Unc Charlotte Magazine, 1q, 2009

UNC Charlotte The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte for Alumni and Friends • v16 n1 q1 • 2009

Consider the Blue Dot Illuminating Earth’s Energy Future

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c h a n c e l l o r ’s l e t te r

Cultivating a Greener University

Our concern for sustainability also extends to teaching and research. Faculty members and students from UNC Charlotte’s colleges of Arts + Architecture, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences are researching responsible solutions to environmental problems.



UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

When economic concerns of the current magnitude dominate the national discourse, it is tempting to focus on the near-term; issues that require long-term planning sometimes end up on the back burner. Environmental issues are among those that may fall into the latter category, despite evidence that environmental damage can lead to undesirable and often irreversible consequences. I believe the University of North Carolina system can play a pivotal role in charting the course for environmental stewardship. For our part, UNC Charlotte has adapted business practices and encouraged innovative approaches to educating the next generation of global citizens. By better managing our waste, land and buildings, we are positioned to reduce hostile impacts on the environment while successfully fulfilling the primary functions of teaching and research.  The University has made progress on many fronts. We’ve come a long way since the beginning of our aluminum can recycling program (circa 1987): UNC Charlotte operates a composting program as well as an award-winning construction and demolition recycling/reuse initiative. We recycled more than 1.6 million pounds last year. The University has reduced the use of petroleum products by investing in alternatively-fueled cars. We now have 20 flex-fuel vehicles and 67 Electric Utility Carts for maintenance, housekeeping and other on-campus use. The Housing and Residence Life and Housekeeping departments have made efforts to significantly reduce water, energy and chemical use. The University holds biannual campus clean-up days. More than 200 student, staff and faculty volunteers collected 149 bags of trash, 84 bags of recyclables, seven tires and 150 pounds of construction and demolition material in October. All new construction will attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified status.

To underscore our commitment to environmental responsibility, UNC Charlotte has designated a full-time staff position to ensure environmentally responsible practices are developed, implemented and evaluated. We await the results of the first UNC Charlotte sustainability assessment, which will outline the scope of sustainability activities currently taking place at the University and recommend actions to develop a more environmentally responsible UNC Charlotte. Our concern for sustainability also extends to teaching and research. Faculty members and students from UNC Charlotte’s colleges of Arts + Architecture, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences are researching responsible solutions to environmental problems (see the article in this issue entitled “Consider the Blue Dot”), and developing courses that prepare graduates to respond to environmental issues. Faculty and students provide environmental education in the community; likewise, private industry and governmental agencies use University resources, such as the Environmental Assistance Office for Small Business and the Urban Institute, to plan projects that greatly benefit our region. We applaud these efforts and look forward to testing and exporting innovative solutions to environmental problems to our campus and broader community. We also recognize that we have a lot of work to do. I hope that you will join us in protecting the natural environment. Only through our collective efforts will we be able to preserve the beauty and resources that have sustained previous generations. Cordially,

Philip L. Dubois Chancellor

www.UNCC.edu

contents

| UNC CHARLOTTE

19

12 features

10

Eye on the Economy

12

Consider the Blue Dot

19

Crime and Punishment in China

20 Operatecture: Opening Doors Through Opera

departments 3

News Briefs

6

Research Briefs

34

49ers Notebook

36

Giving

40 Class Notes 43 Perspective

26

Education and the Economy of Life alumni profiles 28 Boris “Bluz” Rogers 32

Michael Wilson

On the cover: The globe is shrinking, and so are its resources. UNC Charlotte faculty and students are working on real-world solutions to environmental problems. Illustration by Gary Palmer. www.UNCC.edu

20 Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

1

U N C C H A R LOT T E

| e d i to r ’s d e s k

Grabbing Your Attention — We Hope! Years ago when I was a full-time managing editor, my boss – the editor-in-chief – had a great habit of adding new editorial components to the magazine on a regular basis. Sometimes these were whole new departments, other times they were simple series of news-youcan-use tips, special profiles or whimsical touches. The result was a magazine that was always evolving. That magazine was successful financially and editorially; we whipped the competition and won national awards. At UNC Charlotte magazine, we have begun to take that same approach. In 2008 we introduced 49ers Notebook, which provides one or two pages of the latest news from the Athletics department. Then last summer we added Perspective to the inside back cover. With this edition, we’ve introduced two new components we hope you’ll enjoy. On the two middle pages we’ve presented a large-scale photographic spread featuring Athletics Director Judy Rose on the historic day when the trustees approved a 49ers football program. A middle-of-the-book photo spread will become a regular feature, presenting a close-up look at something significant and dramatic in the campus experience. We’ve also added a new feature called Building Blocks, on page 39. In every edition you’ll see a photo or other graphic from the University archives. We hope these images will speak to you about the great change that has occurred in the life of this great university – and perhaps they will fill some of you with feelings of nostalgia. Each edition will continue to present full-length feature articles and two or three profiles of accomplished alumni. The Chancellor’s Letter, Class Notes and News Briefs will continue to anchor the magazine. We hope you’ll enjoy the changes and the growing quality of UNC Charlotte. We are working hard to make it a fun read. Let me know how we’re doing. Regards,

Philip L. Dubois Chancellor Ruth Shaw Chair of the Board of Trustees Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Community Affairs David Dunn Editor Director of Public Relations John D. Bland Creative Director Fabi Preslar Contributing Writers Rhiannon Bowman Phillip Brown Mike Hermann Lisa Lambert Paul Nowell Class Notes Katie Conn Suggs Photographer Wade Bruton Circulation Manager Cathy Brown Design & Production SPARK Publications

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

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.

17,300 copies of this publication were printed at a cost of $.70 per piece, for a total cost of $11,968.35. UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

Volume 16, Number 1

Editorial offices: Reese Building, 2nd floor The University of North Carolina at Charlotte 9201 University City Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28223 704.687.5822; Fax: 704.687.6379

John D. Bland, Editor Director of Public Relations

2

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

|

Q109

Printed on recycled paper

www.UNCC.edu

Prominent Community Leaders to Quarterback Football Fundraising Campaign On Feb. 10, UNC Charlotte named influential community leaders Mac Everett, Johnny Harris and Gene Johnson to lead the Charlotte 49ers Football Fundraising Capital Campaign. The powerful team also includes a trio of UNC Charlotte alumni who are chief financial officers at three major corporations. Everett, who is general chairman of the Wachovia Championship and chaired the 49ers Football Feasibility Committee, and Harris, president of Lincoln Harris, will serve as honorary chairs. Johnson, chairman and CEO of FairPoint Communications and a 1973 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, was named chairman. In addition, the 49ers introduced three other UNC Charlotte alumni as executive chairs: David Hauser, chief financial officer for Duke Energy Corporation; Bob Hull, chief financial officer for Lowe’s Companies, Inc.; and Joe Price, chief financial officer for Bank of America Corporation. Former Carolina Panthers standouts Mike Minter and Mike Rucker have signed on as campaign ambassadors. “We have a great opportunity to make history,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois at a press conference on campus. “We have an opportunity to bring our campus and our community together like never before. We have assembled a leadership team that combines an array of community and business leaders and influential alumni.” Everett and Harris have played major roles in Charlotte’s sports landscape for many years. Everett has been involved with the Charlotte Regional Sports Commission and the Charlotte Bobcats as well as the Wachovia Championship. Harris, a member of the Carolina Panthers ownership group and president of Quail Hollow Club, played a key role in founding the Wachovia Championship and landing the ACC football championship and 1994 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in Charlotte. www.UNCC.edu

Campaign chairman Gene Johnson addresses the crowd at the Feb. 10 press conference.

Johnson, secretary of the university’s Board of Trustees, has been a staunch supporter of the 49ers athletic department for over 30 years. A tireless advocate for UNC Charlotte, Johnson has served on the Belk College of Business Advisory Council, the Alumni Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the 49ers Athletic Foundation. He was inducted into the UNC Charlotte Alumni Hall of Fame in 1997 and was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2000. “Everybody’s in the game,” said 49ers Director of Athletics Judy Rose. “We understand that adding football will impact more than the 49ers athletic department and more than UNC Charlotte. This is about

Charlotte — and it will take the vision and support of departmental, university and community leaders to insure success. This is just the beginning, but history is in the air.” After nearly two years of study and research, Dubois made his football recommendation to the university Board of Trustees on Sept. 18, 2008. The Board of Trustees passed the recommendation without opposition in its vote, Nov. 13, 2008. The Charlotte 49ers expect to field a football team in 2013. For more information, visit www. charlotte49erfootball.com. More athletics information can also be found in the 49ers Notebook on pg. 34. Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

3

n ew s b r i e f s

news briefs

UNC CHARLOTTE |

Energy Building will be EPIC UNC Charlotte’s Board of Trustees got a preview in January of the architectural design for the new Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), which will be located on the Charlotte Research Institute’s campus. The presentation by David A. Creech, of Narmour Wright Creech Architects, featured several renderings of the building, which will house the departments of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Electrical Engineering in a collaborative teaching and research facility. At 200,000 square feet, the EPIC building will provide classroom, office and laboratory space to accommodate growth in energy infrastructure research and collaboration with industry partners, including Duke Energy, and construction partners like AREVA, Parsons, and Shaw Group. UNC Charlotte proposed to create EPIC in response to a projected 30 percent increase in the demand for energy in the United States by 2030. Industry leaders are looking toward UNC Charlotte to help address a critical shortage in the intellectual capital necessary to modernize current energy production operations and facilitate the development of alternative energy sources. Groundbreaking on the building is scheduled for late summer of 2009 and the target date for completion is July 2011. Funding for the project was temporarily placed on hold earlier this fall. However, the Council of State determined earlier this month to allocate the remaining $57 million in construction funds so the project could move forward. Creech told the trustees the building would be LEED certified, at the Silver level. “As an energy center, we want to lead by example,” Creech said. The three-story structure will make ample use of natural light along with other energy-saving features, he said.

Changing Times… Changing Minds As part of the Changing Places: from Black and White to Technicolor® year-long exhibit at the Levine Museum of the New South, UNC Charlotte is the education sponsor for an exciting speaker series called Changing Times…Changing Minds. The series kicked off Feb. 18 with a conversation about “Charlotte at a Crossroads.” UNC Charlotte is sponsoring a monthly panel discussion by thought leaders 4

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

Groundbreaking on the building is scheduled for late summer of 2009 and the target date for completion is July 2011.

from throughout the community, including faculty from UNC Charlotte. UNC Charlotte is participating in order to share intellectual capital and resources of the University and enhance dialogue created by the

exhibit. The exhibit explores how individuals in the Charlotte region are dealing with the rapid and diverse growth created by the influx of newcomers from across the United States and around the globe. As the education sponsor, the University will host a monthly speaker series at the Levine Museum every third Wednesday from February 2009 through February 2010. UNC Charlotte Community Conversations: Changing Times... Changing Minds will feature expert panelists from the University accompanied by business www.UNCC.edu

news briefs professionals and community leaders to discuss the specific challenges and opportunities resulting from Charlotte’s burgeoning demographics. Each dialogue will begin at 6 p.m. at the Levine Museum followed by a reception. Upcoming topics include sustainability, the impact of growth on infrastructure and religion in Charlotte. For more information, see the insert in this edition. UNC Charlotte Earns National Recognition for Community Engagement UNC Charlotte has been selected for a prestigious 2008 Community Engagement elective classification by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The designation recognizes institutions that have internalized and sustained their commitment to collaborate with communities through teaching, research, and outreach. “From the beginning, this University has had a rich history of community involvement,” said Owen Furuseth, Associate Provost for Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs at UNC Charlotte. “We now work with private corporations to expand the reach of our engagement while also deepening our existing relationships.” UNC Charlotte is joined by Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, North Carolina Central University, UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, UNC Pembroke, and Western Carolina University among the 119 institutions honored with the classification this year. With the announcement, the proportion of North Carolina’s public universities deemed by the Carnegie Foundation to be “community engaged” far exceeds that of peer state systems across the country, including California, Texas, and Wisconsin. This national recognition is a natural outgrowth of the University’s UNC Tomorrow initiative, through which all UNC campuses are seeking to increase their outreach and responsiveness to their surrounding communities and the state as a whole. “The fact that over half of North Carolina’s public universities have been nationally recognized for their commitment to working with communities sends a strong message for the future of our state,” said Leslie Boney, UNC Associate Vice President for Economic Development Research, Policy, and Planning. www.UNCC.edu

Belk College Joins Elite Group in Sports Marketing Competition UNC Charlotte students traveled to Arizona in January to vie against seven teams from across the country in the National Sports Forum’s third annual NSF Case Cup Competition. Teams participate in the 24-hour competition to solve a business problem using skills learned in their academic program.

| UNC CHARLOTTE

UNC Charlotte joins an elite group of universities to participate in this year’s case competition. Previously, the competition had been an invitation-only event built around six of the nation’s top sports masters and MBA programs, including Arizona State University, the University of Oregon and Ohio University. The NSF invited four schools to apply for two additional spaces in the 2009 competition. UNC Charlotte and the University of Memphis were selected.

Governor-Elect Perdue Held Economic Roundtable at UNC Charlotte Governor-elect Beverly Perdue held an economic roundtable with more than 30 business leaders on the UNC Charlotte campus, including Charlotte Bobcats owner Bob Johnson and Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers. Perdue came away from the meeting saying it was a beneficial dialogue as she prepares to tackle the budget shortfall. “There was some very high quality discussion with some of the brightest business leaders in the world,” Perdue said after the meeting, which lasted about two hours. The event was chaired by Chancellor Philip L. Dubois along with Johnson, Rogers and Bank of America executive Cathy Bessant. The moderator was UNC Chapel Hill’s Ferrel Guillory. Before the discussion, an overview of the national economy was provided by Jeff Kane, senior vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Kane also is a member of the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees. Following that, Jeff Michael, director of the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte, gave an overview of the regional economy. In his remarks, Rogers told Perdue the production of so-called “clean energy” should be beneficial to the North Carolina economy. “We can make Charlotte the center of clean technology and clean energy,” he said. Dubois said it was imperative for the state’s public universities to be prepared to enroll thousands of additional students over the next decade and beyond. He specifically pointed to the need for state legislative approval of funding for new academic buildings.

Governor-elect Beverly Perdue

Jeff Kane

Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

5

UNC CHARLOTTE |

re s e a rc h b r i e f s

research briefs

Dr. James Amburgey works with student Alice Wang on the rapid sand filter prototype.

Rapid Sand Filter Delivers Clean, Safe Drinking Water As an efficient, inexpensive, low-tech way to treat water, Dr. James Amburgey’s research could bring clean, safe drinking water to potentially billions of people. Simplicity is the primary objective of the rapid sand filter system Amburgey is developing. “The idea is to make it as simple as possible,” he said. “All that is needed is some PVC pipe, sand and inexpensive treatment chemicals. The only way to practically deploy a system to the people of less developed countries is for it to be inexpensive and simple.” Amburgey, an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, specializes in drinking and recreational water treatment. He has done work in the past with slow sand filters, but his latest research with rapid sand filters is demonstrating the ability to clean water much more effectively and 30 to 50 times faster. “One significant challenge with sand filters is in removing Cryptosporidium oocysts,” Amburgey said. “One ‘crypto’ is five microns in diameter, but the gaps between grains of sand are approximately 75 microns. So, we have to get the crypto to stick to the sand grains.” To achieve this, Amburgey has developed a chemical pretreatment scheme based on ferric 6

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

1Q09

chloride and a pH buffer that is added to the water. In its natural state, Cryptosporidium is negatively charged, as are sand grains, so they repel one another. The chemical pretreatment changes the Cryptosporidium surface charge to near neutral, which eliminates the natural electrostatic repulsion and causes it to be attracted to and stick to the sand grains via van der Waals forces. In research using a prototype of this system in his lab, Amburgey and his students have done preliminary tests on waters from local rivers, creeks and wastewater treatment plants. Their results are typically greater than 99 percent removal for Cryptosporidium-sized particles. “A common problem in drinking water treatment facilities is that changing water quality requires changes in the chemical pretreatment dosages,” Amburgey said. “Our tests, so far, have shown that this system utilizing only a single set of chemical pretreatment dosages is effective on all waters tested to date.” Another advantage of the system is that it can be adapted by using local sands or crushed rock that are indigenous to a particular region of the world. Kosara Brings Expertise to American Scientist Readers Computer Science Professor Robert Kosara

is interested in “all things visual” — from photography to architecture to art. Since last summer he has used his ability to translate the latest in visual communication research to the written word with his column in the publication American Scientist. “My research is in information visualization, which produces images from abstract data so that we can use our powerful perceptual system to understand them,” Kosara said. This is somewhat similar to the way a microscope (or other instrument) is used in science, only visualization experts look at phenomena that are not physical, such as bank accounts, health data, genomes, or flight delays, Kosara added. In addition to the column, which covers topics including image models that chart the flow of air around bat wings, schematics to help scientists understand protein structures and Venn diagrams utilized to compare techniques to diagnose autism, Kosara runs a Web site (http://eagereyes. org/) where he discusses issues in visualization technology and visual communication.

From a shimmering wave of orange emerges the shape of a bat, its outstretched wings ready to propel it out of the frame. The image, which took first place in informational graphics in the 2007 National Science Foundation–Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, is rich with aerodynamic detail derived from observations of bats in wind tunnels and simulations of the airflow around their wings when flying. Kosara delves into the making of the image with its creators for a column in American Scientist. Image courtesy of David H. Laidlaw, Brown University. Research supported by NSF and AFOSR.

www.UNCC.edu

news briefs Center for Real Estate Surpasses Fundraising Goal Last fall, the UNC Charlotte Center for Real Estate celebrated the end of its fund raising campaign “Developing Talent, Building the Future” when campaign cochairs Fred Klein, senior managing partner at Childress Klein Properties, and Todd Mansfield, chairman and CEO of Crosland LLC, announced that the campaign raised $4.4 million, surpassing its $4 million goal by 10 percent. The campaign included funds for increasing scholarships and fellowship opportunities for students; expanding the real estate curriculum in the Belk College of Business; and creating programs for industry professionals. Lead donors to the campaign who contributed at the $500,000 level were American Asset Corporation, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Bissell, Childress Klein Properties, Crosland LLC and the Wachovia Foundation. Other significant gifts included $250,000 from Batson-Cook Company and $100,000 each from Shelco, Inc., K&L Gates and Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. A full list of donors is available at www.belkcollege. uncc.edu/real_estate/campaigndonors.html. UNC Charlotte’s ties to the real estate community are longstanding. Earlier this decade, the university raised $2 million to establish the Center for Real Estate. In the 1990s, real estate leaders joined together to endow a distinguished professorship in real estate in the Belk College of Business. Steve Ott, who joined the faculty of the Belk College of Business in 1999, is the John Crosland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Real Estate and director of the Center for Real Estate. The university offers a concentration in real estate at the MBA level as well as a post-graduate certificate program. The MBA real estate concentration currently enrolls 30 students and has graduated more than 60. Faculty and graduate students also conduct research on issues related to real estate, addressing topics ranging from tax increment financing to public-private partnerships in school construction to the impact of public transit on development. “The Belk College of Business is committed to serving the citizens of North Carolina through excellence in teaching, research and service,” said Joseph B. Mazzola, dean of the Belk College. www.UNCC.edu

Grant Creates Scholarship Program for Nontraditional Students The Bernard Osher Foundation has awarded UNC Charlotte a $50,000 grant to create a scholarship program for nontraditional students. Unforeseen circumstances can interrupt the pursuit of a college degree. UNC Charlotte will use the grant to help make the dream a reality. The University’s Office of Adult Students and Evening Services (OASES) will administer the program, designated the Osher Reentry Scholarship. This award will fund up to 25 scholarships of $2,000 ($1,000 per semester). To qualify, prospective recipients must have college credits from a four-year institution but must have at least a five-year gap in enrollment. In addition, students must be pursuing their first baccalaureate degree, have good academic standing, demonstrated financial need and a significant period of future employability. For more than a decade, UNC Charlotte has instituted a number of programs to

| UNC CHARLOTTE

assist nontraditional students, including the Nontraditional Student Organization, which provides academic and social support; the Adult Mentoring Program for Students, comprised of teams of adult volunteers to advise and assist returning students, and the 49er Finish Program, a recent initiative that identifies UNC Charlotte students who have been away from the University for up to 10 years but who had left with enough credits to return with senior-level standing. Prospective Osher Reentry Scholarship applicants do not need to have previously attended UNC Charlotte to apply. Visioning Forum to Chart UNC Charlotte’s Course UNC Charlotte, much like the Queen City itself, has experienced a tremendous increase in growth and diversity. These changes, coupled with alterations in work, family structure, age, lifestyle, technology and other factors have contributed to a sharp decline in community engagement during the past quarter century, according to Harvard

University Selects Firm for Integrated Marketing Campaign UNC Charlotte has announced that a local agency, Tattoo Projects, has been selected to assist the university in the development of an integrated marketing campaign. Tattoo Projects will help UNC Charlotte develop creative strategy and implementation plans. “The research we’ve conducted over the past several years has shown we must continually improve our communications about this university,” said David Dunn, vice chancellor for University Relations and Community Affairs. “This firm has excellent skills in brand strategy and communications implementation. They know this market very well and they’ll help us to better tell our story.” The University has already begun to revise its image with an updated logo and identity system rolled out to the university community in August. This includes an updated version of the university “Crown” and standard adaptations of the logo for colleges and units within the university. The communications efforts will now begin to move from internal to external audiences. “In order for the Charlotte area to understand all the things the university provides we have to have a clear, unified voice in the marketplace,” Dunn said. “We are a completely unique resource for our area and the only urban, research university in our system. There are countless opportunities for our community to engage UNC Charlotte.” Numerous faculty, staff and students will interact with Tattoo Projects through this process, but they will primarily coordinate efforts through University Relations and Community Affairs. “This is an important step for us to take,” said Richard McDevitt, director of Marketing Services. “The more people know about UNC Charlotte, the better they understand the critical role we play in this region.” Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

7

UNC CHARLOTTE |

n ew s b r i e f s

news briefs University researcher Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.” To reverse that trend, UNC Charlotte is increasing its efforts to teach the importance of community engagement and, using the Crossroads Charlotte model, is creating a vision of what the University will look like in 2015. With grant funding from the Foundation for the Carolinas, UNC Charlotte will hold visioning exercises on campus to depict plausible futures for the University. Developing University scenarios would be an outgrowth of the Crossroads Charlotte initiative that identified four likely scenarios for the city based upon Putnam’s survey of 40 communities. His research revealed Charlotte-Mecklenburg has high levels of faith-based involvement and philanthropy, but low levels of social and interracial trust. The first visioning was held in November; another will be scheduled this winter, in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center training gymnasium. Students, faculty, staff and alumni are encouraged to participate in this event; participants do not have to remain the entire time. For more information, contact Kerrie Stewart at [email protected]. UNC Charlotte Fleet Has Gone Green In an effort to be good stewards of the environment, UNC Charlotte has created a fleet of alternatively fueled vehicles. North Carolina mandated that 75 percent of all state

Professor Pens Historical Thriller Someone has a copy of the lost Shakespeare play “Love’s Labour’s Won,” at least that’s the premise of A.J. Hartley’s new historical thriller What Time Devours. In his latest novel, UNC Charlotte Theatre Department’s Distinguished Professor of Shakespeare Andrew Hartley (A.J.) weaves a literary murder mystery based on a well-researched centuriesold mystery. Hartley said most scholars believe “Love’s Labour’s Won” did exist. “Not only was it written and probably performed, but it was published.” But the play, a comedy, has since vanished. For many years it was assumed that “Love’s Labour’s Won” was an alternative name for “The Taming of the Shrew,” but a booklist written in 1603 lists the two as separate works. What Time Devours is Hartley’s third historical thriller, following The Mask of Atreus and On the Fifth Day. Critics have compared Hartley to Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code. According to Publisher’s Weekly, “…he avoids the missteps of most attempts to cash in on the Da Vinci Code zeitgeist by focusing on the faithful rather than the freewheeling conspiracies.”

motor fleets operate on alternative fuel by January 2009, and the campus master plan calls for a pedestrian-friendly campus as well. Since 2005, UNC Charlotte has added approximately 51 low-speed, battery-electric vehicles to its motor fleet. Plans are underway to add at least 90 more.

Andrew Hartley

Cover of Andrew Hartley’s latest novel, What Time Devours

UNC Charlotte added 24 Daimler Chrysler Global Electric Motorcars to the fleet that includes 24 Club Cars, two Trolleys, one EZGO Electric Vehicle, and two Columbia Par Car Summit Neighborhood Electric Vehicles. Global Electric Motorcars (GEM) was selected because they met most of the university’s neighbor electric vehicle goals. The GEM line of electric vehicles can be licensed to operate on 35 mph roads, have automotive safety restraints, four-wheel braking, automotive tires and built in rollover protection. “We’re thinking about the future and looking for ways to protect the environment,” said facilities construction engineer Steve Terry. “And we’re also trying to teach our students how important recycling, reduction of fossil fuels and conserva­tion of water is, so they can take that knowledge out into the world.” GEM has proposed doing a case study of UNC Charlotte’s green fleet.

This GEM vehicle is one of many that can be seen on campus. 8

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

www.UNCC.edu

news briefs

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Future President, Vice President Visit UNC Charlotte

U.S. Senator and vice presidential candidate Joseph Biden visited UNC Charlotte to rally support for his ticket in October. The day-time event in Halton Arena was open to the public and drew approximately 1,500 people. More than 25,000 people gathered on the intramural fields opposite of Duke Centennial Hall on Nov. 3 to see then-candidate-now-U.S. President Barack Obama make his second-to-last election eve appearance. The crowd waited patiently in the rain, listening to music and speeches from candidates for public office, including U.S. Senator Kay Hagan. The University hosted members of the community, faculty, staff and students for the event. Both events were sponsored by the College Democrats student organization. Barack Obama provided the only election-eve visit by a presidential candidate in UNC Charlotte’s history.

Joe Biden made an impassioned plea at Halton Arena. Grigg Hall is festooned in flags and bathed in light as a crowd braved drenching rain on election eve. www.UNCC.edu

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

9

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Eye Economy Plath Offers Insights on Charlotte Banking

on the

Edited by John D. Bland We’ve got an economic crisis on our hands. For those of us living in the Charlotte area, we were spared some of the earlier pain that affected other regions. But now that the nation is firmly ensconced in a major recession, many of us are focused intently on the present – how we are going to maintain and improvise during these challenging times. UNC Charlotte invited Tony Plath, associate professor, Belk College of Business to look down the road a bit and talk about how economic conditions may change the Charlotte region. Here is what he said. How much responsibility did the CEOs of Bank of America and Wachovia have for the current banking crisis? Plath – Both banks were heavily involved in packaging mortgage loans into securities and selling these packages in the debt market, a process known as securitization. This practice was one of the contributing factors to the speculative run-up in national real estate prices.  But there were many other contributing factors to the rapid escalation in real estate prices occurring between 2002 and 2007 that were well beyond the control of Charlotte’s big banks. Other contributing factors included lax federal regulation within the mortgage underwriting market and a willingness on the part of some consumers to borrow more than they could afford to repay in order to acquire larger houses. 10 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

One of the things we’ve learned from the current financial crisis is that market stability in our fast-moving and globallyconnected financial markets depends vitally

on information transparency and a collective sharing of risk between financial institutions that participate in the market.  Collective sharing of risk means … each www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

of the financial institutions responsible for creating, distributing, and exchanging securitized loan packages maintains “skin in the game” throughout the life of the securitized package. This provides a financial incentive to honestly and accurately evaluate the riskiness of the package at its creation and then monitor this risk level carefully ... over the life of the package.  If we’d done these sorts of things in the early days of securitization between 1995 and 2007, we would likely have avoided much of the current financial crisis that we’re experiencing today. What is the outlook for Charlotte as a banking center in three to five years? Plath – It’s a good bet that Charlotte will remain a financial destination city for the retail financial services industry for years to come.  As we emerge from the current financial crisis in late-2009 or 2010, the financial services industry will begin growing again and Charlotte will be among the first urban regions of the country to benefit from this growth because of its stature as a banking center. There are at least three important characteristics driving Charlotte forward as a financial center:  People, infrastructure, and reputation.  As a large financial center, Charlotte has a concentration of well-educated and professionally skilled people in the financial services industry that’s unparalleled in virtually every other city in the nation.  Accordingly, financial services companies throughout the nation locate here in order to be able to tap in to the outstanding labor market for financial services professionals.  That explains why GMAC is likely to relocate its corporate headquarters to Charlotte, and why both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are presently recruiting from the greaterCharlotte labor market for skilled banking professionals as these firms ramp up their new bank holding companies. In addition, the urban infrastructure in the greater-Charlotte market compares most favorably to just about every other urban region in the United States.   Finally, the Charlotte region has a www.UNCC.edu

| UNC CHARLOTTE

reputation for strong cooperation between the public and private sectors of the regional economy, placing local government and regional businesses in a cooperative and collaborative relationship with one another.  Are community banks in better shape than the banking giants? Plath – No. Community banks, traditionally defined as banks with total assets below $1 billion, face the same sort of financial hardships that are facing our largest banks.  Falling real estate prices, increasing loan default rates, diminished profitability and falling levels of capital adequacy characterize just about all banks these days, regardless of size.  There are a few important differences between crisis management within the big and small banks, however.  First, larger banks have greater diversification across their loan portfolios, so their heaviest loan losses concentrated in certain parts of the country are offset by relatively stronger loan quality in other areas of the banks’ geographic territories.  Smaller banks typically operate in significantly narrower geographic areas, and banks in areas hardest hit by falling real estate prices face a particularly difficult future in 2009. Second, bigger banks have an easier time raising new equity capital in the stock market.  Wells Fargo, BB&T, and Bank of America have all been successful in supplementing the TARP infusion of government equity capital with new public sales of common and preferred stock in recent months.  Community banks face a far more hostile reception among investors in trying to sell new shares of stock in the current economic environment, and it’s virtually impossible for them to raise new equity capital in the public arena.  Access to equity capital is vitally important for banks, because without it they can’t write down their loan losses, make new loans, grow their assets, and maintain a sufficient quantity of required equity in their businesses to continue business operations.  We will likely lose many of the nation’s current population of community banks through voluntary consolidations,

outright sales, government-arranged bank combinations, and even outright failures of many small and regional banks in the United States. What type of regulation do you recommend for the banking industry? Plath – Before the end of 2009, we’ll likely see a joint proposal from the Treasury Department, the House Financial Services Committee, and the Senate Banking Committee for sweeping reregulation of the financial services industry and reform of deceptive and unfair lending practices in the mortgage loan industry.  We will likely see the Treasury propose a sweeping new financial regulatory fabric led by a “systemic-risk regulator,” and likely name the Federal Reserve as the best candidate to assume the responsibility for regulating systemic risk within the U.S. financial system.  This change would give the Fed broad responsibility for oversight of the entire financial system, including commercial banks, investment banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, and other financial services providers that operate across the American economic landscape. Continued on p. 37

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

11

Consider the

Blue

Dot By Lisa A. Lambert

“In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.” -From a Commencement Address Delivered by Carl Sagan, May 11, 1996

More than a decade ago, Carl Sagan asked us to consider the pale blue dot. Sagan was referencing the Voyager 1 photo of the solar system taken 4 billion miles from our planet, in which the Earth appears slightly larger than the head of a pin. When you look at that photo, Sagan’s description of our planet as “a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark” becomes palpable, as does humanity’s total interdependence. 12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Calls to consider the impact of our actions upon the Earth have grown in number and volume in recent years as the effects of climate change and population growth become apparent. UNC Charlotte researchers have been considering the dot, and are passing their knowledge of environmentally responsible practices to students and the community. Featured here are several stories about innovation, collaboration and promising research with the potential to affect lives around the globe. These are but a few of many examples of the potential solutions and knowledge our faculty apply to today’s environmental quandaries. Building on the Principles of Sustainable Design Think of the way you use the earth’s resources as a transaction at a grocery store. You roam the aisles, pull pre-packaged items from the shelves, pay the cashier and leave. Then you consume those goods and repeat the cycle. Your community continues to grow, so more grocery stores pop up because a single store can’t support the needs of the entire community. The image becomes complicated when we replace the grocery store with Earth, and all of those items with finite resources such as oil, and come to realize that despite continuous upward trends in population growth, there’s nowhere else (aka alternative Earth) for us to go when our planet runs out of resources. The way we’re living can’t be sustained. Desperate times call for brilliant theories. The theory of sustainability states that community, environment, economy and culture are all interrelated and mutually dependent, explained Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Helene Hilger. “In the Western world, the notion of sustainability has translated to living in such a way that future generations can enjoy the quality of life that you did, with enough resources remaining to make that possible,” she said. A tall order when you take into account that all of our economic systems depend on pulling materials out of the earth, making stuff out of it, and selling it — especially given that the same amount of resources are here now as when homosapiens started walking the globe. www.UNCC.edu

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 13

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

For better or worse, our economic systems are embedded in our environmental systems. Within engineering and architecture circles, sustainability theory has morphed from buzzword to practice in ways never before imagined, largely because of shifting attitudes and advancing technologies. The Lee College of Engineering is addressing sustainability as it educates students in its use, conducts research to further its development and partners with professionals in its application. “Sustainability theory says you have to look at all impacts of a project,” said Hilger. “The design impacts the ecosystem, which supports the economy, which supports the social system.” Sustainable design theory advocates conserving ‘natural capital’ by using fewer raw materials and more reused and recycled materials. “This means wasting less material and landfilling less material,” Hilger said. “To conserve energy resources, you should use local materials, so less transportation is involved. Examples are using pine for wood floors in the South and fir for floors in the West.” In addition, Hilger said practitioners of sustainability theory consider the entire life

14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

cycle of any facility or product they design. “When we buy a new CD, that CD doesn’t create a lot of pollution — but what did it take to make the CD and what about all of the packaging?” Hilger added. The vast majority of producers of goods don’t experience the full cost of their product on society. Ultimately, the public has to pay for the discard of the waste; anyone living within sight of a landfill will attest to the urgency of the issue. The growing importance of sustainability is making it a hot topic for students and professionals alike. “Students now have to learn sustainability theory to make them successful engineers,” Hilger said. “And professional engineers also have to adopt it and begin incorporating it into the way they do their work.” To spread the word about sustainability to the professional engineering community, College of Engineering faculty members have been delivering talks to area, state and national groups. In addition to offering courses in sustainable design, sustainable land development, and sustainable storm water management, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with Mechanical Engineering and Architecture, piloted a multidisciplinary sustainable design course. As their course project, student teams had to tackle the problem of renovating an abandoned ‘big box’ retail facility in Charlotte. With help from city and county officials and several UNC Charlotte faculty members, the students developed two conceptual designs for a sustainable renovation of the vacant complex. A number of research projects in the College of Engineering also now have strong sustainability components. One is in the area of storm water, in which researchers are looking at ways to treat and minimize storm runoff by using bio-retention basins, grassed swales and a whole group of other technologies in place of curb and gutter. Another research project is looking at the feasibility of grinding up gypsum board and using it as a soil additive at newly developed sites, either on top of soil or tilled in just before grass is seeded. On a larger scale, researchers are working to establish a regional construction and

Fly Ash Concrete Provides Many Green Advantages The remarkable thing about Ph.D. student Brett Tempest’s fly ash concrete is that it is very “green.” Green in the sense that it is good for the environment. The environmental advantage of fly ash in concrete goes far beyond just using it as aggregate filler. Chemically activated fly ash is actually used in place of portland cement, which results in a tremendous reduction in CO2 emissions. “What’s difficult to explain to people is there’s no portland cement in this concrete,” Tempest said. “Most people think you can’t make concrete without portland cement, but you can.” Portland cement is made by heating limestone to very high temperatures, which releases the CO2 inherent in the limestone. For every ton of cement produced, a ton of CO2 is released. “It’s not just the energy needed to heat the limestone that accounts for the CO2 production,” Tempest said. “It’s the releasing of the CO2 from the limestone itself. That is what Portland cement is, and there’s no way around it.” In testing, the fly ash concrete is proving to have superior chemical and temperature resistance compared to cement-based concrete. The compression strength of the material is currently at about 3,000 psi. A Department of Energy grant, made to the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the amount of $492,000, provides 80 percent of funding for future development and improvement of the fly ash concrete.

Ph.D. students Brett Tempest, left, and Olanrewaju Sanusi, center, and master’s student Mitch Taylor research the best fly ash and activating solution mix for their concrete. A 3”x6” cylinder of fly ash concrete in a universal testing machine.

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

demolition recycling center. The center will create a stock pile of materials and study methods for reuse. Knowledge Saves Power When it comes to saving energy, knowledge is power, explained Robert W. Cox, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at UNC Charlotte. Cox and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a non-intrusive load monitor, or NILM, that can assess the operational status of multiple electrical loads from a single set of measurements collected at a central point. Simply put, the sensor tracks and reports on how much energy is being used in your home — from the refrigerator, to the television set, to the lighting system and beyond. “The system we’ve worked on involves a low-cost, highly reliable device you could install in a commercial building, industrial facility or home,” Cox said. Buildings are the highest users of energy, representing 40 percent of the total energy consumed. Further, 20 percent of the energy consumed is wasted because electrical devices either aren’t used or maintained properly, resulting in slight problems in the function of the device that www.UNCC.edu

a homeowner wouldn’t necessarily notice. NILM generates data that helps determine which electrical devices might be operating inefficiently. For example, if your air conditioner has a refrigerant leak, it will turn on and off frequently, thus using more energy and resulting in a higher monthly energy bill. NILM will detect and diagnose the leak. In addition to providing diagnostics, NILM is an educational tool, Cox said. NILM provides consumers with a report of their day-to-day energy use. “A lot of what people call phantom load — your television, washing machine — all of those appliances continuously pull electricity, even when you’re not using them,” he said. Cox advises homeowners to avoid using hundreds of watts of phantom load by plugging electrical devices into a power strip, so the power supply can be cut off with a flip of the switch when the device isn’t in use. According to Cox, NILM is the only device of its kind. “Typically, you would have a sensor for every load. Our system uses one sensor to see what all of the loads are doing,” Cox noted. The device, a metal box installed next to the breaker cabinet, includes a sensor that connects to the breaker panel. Information from the sensor is then fed into a central computer. Ultimately, the researchers hope to make the device wireless, so homeowners can check the data from their desktops. Imagine, for instance, an IM-style pop-up box on your computer screen that reminds you to check your air conditioner. Though the NILM won’t likely be available for commercial consumption for another two years, it hasn’t escaped the attention of business and industry. Researchers currently are conducting sixmonth tests of the device in commercial buildings and residential settings through contracts with Epri and Duke Energy. If all of this sounds mildly futuristic, it’s about to get a little Orwellian. Cox explained that Duke Energy hopes to closely monitor energy use in the homes they service because ultimately, utility providers want to be able to control consumers’ energy use in certain situations. “In the summer, when everyone has the

| UNC CHARLOTTE

air conditioning on, the utility companies would be able to shut your air off for one or two cycles to avoid a black-out,” Cox said. “You probably wouldn’t even notice.” Rather than a diabolical scheme to wield unprecedented power over unsuspecting homeowners, the Duke Energy NILM trials are part of the Unified National Smart Grid project. Smart Grid aims to replace the United States’ antiquated electricity transmission and distribution system with a fail-safe, modernized energy infrastructure capable of carrying large amounts of electricity over long distances. A similar project currently is underway in Boulder, Colo. Behind the Curve: Solar Finds Foothold Outside of United States Sometimes seeing is believing. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, German citizens and politicians became believers. Widespread damage to the country’s forests caused by air pollution spurred a passion for environmental protection that remains “a national obsession,” according to the Los Angeles Times. But this ethically driven movement to eliminate pollution served an ancillary

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 15

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

purpose — to strengthen Germany’s economy. Because the country boasts some of the world’s most stringent environmental regulations, Germany has developed a wide range of new “green” technologies; and solar energy is chief among them. Mohamad-Ali Hasan, UNC Charlotte associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, said the United States is in danger of lagging behind the rest of the world as the market for alternative energy sources expands. “Germany powers whole cities with solar energy. They now hold most of the intellectual property rights when it comes to solar energy technologies,” Hasan noted. “There is a lot of work being done to advance solar technology in China. In fact, Zhengrong Shi, the CEO of Suntech, is now the wealthiest man in China and his company is the eighth largest solar panel producer in the world.” The move to embrace solar technology throughout the world is intensive, Hasan said. The solar sector grew 67 percent last year — leaps and bounds ahead of other sectors. “I hate to see us loosing this vital technology sector. Historically, the United States leads the world in technological discovery and development, but our numerous accomplishments rest alongside some egregious examples of missed opportunity in recent decades,” Hasan said. “We have a good example in the flat-panel display (FPD) market. Back in the mid 1990s, industry leaders deemed that there would be no future in FPDs due to problems with viewing angles and speed. The Japanese, Koreans and others continued their research and now they own both intellectual rights and manufacturing facilities for this trillion dollar business sector.” Rather than shy away from solar, Hasan said the U.S. energy industry should embrace the development of solar technologies as one component of a multifaceted solution to our energy crisis. “Global demand for energy is increasing with time. We’ll not reach a plateau any time soon,” he said. Frequent blackouts in China, former Eastern bloc countries and Africa underscore the world-wide need for affordable, clean energy. 16 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

How to Harvest Hydrogen By Nancy Oates

When it comes to abundance and environmental impact, you won’t yet find a better alternative than solar. The world will need 20 gigawatts of power by 2020 — the wattage of solar energy bathing the Earth in one hour is greater than our collective yearly need. And a little bit of solar goes a long way, Hasan said. “We could start with residential areas. If I cover 20 percent of my roof with solar panels, it will produce enough power for my home,” Hasan explained. In fact, covering an area the size of the state of Oklahoma with solar panels would generate enough energy to power the whole of North America. Moreover, the panels are made from silicon, a material extracted from sand. If it degrades, it will turn into non-toxic sand again. Hasan, who is teaching a new course called Fundamentals of Solar Cells, spends a lot of time debunking myths about solar energy. Perhaps the two most widespread myths are: 1) solar only works where there is abundant sunshine; and 2) solar power is too expensive. “Sure solar panels work when there is light, but the energy can be stored in batteries for later use. Energy management and interaction with the power grid is wellestablished technology,” Hasan said. As for the cost, expensive is a relative

Hydrogen is nature’s simplest atom — one proton and one electron. Layers of electrons, called shells, orbit around the atom’s nucleus, which contains the protons. Each shell has a set number of electrons at which it is most stable. If it has more electrons in its outer shell than its stable point, it looks to give some away, and is called positively charged. If it has less than its stable point, it wants to share another atom’s electrons, and is called negatively charged. The outermost shell of a hydrogen atom is most stable with two electrons in it. The hydrogen atom, with only one electron, is drawn to other atoms. When it combines with another hydrogen atom to make a hydrogen molecule (H2), it is a stable compound. The outermost shell of an oxygen atom is most stable with eight electrons in it, but by itself has only six electrons. When two hydrogen atoms share their electrons with an oxygen atom, the result is the very stable molecule H2O, water. With a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, UNC Charlotte Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Nanoscale Science Sherine Obare wrests the hydrogen atoms away from the oxygen in water with the use of catalysts, nanoparticles that break down a substance without being consumed in the process. She exposes titanium dioxide (TiO2) to sunlight. The ultraviolet energy TiO2 absorbs separates the positive charges from the negative charges. She adds a platinum nanoparticle catalyst, which stores the negative charges, acting like a mini-capacitor. Then she adds water. The catalyst releases the stored negative charges, which wrench the hydrogen atoms away from the oxygen. To read more about Obare’s groundbreaking work, visit Exchange: A Magazine for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at www.coas.uncc.edu/docs/v3.1Exchange-W08.pdf

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re term. For the average homeowner, installation costs between $10 and $20 thousand (before the Federal tax credit), and panels come with a 25-year warranty. However, the lifetime of the panels can be much longer. If you divide the cost of the panels by their lifetime, solar panels are a cheaper alternative compared to commercial power sources, Hasan said. When investigating going solar, homeowners must consider the irreversible damage caused by use of non-renewable energies, as well as the savings incurred over the course of the life of the technology. Like flat panel displays, with more research and development the solar technology will become more affordable, he added. “The technology is there — we have to put our minds to developing it to replace the polluting energy sources,” Hasan said. “We have the resources, money and the dynamics. We’re not a static society. We take whatever is new and better and adopt it.” Mastering the Available: Natural Daylighting Before the Industrial Revolution, mankind conducted business between sunup and sundown. But in the late 19th Century, all of that changed — the advent of electrical illumination marked the end of Father Time’s imposition on our work and leisure activities. But as we’ve come to spend more and more of our time in the workplace, the relationship between our built environment and well-being has met with scrutiny. A decade-long trend in building science research indicates that people are more comfortable, productive and perhaps most importantly, feel healthier in buildings that are specifically designed to accommodate the use of daylight as the primary source of workplace illumination, said Professor of Architecture Dale Brentrup. The concept of harnessing natural light to illuminate building interiors is as old as the window itself, but relatively recent advances in lighting research and technology have opened up new horizons for daylighting. “Daylighting also represents the single largest ‘new’ opportunity for energy savings www.UNCC.edu

in commercial lighting today and for the foreseeable future,” Brentrup noted. Rather than relying on component technologies, daylighting is shaped and delivered by the architecture itself, and it’s free! Enter the School of Architecture’s Daylighting + Energy Performance Laboratory at UNC Charlotte. Along with a “sun machine” and “sky machine,” you’ll find graduate students and faculty who enjoy crunching numbers and care deeply about the environmental impact of buildings. The lab uses two instruments to assess the impact of sky luminance and solar radiation. The Artificial Sky, which simulates the average overcast conditions of the Piedmont region, and a Fixed Sun Movable Earth Heliodon, which simulates actual solar penetration. Under Brentrup’s direction, lab staffers are working with the University, as well as with local industry and government, to figure out how current practices have impacted our carbon footprint. “Daylighting is directly related to the idea of carbon reduction,” said graduate student Lindsay Frizzell, who is working on a project to quantify energy efficiency. “For every kilowatt hour of energy we save, we’re cutting approximately two and a half pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.”

| UNC CHARLOTTE

According to a recent Brookings Institution study, the Charlotte region’s carbon footprint is among the nation’s heaviest. The study rated 100 large regions from least footprint to biggest — and Charlotte ranked No. 72, with emissions rising significantly faster than the national average. While buildings can be retro-fitted to be more energy efficient, Brentrup said the greatest amount of energy savings can be achieved by designing new buildings in accordance with environmentally responsible practices. He is working with the University to develop guidelines for ensuring the efficiency of new buildings, and has consulted with the architects of the Student Union and the Energy Production and Infrastructure Center. During his 15-years at the helm of the Daylighting Lab, Brentrup also has developed numerous partnerships within Mecklenburg County. Local architects and government have consulted with the lab in the design of facilities including Imaginon, Freedom Center (400,000 square feet of County office space), the Health and Social Services Building, and the Renaissance Recreational Sports Learning Academy, a new project in the pipeline. Out with the Old, in with the Green The old often becomes new again. Take fashion, for example. Recognize those skinny jeans and sweater dresses? They are new adaptations of 80s styles. In some instances, the same can be said for “green” building practices, or what Assistant Professor of Architecture Thomas Gentry prefers to call environmentally responsible building. As a contractor in the 1970s, Gentry was thinking and building green. He has built and designed award-winning passive solar houses, earth sheltered houses and doubleenvelope houses. In the 1990s, he utilized straw bale construction techniques to insulate walls — techniques first practiced at the turn of the century. Straw bale construction is one example of a technique that could be put into widescale practice (in appropriate regions), if Continued on p. 30 Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 17

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Crime and

Punishment

Professor expands understanding of China’s criminal justice system

By Paul Nowell

18 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

A book, a plant and a fish. These three “gifts” are what convicted felons are given on their first day in prison in China, one of the world’s oldest and least understood civilizations. While most of us would raise an eyebrow to this type of criminal justice, Professor Paul Friday believes the unusual items given to the new prisoners represent far more than inappropriate offerings.  To Friday, an internationally recognized scholar who teaches criminal justice at UNC Charlotte and received UNC Charlotte’s International Scholar Award in 2007, the ritualistic presentation of the three “gifts” to the inmates explains a lot about the Chinese philosophy about crime and punishment. Despite the images of Chinese prisons in the West, Friday suggests they might actually be more progressive than their counterparts in other nations, even in the United States, where prisons are criticized for being largely ineffective and overcrowded with repeat offenders. “The book is for the prisoner’s education, www.UNCC.edu

so they can be re-socialized,” Friday said, acknowledging the book is a less-than-subtle means to inculcate the inmates with citizen responsibilities to their communities and reaffirm social values they might have forgotten or ignored while they were on the wrong side of the law. The plant is supposed to teach the inmate how to take care of a living thing that depends completely on him or her to survive.  Finally, Friday explains the fish is placed into a large tank with scores of others just like it, where it is nurtured by all the cellmates in the prison dormitory. The lesson to be learned here is trust and communal responsibility. “Symbolism is very important to the Chinese people,” Friday said. “For the inmate, if they study hard and nurture the plant and fish, the reward can be points toward early release.” Friday learned about the practice from his years of collaboration with his Chinese counterparts. As far back as his graduate school days in the late 1960s, he has traveled extensively to countries in Europe and Asia. He’s always maintained a strong interest in the

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Friday’s campus office is decorated with a variety of artifacts and awards he has collected over the years, many of them from China. He has been traveling to the country since 1996.

internal dynamics of China’s much-maligned criminal justice system. “I started getting interested in China about 10 years ago when they started opening up to the West. They started an open-door policy and I saw it as an opportunity to go there,” he said in an interview in his University office, which is overflowing with Chinese art pieces and awards he has earned from educational and law enforcement institutions from around the globe. Through perseverance, a lot of networking and a little bit of luck, Friday has earned a reputation as an entrusted and objective colleague among China’s leading criminologists and scholars. It didn’t come easy or quickly. “I went to one of the first (criminology) Continued on p. 38 Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 19

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Operatecture: Opening Doors Through Opera

West Mecklenburg High School student Isaiah Bell (left) joins his mentor, recent UNC Charlotte graduate Traven Harrington, to perform in front of an audience of nearly 300 students in the school auditorium.

By Lisa A. Lambert

The Four Tenors launch into “O Sole Mio.”

20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re The students file into the auditorium, mill around, laughing and joking. The sound of gum snapping and teenage voices mingles with the sound of opera music pouring forth from the school sound system. Two-hundred-plus students jostle into the auditorium aisles, stuffing their book bags under the wooden seats. Abdullah Birdsong, West Mecklenburg High School’s director of choral activities, resembles an air-traffic controller standing at the front of the auditorium, answering students’ questions and waving them to their seats, black microphone in hand. Backstage, men and women in costume exercise their vocal cords in preparation for the upcoming performance.  Anne Harley, UNC Charlotte professor of music performance, explains to the crowd what they will soon experience. Then, recent UNC Charlotte graduate Traven Harrington opens the program with a stirring rendition of the Negro spiritual “Ride On.”  Back stage, West Mecklenburg eleventh grader Isaiah Bell prepares for his debut. Bell strides slowly, confidently, across the stage, dapper in a black suit. His classmates register their recognition audibly but quiet down as soon as he launches into “O Sole Mio.” They are mildly astonished as their classmate annunciates each word in Italian, as if the aria were written in his native tongue. He sinks gracefully to one knee, arm outstretched, beseeching his elusive love. Bell, the fourth tenor in what is usually a three-tenor performance, then strolls over to the UNC Charlotte students who will join him. Together, they lift their voices as the aria draws to a close. The audience erupts in cheers and applause. Harrington currently serves as a mentor to Bell, who is interested in pursuing a career in music. For Bell, an unlikely genre of music and a fortuitous connection between the University and West Mecklenburg High School helped to broaden his horizons. “We were real active in church, and when I moved to Charlotte I met Mr. Birdsong,” Bell said. Bell learned that Birdsong had trained as an opera singer in college. Bell was skeptical at first, but came to respect opera because it is, in his words, melodic and controlled. www.UNCC.edu

“Mr. Birdsong told me he wanted me to participate in this program, so I started working on my voice to try to get it to sound like his.” In no time, Bell was brushing up on his Italian. Now in its third year, the UNC Charlotte program Bell fondly mentioned — known as Opera for All — exposes students at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Equity Plus high schools to various modes of artistic expression. Harley launched the program with a grant from the UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund.

“Beauty is a pragmatic good – a civil building block. Students can be taught to use the power and discipline they learn in artistic pursuit to better society.” Anne Harley

The Experience Of Operatecture Opera for All welcomes students and teachers from local high schools and UNC Charlotte in all artistic disciplines, as well as parents, alumni, and volunteers from the community, to produce opera, both in high schools and at UNC Charlotte. Opera for All presents workshops and performances on high school campuses throughout the academic year, culminating in rehearsals and production of opera at the university. According to Harley, students in Equity Plus schools often face challenging

| UNC CHARLOTTE

economic circumstances. “The purpose of the outreach is to broaden both the high school and UNC Charlotte students’ cultural experience,” she noted.  Student and faculty volunteers from the Department of Music, School of Architecture and the Digital Design Center in the College of Arts + Architecture, have taken live “operatecture” performances to more than 2,000 students. Operatecture combines the traditional elements of opera production with the latest in digital design and real-time motion and sound-capture technology under development by students and faculty at UNC Charlotte. The goal of the program is to perform opera scenes for high school students who have had limited exposure to the arts, and especially for those interested in pursuing a music career.   Harley, who conceived of the program, said the arts have a tangible impact on society. In fact, a 2006 study by the National Endowment for the Arts showed that there is a very powerful association between participation in the arts and engagement in the community.  The study reveals that people who participate in the arts also engage in positive civic and individual activities — such as volunteering, going to sporting events, and outdoor activities — at significantly higher rates than non-arts participants. The study also reveals that young adults (18 - 34) show a declining rate of arts participation and civic activities. “Beauty is a pragmatic good – a civil building block,” Harley said. “Students can be taught to use the power and discipline they learn in artistic pursuits to better society. We have a horrific example of societies that want to ‘perfect’ things and people, such as Nazi Germany, but the arts represent an expression of love for the human element which is, by nature, imperfect. Nurturing artists is essentially cultivating that love of humanity. That’s much more interesting to me than the pursuit of perfection,” Harley added. As a graduate student, Harley witnessed first-hand the transformative power of the arts through her work with a nonprofit organization, Sarasa, that brought professional performers to prisons and Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 21

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

juvenile detention centers.  Not only did the program allow inmates to experience a reprieve from the difficulties of incarceration, but Harley, who had been raised in wealthy neighborhoods and attended private schools, said the experience altered her perspective as well.  Harley knows the UNC Charlotte students who donate their time to the program (they receive no pay or college credit for participating) will reap similar

metaphor for all kinds of coming together,” Harley said. “Our program’s strength lies in the wide variety of avenues through which it invites its audience in.”  Opera operates through the senses of the body – sound, color and image – and the intellect – poetry, geometry, architecture – to present to each audience member a transformational artistic moment, Harley noted. At the heart of the performance is the

a participating high school, the students have an opportunity to travel to the UNC Charlotte campus each January to view a full-scale operatecture performance, followed by a tour of campus and a meal in one of the University’s dining halls. Each year, talented high school students are selected to perform in the winter opera.  Bell was one of five high school students chosen by Harley in conjunction with high school choir directors to perform alongside

benefits. “The experience of performing this service transforms our students and us,” she said. At first glance, opera might seem an unlikely choice for an outreach program. But Harley said opera is used because it represents the whole spectrum of the arts. As an art form, opera embraces music, dance, theatre, poetry, costume, lighting and set design, digital technology, acrobatics and sometimes even features dogs, horses, elephants, puppets and trampolines.  “The process for mounting an opera is a

human voice. An opera is a play set to music. Music is speech intensified. The speech is given a pitch that usually can go much higher than the spoken voice — generally, the higher the pitch, the more intense the emotion.  “There’s something special about any voice performing in any tradition,” Harley said. “The human voice, when it’s being used to express the soul of the singer, is one of the most powerful tools we have to reach into another person.” After the Opera for All program visits

Abdullah Birdsong, director of choral activities for West Mecklenburg High School, helps lead a question and answer session with UNC Charlotte performers and an audience of nearly 300 high school students.

22 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

UNC Charlotte undergraduates in the mainstage production of this year’s opera. Partnerships Vital to Arts Education Abdullah Birdsong comes from a long line of educators and scientists. He is among www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

the third generation in his family to attend college, but he relishes the opportunity to help students who would likely be the first in their families to pursue higher education. Each day in the classroom he strives to show students their options are not as limited as they might have imagined. “I think society sometimes frowns upon the arts as a valid avenue for our kids,” Birdsong said. “I try to convince students that the arts are alive, that they’re needed,

list of priorities. Birdsong said community partnerships are vital to provide students the kind of arts education they deserve. “I’ve been in contact with several organizations we can partner with to bring good content to our kids without it being financially prohibitive to the school,” he said. “We are always in need of more resources. If there’s a community organization that supports the arts and our missions and values align, then we partner.” 

profoundly alter his students’ aspirations.  “We’ve had kids who did not think college was an option realize I have UNC Charlotte in my backyard. I don’t have to go across the country. I can study with world-class faculty here and potentially live at home,” he said.  For some, that “college feel” might just be the motivation they need to make a life changing decision. As the program at West Mecklenburg

UNC Charlotte undergraduate students Sarah Proctor (middle) and Branden Nicholson (left), and West Mecklenburg High School student Isaiah Bell (right) rehearse backstage prior to an opera outreach performance. The student volunteers do not receive credit for their participation in the program.

When UNC Charlotte approached West Mecklenburg about the Opera for All program, Birdsong met with Harley and Nancy Hamff, a UNC Charlotte graduate who continues to help coordinate the program. As he listened, he was overwhelmed with emotion.  “When they presented to me I was almost in tears for what they wanted to do for our students,” he said.  While the expanding students’ musical horizon is a fundamental aspect of the program, Birdsong noted that the trip to campus can

drew to a close with a question and answer session, it appeared as if the students were indeed daring to picture themselves in a world that, while only a few miles away, might be light years away from their day-today experience.  To bring Opera for All to your community or school, contact Dr. Anne Harley at 704-687-4464 or OperaforAll@ uncc.edu.

and that if you go into a career in music you don’t have to be broke all of the time.” At a growing school, where the emphasis on improving academic achievement takes center stage, funding for the arts can be low on the www.UNCC.edu

Lisa Lambert is senior writer in the UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations. Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 23

UNC CHARLOTTE |

c e n te r s t a g e

24 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

www.UNCC.edu

center stage

| UNC CHARLOTTE

All Smiles Athletics Director Judy Rose had good cause to smile on Nov. 13, 2008 when the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees voted in favor of starting a football program. The moment is one of the most important in 49er athletics history and in the life of UNC Charlotte. “Going after what you want takes courage and achieving it takes everyone. Uniting this campus and this city with this game isn’t a challenge — it’s an honor,” she said.

www.UNCC.edu

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 25

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Education and the Economy of Life

The News & Observer

By Lisa A. Lambert

We meet people along the way who teach and inspire us to dream big. We learn, build lives, contribute to our communities, and pass on our wisdom to the next generation. This is the economy of life, according to Senator Marc Basnight. The longest-serving legislative leader in North Carolina’s history — now in his 13th consecutive term in the state senate and his ninth as president pro tempore — is a strong proponent of education, and a student of the world; but he does not hold a college degree. Basnight’s education began in earnest 26 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

with a chance meeting in the late ’70s. As a young entrepreneur, Basnight signed on to a construction project for Elizabeth City native and oil tycoon Walter Davis. They struck up a friendship, and Davis shared his love of politics, international and state affairs with Basnight. Many long conversations and stacks of required reading later, Basnight entered North Carolina politics. As a small business owner and public servant, the Senator from Dare County understands the role of education in the grand scheme of things.

Marc Basnight chats with customers in his Manteo, N.C. restaurant.

“North Carolina is a place of opportunity because of our educational initiatives,” Basnight said. In order for these initiatives to achieve success, you have to put your money where your mouth is; Basnight has delivered time and again. During his two decades in office, Basnight has helped increase scholarship funding throughout the state and has supported major www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re

| UNC CHARLOTTE

funding initiatives to the tune of millions of dollars, many resulting in hundreds of thousands of square feet in new facilities. UNC Charlotte projects including the Science Building, Energy Production and Infrastructure Center (EPIC), and Center City Classroom Building are but a few examples. But Basnight makes it very clear — education is not just about buildings, it’s about the acquisition and transfer of knowledge, creation of employment opportunities, and overall improvement in the quality of life for the state’s citizens. “I meet people who graduated from UNC Charlotte who now make their contribution in the community, and they affect their city and the state. If everyone is working and providing for their existence, that’s a thriving economy,” he said. Innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing dilemmas, such as alternative energy production, are needed now more than ever. Basnight said the state’s public university system will help make North Carolina a leading exporter of new technologies. “UNC Charlotte is preparing the innovators, dreamers, and designers,” he said. “We need a new energy package — who will design this new technology? Let it be UNC Charlotte researchers. That’s why we’re investing in new buildings and faculty. That’s why we make the commitment to the school — to let the university affect the world, not just its immediate area.” With its established, well-respected university and community college system, North Carolina is in a better position than most states to stave off the “brain drain” phenomenon, where the most educated citizens leave the state for opportunity www.UNCC.edu

The News & Observer

Basnight conferring with NC Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand.

elsewhere. However, studies indicate a large gap between the high-tech employment opportunities that are rapidly emerging in the state and the skills of the North Carolina workforce. “The companies and businesses just aren’t going to come if you don’t have an educated workforce,” Basnight said. “That’s why you grow EPIC and the technology. That’s what UNC Charlotte has to aggressively pursue.” Making History To overcome the trying economic times ahead will require the same leadership that produced another milestone for higher education in North Carolina — the $3.1 billion bond issue passed in 2000. North Carolina’s universities continue to reap the benefits of the bond issue, which injected much-needed capital for building projects into the state’s growing universities and community colleges. Historical legislation begins somewhere; this piece of legislation happened to be the product of a brainstorming session that took place in Basnight’s office. “We were looking at the inventory of needs of our college campuses. We would look at the existing need and appropriate funds to address it, but we were growing so the inventory needs list just grew quicker than we could address it,” Basnight said. “At the end of each year we’d have greater needs than before, and we had all of these people moving to the state. We found ourselves

growing in number larger than 40-plus other states.” The state’s explosive growth created both a burden and a great opportunity — legislators found themselves at the perilous intersection of the two, with no crystal ball to forecast the future. Much like in this time of uncharted economic territory, prioritization became the watchword. Manufacturing jobs were fast leaving the state — legislators determined it was time to move North Carolina in a very different direction and understood that the state’s universities would play a pivotal role. “We decided we were going to grow the kind of knowledge-based economy we wanted. So the Senate drafted the bill, passed it, sent it to the house. The House countered with something around 1.2 billion — they didn’t feel we could pay the debt service.” Basnight stood by his argument — that building knowledge would prepare people to go to work. Eventually the House and Senate agreed on the final figure. The citizens of North Carolina got behind the proposal and voted in overwhelming majority to pass into law the largest bond issuance for university projects in the country’s history. While North Carolina continues to offer quality higher education at a lower cost than nearly every other state, Basnight said it is again time to consider developing a bond issue that will prepare the university system for the next decade and beyond. Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 27

UNC CHARLOTTE |

a l u m n i p ro f i l e

Slam! Poet Bluz Rogers earns national acclaim

This past December, on a bright Carolina-blue day, Boris “Bluz” Rogers spit “American Pie” at the Belk Tower. “American Pie” being one of his many poems and the action of spitting being the act of delivering slam poetry, which is a competitive art with roots buried in the 1950s jazz-inspired Beat movement that

By Rhiannon Bowman

28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

emphasizes not only content but, with equal weight, delivery. The only rule for slam poets regards length — performances are kept to three minutes and ten seconds. “Four minutes and you’ll lose your audience,” Bluz said. His words are serious and lyrical, meant to make people think outside of their www.UNCC.edu

a l u m n i p ro f i l e

own lives, but his message isn’t pieced together from an angst-filled artist’s life; Bluz is a happily married father of three, internationally ranked poet — he’s number 13 — and the reigning Slammaster of Slam Charlotte. He spits his poems to crowds large and small, local and international, and always aims to touch the humanity in everyone while encouraging compassion and acceptance. “We [Slam Charlotte] always say, ‘If we just make a difference for one person — reach one person — then it doesn’t matter if we win,” he said. Yet, it is true that he began writing poetry as a teenager after a heart-wrenching breakup with his high school sweetheart. In a 2008 interview with David Dunn, Vice Chancellor of University Relations and Community Affairs, on the UNC Charlotte Alumni Today Show, Bluz said, “I was horrible, but I got the bug.” It didn’t take him long, however, to realize his popular poems, full of lovelorn woe, were self-absorbed and disparaging to women. In the spring of 1995, while

www.UNCC.edu

pursuing his Communication Studies degree, he heard fellow poet Jessica Care Moore perform on campus. “She made me care more about what I was saying and want to deal with women in a more respectful way. I saw her years later and told her she changed my life,” he said. Today he is active in the local community, encouraging youth poets to develop their talent, and a devoted family man. And, People cannot get enough of his positive spirit. When they see him at venues, like Wine Up in NoDa or at Spirit Square at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, where Slam Charlotte competes monthly, people reach out to touch his arm, call his name — quietly as if they’re not sure it’s him — only to move on once he’s acknowledged them and wished them well. These days his words are reaching a wider audience. In addition to his work with Slam Charlotte, NASCAR introduced Bluz to their audience in 2008 when Speed TV showcased his original poetry during each race of the season. They plan to bring

| UNC CHARLOTTE

him back — maybe even in syndication — in 2009. It’s a great fit for Bluz, who is a longtime fan. “If you think about the energy and speed of slam and the energy and speed of NASCAR — they naturally go together,” he said. He also hosts a segment, Spoken Word Fridays, each Friday morning, at 7:50 a.m., during Power 98 FM’s Morning Madhouse show, has made appearances on numerous other radio and television programs, opened for national recording artists from Pink Floyd to Outkast and performed for business leaders like Ted Turner, Bob Johnson, Jerry Richardson, among others. “His stars are slung so high and he’s reaching for them. That is just inspiring, his progress is so impressive,” said Cheryl Spainhour, UNC Charlotte lecturer and Journalism Curriculum Committee chair. Bluz was a student in one of her evening feature writing classes a few years ago when his writing caught her attention. “He is a soft spoken man who is really intelligent.” Even though he admits, “I do feel a little famous,” the fame isn’t getting to him. His family, which includes son Antonio (16) and daughters Akire (7) and Endya (6 months), keep him grounded. “My son is like, ‘Yeah, my Dad’s a poet.’ He’s not impressed,” said Bluz with a chuckle. His met his wife, Erika, during an extended break from his studies when he worked as a teacher’s assistant for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system’s afterschool program. She encouraged him to return to UNC Charlotte to finish his degree, which he did in 2006. Erika, who is pursuing her Masters Degree at Gardner Webb University, is an educator. “A lot of what I am now is because of her support. It’s kind of a tag-team effort. It’s not hard, but it’s not easy, either,” he said. With a new book, Articulate Slang, an album, StoriLyne, and an upcoming tour of college campuses — in addition to his NASCAR gig — 2009 is going to be a busy year for this rising UNC Charlotte star. To hear and see Bluz in action, visit his Web site at www.poetrybluz.com. Slam Charlotte performs on the third Friday of each month at Blumenthal Performing Arts’ McGlohon Theatre at Spirit Square. Twelve contestants compete at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 each.

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 29

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re

Continued from p. 30

there were incentives and/or mandates for architects and contractors to do so; barring pressure from the public or regulators to adopt such practices, education is the best means to change minds — from university degree programs to continuing education for architects and contractors. “The construction industry is very resistant,” Gentry said. “I can sympathize because I came up through the industry but at the same time, you can find systems that are environmentally responsible, less labor intensive and able to generate more profit, and it’s still a hard sell.” Gentry voices frustration with some Charlotte-area developments where the new construction harkens back to the 1950s. One major source of energy inefficiency is open crawl spaces. Properly vented and insulated crawl spaces can be sealed to prevent energy loss, but the practice is still not used by many contractors in North Carolina. The design goal for environmentally responsible housing is to reduce the amount of energy the house uses. Designing homes to make the most of natural daylight, utilizing high quality window seals, and setting up duct work in a conditioned space (rather than in a crawl space), also are economical ways to cut energy use.  While a step in the right direction, changing the way we build new housing will not be a panacea.

30 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

“Even if we make every house we build from here on out as green as possible, the impact on the environment won’t be as great as we need it to be because there’s so much existing housing stock,” Gentry said. He suggested there are a number of methods homeowners should employ to improve the energy efficiency of their existing homes and plans to use his recently purchased 108-year-old home as a case study. But, Gentry warns, homeowners must watch out for “green washing,” or the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Sometimes avoiding green washing involves some simple analysis. For example, bamboo and cork flooring have been touted as environmentally responsible materials. The bamboo flooring comes from China and the cork from Portugal, Gentry explained. The pollution created in transporting it to the United States outweighs the benefits. “A much better solution is local hardwoods, especially hardwoods harvested from urban forestry,” Gentry said. “Often the trees are being cut down anyway because they’re damaged. They would be sold off and ground into mulch if they weren’t used for flooring. The bottom line: “Homeowners have to educate themselves. It’s incredibly confusing because there’s a wealth of bad information out there,” he said. Some of the texts Gentry references include The Green Student Handbook and The Passive Solar Energy Book. Prototypes of environmentally responsible homes that can be mass produced may provide a solution to the information overload conundrum. Working with Self-Help Community Development Corporation, Gentry is creating a prototype of environmentally responsible affordable housing. Additionally, with funding from the Georgia-Carolina Precast Concrete Institute (PCI) and the PCI Foundation, Gentry’s students will study the use of precast concrete in environmentally responsible senior housing. To facilitate partnerships with community organizations, business and industry, and disseminate information

about environmentally responsible housing, Gentry recently established the Laboratory for Innovative Housing in the College of Arts and Architecture Center for Integrated Building Design Research. In a difficult economy, Gentry said initiatives such as the prototype house sometimes suffer since they rely upon private donations to fund student internships, as well as donations of materials from industry. Though economic circumstances are unlikely to change any time soon, UNC Charlotte faculty and staff continue to explore environmentally responsible building practices. Lisa Lambert is senior writer in the UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations. Extracting Biofuel from Nature’s Best Solar Cells – Algae By Mike Hermann They are perhaps the planet’s most efficient solar cells, and UNC Charlotte researchers are searching for them in greasy, dirty mud puddles. Once found, the team is working to economically extract valuable energy from these slimy organisms. The natural solar cells are algae. As photosynthetic microorganisms, many algae use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to www.UNCC.edu

fe a t u re lipids, which are plant oils that can be used to produce biofuels. “There is a lot of theoretical potential in algae biofuels,” said Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science Assistant Professor Gloria Elliott. “It’s still very expensive to bring it to market. The growing and processing of the algae is a high-tech problem.” UNC Charlotte is fortunate to have the interdisciplinary talent needed to take on the challenge. Researchers from biology are collecting and characterizing the algae, chemistry is working on lipid-to-biofuel conversion strategies, mechanical and civil engineering are working on the bioprocessing, and automotive engineering is studying performance and emissions in engines. “We have tremendous strength at UNC Charlotte to contribute to this project,” Elliott said. “We have the people to take it from cradle to grave.” The initial step in producing biofuels from algae is the collection of the algae itself. This effort is being led by Assistant Professor of Biology Matt Parrow. “Algae are basically microscopic plantlike organisms,” Parrow said. “What we’re looking for in terms of good candidates for biofuels is rapid growth with simple nutritional requirements, ability to survive environmental extremes such as high light and heat, and high oil content. These are the things we need most.” The best places to find such hardy algae strains are in harsh environments. So, Parrow has his students collecting algae from greasy mud puddles and newly cut ditches where the first strains of algae begin to grow. From these collections, Parrow is isolating and cultivating the most valuable strains. With a growing number of potential strains already identified, the next step is to biopreserve them, which is Elliott’s area of specialty. The next step is processing the algae for fuel. For this, the engineers are looking at a variety of techniques, seeking to use the least energy possible to get the most energy out of the algae. “We are working with photosynthetic algae, which are essentially living solar cells,” Elliott said. “They are actually nature’s most-efficient solar cells. To grow them, we need bioreactors that contain water, CO2, www.UNCC.edu

trace amounts of minerals and sunlight.” The team is now experimenting with a small bioreactor design and a simplified growth medium that consists of only tap water and commercial plant fertilizer. Future plans call for the scaling up of the bioreactor, which may include some industrial partnerships. Research also is underway into the processing of the algae for fuel. This involves filtering out the water, smashing the algae to extract the oil, collecting the oil and converting it to biodiesel. As awareness of and research into

| UNC CHARLOTTE

alternative energy sources grows, so does student demand for classes addressing these timely topics. Elliott will teach a new undergraduate engineering course on alternative energies in the fall. While research into alternative energy is necessary, and exciting, we can’t lose sight of methods of mitigating environmental impact that are currently available. “Conservation is something we can practice right now,” Elliott said. Mike Hermann is communications director for the College of Engineering. Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 31

UNC CHARLOTTE |

a l u m n i p ro f i l e Michael Wilson watches as Ms. Bonnie Cone rings the ceremonial Victory Bell in 1990, the year he served as student body president, to mark the 25th anniversary of UNC Charlotte joining the UNC system.

Legal Elite

Michael Wilson among North Carolina’s top attorneys By Phillip Brown Michael Wilson, ’92, is a legal eagle. He concentrates on the litigation of commercial construction and real estate-related matters, and he is among the elite attorneys identified by “Business North Carolina” magazine as one who has achieved preeminence in the profession. Each year, “Business North Carolina” contacts the more than 18,000 active members of the North Carolina State Bar to name the top attorneys in specific practice areas as well 32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

as the elite “Young Guns” (members who are under 40 years old). Wilson’s peers named him top attorney for construction law matters for 2009 — no small feat for someone with 12-and-a-half years of practice. At the same time, he was cited as one of North Carolina’s “Young Guns.” The former 49er student body president completed his law degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 1996. He returned to Charlotte in 1998, where he is currently a partner in the

firm of Johnston, Allison & Hord, PA. While Wilson knew as a child he wanted to be a lawyer, he credits his alma mater with providing the academic foundation necessary to achieve his goal. “UNC Charlotte played a huge role in my education and that education has continued to pay dividends in my career,” said Wilson. “Not only did UNC Charlotte provide an opportunity to learn, but the University allowed me to fail and to improve as well — this was both from an academic stand point as well as in a leadership positions. In sum, UNC Charlotte provided a complete education.” A native of Hildebran, a small town in Burke County, Wilson attended the University as a scholarship student. He was a recipient of the Barnhardt Scholarship and the Alumni Scholarship for Merit. As a sophomore, he joined the fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha. “We had an amazing adviser in Dr. Loy Witherspoon,” Wilson noted. “He really took me under his wing as I became more active in the fraternity and on campus. Doc, as we called him, suffered no fools, and he often forced all of us to look hard at our personal goals and plans.” According to Wilson, every month or so Witherspoon would extend an invitation to several student leaders to attend the symphony or a similar event in Charlotte. As part of these cultural outings, Wilson met University founder Miss Bonnie Cone. Although Miss Cone had been retired for many years, she remained a presence on campus and had a profound impact on Wilson’s collegiate career. During lunch one day, Miss Cone shared with Wilson the history of the University. She recounted its establishment as an extension program in the basement of Central High School and later its transformation into Charlotte College. She concluded with the triumph of guiding the institution as it joined the UNC system in 1965. “At that time, it would be easy to mistakenly dismiss Miss Bonnie as a stereotypical grandmother who just happened to be involved with the University, but she was far from it.” During his sophomore year, Wilson was www.UNCC.edu

a l u m n i p ro f i l e

www.UNCC.edu

beyond the classroom. An undergraduate history major who was pursuing minors in political science and economics, Wilson recalled spending countless hours in the offices of political science professor Roger Brown and history professors Eddie Lee, David Goldfield and Cynthia Kierner. “They pushed you intellectually. They were great teachers and each had so much academic and real life information to pass on and share.” During his time at UNC Charlotte, Wilson had the concept of building reinforced by Miss Cone, but large-scale development fascinated Wilson well before college. During one summer, he worked for Powell Construction as a carpenter’s assistant to help build a wastewater treatment facility near his hometown.

Photo by Steve Exum

considering transferring to another school and shared as much with Miss Cone. “In her very Southern and polite, but strong-willed way, she convinced me how unique UNC Charlotte was,” Wilson explained. “I still remember her posing the question, ‘What was more challenging and rewarding – to build something or to buy something built by others?’” The passion and commitment Miss Cone exhibited toward the institution fueled the budding campus leader’s own desire to be part of the process. “Miss Bonnie was such a strong and visionary leader for this institution,” said Wilson. As a result, he undertook more leadership roles across campus, eventually running for and being elected student body president at the end of his sophomore year. “After that lunch, whenever I would encounter Miss Bonnie on campus, she would never pass by without stopping me to ask, ‘What are we building today, Mr. Wilson?’” Of course, Wilson had much to report as the University was growing into maturity. Chancellor James Woodward was in his first year and planning was under way for a new student recreation facility (what would become Barnhardt Student Activity Center). “He (Chancellor Woodward) had the same fire as Miss Bonnie. He saw what UNC Charlotte could mean to the region,” Wilson stated. “He would share his plans with us and was very open to student input. It was a privilege to be part of the conversation with our new chancellor.” While he embraced the opportunities for campus involvement, Wilson knew that the path to law school also required academic excellence. “UNC Charlotte, like most colleges, was a very open environment and afforded you the opportunity to learn and grow in the direction you chose. Education is truly what you make of it, but I discovered that the University provided me with all of the building blocks that I would need to get into law school,” said Wilson. “Not only did I receive all the fundamental skills of a liberal arts education, but my campus involvement helped to foster greater self-confidence. At Chapel Hill, I went to law school with many very talented and accomplished people, but UNC Charlotte prepared me well for that challenge.” In particular, he remembers the number of faculty members who were very accessible

Michael Wilson today.

Wilson’s passionate advocacy for growth has enabled him to become one of the state’s top legal minds for the construction industry. “How these large structures and developments come together has always held my interest,” Wilson stated. “Nothing gets built without vision and the joining together of ideas and problem solving. Often, even on a multi-million dollar project, this is reduced at its base level to individuals coming together to work through the construction process. You can do a lot of good as a lawyer, especially with regard to conflict resolution and finding common ground.” Wilson said he felt especially fortunate to practice in Charlotte and be part of the region’s record growth. He also is excited at

| UNC CHARLOTTE

the prospect of his alma mater increasing its presence in Charlotte’s business district. “The Center City Building will be amazing. It will really help to foster a connection between Charlotte and the University,” noted Wilson. “I think in some respects UNC Charlotte is still underappreciated in our own back yard, but this new building will help bridge that gap. Business leaders and executives will have more convenient access to graduate course work to advance their careers, and many undergraduate students will be able to work (full or part-time) and more easily gain access to the education that UNC Charlotte has to offer.” It has been 15-plus years since his college graduation; however, Wilson takes great pride in his alma mater as it continues to grow and mature into one of the state’s premier institutions of higher learning. In fact, one of his most prized possessions is a photo signed by Miss Cone. It has been displayed prominently above every desk where he has studied or worked since graduation. The picture is of Miss Cone ringing the Victory Bell in 1990, the year he served as student body president, to mark the 25th anniversary of UNC Charlotte joining the UNC system. The original bell from Charlotte College had been “unearthed” in the Mineshaft by Keith Wassum in 1989. Wassum, who is currently associate vice chancellor for business services, was at that time the director of the Cone Center. Wassum approached Wilson who lobbied the Student Government Association for funding to refurbish the bell, which had fallen into disrepair. Wilson also spearheaded the March 1990 celebration to commemorate the 25th anniversary of UNC Charlotte becoming part of the system; he arranged from Miss Cone to be present to ring the Victory Bell just as she did in 1965. “Everything came together, except on the day of the celebration it started to rain, so we had to move the event into the atrium of the Colvard building,” explained Wilson. “I must have looked a little agitated, because Miss Bonnie asked me what was wrong, and I said I was disappointed that the weather didn’t cooperate for the ceremony. In her classic style, without missing a single beat, she just replied, ‘It’s perfect, Mr. Wilson. It rained in 1965, too.’” Phillip Brown is internal communications manager in the UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations. Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 33

UNC CHARLOTTE |

49 e rs n o te b o o k

49ers Launch Seat License Sales for Football UNC Charlotte 49ers Football Seat Licenses (FSL) are on sale now. FSLs give the license-holder the right to purchase 49ers football season tickets. The University expects to field a football team in 2013. “We are thrilled with the amount of support our fans have shown over the past few months for 49ers football,” said Director of Athletics Judy Rose. “Reservations for 49ers Seat Licenses have been robust and we are extremely excited to begin actual sales of 49ers Seat Licenses and thrilled to offer a variety of options to all of our fans.” There are three tiers of FSLs: Green Tier, Gold Tier and White Gold Tier Green Tier: $1,000 (seat located between the End Zone and the 30-Yard line) Gold Tier: $2,500 (seat located between the 30-Yard lines) White Gold Tier: Premium FSLs (contact the 49ers Athletic Foundation for details) A total of 5,500 Green Tier FSLs and 1,800 Gold Tier FSLs are available. Fans on the 49ers Reservation List will be given the first opportunity to purchase Green Tier FSLs until Friday, April 3. Once an FSL has been purchased, a contract will be mailed to the account holder and must be signed and returned to complete the purchase. Those who have not yet reserved FSLs on the 49ers Reservation List are invited to complete the purchasing process

49er Women’s Basketball

The Charlotte 49ers will host the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship, Mar. 6 - 9 at Halton Arena. For detailed information check out http://charlotte49ers.cstv.com/ or call the 49ers athletics office at 704-687-4949.

34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois addresses media at the November trustees meeting as Board of Trustees Chair Ruth Shaw and Student Government Association President Tim Ernst look on.

online and will be placed on the waiting list. After April 3, those on the waiting list for FSLs will have their order validated based on the date they complete the purchasing process. Gold Tier FSLs are available for purchase immediately and are not subject to prior reservations. Athletic Foundation membership is not required to purchase up to four Green Tier FSLs. Athletic Foundation membership is required, beginning in fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013) at a minimum contribution level of $1,500 to purchase Gold Tier and more than four Green Tier FSLs. For the Green and Gold Tiers, initial seat location will be determined by the license-holder’s Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation rank on June 30, 2013. Fans who are not members of the Athletic Foundation may join for as little as $49 a year. To purchase FSLs and find out more information about 49ers football, visit www.charlotte49erfootball.com or stop by or contact the athletic ticket office (Halton Arena; 9201 University City Blvd.; 704687-4949). FSL purchases can be divided into four payments over the next four years with the first installment due upon purchase. FSLs are transferable to a member of the license-holder’s immediate family at

any time. For a $300 transfer fee, licenseholders will be able to transfer their FSL to anyone, beginning July1, 2012. According to Rose, the stadium site has not yet been determined. Both on and off campus options for a temporary and permanent home are being investigated. 49ers Picked to Win Third-Straight A-10 Title Niners boast country’s fourth-best win percentage since 200 Coming off consecutive 40-win seasons and conference titles, UNC Charlotte has been picked to win the 2009 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship in voting conducted by the league’s head coaches. A year ago, the 49ers became the first A-10 program since Virginia Tech in 1999-2000 to win consecutive league titles and seek to become the first team in conference annals to win three straight crowns. Led by junior first baseman Rob Lyerly, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 A-10 Championship and a second-team pre-season All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball, UNC Charlotte has compiled a mark of 92-28 over the past two seasons. Over the past three seasons, Charlotte has the fourth-best win percentage in all of Division I baseball. Softball Picked to Finish www.UNCC.edu

49 e r s n o t e b o o k Second in the Atlantic 10 Following up on its remarkable run to the championship game at the 2008 Atlantic 10 tournament, the UNC Charlotte 49ers softball team has been selected to repeat as conference runners-up this season, according to the pre-season coaches poll. Coming off a 35-31 campaign, with impressive victories over Georgia Tech, Providence and North Carolina, Charlotte will bring back starters at eight of nine positions as well as the core of a lineup which snapped the team’s school records for at-bats and triples. UNC Charlotte will see the school record holder for single season hits, Serena Smith, last year’s leader in runs and triples, Sarah Malene, and last year’s batting champion, Whitney Williams, return to anchor a sensational offense for the 49ers. Malene earned First Team All-Conference accolades for stellar junior season, while Smith was an AllAtlantic 10 tournament selection and Williams earned Second Team All-Conference and AllTournament honors after leading the Niners at the plate by hitting at a .335 clip. The Niners also will return their entire pitching staff, including Katy Hackett and Emily Jeffery. Hackett returns after breaking the single season strikeouts record in her first year in the green and gold with 170 punchouts, while Jeffrey struck out 146 batters to find herself in third place on the all-time UNC Charlotte list. Golf Team Looks for A-10 Title, NCAA Trip With two-time All-American Corey Nagy and the Nation’s former No. 1-ranked collegiate golfer Stefan Wiedergruen leading the way, the 49ers will vy for their fourth straight Atlantic 10 title and unprecedented fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The golf program became the first in school history to earn four straight NCAA bids and have put together back-to-back NCAA Top 10 finishes over the last two years. With interim head coach Adam Pry leading the way, the 49ers hope to extend their string. Nagy was named honorable mention all-America as both a freshman and sophomore while Wiedergruen was ranked first in the nation in the fall of 2007 while earning Golf World’s National Mid-Year Player of the Year honor. In 2008, the 49ers finished eighth at the NCAA Championship on the heels of program-best third-place finish in 2007. The 49ers will look to a variety of options to fill out the lineup following the graduation of a senior class that www.UNCC.edu

Upcoming 49er Club Special Events 32nd Annual 49er Club Golf Outing • Sponsored by Dr. Jim Fleischli, OrthoCarolina • April 20, Pine Island Country Club • Shotgun start at 11 a.m. • $2,500 for a team of four, including hole sponsorship

26th Annual Great Gold Rush Auction • Sponsored by Chartwells, a Division of Compass Group • June 6, Halton Arena • $1,000 for a table of 10 or $100 per person • Silent auction begins at 5:30 p.m., to be followed by a live auction became the first in school history to go the NCAA Tournament in each of their four years. The 49ers will host the Palisades Collegiate Championship, April 13-14, at Palisades Country Club in Charlotte. 49ers Track Team to Host A-10 Championship The UNC Charlotte 49ers will host the Atlantic 10 men’s and women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship May 2 - 3. The 49ers outdoor women’s team has won three straight A-10 titles. Senior Lamarra Currie, the 2008 A-10 Most Outstanding Outdoor Track Performer, leads the talented team. The senior sprinter earned academic all-America honors to go along with her USTFCCCA all-America honors. She will be joined by defending long jump champion Pat Springs, distance specialist Aja Jackson, who won A-10 titles in the 800 and 1500, and fellow sprinter Ebonie Cunningham, who was named the A-10’s Most Outstanding Rookie last year. The men’s team won the A-10 Outdoor title in 2006 and will look for their second league crown at home in 2009. Sophomore Darius Law was the first trackster to be named the conference Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie in the same season. Law captured titles in the 200 and 400 meter runs and the 4x100 relay at the

| UNC CHARLOTTE

2008 Championships to lead UNC Charlotte to a runner-up finish. Senior Adu Dentamo, who won the 2008 A-10 Cross Country Championship, will pace the distance runners following a record-breaking season in the 2008 3000 meter steeplechase. Miler Chase Eckard, the 2007 Most Outstanding Track Performer, will be back with the team after red-shirting the 2008 season. Charlotte Women’s Tennis Pair in Regional Rankings For the second straight season, 49ers doubles partners Yudeshnee Pillay (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Ana Spivakovsky (Beer-Sheva, Israel) enter the 2009 season ranked 15th in the Southeast at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. The international duo is 30-7 over the past year-and-a-half since Pillay transferred into the program. The pair finished 7-3 this past fall and 14-2 in the spring last year. Pillay finished 18-11 in singles and 15-11 in doubles for last year, following a successful two-year stint at the University of AuburnMontgomery, where she was 52-3 overall in singles play and 50-4 in doubles play for the NAIA National Champions. Spivakovsky fought some injuries last year, finishing 14-12 in singles and 18-10 in doubles action. She was the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year in 2007, finishing with a school-record 26 singles wins. Individually, she was ranked at No. 95 nationally by the ITA, the first such ranking for a 49er in the history of the program. Anders Leads Men’s Tennis Pair in Regional Rankings Sophomore Michael Anders, a first team all-Atlantic 10 selection last year, will lead a 49ers team that continues to battle for the A-10 crown. The 49ers have finished in the top four in the league in each of their three seasons, reached the championship match twice and claimed the 2007 A-10 Title and accompanying NCAA Tournament bid. Head coach Jim Boykin, the 2007 A-10 Coach of the Year, enters his 16th season at the helm for the 49ers. Returners Moritz Bernhoerster, Ricky Cuellar and Chris Huynh all joined Anders with double-digit wins last season. Both Anders and Cuellar posted perfect 3-0 records at the A-10 Championships as UNC Charlotte placed 4th of 13 teams.

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 35

UNC CHARLOTTE |

giving

GIVING Dickson Gate Dedicated in November It is fitting the new front entrance to the UNC Charlotte campus bear the name Dickson Gate. An attractive, landscaped, two-lane divided road, flanked by eight 20-foot tall brick pylons, now announces the arrival to UNC Charlotte. This important project was made possible by a generous donation from The Dickson Foundation and Harris Teeter. When Rush S. Dickson chose to pursue a business education, he laid the foundation for a lifetime of entrepreneurship and service. From a modest beginning in the textile industry, to founder of the investment banking enterprise R.S. Dickson & Company in 1919, Rush’s legacy spans generations. Rush Dickson’s children continue the legacy of charitable work established by their father. The Foundation is led by sons R. Stuart Dickson and Alan T. Dickson, former chairmen of Ruddick Corporation from 1968 to 1994 and 1994 to 2006, respectively. Ruddick owns the Harris Teeter grocery chain and American & Efird, a leading manufacturer of sewing thread.

Giving to the University Is Rising Fiscal 2008 funding milestones included: • University fundraising reached $18.6 million, an increase of about 25 percent from the prior year. • Support for the University’s endowment increased by nearly $3.6 million over the previous year. • Private support for the University’s athletic programs increased by nearly $1.4 million. • Alumni contributions were $2 million.

36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois presents an artistic rendering of the Dickson Gate to Alan T. Dickson at the dedication ceremony.

The University community gathered in Robinson Hall to celebrate the dedication of Dickson Gate. From left, Mary Anne Dickson, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, Lisa Dubois, Ruth Shaw, Joanne Dickson, Alan T. Dickson, and Smoky Bissell.

www.UNCC.edu

Continued from p. 11

This final element is a dramatic departure from the current regulatory fabric used to examine and supervise financial institutions in the United States, because the systemicrisk regulator will have complete control over the consolidated operations and capital positions of financial institutions that participate in many different functional areas of the American financial system.  At present, we have a patchwork of different regulatory agencies that each supervises a particular functional business line in the finance industry, including insurance, commercial banking, investment banking, brokerage, mutual funds and securities trading, and financial markets.  What kind of corporate citizen will Wells Fargo be? Plath – It’s really impossible to tell until we see exactly what Wells Fargo has planned for its new eastern seaboard region created with the firm’s acquisition of Wachovia. If past experience is any guide to the future, Wells will likely be an outstanding corporate citizen.  The bank has a strong track record

www.UNCC.edu

of community development in the market it serves; and it has treated customers, employees, and members of the local communities in which it has acquired other banks most favorably and humanely over the years.  However, Wells Fargo’s management team bears no particular connection or affiliation to the North Carolina region so they might not view Charlotte with the same loyalty and sensitivity they expressed toward Minneapolis when they merged with Norwest Bancorp several years ago.  Second, the WellsWachovia transaction is a much larger and more complicated combination than putting Norwest together with Wells Fargo. The additional complexity of the current WellsWachovia combination may lead to greater changes, including deeper job cuts and a more dramatic corporate restructuring, than the Norwest-Wells Fargo combination.  Finally, the current Wells-Wachovia combination is occurring in the most difficult banking environment since the Great Depression, while the Norwest-Wells Fargo union occurred in the calm and peaceful economic waters of 1998.  The harsh reality of the current financial environment will likely require greater merger discipline, and deeper job cuts, than the Norwest-Wells union 11 years ago.

Is the region still too dependent on the banking industry? How can and should it diversify? Plath – A downturn in banking causes much too much disruption in the local economy, since so many of the region’s highest paying jobs are in the financial sector. It’s not so much that employment is concentrated too heavily in banking, but it’s that our regional income base is concentrated too heavily in banking. Median bank salaries run more than twice the median income level in the region. Losing one median bank job is like losing 2.5 “average” jobs in the region. The financial sector may look different going forward, but considering the success we have had with it here, any diversification should look at adding new and possibly related sectors, not moving away from this sector as a key part of our economic strategy. Basically, Charlotte is well positioned to be a player in a wide range of sectors that may develop or realign as result of this current downturn.  The key will be to react quickly to opportunities and know an opportunity when one emerges. John D. Bland is editor of UNC Charlotte

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 37

UNC CHARLOTTE |

fe a t u re Friday discusses some of his research on China’s criminal justice system with Vivian Lord, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at UNC Charlotte.

Continued from p. 19

conferences held in China back in 1996,” he said. While 12 years does not seem like a long time, it’s virtually an eternity when it comes to Western academicians collaborating with their counterparts from the Communist country. “You don’t just walk into China,” he said with an impish grin. Friday’s latest research efforts have elevated his stature and UNC Charlotte’s role as a thought leader in one of the most important political and social challenges of the 21st Century and beyond – the relations between the United States and Mainland China. Thanks to his groundbreaking work, UNC Charlotte recently signed an agreement with the Southwest University of Political Science and Law (SWUPL) in Chongqing, China. The Memorandum of Understanding enables both universities to collaborate in such areas as criminology, criminal law and criminal justice. The first step will be the establishment of a UNC Charlotte-SWUPL International Institute for Justice Studies at the leading Chinese university. Friday will head this initiative – the only U.S.China effort that focuses specifically on social and criminal justice research and exchange. He recently completed two major projects in China – a long-term study of delinquency as well as research on the processing of drug-trafficking cases. The China Society for Research in Juvenile 38 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

In 2002, Friday traveled to Beijing to accept the Award for Contributions to Chinese Research by China Society for Research in Juvenile Delinquency.

Delinquency honored Friday for his work. “The Department of Criminal Justice is cited as one of the most internationally engaged departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Vivian Lord, chair of the Department of Criminal Justice at UNC Charlotte. “We have achieved this distinction primarily because of Paul Friday’s work. “ The UNC Charlotte-SWUPL International Institute for Justice Studies is another example of the type of collaborations that has brought

the Criminal Justice Department international distinction and will increase the University’s national reputation. According to Friday, this joint initiative will sponsor a series of international professional and academic exchanges aimed at assisting China on its legal reforms and broadening American perspectives on crime prevention and rehabilitation. “This is a one-of-a-kind initiative that will have a long-term beneficial effect on education at both institutions and on professionals in the communities served by the universities,” he said. The first goal is to establish meaningful exchanges via short conferences and workshops. International and criminal law experts will travel to SWUPL to address topics related to the rule of law, social justice, victimology and domestic violence. In the long term, scholars will engage in comparative research, and practitioners will learn new and alternative approaches to crime control. Friday traveled to China in November to deliver the agreement, signed by UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, to his counterparts at SWUPL. The project has been approved by the Ministry of Higher Education in China. Located in Chongqing, China, SWUPL is considered the most prestigious criminal law school in China. More than 70 percent of all judges and prosecutors in China completed study at SWUPL, and the institution is one of three to accept students from the entire country. Other members of the institute’s executive committee are: Chuanjiang Mei, vicedean of SWUPL School of Law; Kaicheng Huang, director, Sociology Research Center, SWUPL; Jiahong Liu, director, Center for Drug Research, SWUPL; and Vivian Lord, chair of UNC Charlotte’s Department of Criminal Justice. Friday continues to serve as an NGO representative to the United Nations Crime Commission in Vienna and Executive Board member and Treasure of the World Society of Victimology in addition to on-going empirical research in both China and India. Paul Nowell is media relations manager in the UNC Charlotte Office of Public Relations. www.UNCC.edu

building blocks

Where were you in ’61?

| UNC CHARLOTTE

A dapper undergrad confidently strides past the Kennedy building in 1961. No worries getting lost on the Charlotte College campus – all it consisted of was Kennedy, Macy and the old barn that stood where Colvard North now stands. Today, UNC Charlotte has developed hundreds of its nearly 1,000 acres, with 129 buildings, six parking decks, 6.4 million square feet of facilities under-roof and more than 23,000 students. Come see us!

www.UNCC.edu

Q109

|

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 39

UNC CHARLOTTE |

a l u m n i n o te s

1970s Henry Doss, ’77, works as a consultant and in various entrepreneurial roles, as well as following in his “second career” in rock music. His wife, Chris ’97, works as assistant director for the National Committee for the New River. The couple resides in West Jefferson, North Carolina, and is involved in a number of volunteer capacities in their community. Michael Long, ’78, was recently named as a full-time professor of finance at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.

1980s Tom Booth, ’86, vice president and general manager of Hardin Construction Company LLC, has been named a Real Estate Impact Leader by Business Leader magazine. The awards are presented in recognition of outstanding achievements in the professional field as well as in the community. A graduate of the UNC Charlotte, Booth has been with Hardin for more than 11 years and has spent nearly 25 years working in construction. Booth, a Triangle native, is responsible for overall administration and management of construction and preconstruction services at Hardin as well as new business development in North Carolina. Booth has been with Hardin for more than 11 years and has spent nearly 25 years working in construction. Patti Powell Alexander, ’80, achieved status of “National Certification for School Nurses” in August 2008. She is employed by the Cleveland County Health Department at the School-based health center at Shelby Middle School in Shelby.  Reginald Alston, ’88, was recently named Regulatory Compliance Officer with Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals. Hank Foreman, ’86, has been named assistant vice chancellor for Arts and Cultural Affairs at Appalachian State University. Foreman recently served as director of the Turchin Center for Visual Arts at ASU and has been employed at Appalachian State University since 1993. Janet Cox Little, ’82, has joined Presbyterian Hospital Matthews as an Infection Preventionist. Janet has worked in the field of Infection Prevention & Control for the past 18 years. Diane Sutton, ’89, ’95, has joined Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte Campus, as an Admissions Officer. She will focus on increasing the school’s transfer population. She and her husband, Eric ’78, sent their daughter, Rebecca, off to Guilford College this fall. 40 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

|

Q109

Marsha Spaine Walpole, ’82, was recently elected to the Watauga County (NC) Board of Education. She will serve a two-year term.

1990s David, ’99, and Regena (Riggins) Brown, ’99, welcomed their first child, Evan Isaiah Brown on July 12, 2008. David is the Controller for Community Link and Regena is the Human Resources and Benefits Administrator for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. Leah A. Durner, ’94, was recently named global indirect tax lead or KPMG’s energy sector. Durner joined KPMG in 1997 and resides in Alexandria, Va. Carrie Allred Langley, ’98, married John Rudolph Langley “Rudy” on September 13, 2008, in Burlington, North Carolina. The couple resides in Greensboro, North Carolina. Todd, ’94, & Ashley Wood, ’96, welcomed a new addition to their household. Their son, Myers Tate, has joined siblings MacKenzie and Mason.

2000s Kim (Simko) Banks, ’00, has earned the prestigious Accredited in Public Relations (APR) designation from the Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine public relations and communications organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Ms. Banks is now one of only 42 public relations professionals in the state with the APR designation, the hallmark for public relations professionals. To achieve APR status, public relations professionals must apply, complete an oral review in which they demonstrate their skills and abilities, and pass a written exam. The APR designation signifies mastery of the public relations body of knowledge and the holder’s commitment to ethical behavior.

Ms. Banks is the owner/founder of Simko Communications, an independent agency that provides strategic public relations planning, freelance writing and marketing services to clients. Jennifer Fox Boyle, ’07, and Joshua Stearman Boyle, ’07, were married on October 4, 2008.  The couple currently resides in Winston Salem. Jennifer is currently pursuing a master’s degree in English from UNC Greensboro.  Lisa Leatherman Cameron, ’08, and her husband, Archie, welcomed their fourth child, Tucker Eli, on February 23, 2008. He joins big brothers Silas, 8 and Gavin, 5, and big sister Amelia Grace, 2. Gretchen (Bilynsky) Dunfey, ’02, and her husband Chris welcomed their son, Sean, in August 2008. Diana Cavender Dymek, ’02, and Michael C. Dymek are proud to announce the birth of their second son, Joshua Cavender Dymek. Joshua was born April 30, 2008. Joshua joins big brother Nicholas, 3.  Darwin Hanna, ’04, graduated from The George Washington University in August of 2008 with a Masters in Tourism Administration. His area of specialization is Sustainable Destination Management. Dr. Ginny Magnus, ’05, received the Counselor Educator of the Year 2008 from the Tennessee School Counselor Association. Dr. Magnus teaches at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. Bret McCormick, ’07, has been hired by The State Port Pilot. While at UNC Charlotte, Bret worked for the UTimes and covered basketball, baseball and soccer. Erin (Day) Pratt, ’06, and Hunter Pratt, ’07, were married on September 20, 2008. The couple resides in Fort Mill, SC. Ashley E. Wondra, ’01, published her first children’s book April 21, 2008. The title of the book is Kelsey’s Coat. The book is a Christmas story about the Salvation Army Angel Tree and coat drives.

What are you doing? It is time to share what you’ve been up to lately and let other Alumns help you toot your horn or spread the word on small or large achievements. We want to hear from you. Visit Alumni Affairs Web site at www.unccharlottealumni.org and tell us what you’ve been doing. Or write Alumni Affairs, UNC Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd. Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 www.UNCC.edu

perspective

| UNC CHARLOTTE

Developing Global Citizens By Joël A. Gallegos Assistant Provost for International Programs Office of International Programs When UNC System President Erskine Bowles took office, he charged all of us to do a better job of preparing our students to succeed in the new global economy. The importance of the need for our students to become more globally-aware extends to the very top of the administration at UNC Charlotte.  Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and our Provost Joan Lorden as well as all of the deans from the various colleges are committed to advancing the international mission of our campus. UNC Charlotte has been a locus of international programming and studies for more than a generation. The breadth and depth of our on- and off- campus international activities is far reaching. From a variety of internationally focused degree and area study programs to student and faculty exchange to our very own archeological dig in Israel, we celebrate our international campus and our international accomplishments. We strive to develop global competencies in our students to prepare them for a competitive

www.UNCC.edu

career in a knowledge based global economy.  We recognize the importance for our students to develop a skill set that prepares them to better understand the interdependence and interconnectedness of the many world regions and cultures around them.  As a rising research institution, UNC Charlotte attracts a large and active community of international students and faculty in a variety of disciplines, from engineering to business to liberal arts. Additionally, over the last two years, UNC Charlotte has seen an impressive 20 percent increase in the number of students studying abroad and we

continue to expand and enlarge the number of exchange agreements with prestigious colleges and universities. UNC Charlotte has new and longstanding partnerships and agreements with universities around the world, from Europe to Southeast Asia, Latin America, China and Australia. Still, we endeavor to do even more in a more thoughtful and far-reaching way. UNC Charlotte is a window to the rest of the world not only for our students but also for our community. We look forward to pursuing our international agenda and continuing to serve as a resource for our great and ever changing international city.                         

UNC CHARLOTTE magazine

Who says it doesn’t get cold in Charlotte? The chancellor’s residence, Bissell House.

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