ends up being a more challenging but in undergraduate research more rewarding experience.” and mentoring. Their home As Hernandez attends research department is part of the College of conferences this year, she is Liberal Arts & Sciences. visiting with graduate program Those first summers proved representatives who are in challenging for Hernandez, as attendance. She is building her she learned research methods list of universities with strong and began to understand the programs in synthetic inorganic intricacies of the experimental chemistry, and she plans to apply techniques involved. Through for a National Science Foundation her work, she gained perspective Graduate Research Fellowship to on chemistry as an enthralling fund her graduate education. The puzzle. She had known she CRS program and Rabinovich’s wanted to attend college, yet tutelage have helped her work her experiences showed her that through these key steps in her chemistry was a career option professional development. for her.

“As a first generation college “I really liked what I did in the Lizeth Hernandez still works in the same chemistry lab as she did in high school, student, I guess I’m a trailblazer,” when Dr. Dan Rabinovich began mentoring her through a program for underlab,” Hernandez said. “I noticed she said. “Since no one in my represented high school students.

UNC Charlotte had opportunities, family has the college experience and I noticed the university allowed students to faculty members expressed interest in mentoring to guide me through some of the decisions that shine. I did a lot of thinking about undergraduate the students. affect my future, the CRS program is really research.” As a high school student, she had Hernandez presented on her research at the valuable to me. Thanks to Dr. Rabinovich’s found herself interacting with UNC Charlotte Summer Research Symposium at the end of guidance all these years, I know I want to pursue undergraduate students and graduate students the eight-week program. In total, 87 students graduate school and make chemistry my career.” in her Project SEED lab work and wanted those from the Charlotte Research Scholars program Rabinovich considers his role as a mentor undergraduate opportunities for herself when she and two other programs exhibited posters and to Hernandez and other students a core went to college. She also was accepted at UNC answered questions from UNC Charlotte faculty, part of his responsibility. “You are always Chapel Hill and Wingate University. staff, and students and community members. refining your skills to be a mentor,” he said.

Hernandez went back to Rabinovich’s lab as Hernandez won first place for her project in the “You learn every student has different skills, a college student in the second semester of her natural sciences category. abilities and career goals. A good mentor freshman year and has continued to pursue her In addition to their research, the CRS students needs to learn to recognize those differences. research interests ever since. also participated in professional development to My most successful students are probably my The lab focuses on synthetic and structural prepare for future research careers. The sessions most important discovery.” inorganic, bioinorganic and organometallic discussed conducting research ethically, writing chemistry, including the preparation of new research reports, preparing and presenting research Tamara Johnson is research associate copper-based antibacterial agents in collaboration posters, creating an academic résumé, preparing for in the Division of Academic Affairs. with colleagues in biology. Hernandez takes pride and applying to graduate school, and applying for in the long-term potential of her work and the fact research funding and fellowships.

Lynn Roberson is director of communications that some of the compounds she has made may “These experiences have all helped me to for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences www.UNCC.edu

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 27

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

“ED” Drug Advertising Short on Rectitude

Study claims pharma companies skirt regulations Staff Report Middle-aged and senior Americans who use erectile dysfunction drugs may owe a debt of gratitude to a UNC Charlotte professor. So might parents concerned with the glut of erectile dysfunction ads that are viewed by their children.

According to a study by Denis Arnold, the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to self-regulate its directto-consumer (DTC) advertising are “an industry-sponsored ruse,” intended to deflect criticism and collectively block new Federal regulation. The study was released in February in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law found.

The paper, “The Politics and Strategy of Industry SelfRegulation: The Pharmaceutical Industry's Principles for Ethical Direct-to-Consumer Advertising as a Deceptive Blocking Strategy,” was written by Denis Arnold, associate professor of management and Surtman Distinguished Scholar in Business Ethics in the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte, with Jim Oakley, associate professor of marketing at Montana State University.

Arnold and Oakley studied the marketing campaigns for erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs over a four-year period, 2006 to 2010. These products include sildenafil citrate, manufactured and marketed as Viagra in the United States.

by Pfizer; tadalafil, manufactured and marketed as Cialis in the United States by Eli Lilly; and vardenafil HCI, manufactured by Bayer Healthcare and jointly marketed as Levitra in the United States by Bayer Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck.

All of these companies have certified compliance with the “PhRMA Guiding Principles,” developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America trade organization and first introduced in 2005.

Under these guidelines, a company must commit to internal processes to ensure compliance with the principles, complete an annual certification of compliance, and submit a document to PhRMA signed by the CEO and chief compliance officer attesting to compliance.

“The Guiding Principles were introduced, as least in part, to preclude the need for additional federal regulation of broadcast drug advertising,” Arnold said. “In this regard they have been largely successful.” But not necessarily for consumers.

Arnold and Oakley’s analysis found that rather than a serious effort to facilitate the education of consumers, the Guiding Principles were often ignored, putting consumers at possible risk and exposing children to 28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

? inappropriate content.

“Cumulatively, our data shows that ED marketing campaigns fail to responsibly educate consumers about health conditions and appropriate treatments,” Arnold said. “Instead of facilitating a balancing of interests between company profits and public health, the illusion of industry selfregulation is primarily serving the interest of pharmaceutical companies at the expense of the public’s interest in genuine health education and welfare.”

Among the findings in the study: • Advertising for ED drugs grew from $200 million in 2006 to $313 million in 2009, a 56 percent increase. Television advertising accounts for about www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re 80 percent of the DTC ad spending.

•T here was a clear pattern of non-compliance to the “Guiding Principles” for the three drugs under study, and Arnold and Oakley note that PhRMA does not make public violations of its guiding principles, nor does it sanction member violations.

• Eli Lily’s Cialis campaign consistently violated six principles, partially complied with two principles, and fully complied with one principle.

• Pfizer’s Viagra campaign consistently violated five principles, partially complied with one principle, and fully complied with two principles.

• Bayer Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck’s Levitra campaign consistently violated five principles, partially complied with three principles, and fully complied with one principle.

• In the four-year time span studied, there were nearly 100,000 television advertising occurrences for ED drugs.

•A merican consumers have been exposed to approximately 500 billion ED television advertising impressions since 2006, of which over 100 billion were seen by consumers under the age of 18, in violation of the Guiding Principles.

• In response to the introduction of H.R. 2175, the Families for ED Advertising Decency Act, in 2009 (introduced by Rep. James Moran [DVA]), each of the companies has stated that they are in compliance with the Guiding Principles requirement that 90 percent of the audience for adult-themed broadcast advertisements be 18 or older, but Arnold and Oakley’s analysis of AC Nielsen Monitor-Plus data documents that this claim has not been true for any quarter during the four-year period of the study.

• Patient information and print ads were consistently found to exceed recommendations for consumer legibility violating the Guiding Principles.

•E ach of the drugs is presented in ads as the most appropriate first stage treatment for impotence, despite known risks such as priapism and sudden loss of hearing or vision.

•N one of the ED drugs effectively informed consumers of alternative options for treatment, in violation of the Guiding Principles.

•T he mechanism set up by PhRMA for consumers to make complaints does not function: its FAX machine is typically not connected and complaints go unanswered.

“We were surprised by the findings,” Arnold said. www.UNCC.edu

Guiding Principles were often ignored, putting consumers at possible risk and exposing children to inappropriate content.

“We did not expect this level of non-compliance.

It is troubling to discover that executives at these companies are engaged in this level of duplicity.”

Arnold and Oakley make a number of recommendations to rectify the ineffectiveness of the industry-developed self-regulation, including maintaining bans on DTC advertising where they currently exist. In countries without a ban, most notably the United States and New Zealand, the study recommends a more robust regulatory climate. Options might include: • Implementing restrictions on advertising that might reach children, such as those as outlined in the Families for ED Advertising Decency Act; • Requiring that non-pharmacological treatment options and comparative treatment costs be addressed;

| UNC CHARLOTTE

• Requiring FDA approval of advertisements take place before advertisements are broadcast for the first time, as opposed to the current practice of allowing the ad to run as long as it has been submitted for review; • Assessing a fee for each DTC advertising broadcast, to enable the National Library of Medicine to produce and widely distribute plain-English information about the benefits, harms, and cost of the drugs advertised, as well as information about the condition and non-pharmacological treatment options.

“In the case of New Zealand, some of these changes could be introduced via amendments to the existing Code for Therapeutic Advertising by the Advertising Standards Authority, while others could be introduced by the Ministry of Health,” Arnold explained.

“In the U.S., the ability for Congress and FDA to implement such regulatory changes will be subject to the evolving role of the Supreme Court in assessing what constraints may be placed on commercial speech. However, Congress could empower existing agencies or departments to penalize firms for making false claims about their advertising.”

Arnold and Oakley also recommend that additional resources be provided, within existing regulatory frameworks, so regulatory agencies can more rigorously enforce of statutory requirements.

“The ultimate goal of these recommendations is to better balance the interests of pharmaceutical companies and the public,” Arnold said.

The full study appeared online February 15 and will appear in print in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, published by Duke University Press.

Visit jhppl.dukejournals.org for additional information.

Mike Collins (left), host of WFAE's Charlotte Talks, spoke with Denis Arnold about Arnold's controversial findings.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 29

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Continued from p. 23

big focus; we want the area to be relevant and still usable 40 years from now.”

Designed as South Village’s central hub, the dining hall will offer several flexible features.

Ray Galleno, director of Auxiliary Services, shares some examples: A large outdoor covered patio area can be completely “closed-in” during cold winter months; a new “grab and go” take-out area could support a Monday Night Football wing night; and a Euro kitchen with interchangeable and modular units could offer dishes for many international palates.

Students can also look forward to an interactive dining experience — a “theatre of cooking,” Galleno said. Expect Asian, deli, pizza and salad stations, along with a glassed-in bakery so students can view pastry chefs preparing gelato, cakes and other treats.

a later date.

The deck’s estimated completion is July 2013.

It will be available to resident and commuter students, faculty and staff and visitors.

Sustainability is another feature of South Village’s remake. In 2007, Senate Bill 668 required higher standards of energy efficiency for new state buildings. The University uses these standards for its construction fundamentals, but doesn’t stop there.

The dining hall, for example, will be “the second new building in North Carolina that is Green Globes certified and the first one that is state owned,” said engineer Brian Kugler, a senior project manager in Facilities Management.

According to its website, Green Globes is a nationally recognized, rigorous assessment certification program for new construction in

This aerial photo taken in December shows the new residence hall (center) and part of the parking deck (upper left). The South Village complex will augment existing residence halls, including Scott (left foreground) and Holshauser (right foreground).

PARKING DECK UNDERWAY Construction for the new six-story parking deck broke ground last May, addressing current parking challenges and future needs based on continued campus growth. Gary Caton, director for Parking and Transportation Services, shared several of the deck’s features: blue-light security phones, induction lighting, visibility-enhancing white ceilings, a bus pull-off with canopy, bike lockers and racks and a pay-on-foot station for visitor parking. The deck is even designed to accommodate electric vehicle charging stations at 30 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

the areas of energy, water, resources, emissions, indoor environment, project management and the site itself.

The dining hall will also include solar-thermal panels, waterless urinals and an extractor that uses recycled water to pull water out of food waste. These measures result in significant savings on the University’s water costs while being environmentally friendly.

The new Regional Utility Plant will supply heated and chilled water and can accept more equipment as the need arises, according to Rick Ellis, capital project manager in Facilities

Management. “This central utility plant is much more efficient and less costly than requiring each building to provide its own heated and chilled water for each individual building,” he said.

RESPECTING NATURE Also, the RUP and parking deck are being built on a former parking lot, reducing the amount of disturbance to the natural environment. Native plants are being retained to reduce the amount of irrigation necessary compared to removal and re-planting. “We are also retaining as many trees as possible by minimizing the building footprint and being careful to protect the woodlands we have as we continue to build the campus,” said Peter Franz, landscape architect in Facilities Management.

Recycling bins and energy-efficient components will be offered as much as possible. Additionally, the increased use of natural lighting “not only is appreciated more by those living in the residence halls, but it also cuts down on electricity and lighting costs, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint,” Ellis said.

Funding decisions have been scrutinized for South Village, especially as the University still feels effects of the economic downturn.

Beth Hardin, vice chancellor for Business Affairs, explained in a 2012 Charlotte Business Journal article that food services, housing and parking are all non-state funded, self-supporting, receipt-based projects that will help pay for the overall construction bond debt, acquired at a low interest rate. The original buildings are being kept as “the cost to rehab is less than 50-60 percent of new construction,” says John Fessler, director of capital projects for Facilities Management.

“The new South Village project is dramatically transforming the area from an outdated group of separate venues into a true freshman living and learning community,” said Phil Jones, associate vice chancellor of Facilities Management. “Creating an innovative, student-centered ‘sense of place’ encourages personal reflection, group learning and most importantly, contributes to student success.”

Yes, thousands of years later, group living still works.

Editor’s Note: To follow construction progress, go to www.facilities.uncc.edu/capital-projects/ construction-updates. www.UNCC.edu

49 e r s n o te b o o k

Continued from p. 17

SOCCER’S SMITH DRAFTED BY NEW ENGLAND UNC Charlotte soccer midfielder Donnie Smith, a key to three NCAA tournament teams, including the 2011 national finalists, was selected the 21st overall pick (second pick of the second round) by the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer's SuperDraft in January.

“Watching my name called was a surreal out-of-body experience,” Smith said. “This is something that I have dreamed about my entire life. Playing at Charlotte really prepared me for this opportunity to play at the next level.”

Smith, who earned All-Atlantic 10 honors three times in his career, was named Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year this past season. He earned first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2012 and 2010. He was a second-team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2011.

In the fourth round of Major League Soccer’s Supplemental draft, the Seattle Sounders picked senior forward Jennings Rex. In 2012, Rex led the 49ers with 11 goals.

49ERs ATHLETES REACH OUT During the 2012 holiday season, Charlotte 49ers student athletes reached out to the greater Charlotte community. Community service included the Toys for Tots campaign led by the 49ers Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a visit to the Men’s Shelter of Charlotte by members of the 49ers basketball team, visits to an elementary school by members of the 49ers football team and an impressive “Education Day,’ in which the 49ers women’s basketball program hosted over 4,000 elementary school children. www.UNCC.edu

Donnie Smith (center)

Several members of the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team helped prepare and serve lunch at the Men’s Homeless Shelter in uptown Charlotte. Former 49ers men’s basketball coach Lee Rose, who guided the 49ers to the 1977 Final Four and the 1976 NIT Championship, helped arrange the visit.

The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee joined forces with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves to host the ninth annual Toys for Tots drive in December. Toys were collected at basketball games, while each of the 49ers sports teams collected their own gifts as well in a friendly competition. The men’s basketball team, which had visited an orphanage during an August trip to the Bahamas, stuffed stockings to send to the orphanage. The golf team also adopted a family over the holidays.

Offensive line coach Phil Ratliff took three freshmen linemen to Weddington Hills Elementary to talk with fifth graders, while several other football players visited McAllister Elementary to participate in McAllister Muscle and engage third-to-fifth graders in physical activity.

CHARLOTTE HOSTS SPRING CHAMPIONSHIPS With next year’s return to Conference USA, this is the 49ers’ final year in the Atlantic 10 Conference. And the 49ers are going the distance as a league member.

This spring the University will host both the A-10 Outdoor Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships and the A-10 Baseball Championships. Already this season, Charlotte has hosted the A-10

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Men’s Soccer Championship.

The track and field championships are May 4-5 on campus at the 49ers’ Irwin Belk Track and Field Center. The 49ers are the defending champion in both men’s and women’s outdoor track. In fact, the 49ers men’s team has won four of the league’s seven titles since joining the league, while the women have won a near-perfect six of seven crowns.

The A-10 Baseball Championship is May 2225 on campus at the Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium. Charlotte has won three tournament titles since joining the league. The 49ers most recent title came in 2011.

Log on to www.charlotte49ers.com or contact the Charlotte 49ers athletic ticket office for ticket information and additional news.

Material for 49ers Notebook is supplied by the UNC Charlotte Sports Information Office.

BASEBALL TICKETS ON SALE Season tickets to the 2013 Charlotte 49ers baseball campaign are on sale for $75 in the lower bowl (chair-backed seats) and $49 in the upper bleachers sections.

The ticket to the lower bowl includes tickets to the Atlantic 10 Baseball Championships, to be held at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium May 22-25, 2013.

Tickets for the championships will be $24.

The 49ers are scheduled to play 36 home games this season, including ones against Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and 2012 College World Series participant Kent State.

The conference home schedule includes old league foe Virginia Commonwealth as well as series against George Washington, Butler and Dayton.

For more information, contact the 49ers ticket office at 704-687-4949.

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 31

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c l a s s n o te s LORI BUMGARNER ‘76 Nashville, Tenn. – Lori Bumgarner is the owner of paNASH Style LLC, an image consulting business based in Nashville. She is the author of the Amazon #1 bestselling book Advance Your Image and has been featured in various print and online publications including one of The Wall Street Journal's online blogs. Bumgarner graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1976.

Alumni continued from p. 15

Deb McManus

Deb McManus, N.C. House (Chatham, Lee), BA, Psychology, ’79: "My focus as a psychology major at UNC Charlotte was child development.

This was the beginning of the era of mainstreaming children with special needs and other significant changes in the field. What I learned during my studies positively contributed to shaping my views and experiences. I was able to put that into action as a school board member for ten years and now in the General Assembly. My husband, Keith, also a UNC Charlotte psychology major, continues to use what he gained from the program in his family medical practice."

PATTI STRONG JONES ‘86 Matthews, N.C. – Patti Strong Jones, a 1986 graduate of the College of Education, retired after 30 years of teaching in Union County Public Schools. Jones is currently tutoring at Walter Bickett Elementary Schools and volunteering at CMC-Union.

JAMES LEE MIXSON III ‘90 Statesville, N.C. – James Lee Mixson III (Jim) was sworn in as Iredell County’s Clerk of Superior Court by Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Joseph N. Crosswhite on December 3, 2012. Mixson majored in Criminal Justice.

RON GARROW ‘86, ‘97 Purchase, N.Y. – MasterCard announced the appointment of Ron Garrow as chief human resources officer and member of the company’s executive committee, effective Apr. 1.

Garrow graduated from UNC Charlotte where he ELIZABETH REEVES ‘76 majored in Business Administration. He also earned Philadelphia, Pa. – AmeriHealth Mercy a master’s degree in Business from Pfeiffer University Family of Companies has hired UNC and completed a Certificate in Organizational Charlotte alum Elizabeth Reeves as senior Development from UNC Charlotte. vice president and chief human resources officer. Reporting to President and Chief MICHAEL HALEY Executive Officer Michael A. Rashid, Reeves Columbia, S.C. – Michael Haley, the husband is responsible for AMFC’s talent recruitment, of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, was deployed management and training initiatives across for a year in Afghanistan on Jan. 10. According to the enterprise. the National Guard Association, Haley is believed to be the first spouse of a sitting governor to go to a BAILEY WEAHERS ‘80 combat zone with the guard. Haley has a business Stanley, N.C. – Bailey Graham Weahers administration degree from UNC Charlotte. is an artist working with the U.S. Swim for the Golden Goggle Awards. Weahers J. R. HILDRETH ‘76 has been commissioned to the ongoing Granite Falls, N.C. – J.R. Hildreth was elected to project since 2004 after designing the goggles the Board of Directors of the Helping Hands Clinic, during the Olympics in Athens, Greece. The Inc., Caldwell County's free clinic for the uninsured, 1980 graduate from the College of Arts & in Lenoir, N.C. for a three-year term. Hildreth Architecture at UNC Charlotte is the medical graduated from UNC Charlotte in 1976. director at Men’s Health of the Carolinas.

Jason Saine, N.C. House (Lincoln), BA, Political Science ‘95: “Many, many good things happened to me while attending UNC Charlotte.

First of all, meeting my wife, Kathryn, who earned two degrees from UNC Charlotte. And, making many contacts and friends that have helped me in my career and now in elected office. I look forward to bringing my 4 year-old son, Jackson, to 49er football games this fall. He recently experienced his first basketball game on campus and loved it!”

At a reception in February, past presidents of the Alumni Association gathered to socialize and talk about the ambitious plans underway by Executive Director of Alumni Affairs Jenny Jones and her team.

Front row: Boyd Cauble ‘71, Kit Ward Davis ‘71, Misty Hathcock ’85, ’91, ’92, ’96, ‘04, Carol Lesley White ‘89, Joel Gilland ‘93 Second row: David Taylor ‘71, Frank Jones ‘67, Ellison Clary ‘68, Bob Bullock ‘75 Third row: Donnie Koonce ‘81, John Fraley ‘77, John McArthur ‘67, Rob Richardson ‘86 Top row: Dennis Bunker ‘81, Greg Ross ‘88, Lindsay McAlpine ‘91 32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

IMPRESSIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

IN ENGLAND EARNED HIM A

DIFFERENT KIND

OF CROWN

Globally recognized faculty members, including renowned architect David Walters, have brought their talents to the graduate programs at UNC Charlotte.

The best in the business are waiting to help you gain that same title. Choose the graduate school that will get you to where you want to be.

UNC CHARLOTTE |

giving

On the Same

Page

Dale Halton, Judy Rose write unique story of giving

By Tom Whitestone

Judy Rose and Dale Halton

Dale Halton and Judy Rose sit in Rose’s office, carrying on like the two old friends they are. It’s a game day for the 49ers men’s basketball team, and Halton, a fan of the program through and through, arrives early. There’s nothing unusual about that except that Halton is not your usual fan.

She has been an integral part of the University’s growth over the past 30 years. She has served on the Board of Trustees and been on the Athletic Foundation Board of Directors. And, importantly, she has a long history of giving — a history that includes both academic and athletic initiatives.

The lengthy list includes the Dale Halton Reading Room in Atkins Library, the Halton Study Abroad Scholarship, the Dale F. Halton Women in Marketing Scholarship, the Henry B. Fowler Men’s Basketball Scholarship and the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex. And, of course, there’s the home of the 49ers basketball and volleyball programs, Dale F. Halton Arena, which sits just outside the window in Rose’s office.

One of Halton’s most impressive gifts houses the 49ers football program — and it doesn’t even bear her name. That is one of the many unique aspects of this longtime friendship with Rose, the school’s athletics director.

“I look around and wonder where we would be today had it not been for Dale Halton,” Rose said. “Look at the facilities that Dale has been a part of — it’s just about every facility we’ve got here. Every facility has her footprints, her handprints and her wallet involved in it. And it’s a step further than ‘Yes, she gives money to help us build facilities.’ Her heart is in gifts all the way through. All the way through. From the beginning to the end and in between.”

‘ADOPTING’ UNC CHARLOTTE All of this from a woman who did not go to school at UNC Charlotte. A 34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

woman who is not an alum.

As Rose said, “She adopted this University.”

Truth be known, Rose is a big reason. Their relationship dates back to the 1980s, when Rose was getting her feet wet as an administrator after several years as the 49ers women’s basketball coach.

After some casual business dealings, Rose made her first true call on Halton, then CEO

of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Charlotte, in an effort to get a scoreboard for the 49ers baseball field. Rose had done her homework.

She knew Pepsi was responsible for the bulk of the scoreboards at local high school baseball fields. She was hoping the local bottler would sponsor a more elaborate scoreboard, complete with message board, for the 49ers. www.UNCC.edu

giving Rose met with Halton and Darrell Holland in 1987. Holland let her know that Pepsi would be happy to do what they had done for high schools in Charlotte. Rose politely declined.

“I thought and said to myself — I don’t want to appear ungrateful,” Rose remembered, “but I said ‘Thank you, but no thanks. We’re not a high school. We’re a university and our program really needs to reflect that. I really appreciate it, but that’s not what I’m looking for.’”

Before Holland could respond, Halton put her hand on his knee and looked to Rose and said, “Let us talk about this and we’ll get back to you.” Later that same afternoon, Halton called Rose and said that if Pepsi could buy the scoreboard directly, thus getting a better deal, the 49ers would get their scoreboard.

“Now, are you talking about the same kind of scoreboard I’m talking about?” Rose asked.

“Judy, we’re on the same page,” Halton said.

From there, the two have written quite a story.

FROM BUSINESS TO PERSONAL They’ve leaned on each other both professionally and personally. As their business relationship grew, their personal friendship blossomed as well.

Halton served as mentor for Rose. “I was impressed with Judy from the first time I really met her,” Halton said. “I don’t know why — women’s intuition plays a great role.

I just knew she had great things ahead of her — and if I could help in any way, I’d be happy to. And it has certainly developed into one of the best friendships I’ve ever had in my life.”

“Being a female in business — what better mentor could you have willing to take you by the hand,” Rose added. “She was already successful.

She was there. She had a led a group and was CEO of a company. She wasn’t going through the growing pains that I was going through.

“When I was first named AD, I was really nervous,” Rose continued. “I didn’t know the other two female ADs in the country; they were on the west coast. I didn’t have any female role models that had been ADs. I was hungry and searching for a female that was in a position of authority in business to model and learn.”

In 1991, then-Chancellor James H. Woodward was set to announce Rose as the University’s athletics director. Halton picked up the phone and let Rose know she’d be there. Not just at the coming press conference but in her new role.

“She made sure I was invited to events in Charlotte where I would need to be in attendance,” Rose said. “She’d call and say ‘Can you and (husband) Ken (Rose) come to the Red www.UNCC.edu

Sword Ball — and I said ‘What is that?’ — and she said, ‘Judy, the right people will be there’ It goes on and on. She made sure I was in the right mix of people and decision makers where I could begin to network and know people.”

Rose, likewise, was there for Halton in, perhaps, her most difficult time. Halton, who owns a home near Telluride, Colo., was visiting there when her husband Phil suffered an aneurysm.

“Judy called and said, ‘What can I do for you?’” Halton recalled. “I said ‘Judy you stay in Charlotte — I know how busy you are, but if I need something done in Charlotte I’ll call you’, because I might have. I didn’t know.”

Later that day, Rose called back and said, as Halton recalled, “I’m in my car, my airline ticket’s in my hand, my suitcase is in my back seat. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

‘THE MOST FANTASTIC THING’ “That was the most fantastic thing anyone had ever done for me in my whole entire life,” Halton said.

In Colorado, Rose and Halton shared stories between themselves and with Phil’s kids and Dale’s kids. They talked and laughed.

Rose even helped Dale and the family prepare Phil’s obituary. Even in the worst of times, “we laughed a lot,” Dale remembered.

When Rose’s father passed, Halton rushed back from a meeting in New York that very day.

“You don’t forget those things,” Rose said.

The two have also built their friendship on many a basketball trip — to regular-season tournament spots like Hawaii, the Bahamas or the Virgin Islands, or to conference events in places like Birmingham, Louisville or Atlantic City. “We have a lot of crazy stories that we will not repeat here,” Halton noted.

“We just had so much fun on those trips.”

And the fun continues. Halton and her husband Fred Wagner, Judy and her husband Ken, former Chancellor Jim Woodward and his wife Martha and Board of Trustees member Gene Johnson and his wife Vickie have an annual dinner that rotates from home to home. Rose and Halton also attend numerous events, dinners and functions.

Nearly 30 years after a business connection was formed, a friendship flourishes. The two have supported each other through challenging times, as friends and family do. They have helped each other through dire times, as friends and family do. And they have celebrated with each other through joyous times, as friends and family do.

It’s easy to see the connection. Cut from the same cloth, they are both driven. Both successful.

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Both competitive. Both down to earth, they made their way in the world through a combination of work ethic, common sense and fairness.

So on Aug. 11, 2012, it seemed perfectly appropriate, although downright amazing, that Halton should name her substantial gift to support the 49ers football program in honor of one of her closest friends. Just as Rose had worked behind the scenes with Pepsi years ago to surprise Halton with the naming of the basketball arena, Halton worked behind the scenes to honor Rose. That evening, she delivered her own surprise announcement at the chancellor’s home as Chancellor Dr. Philip L. Dubois and Halton unveiled the Judy W. Rose Football Center.

“That’s an unbelievable gift,” Rose said. “I was shocked. Ken was shocked. I still I have to pinch myself. I was totally speechless.”

Often a donor will make a gift in honor of a family member. Far less often, a donor will make a gift to honor a friend or business partner. But how often does a donor name the gift in honor of the very person who asked for it? “It is a little weird,” Halton admitted. “I thought, ‘This is rather amazing.’ It was fun to see her (speechless).

You don’t see it that often. I got back at her.”

As friends and family do.

Tom Whitestone is associate athletic director for media relations

THE CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY How to guarantee fixed income for life while providing a gift for the deserving students of UNC Charlotte.

One annuitant/age 65 70 75 80 85

Payout rate 4.7% 5.1 5.8 6.8 7.8

Two annuitants/ages 65/65 70/70 75/75 80/80 85/85

Payout rate 4.2% 4.6 5.0 5.7 6.7

May we illustrate one for you?

Contact Harry Creemers Senior Director of Development 704.687.7220 or hpcreeme@uncc.edu

Q113

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 35

UNC CHARLOTTE |

building blocks

Snows of yesteryear Faculty and students bundle up on this circa 1980s snowy day on the UNC Charlotte campus – a rare sight for the campus. In this picture, the snow helps to transform the look of the Belk Tower Quad – the campus’ traditional center, but as the seasons have passed the campus has undergone many other visual transformations.

Today, the library has expanded while donning an updated brick exterior. West campus houses the stateof-the-art facilities of the Charlotte Research Institute as well as a stunning, new football complex.

And, the Student Union provides a picturesque backdrop for what is now thought of as the “center of campus.” While the sprawling campus offers many memorable places these days, the Belk Tower Quad remains a common gathering area, with Belk Tower serving as a soaring historical centerpiece.

36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q113

www.UNCC.edu

perspective

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Purge Politics

time to Focus on the Integrity of Science, Science Education

By Ian Binns Assistant Professor of Reading and Elementary Education College of Education Many of us take for granted how science has improved society. Advancements in computers, wireless communication and GPS technology can be directly attributed to earlier scientific discoveries. Achievements in science have also directly resulted in better medications, improved understanding of a multitude of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, and non-pharmaceutical medical treatments such as magnetic resonance imaging, better known as MRI. Even with these advancements and many others, special interest groups strive to challenge science and science education in the United States.

These groups encourage elected offcials to pursue legislation specifically affecting what students learn with respect to science. Two main topics of concern are evolution and climate change.

Groups that typically grow out of religious perspectives have fought for decades to challenge how evolution is taught in American public education institutions.

Since the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, in 1859, people who misunderstand the science use it to support their arguments. One classic rhetorical move is that, “if humans evolved from monkeys (or apes), why are there still monkeys (or apes)?” Actually, evolutionary biologists do not assert that humans evolved from monkeys or apes. Instead, the evidence indicates that humans share a common ancestor with modern apes.

It also is often argued that evolution is “just a theory,” implying that evolution should be taught as simply an idea or guess. This not only indicates a misunderstanding of evolution, it demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of science.

It is often argued that evolution is “just a theory,” implying that evolution should be taught as simply an idea or guess.

The word “theory” in everyday life has a different meaning than a scientific theory. In science, a theory is much more than an idea or guess. A scientific theory has been defined as a “comprehensive explanation of some aspect of nature that is supported by a vast body of evidence.” In other words, a scientific theory is the best proposed explanation based on current scientific evidence. Of course, all scientific knowledge is subject to change. However, in the case of the theory of evolution, the evidence is so overwhelming that scientists are confident that the basic components of the theory of evolution will not be overturned by new evidence.

Although organizations, as well as individual climate skeptics, are not necessarily motivated by religious belief, many of the tactics they use are similar to those employed by religiously motivated skeptics.

On the topic of climate change education, one common argument by climate skeptics is that the Earth is actually cooling, that

global warming has stopped; another is that the Earth has not warmed at all since 1998. The first argument, that the Earth is cooling, indicates a lack of understanding of global warming. To make this argument, climate skeptics “cherry-pick” the data, selecting a date range to support their argument.

For example, climate skeptics will use a range of 1998 to 2005, which when plotted on a graph does appear to indicate that the Earth is cooling.

What they don’t understand is that according to the World Meteorological Organization, climate change is measured over a longer period than one decade. It is actually measured over at least 30 years. When you look at the data over such a time frame, you see that the Earth is indeed warming.

Additionally, several of the hottest years on record for the United States have occurred since 1998; including the hottest year on record, 2012 (see www.skepticalscience.com for more information).

Another argument centers on a controversy deemed “Climategate” by the media, which was spurred by emails hacked into in 2009 at University of East Anglia in Britain. Climate skeptics used select quotes from the emails to argue that climate scientists were involved in a scandal to manipulate or exaggerate the data to support the scientific conclusions. This was widely publicized by media networks throughout the United States; however, the media failed to publicize that eight independent investigations found no evidence of fraud or scientific misconduct.

The two states that have been the most impacted by efforts to undermine science education are Louisiana (2008) and Tennessee (2012). Each state has a law modeled after “academic freedom” legislation in other states. This legislation includes language such as “promotes critical thinking” and “logical analysis,” both of which are important for our students and are skills that all science teachers would support. However, these phrases are taken from earlier arguments used by creationists, when they promoted including creationism in the classroom curriculum.

It’s time to set politics aside; it’s time to do what’s right for our future. We need to trust the experts from the science community, the science education community and our teachers when it comes to what our students should learn in the science classroom.

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Charlotte, NC Permit No. 949

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 9201 University Blvd.

Charlotte, NC 28223-0001

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois (left), Belk Inc., Chairman and CEO Tim Belk, Belk Inc., President and COO John Belk and Steve Ott, dean of the Belk College of Business announced a $5 million gift from the company, to the college. The gift helps advance the university’s data science and business analytics initiative.