UNC Charlotte

The magazine of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte for Alumni and Friends • v16 n4 q4 • 2009

Religious Studies
Enlightening how we
construct our world
UNC CHARLOTTE | c h a n c e l l o r ’s l e t te r
Plan Will Guide Campus Growth
Although we don’t have a crystal ball,
we can look at growth trends and other
available demographic data to project future
enrollment growth at UNC Charlotte. The
numbers suggest that we could expect to
enroll as many as 35,000 students by 2020,
a gain of approximately 10,000 students
over the course of a decade. With increased
student enrollment will come expansion of
our programs, faculty and staff.
To prepare for the campus of the future,
an interdisciplinary committee has been
working for 18 months to develop a
Campus Master Plan. The Plan, which was
recently approved by the Board of Trustees,
includes an assessment of how many new
classrooms, laboratories, residential beds,
administrative and faculty offices, and other
The Campus facilities the University will need by 2020.
It also calls for a new football stadium, a
Master Plan is variety of academic and student support
buildings, a recreation center, redesigned
the end product outdoor quads, and a performing arts
center, among other things (read more
of a proactive, about the plan on page 14).
But the Master Plan is much more than
deliberative a wish list. It makes tangible the values and
aspirations we hold as a campus community.
approach to For instance, in order to strengthen the
student experience at UNC Charlotte,
future growth.
we aim to create a traditional campus
UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
environment that focuses on pedestrian-
friendly development. To benefit our
students and the communities surrounding
campus, we also seek to create memorable
places that meld the beauty of our facilities
with the natural beauty of our nearly
1,000 acres. We have involved individuals
from on and off campus in this process
because another goal is to build stronger
relationships with nearby neighborhoods in
University City, which includes finding new
ways to draw people to campus and creating
communities around campus that are
attractive to students and faculty members.
The Campus Master Plan is the end
product of a proactive, deliberative
approach to future growth. I look forward
to seeing the Plan in action and am certain
the University will emerge stronger and
more integrated into the community as
a result.
Cordially,
Philip L. Dubois
Chancellor
www.UNCC.edu
 contents | UNC CHARLOTTE

14

features departments
10 Religious Studies 4 News Briefs
Enlightens our World 9 49ers Notebook
26 Center Stage
14 Ready, Steady, grow!
39 Building Blocks
the Master Plan
41 Perspective
18 Anatomy of a Spinoff
arts profile 32
22 Urban Institute at 40
25 David Russell

28 HIV/AIDS Among
older Adults alumni profiles
32 Noah Lazes,
30 global Public Relations Impressario
Spans Cultures

34 Becoming Health Literate

On the cover:
The spirit of religion remains a powerful force in shaping American values.
Cover illustration by SPARK Publications. 25

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 1

U N C C H A R LOT T E | e d i to r ’s d e s k

Happy (Your Favorite

Seasonal Holiday Here)!
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

We chose the article on the Religious Studies program as our Volume 16, Number 4
cover article because it’s a great story and because many of the
major religions of the world are celebrating during this time of the Philip L. Dubois
year. Depending on when you read this, you may be celebrating or Chancellor
recently celebrated Christmas, Chanukkah, Muharrum, Kwanzaa, or Ruth Shaw
that all-purpose day of reflection and celebration, New Year’s Day. Chair of the Board of Trustees
One way UNC Charlotte marks this time of year is by shutting Vice Chancellor for University Relations
down the University for the entire week following Christmas. and Community Affairs
Before coming to UNC Charlotte four years ago, I’d never taken David Dunn
extra time off at year’s end. I’ve since found that I treasure this Editor
down time precisely because it comes at the end of an always-hectic Director of Public Relations
semester and because it dovetails so nicely with this period of joy. It helps me reflect John D. Bland

and recharge. Creative Director

If you’re reading this, then chances are you’re “invested” in UNC Charlotte. You Fabi Preslar
value the university, want it to reach its full potential and you wish us — the staff Contributing Writers
and faculty — well in our efforts to move this institution onward and upward. Many Rhiannon Bowman
of you provide the volunteer leadership to help direct and support us. Phillip Brown
James Hathaway
So, it seems timely to tell you “Thanks” and to ask for your continued support. Lisa Patterson
One of the many great things about working at UNC Charlotte is that, as an Paul Nowell
organization, we are one of the good guys. We’re working thoughtfully and Staff Photographer
collaboratively with care and goodwill to make this university indispensible to Wade Bruton
the Charlotte region. That work is paying off. We’re more valuable than ever and
Circulation Manager
becoming recognized as such. Cathy Brown
During the holiday break, we friends of UNC Charlotte reflect, recharge and tie
Design & Production
our running shoes in anticipation of another exciting semester. We look forward to SPARK Publications
seeing you along the way.

Regards, UNC Charlotte is published four times a

year by The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd.,
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
ISSN 10771913

Editorial offices:
Reese Building, 2nd floor
The University of North Carolina
at Charlotte
John D. Bland, Editor 9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223
Director of Public Relations 704.687.5822; Fax: 704.687.6379

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.

In the last edition we failed to give proper credit

to an outstanding photographer. This photo of
Brandon Kirkley was taken by Chris Myers.
Printed on
17,500 copies of this publication were printed recycled paper
at a cost of $.52 per piece, for a total cost of $9,210.

2 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu

Manage Pain Study proves efficacy

with Meditation of mindfulness

meditation training
By James Hathaway

Living with pain is stressful, but a

surprisingly short investment of time in
mental training can help you cope.
A new study examining the perception
of pain and the effects of various mental
training techniques has found that relatively
short and simple mindfulness meditation
training can have a significant positive effect
on pain management.
Though pain research during the past
decade has shown that extensive meditation
training can have a positive effect in reducing
a person’s awareness and sensitivity to pain,
the effort, time commitment, and financial
obligations required has made the treatment
not practical for many patients. Now, a new
study by researchers at UNC Charlotte shows
that a single hour of training spread out over
a three day period can produce the same kind
Fadel Zeidan
of analgesic effect.
The research appears in an article by
psychologists Fadel Zeidan, Nakia S. the meditation training were compared indicated that the effect of the meditation
Gordon, Junaid Merchant and Paula to controls and to groups using relaxation was substantially different from the effect of
Goolkasian, in the current issue of The and distraction techniques. The researchers the distraction activity.
Journal of Pain. measured changes in the subjects’ rating The finding follows earlier research studies
“This study is the first study to of pain at “low” and “high” levels during that found differences in pain awareness and
demonstrate the efficacy of such a brief the different activities, and also changes in other mental activities among long-time
intervention on the perception of pain,” their general sensitivity to pain through the practitioners of mindfulness meditation
noted Fadel Zeidan, a doctoral candidate process of calibrating responses before the techniques.
in psychology at UNC Charlotte and the activities. “We knew already that meditation has
paper’s lead author.  “Not only did the While the distraction activity — which significant effects on pain perception in long-
meditation subjects feel less pain than the used a rigorous math task to distract subjects term practitioners whose brains seem to have
control group while meditating but they also from the effects of the stimulus — was been completely changed — we didn’t know
experienced less pain sensitivity while not effective in reducing the subject’s perception that you could do this in just three days, with
meditating.” of “high” pain, the meditation activity had an just 20 minutes a day,” Zeidan said.
Over the course of three experiments even stronger reducing effect on high pain, In assessing the first experiment, the
employing harmless electrical shocks and reduced the perception of “low” pain researchers were not terribly surprised to
administered in gradual increments, the levels as well. discover that meditation activity appeared
researchers measured the effect of brief Further, the meditation training appeared to be affecting the experimental subjects’
sessions of mindfulness meditation training to have an effect that continued to influence perception of pain because the researchers
on pain awareness measuring responses the patients after the activity was concluded, assumed that the change was mainly due to
that were carefully calibrated to insure resulting in a general lowering of pain
reporting accuracy. Subjects who received sensitivity in the subjects — a result that Continued on p. 38

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 3

UNC CHARLOTTE | n ew s b r i e f s

news briefs
Go Long! Trustees Take Long-term View,
Approve Financing for 49ers Football

UNC Charlotte’s Board of Trustees on Dec. 11

unanimously approved plans to move forward with
a football program in 2013. The proposal calls for
the university to borrow $40.5 million to construct a
permanent stadium and field house.
Prior to the board’s approval, Chancellor Philip
L. Dubois said while the financing plan does require
imposing higher fees on students, it also offers several
distinct and tangible advantages over other options.
Most notably, he said, the plan approved by the
trustees would permit the university to take advantage
of a favorable bidding environment for construction and
historically low interest rates.
Other advantages include eliminating the need for
rentals for things like temporary bleachers, concessions
and restrooms. It also could stimulate interest in season
ticket sales and private fund raising efforts with donors
and sponsors.
Before the vote, Dubois said he supported the
proposal. to have 35,000 students on campus by 2020 and we have strong
“I’m concerned about student costs, of course,” he said. “But support for football. We expect that will grow even stronger as we
to delay this would kill it (football). We would have a hard time get closer to making it a reality.”
convincing people three years from now that we are serious.” Under the plan, students would begin paying an additional
Several trustees also spoke in favor of the plan. $50 operational fee beginning in the fall of 2011 for the football
“I endorse it without any reservation,” said trustee Karen Popp. program. That would increase by $50 per year to $200.
“This is a long-term strategic plan that will pay huge dividends An additional $120 fee for debt service will begin in the fall of
for students, alumni, faculty and staff at this vibrant university,” 2010 to cover the costs to build training and practice facilities and a
Dubois said. “It will foster a full university experience that many new stadium on the campus.
students crave as undergraduates. Now the proposal must be approved by the UNC System Board
“It also will help build closer relationships with our growing of Governors and it is also subject to review by the North Carolina
ranks of UNC Charlotte alumni and the greater Charlotte General Assembly.
community,” he said. “Despite the economic challenges facing “We still have a long way to go, but this is an important first
us all, this university is growing by leaps and bounds. We expect step,” Dubois said after the vote was greeted by applause.

In Memoriam: UNC Charlotte
Loses Longtime Benefactor
UNC Charlotte lost a devoted friend and
benefactor with the recent passing of Sara
Harris Bissell, who died after a long battle
with cancer on Nov. 8. She was 71.
From 1983 to 1989, Bissell served on the
Board of Trustees of UNC Charlotte, but
her service and devotion to the university
went far beyond that title. Her husband,
Charlotte developer H.C. “Smoky” Bissell,
also served as chairman of the UNC
Charlotte Board of Trustees.
In 2006, UNC Charlotte
bestowed the Distinguished
Service Award to Sara Bissell.
Established in 1987, the
award is presented annually
to a citizen whose exemplary
service has helped advance
UNC Charlotte in its
mission to serve the state
and metropolitan region and
whose personal leadership has
improved the Charlotte community.
Previously, the university
dedicated the new Chancellor’s
Residence on campus as the Sara H.
Bissell House.
Her family has long been
prominent in North Carolina.
Her father was former Gov.
Cameron Morrison. Survivors
include her brothers, Charlotte
Sara Harris Bissell businessmen Cameron Harris and
Johnny Harris.

4 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu

University Dedicates Road for Charlotte Research
Institute Opens $2.8 Million
Former Engineering Dean
A campus road has been dedicated in honor

of Robert D. Snyder, former dean of the Lee
College of Engineering. Snyder, who joined
UNC Charlotte in 1975, led the college for more
than 20 years and spearheaded the development
of its master’s and doctoral programs.
In his remarks, the chancellor noted, “Bob
understood the college’s priorities should reflect
UNC Charlotte’s new mission as a research
university.” Snyder was credited with increasing
emphasis on applied research that laid the
foundation of the Cameron Applied Research
Center. Today, the center brings together
students, faculty, staff and community partners
to conduct applied scientific, technological
and policy research and to pursue commercial
development.
Snyder Road is located on the UNC
Charlotte research campus; it connects with
Phillips Road.
State-of-the-Art Lab
The Charlotte Research Institute at UNC Charlotte hosted nearly 100 people this
fall to celebrate the grand opening of 14,000 square feet of state-of-the-art laboratory
space in Grigg Hall. Grigg houses the Physics Department and the Center for
Optoelectronics and Optical Communications.
Funding for the $2.8 million lab was provided jointly by the U.S. Department of
Commerce Economic Development Administration and the State of North Carolina.
The lab provides an environment where regional businesses can collaborate with
UNC Charlotte researchers in order to leverage talent, provide access to cutting-edge
facilities, grow businesses and create new jobs.
The grand opening celebration was held in conjunction with the annual 2009
UNC Charlotte Optoelectronics Symposium which focused on industry-university
partnerships designed to establish a new National Science Foundation Center for the
Development of Metamaterials.

Yale Initiative Names Charlotte

to its League of Teachers
Institutes
The Yale National Initiative announced
recently that the Charlotte Teachers Institute
(CTI) has become the newest member of its
League of Teachers Institutes®.
CTI, an innovative educational partnership
among Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS),
Davidson College, and UNC Charlotte,
joins Teachers Institutes established in New
Haven, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Each
Institute links institutions of higher education
with a school district that serves a significant
proportion of students from low-income
communities. Institutes focus on the academic Board of County Commissioners, and Centralina Council of Governments member
preparation of school teachers and on how to George Dunlap and U.S. Economic Development Administration Southeast Regional
apply what they study at the Institute in their Manager Robin Cooley participated in the event with Charlotte Research Institute
Executive Director Robert Wilhelm, Associate Director Barry Burks and UNC Charlotte
own classrooms. Provost Joan Lorden.
“We are impressed by the enthusiasm and
commitment to CTI expressed by the three
partner institutions,” said Initiative Director subjects teachers request in the humanities and Currently 50 teachers participate in four
James R. Vivian. “CTI promises to become sciences. During seminars, faculty members CTI seminars, and the Institute plans to double
precisely the kind of exemplary Teachers Institute contribute their knowledge of a subject, while its offerings in fall 2010. Seminars take place
that we hope to develop in each state.” the school teachers contribute their expertise at Davidson College and UNC Charlotte.
Vivian announced CTI’s admission into in elementary and secondary school pedagogy, Participating teachers, called Fellows, are treated
the League during the Initiative’s fifth Annual their understanding of the students they teach, as members of each campus community with
Conference, attended by hundreds of teachers, and their grasp of what works in the classroom. access to all campus facilities.
school district officials and higher education Teachers write a curriculum unit to be used in To learn more about the Charlotte Teachers
administrators from 11 participating cities and their own classroom and to be shared with others Institute, contact CTI Director Molly
counties. in the same school and other schools through Shaw at (704) 687-0078 or visit www.
Each Teachers Institute offers seminars on both print and electronic publication. charlotteteachers.org.

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 5

UNC CHARLOTTE | n ew s b r i e f s

news briefs
Dubois Signs Climate Commitment
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois has signed the American
College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, which
designates UNC Charlotte as one of 16 colleges or universities
across North Carolina to sign the pledge to address global
climate change.
By signing the pledge, UNC Charlotte also joins more than
650 institutions of higher education across the nation that
have declared they will address global warming by neutralizing
their greenhouse gas emissions and accelerating research and
educational efforts to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s
climate.
“Anyone who is familiar with this university’s legacy
understands we have had a strong commitment to environmental
protection, and signing the Presidents’ Climate Commitment
shows we are demonstrating how a large public institution can be
a good environmental steward,” Dubois said.
“We also realize signing this piece of paper is just a start, not
the conclusion,” he said. “We must continue to discover practical
sustainability goals for our students and employees and do what
we can to help them succeed.”
Under Dubois’ leadership, the university has launched
a number of initiatives that demonstrate a commitment to
sustainability and environmental protection. The ACUPCC
will be viewed as a key driver to future sustainability efforts on
campus.
One of Dubois’ first moves in support of the agreement was environmental stewardship and sustainability and research, said
to appoint a UNC Charlotte Sustainability Committee. The David Jones, sustainability coordinator at the university.
panel will meet several times each year to review the progress of As part of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, other steps
the implementation of the commitment and also will play a key will be taken to move the campus closer to climate neutrality. In
role to ensure the resources and expertise of the institution are the short term, the University will take the following actions:
brought to bear on this project. Adopt an energy-efficient appliance purchasing policy
UNC Charlotte already has a proven track record in requiring purchase of ENERGY STAR certified products in all
areas for which such ratings exist.
Work towards adoption of green standards for buildings,
following U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) construction guidelines.
LEED certification is being sought on new capital projects,
including the new Center City Building and the EPIC Building.
Encourage use of and provide access to public transportation
for all faculty, staff, students and visitors.
Participate in the Waste Minimization component of the
national “RecycleMania” competition, and adopt several other
associated measures to reduce waste.
“The fact that Chancellor Dubois is willing to sign on to this
agreement sends an important message to our students, faculty
and staff as well as the Charlotte community at large,” said Jones.
“It says our efforts to reverse the effects of global warming are
critically important to everyone on this campus.”

6 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu

Charles Burnap Tapped for
Top Teaching Award
Charles Burnap was selected this fall as the
2009 recipient of the highest teaching honor
bestowed by UNC Charlotte — the Bank of
America Award for Teaching Excellence.
Burnap, an associate professor of mathematics,
was selected from a prestigious list of finalists for
the award, which was started in 1968.
Burnap joined the UNC Charlotte faculty
as an assistant professor in 1982 and was
promoted to associate professor in 1985. After
completing a bachelor’s degree in physics from
Rensselaer Polytechnic University, he earned a
master’s and a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard
University. Prior to joining UNC Charlotte, he
served on the faculty of the University of Florida
and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University.
According to Burnap, his teaching is
grounded in well-developed goals and practices.
“While setting high standards is important, it
E.K. Fretwell and family were present at the unveiling ceremony. The University’s second
is essential to realize that most courses include chancellor set UNC Charlotte on a path to national recognition.
students with a wide range of mathematical
backgrounds, interest and talent,” he said.

Bronze
“Consequently, it is important that high level
goals be approached in small steps. Because

Busts Honor
mastery comes from the act of doing, students
must be engaged in classroom activities and

Former
must attempt assigned work.”
One former student wrote, “He teaches

University
calculus, which can be very difficult to
understand. However, Dr. Burnap breaks

it down and teaches in a way that I can
understand. He gives examples and offers extra
help. He sends the class e-mails on what we
covered in class and what the homework is, plus
additional announcements. We also have Web
work assignments. He seems like he loves what
he does, and he really wants us to do well.”
In addition to classroom teaching and
individual tutorials, Burnap has a long history
of involvement with other teaching/student-
related activities.
Charles Burnap is the 2009 winner of the
Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence.
Leaders
Former chancellors E.K.
Fretwell and Jim Woodward
returned to campus this fall for
a special ceremony to unveil
bronze busts of their likenesses.
The event honored the chancellor
emeriti’s contributions as the UNC Charlotte’s third chancellor, Jim Woodward,
University’s second and third comments on his likeness to the bronze bust created
in his honor. Woodward led efforts to make UNC
leaders. Charlotte a doctoral research institution.
“Today, UNC Charlotte is North
Carolina’s urban research university.
It would not be so were it not for the visionary leadership of E.K. Fretwell and Jim
Woodward,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “The two individuals we celebrate
today set about their work with a clear vision of what the University needed in the
moment as well as what the University could become. E.K. and Jim, thank you for
your service and dedication.”
Long-time University benefactor Irwin “Ike” Belk commissioned sculpture John
Heibenstreit to create the busts, which are located in the lobby of the J. Murrey
Atkins Library. The artist also sculpted the bronze bust of first chancellor Dean
Colvard, unveiled last year.

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 7

UNC CHARLOTTE | n ew s b r i e f s

news briefs
Nursing Professor
Earns Prestigious
Health Policy Fellowship
Professor in the College of Health
and Human Services’ School of Nursing
Margaret C. Wilmoth has been selected
by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
as a Health Policy Fellow for 2009-
2010. Wilmoth joins nine other health
professionals in Washington, D.C. for the
2009-2010 academic year to learn about
the health policy process at the by key policy makers and
federal level. other experts in health and
Fellows are immersed in public policy. Following
the theoretical aspects of the interviews with members
policy process during the of the U.S. Congress and
fall semester and joined the other federal agencies in
American Political Science December, Wilmoth will
Association in November to spend the remainder of the
complete their orientation Fellowship engaged full-time
to the federal policy process. on Capitol Hill participating
Peggy Wilmoth
Lectures will be conducted in the policy process.

Board of Governors Tap Cook for

Excellence in Public Service
Associate professor of psychology James Cook was the 2009
recipient of the UNC Board of Governors Award for Excellence
in Public Service. The highly prestigious honor recognizes and
rewards “sustained, distinguished and superb achievement in
university public service and outreach and contributions to
improve the quality of life of the citizens of North Carolina.”
A member of the UNC Charlotte faculty for 29 years, Cook
has cultivated an outstanding record of distinguished community
service. A trained psychologist, Cook has worked with
economically and socially disadvantaged citizens and those with
disabilities in the greater Charlotte region for almost 30 years.
“Throughout Dr. Cook’s career at UNC Charlotte, he has
been, in many ways, the University’s exemplar of community
service,” said Provost Joan Lorden. “From his first days on
campus, he has been actively involved in the community, and he
has involved students in community service through his classes,
grants and contracts, supervision of master’s theses and creation
of paid student assistantships. He has actively worked to address
the needs of North Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens through
system change.”
From 1986 to 1989, he served as a member of the Housing
Task Force of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Citizens Forum, which
worked to find ways to provide affordable housing. Between 1994
and 2002, Cook was actively involved with Homeless Services
Network, a coalition of agencies providing services to the homeless.
During this time, he wrote proposals that resulted in more than
$15 million in supportive housing and services.
Since 1986, Cook has been a member of the board of directors James Cook and Erskine Bowles
for Mecklenburg Open Door, an organization serving adults
with serious mental disorders. He also has served on the board of
directors for the Mental Health Association. During his tenure
on the board, the association started the Compeer program to
provide peer support to people with mental illnesses. In 1997, the
Cleveland County mental health director approached Cook to help
the county become part of the state’s efforts to transform mental
health services. For seven years, he worked with the department to
change mental health service delivery in the county.

8 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu


Let Me Play Raises
Funds for Athletes
More than 350 female corporate and
community leaders came together at the
Charlotte Convention Center for the
49ers 6th Annual Let Me Play Luncheon
in November. The event is designed to
illustrate the importance athletics can play
in the development of young women.
The luncheon seeks to mobilize female
leaders in support of athletics. Noted golf
professional Dana Rader served as the
event’s keynote speaker while current 49ers
women’s basketball player Aysha Jones
discussed her life as a student-athlete.
The event, sponsored by OrthoCarolina,
Goodrich, Presbyterian Hospital, Wachovia
Wells Fargo, The Edmund Center, Carolina
Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats, surpassed
its goal of raising $75,000.
University to Host
2011 NCAA Tournament
The NCAA has announced that the
Charlotte 49ers will host the first and
second rounds of the 2011 Division I Men’s
Basketball Championship. The event will
take place at Time Warner Cable Arena in
uptown Charlotte. The dates for the first
and second rounds are currently slated for
March 18 and 20, 2011. With 80 NCAA
Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
games hosted, the city of Charlotte ranks
third in tournament history behind Kansas
City (116) and Salt Lake City (83). The
49ers also hosted the 1996 NCAA Division
I Women’s Basketball Final Four. Ticket
information for the first and second rounds
of the 2011 Division I Men’s Basketball
Championship will be released in March,
2010.
Football Update
The architectural team of Jenkins-Peer/
DLR Group has been selected to design
the football fieldhouse, practice fields
and football stadium. The complex will
be located between Mariam and Robert
Hayes Baseball Stadium and the Charlotte
Research Institute. Meanwhile, sales of
49ers Seat Licenses (FSL’s) continue in an
effort to raise the necessary start-up monies.
Individuals interested in purchasing FSLs
who have not yet done so are strongly
encouraged to visit charlotte49erfootball.
www.UNCC.edu Q409
Chancellor Dubois has reasons
to smile about 49ers football.
com or call 704/687-4949. Board of
Trustee Vice Chair Gene Johnson continues
to lead the capital campaign component
of the fundraising efforts. The Board of
Trustees has committed to contributing
$1.6 million in personal gifts to the 49ers
football program. In recognition of their
commitment, the Student-Athlete Academic
Center within the football fieldhouse will be
named in their honor.
49ers Have Hearts of Gold
This fall 108 49er student-athletes spent
their Saturday morning walking, talking
and playing with families and kids they had
never met — all in an effort to raise money
to benefit those with epilepsy. For student-
athletes a free Saturday morning is like
gold, but on this day the student-athletes
demonstrated they have hearts of gold.
The 49ers played games, painted faces
and created crafts with the throng of
people that turned out for the Fall Stroll
for Epilepsy. After dancing, running and
playing, the players joined forces with the
families and began the walk around the Belk
Track and Field. And they walked. And
walked.
The fall stroll was nothing new for the
student-athletes, who frequently participate
in community service projects. In August,
they assisted the Tools For Schools program.
In September, they hosted the annual 9/11
49 e r s n o t e b o o k | UNC CHARLOTTE
Blood Drive in Hayward Practice Gym. In
November, the volleyball team raised close
to $8,000 with their Dig Pink campaign in
support of Breast Cancer Research. And in
December they will visit children’s hospitals
and collect gifts for the U.S. Marines’ Toys
For Tots program.
“Our student-athletes enjoy participating
in various activities, from reading at local
elementary schools to food and clothing
drives to benefit the homeless to health-
related ventures like the Blood Drives,
Epilepsy Walk and Dig Pink,” said Mark
Verburg, assistant director of the athletic
academic center and life skills coordinator.
The involvement of the student-athletes
in community service projects is far-
reaching. Last year, the 49ers contributed a
record 2036.5 volunteer hours to a variety
of projects. Reading to children at area
elementary schools, running clinics or
holding autograph sessions are just some
of the ways the 49ers reach out to the
community.
Last fall, the entire athletic department
turned out for the Rayce Playce Playground
Build, in which several community entities
joined forces with Mecklenburg Parks
and Recreation to create a racecar-themed
playground in the Nevin neighborhood
off nearby Statesville Road. The 49ers
drilled, hammered, painted, sanded, raked,
shoveled, carried and cut to make the
playground a reality.
Whether they’re spending time with a
family, or visiting a child in the hospital
or building a new slide, the 49ers go the
distance. And in doing so, they gain a true
appreciation for all that they have and for all
that they have to offer.
The Community Service Project program
is just as valuable to the student-athletes as
it is to the communities they serve.
“Different student-athletes are passionate
about different causes and this program
allows them to donate their time to things
that are important to them,” Verburg said.
“Hopefully, participation fosters a life-long
love of giving back.”
The 2036.5 hours equate to nearly 85
full, 24-hour days of community service.
And much of that time is spent putting
smiles on children’s faces. That’s a life
experience UNC Charlotte students will
hold dear for years to come.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 9
 Religious Studies
By Phillip Brown
Americans live in a complex age. One in which
technology has enabled individuals, corporations
and countries to interact more globally. However,
differences in values, culture and society continue
to be sources of conflict and tension. From “hot
button” issues related to gender and sexuality, to
socio-economic concerns of poverty, homelessness
and class, to the violence born out of extremism,
culture clashes continue to divide.
The early 19th-century French historian Alexis
de Tocqueville recognized the vital role religion
10 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409
Enlightening how we construct
the world in which we live
plays in shaping American life. He wrote, “This
civilization is the result … of two quite distinct
ingredients, which anywhere else have often ended
in war but which Americans have succeeded
somehow to meld together in wondrous harmony;
namely the spirit of religion and the spirit of
liberty.” Even after almost two centuries, the “spirit
of religion” remains a powerful force in shaping
the views and values of the American people.
This nation’s pursuit of religious liberty has
enabled Charlotte, like the rest of the nation,
to become home to a plurality of traditions and
practices. To better understand, the connections
between Americans’ religious beliefs and practices
and their cultural, social and political views, one
should look to religious scholars. UNC Charlotte’s
Department of Religious Studies is home to 14
faculty members dedicated to the academic study
of religion in contrast to theology.
“So much of our culture is based upon religious
assumptions and backgrounds. They are a guide
as to how we have gotten to where we are now,”
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said James Tabor, professor of religious studies and
department chair. “Ideas, morals and values are
all derived from religious traditions and practices.
Our goal, as religious studies scholars, is to shed
light and understanding on topics rather than
advocate a theological perspective.”
According to Richard Wentz, writing in the
Chronicle of Higher Education, the discipline of
religious studies is relatively new to the academy.
“Its roots may be found in the research of language
and literature scholars dating back to the 18th
century, and in the scholarship…of modern
anthropology-work that took seriously the study
of religious phenomena and culture. While many
private liberal arts colleges and universities in the
early 20th century had departments of religion, the
nature of those departments changed significantly
with the emergence of religious studies in public
colleges and universities in the 1960s.”
UNC Charlotte’s Religious Studies
Department was created during this ‘60s era
drive to study religion academically. Bonnie
Cone, University founder, was president of
then Charlotte College when she hired Loy
Witherspoon, an ordained United Methodist
minister, to teach. Witherspoon, now professor
emeritus of religious studies, served as the
founding chair of the department in 1968. He
earned his bachelor’s and divinity degrees from
Duke University and his doctorate from Boston
University.
Prior to developing the Religious Studies
Department, Witherspoon laid the groundwork
by helping to create the Philosophy Department
in 1964. According to Witherspoon, some faculty
members were reticent about the creation of a
Religious Studies Department. But eventually, it
was approved, and Witherspoon set out to hire
faculty members who were experts in religious
fields, not only Christianity, but Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism and the phenomenon of religion more
generally. “From the outset, our goal has been to
talk about religion from an intellectual point of
view and utilize the best scholarship in the field.
To look at religion from a historical and textual
aspect – what do the texts say?”
“Loy was truly a pioneer in the field of religious
studies,” said Tabor, who earned his Ph.D. in
New Testament and early
Christian literature from the
University of Chicago. “He
understood the importance
of teaching religion
academically. How can you
have a University, a place of
universal knowledge, and
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Kent Brintnall in the classroom.
not study from an academic perspective the most
important cultural and historical factor in our
collective lives?”
Within the last few years, new faculty members
have been hired within the department. The
majority of these new professors are products of
Religious Studies Departments that developed
during the late 1960s. As such, they have a strong
desire to foster a positively critical examination of
religion and its role in society.
“Religious studies may be the only place in
society where one can explore spirituality without
having to commit to a certain group. Our students
learn about and are exposed to other perspectives
that are different from their own religious
traditions,” Tabor stated. “In that regard, religious
studies is at the center of a liberal arts education,
because what we do intersects with all humanities
and social sciences – history, psychology, literature,
sociology, philosophy and anthropology.”
Religious studies scholars understand that
human beings use religious assumptions, practices
and traditions to construct their own worldviews.
It is one method of how people explain the
world in which they live and who created it. This
imposition of reality has profound implications on
society when worlds collide.
Religion, gender and
Sexual Identity
The concept of two
genders, behaviors attributed
to these genders and sexual
behavior and morality
are at the root of a number of “hot button”
issues in society. Same-sex marriage, abortion,
masturbation, pre-marital sex and feminism are
just a few topics for which people have polarizing
opinions shaped by religious tradition.
For Kent
Brintnall, a
one-time lawyer
now religious
studies scholar, his
goal in teaching
about gender and
sexuality is for
students to consider
religion’s investment
in certain sexual
behaviors, practices and identities.
Brintnall, who earned his doctorate from
Emory University, joined UNC Charlotte in
fall 2008 after serving as the first post-doctoral
fellow in religion and sexuality at Emory.
After completing his undergraduate degree in
philosophy from Fort Hays State University,
Brintnall obtained a law degree from Northeastern
University School of Law. After several years of
practice, Brintnall decided to pursue a Ph.D. He
focused on religious discourse because of how
people used religious narratives, practices, rituals
and communities. He teaches courses in feminist
and queer theory, visual and popular culture,
masculinity studies and the Christian tradition. 
“There is a strong overlap between what we
call ‘sexuality’ and what we call ‘religion,’” said
Brintnall. “For example, in many traditions, erotic
Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 11
 Julia Robinson-Harmon
language is the primary way they describe the
relation between the believer and the divine.”
Because all religious traditions have a variety of
ways on how to answer questions over time, one
can get a variety of answers. Brintnall’s goal is for
students to understand that there are no singular
answers across traditions.
“People are free to organize their life as they
like. But I do want to give my students the tools
to think about the interaction between religious
traditions and sexual morality,” said Brintnall. “It
goes back to fostering critical thinking and reading
skills. There are questions you have to answer
before you get to the moral questions. Historically,
textually – what are the reading and interpretive
strategies that you need to be aware of before you
ask if this sexual practice is good or bad?”
For some issues, religious practitioners, in the
case of Christians, rely on sacred texts, such as the
Bible. Brintnall urges his students to look beyond
the text. The Bible “doesn’t exist outside historical
and cultural influences. There are questions to ask
to determine how authoritative any religious text
is, and this requires a different way of thinking.”
Most importantly, Brintnall wants his students
to make informed decisions. While religious
traditions have viewpoints on gender and sexuality,
he encourages students to be aware of the range
of possibilities. “As a person, a human being, a
member of a religious tradition, you should be
aware of the number of legitimate and plausible
answers to lots of questions.”
12 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
In her course “Race, Religion and Murder,” Julia Robinson-Harmon discusses how religious fervor has
been the impetus for violent acts, including lynchings carried out by the Ku Klux Klan and the self-
immolation of Buddhist monks to protest the Vietnam War and religious persecution.
Religion, Race and Violence
Civil rights era church bombings and acts of
domestic and international terrorism are among
the topics explored in the class “Race, Religion
and Murder.” Michigan native Julia Robinson-
Harmon, assistant professor of religious studies,
teaches the class, which focuses on how religion
can influence violent acts.
According to Robinson-Harmon, one part of
the class attempts to deconstruct the term terrorist
by examining some of the religious, social and
political realities behind what society would call
terrorist action.
“Since 9/11, the term terrorist has been taken
at face value. But we look at the background of
the terrorist to see how one evolves to become a
suicide bomber and the religious influences,” said
Robinson-Harmon. “Students get a different view
of religions and how they inform violence.”
The class is exposed to religious extremism
from a number of traditions – Christianity,
Hinduism and Islam. In some cases, race is a
component of the discussion, which, when added
to the conversation, yields a different outcome in
terms of power and identity.
As an example, Robinson-Harmon pointed
to the case of Bobby Chambliss, the Ku Klux
Klan member, who was convicted of murder in
1977 for his role as a co-conspirator in the 16th
Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963 in which
four girls were killed. “What in his faith inspired
him to engage in such violence? Students look at
Christianity from both perspectives and see how
race operates as an ideology for a rallying point.
We deconstruct the event and tease out the racial
and religious dynamics and implications.”
Before coming to UNC Charlotte in fall 2005,
Robinson-Harmon taught in the Comparative
Religion Department at Western Michigan
University. Besides a Master of Divinity from
Princeton Theological Seminary, Robinson-
Harmon holds a doctorate in American and
African American history from the Michigan
State University. Her Ph.D. studies focused on
American and African American religious history.
In approaching religious studies, Robinson-
Harmon studies historical events and how they
shape the practice of religion and society. “History
becomes a method to shed more light on how
religion shapes power and those who are deemed
other.”
As students explore the intersection of religion,
race and violence, Robinson-Harmon hopes
they develop a healthy skepticism about religious
tradition and understand it is acceptable to
challenge religious assumptions.
“I don’t want students to forsake their beliefs
but to distance them,” said Robinson-Harmon.
“To understand the traditions of any religion,
students must examine it on its own merits and
not through the lens of a certain perspective. This
allows them to acknowledge that other religious
traditions shape race relations and perceptions. It

helps them become more aware of the world and
prevents them from functioning in a vacuum.”
Religion, Media and Social Class
When discussing religion and the media, it
has become increasingly popular for certain faith
communities to rail against the “liberal media
elite” and its bias against religion.
Associate professor Sean McCloud is a
recognized scholar who researches religion and
social class. He said media bias is not a function of
political extremism but is based upon social class
and race. According to McCloud, scholars, using
a number of studies, have researched who are
journalists and discovered they are predominantly
from white, middle-class families with traditional
Protestant backgrounds – liberal and conservative.
“Any perceived bias has nothing to do with the
political left or right,” said McCloud, who double
majored in religious studies and journalism at
Indiana University. He earned a master’s degree
from University of Miami, Ohio, and a doctorate
in comparative religion from UNC Chapel Hill.
“Anything out of the norm from the white,
upper/middle class tends to get marginalized. So
while evangelicals may get represented negatively;
neopagans, Wiccans or leftwing Catholics aren’t
represented positively. It’s much more complicated
than television pundits and commentators would
have you think.”
McCloud contends that social class is one
of the most important distinctions between
religious traditions. Since the 1930s, researchers
have studied 20 religious groups and have ranked
them by class, based upon income, education and
occupation. The traditions that appeal to different
social classes remain virtually the same now as in
the 1930s.
In his book “Divine Hierarchies,” McCloud
attempts to address social networks at play in
religious traditions and the forces of habit by
which they operate. He created four categories
to explain the social class stasis associated
with religion – Divine Hierarchies, Economic
Arminianism, Social Harmony and Class-
conscious Christ.
Divine Hierarchies is the
concept that class difference
resulted from God, most
famously expressed in John
Winthrop’s sermon prior to the
Puritans leaving the ship to found
the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Winthrop asserted that “God
wants some to be poor, some to
be rich and that’s the way it will
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fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
always be.” Economic Arminianism, developed
during 19th century Evangelical revivalism,
focuses on individual determination – people have
100 percent free will over salvation and economic
prosperity. In Social Harmony, as typified in
antebellum Protestant writings and Catholic
social teachings of the late 19th and early 20th
century, God set up classes and while it is possible
to shift between classes, ultimately we are to live
in harmony and demonstrate the ability to get
along with one another. For the Class-conscious
Christ, McCloud depicts Jesus as a member of
the working-class proletariat who promotes the
concept of communal living – to strive for the
common good.
While social class may be an indicator of
religious tradition and practice, McCloud
believes technology and changes in the media are
prompting people to move beyond traditional
ways they talk about and live their faith. “I’m
fascinated by people and their behavior in how
they construct their world, which is through Sean McCloud
religious languages but can be mixed with what
they read in self-help books or see on ‘Oprah.’” matters we cover.”
Examples of how social class, media presentation Brintnall, the former lawyer now religious
and technology are impacting religious scholar, echoed these comments. He noted that
practices are illustrated through the “mega he and his colleagues want students to be able
church” movement that combine multimedia to study documents closely and carefully, to
presentations resembling variety shows, or, in write well and to think critically - skills that are
Charlotte, where small groups meet in movie highly transferrable to many professions and are
theatres and use the venue to screen videos as part mandatory for advanced graduate education.
of the service. “Religious studies is so broad that an
undergraduate can’t master the content,” said
Religious Studies and Its Brintnall. “I need to teach them how to think, and
Value to Liberal Arts Education if they go into the world to think about religion,
Look at the fall course offerings for the I want to give them the necessary tools to do that
Religious Studies Department and one will find – give them the critical apparatus to read, listen,
classes that span across an interdisciplinary range communicate and ask questions. Information
– introductory courses in Western and Asian gathering, assessment and evaluation are critical to
religions, sections on Christianity and Islam along be successful and are skills that will serve them well
with “The Power of Mourning: Violence, Loss in the world.”
and the Audacity to Hope” and “Queer Theory.” As students study the history of religions and
Many of the department’s offerings are regularly learn to think critically about issues, phenomena,
cross-listed in other departments and programs, traditions and assumptions, they begin to
such as Gender and Women’s Studies or Africana understand how human beings have constructed
Studies. their world. Along the way, they should discover
For the roughly 100 majors how to create balance between their own personal
in the department, religious traditions and those of others. Faculty members
studies is not a form of vocational in the department stress that religious studies is
or technical training, noted a “fine example” of what a liberal arts education
department chair Tabor. “Our should be and it can equip graduates to be better
majors pursue careers in just about members of the commonweal.
any field because the major is
impressive to potential employers.
It takes a more inquisitive type of Phillip Brown is internal communications
person to delve into the subject manager in the Office of Public Relations.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 13
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re

Ready,
Steady,
New master plan unveiled
Grow!
By Lisa A. Patterson

In the movie Field of Dreams, mysterious
voices implore Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella to
construct a baseball diamond in the middle
of a cornfield. With the diamond complete,
the ghost of baseball legend Shoeless Joe
Jackson appears, uttering the oft-repeated
phrase, “If you build it, he will come.”
The phrase might be modified as follows
to suit our purposes: If you don’t build it,
they will continue to come, but there won’t
be anywhere to house them, and there
definitely won’t be anywhere to park.
“They” are the 35,000 students expected
to enroll at UNC Charlotte by 2020.
In anticipation of projected enrollment
growth, nearly two years ago the University
embarked on an ambitious, all-encompassing
master planning project.

14 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu


And none too soon, according to Peter
Franz, UNC Charlotte planning director.
“With our existing facilities and rate of
construction we would reach capacity with
a student population of approximately
29,000,” he said.
This fall, the University’s enrollment hit
24,700.
Franz explained that the plan integrates
all aspects of campus life, such as research,
teaching, recreation, student housing, and
student life, with improved connectivity to
the surrounding community.
The Baltimore Md. firm of Ayers Saint
Gross, with other consultants, were hired to
create the Master Plan over a two year period.
The first phase of planning involved
various members of the University’s faculty,
UNC Charlotte trustees look on as details of the Master Plan are
revealed by a representative from the consulting firm Ayers Saint Gross.
staff, and student body, who participated
in multi-day workshops to discuss four
thematic areas: Academic Affairs, Athletics,
Student Life and Campus Perimeter.
“Initially getting input from the campus
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community was the challenge. This was
resolved by a series of public forums
focusing on the variety of constituents
on and around campus,” Franz said. “We
conducted a series of presentations on
campus to smaller groups to try to capture
opinions from perspectives in addition to
the University administration.”
The consultants distributed surveys
on topics including transportation and
off-campus issues such as housing and
entertainment.
“We found a definite opinion that the
University area needs more student oriented
entertainment venues at the campus
perimeter. This was the most successful
survey with around 7,000 responses,” Franz
noted.
In June 2009, the Chancellor and his
working group refined options generated
during the workshops to create a draft plan
for the University.
The Steering Committee of the UNC
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Charlotte Campus Master Plan adopted
three principles to guide the outcomes of
the plan. Those guiding principles include
strengthening the collegiate experience;
creating memorable places; and engaging
with the community at large.
The resulting draft plan outlines a
campus capable of accommodating 40,000
students. A Science Building, Student
Health and Wellness Center, Student
Academic Success and Retention Center,
and Arts and Humanities Building are
among the capital projects on the horizon.
Some of the additional projects highlighted
include a football stadium, LYNX light
rail station and a K-8 grade school in
collaboration with the College of Education.
“What is now clear is that it is obvious
With our
existing
facilities and
rate of
construction
we would
reach capacity
with a student
population of
approximately
29,000.
that our destiny is to be the state’s largest
urban university,” said committee member
Dennis Bunker, III (’81).
Bunker, whose expertise includes real
estate development, site selection and
Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 15
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
investment, has seen UNC Charlotte change
considerably since his undergraduate days.
“Witnessing what was once a small, suburban
commuter school turn into a major urban
research university accessible by multiple
modes of transportation is exciting,” he said.
Indeed, UNC Charlotte has claimed the
mantle as the state’s only urban research
university. The Master Plan will allow the
University to further explore its unique
identity in the way of partnerships with both
the City of Charlotte and in the surrounding
University City area.
Witnessing
what was
once a small,
suburban
commuter
school turn
into a major
urban research
university
accessible
by multiple
modes of
transportation
is exciting.
Ease of travel via pedestrian walkways,
bike lanes and vehicles will facilitate these
important partnerships. UNC Charlotte is
working more closely with state and local
agencies to traffic flow on and off campus.
Danny Pleasant, Charlotte Department of
Transportation director, and Barry Moose,
North Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) division engineer, are members of
the master plan steering committee.
16 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409
The vehicular corridors that border UNC
Charlotte — Tryon Street, University City
Blvd., and W.T. Harris — were once viewed
as impediments to growth but are now seen
as veins of opportunity. Going forward,
NCDOT will be an important collaborator
in helping connect the University to the rest
of the region. So will an extension of the
Lynx light rail system to serve the northeast
corridor of Charlotte, should it gain approval
and funding.
“Students, faculty and staff could utilize
the rail line to commute to campus, thereby
reducing the need to accommodate additional
parking spaces,” Franz said. Additionally,
UNC Charlotte alumni and individuals in the
Uptown area would be able to travel to campus
with ease for cultural and sporting events.
The Plan also will protect one of the
University’s best assets – its forested natural
areas.
“Our campus has so much varying terrain
— its physical features are challenging
on one hand and beautiful on the other,”
Bunker said. “What I’ve seen often in my
career is that those physical features get
neglected. We often try to alter or do away
with them, versus honor them.”
In keeping with the University’s efforts to
implement environmentally sound practices,
the Plan addresses parameters for future
land use, landscaping, space planning and
sustainable development.
The fruits of the Master Plan project
will be visible all over campus and in the
surrounding community during the course
of the next decade. Although the speed at
which many of the construction projects
come online depends upon availability of
funding from private and public sources.
The proposal currently does not include a
cost estimate; no money has been allocated
for most of the projects.
“The campus has the room to build the
required buildings and other facilities to
accommodate 35,000 students, but with
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The Student Union (below) and the
Bioinformatics building (right) are two major
recent additions to the campus.
A campus planning process similar to the current Master Plan process was the genesis of the new
Student Union, pictured here while under construction. The Union opened to much acclaim this fall.
the current economic conditions and state
funding it is difficult to say whether we can
build fast enough,” Franz said.
The Plan, while indicating specific
building sites, is a guide and must be flexible
to accommodate changes in the economy,
changes in the need for certain academic
programs and other unforeseen factors,
Franz explained.
Peering into the future is difficult but
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necessary at an institution that has more
than quadrupled in size in four decades.
With each decade come new fads, some of
which turn into trends while others fade
away and leave future generations scratching
their heads and wondering, “What were they
thinking?”
It is likely that the campus that emerges
with guidance from the Master Plan will
leave future students, employees and visitors
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
Obviously
it is important
to do things
right the
first time.
delighted rather than perplexed.
“Obviously it is important to do things
right the first time,” Bunker said. “In the real
estate development world, we generally build
for a 20- to 50-year life cycle; but when
you’re building a university, you know it’s
going to be there for generations.”
Lisa Patterson is senior writer in the
Office of Public Relations.
Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 17
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re

Anatomy of a
18 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu

Mark Clemens, biology, and
Charles Lee, engineering,
developed technology
that restores function to
damaged livers.
Their company,
HepatoSys, was founded
to bring the potentially
life-saving technology to
the market place.
By Lisa A. Patterson
Universities
bring great
ideas to the
market place
Spinoff
www.UNCC.edu
Consider the presence or absence of the tiny
heart icon on your driver’s license, the one that
signifies the organ donor. Behind that promise,
there is a process. The process involves skilled
medical professionals and complex medical
technology. UNC Charlotte researchers have
created a process and a product that may lead
to a breakthrough in organ transplantation –
but first they have to navigate the treacherous
waters of modern entrepreneurship.
In 2008, more than 23,000 lives were saved
in the United States by organ transplant.
However, three times that number are on
transplant waiting lists.
The number of individuals in waiting
eclipses the supply of organs because the
success of an organ transplant largely depends
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
on how much time passes between the death of
a donor and the actual transplant procedure.
Dr. Mark Clemens, a professor of biology
and vice chair for research at UNC Charlotte,
said this is in part because most organs used
for transplant in the United States come from
individuals who have been declared brain dead.
According to The Coalition on Donation,
of the 2.2 million people who die in
America each year, relatively few die under
circumstances that make them medically
eligible to be either organ or tissue donors.
Brain dead organ donors have suffered
complete and irreversible loss of all brain
function, but mechanical ventilation and
medications keep their hearts beating and
blood flowing to their organs. Less than one
percent of all deaths in the United States are
brain deaths.
Without blood flow organ function starts
deteriorating fast said Clemens, who is an
internationally known expert on liver blood
flow. Large numbers of potential organ donors
die from cardiac arrest, after which the body’s
organs are deprived of blood and are rendered
useless for transplant.
Clemens, a physiologist who worked
closely with clinicians for nearly two decades
in surgery departments at Yale and Johns
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UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
Hopkins, has made a career of improving liver
preservation techniques.
When Clemens arrived at UNC Charlotte,
he joined a budding group of researchers in
the colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences and
Engineering with interests in biomedical
engineering. A collaboration among the
researchers resulted in a $2.5 million National
Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop a
partnership to work on liver support systems.
Among other objectives, the five-year project
called for the development of organ preservation
methods. Clemens and Dr. Charles Y. Lee,
associate professor of mechanical engineering,
in consultation with a transplant surgeon
colleague, took the lead in that area.
“The transplant surgeon told us that if we
could satisfy our original goal, which was to
“We had two choices: One was to
hang the nice patent certificate on
our wall and stop there, and the
other was to be proactive and
start a company to develop
the process even further.”
prolong the period you could preserve the liver,
everyone would be happy,” Clemens said.
But, the surgeon added, meeting that
objective wouldn’t satisfy a critical need — to
make the organs of cardiac death donors
available for people in need of transplants.
“Making those organs available would go
a long way to alleviate the organ shortage,”
Clemens noted.
Through the partnership, Clemens and Lee
developed technology that restores function to
damaged livers. Recently, the technology has been
shown to work on kidneys as well.
He explained, “We’ve developed a process
that can take those organs and what we call
perfuse them — substitute for blood flow — at
a low temperature, except with a special solution
we’ve developed. The process allows the organ
to recover its function so when you then do the
20 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
transplant, it works.”
Clemens and Lee launched a company called
HepatoSys to further develop, and eventually
bring to market, the technology.
“The company started with a patentable idea.
We were constantly nagged, harassed, pushed
and prodded [by UNC Charlotte’s Office of
Technology Transfer] to file a patent request,”
Clemens joked.
Once the intellectual property was protected,
Clemens and Lee recognized that they likely
wouldn’t be able to interest an existing company
in the technology because a substantial amount
of time and money would be required to develop
it further.
“We had two choices: One was to hang the
nice patent certificate on our wall and stop
there, and the other was to be proactive and
start a company to develop the process even
further,” Clemens said.
Clemens and Lee decided to add
“entrepreneur” to a list of roles already including
faculty member, researcher and administrator.
Their company, HepatoSys, was born.
Taking the Plunge
When faced with the opportunity to bring
an original idea to the marketplace, university
faculty increasingly find themselves in a quandary
over whether to make the leap from academic to
entrepreneur. But the concept of the “academic
spinoff” company is nothing new.
Academic spinoffs have early roots in the
formation of the modern university in Germany
during the 18th century as research discoveries
began to trickle into the mainstream, said
Carl Mahler II, executive director of the UNC
Charlotte Office of Technology Transfer.
World War II and the Cold War accelerated
the pace of university research and development.
Lab findings were frequently turned into
marketable products and services to meet
government and industrial needs.
However, it wasn’t until the passage of
the Bayh-Dole Act in 1980 — which gave
universities the property rights from federally
funded research — that a wave of new
developments flooded the market.
Prior to the act’s passage, only a handful of new
companies formed each year, but in 2000 more
than 500 business ventures were launched.
UNC Charlotte has launched more than 37
spinoffs since the University refined its mission
to become North Carolina’s urban research
institution, Mahler said.
In his book, “Academic Entrepreneurship:

University Spinoffs and Wealth Creation,”
author Scott Shane found that university spinoffs
are remarkably high-performing in comparison
to the average new company. In fact, a spinoff
from a typical university is 108 times more likely
to go public.
Shane purports that the creation of these
companies impacts local and national economies,
benefits society and helps universities raise income
and advance their teaching and research missions.
In less than a decade, UNC Charlotte formed
30 start-up companies that have attracted
approximately $9.5 million in venture capital
funding and created 75 new jobs, Mahler said. Of
the 68 technologies transferred by the university
in that time period, 62 were to North Carolina
companies. The most successful company to date
founded on the university’s technology was Digital
Optics Corporation, founded by faculty members
in 1991. It was acquired by Tessera Corporation
in 2006 for $59.5 million in cash.
Clearing the Hurdles
Despite the positive aspects of academic
entrepreneurship, too many good ideas
meet their ends in university labs because of
funding-related roadblocks.
After all, it routinely takes upwards of a decade
and hundreds of millions of dollars to take a
pharmaceutical product from research to market,
and anywhere from 3 to 10 years for medical
devices.
“We estimate that before we get something
in routine clinical practice it will cost roughly 10
to 15 million dollars,” Clemens said. “The cost
is specific to the device — if it’s permanently
implanted, it’s going to take longer and cost more.
www.UNCC.edu Q409
Our device touches the organ between donation
and transplant.”
In laboratory space leased from the Charlotte
Research Institute, and with funding from
the NIH Small Business Innovative Research
Program, Clemens and Lee have been able to
move the technology forward. Next comes the
really tricky part.
Within a year, Clemens and Lee expect the
device will be ready to enter the crucial clinical
trial phase, during which they will need outside
investors willing to back an untested product. And
angel investors are a rare commodity in a down
economy.
“We’re optimistic we’ll get over this hurdle, and
we’re hoping to be able to do some early clinical
trials within two years,” Clemens said.
While finding funding is, without doubt, a
An important thing for people
to keep in mind is for a faculty
member to start and run a
company in their ‘free time,’
on top of their normal duties,
is an incredible amount of work.
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
significant obstacle to entrepreneurial endeavors,
for the academic entrepreneur, making the time to
run a company can be just as onerous.
Clemens, who spends upward of 10 hours a
week on HepatoSys, said “An important thing for
people to keep in mind is for a faculty member
to start and run a company in their ‘free time,’ on
top of their normal duties, is an incredible amount
of work.”
Clemens maintains a very active research lab as
well as a teaching schedule comparable or more
rigorous than that of his colleagues with similar
research duties. HepatoSys works in part because
Clemens’ wife, Elizabeth Miescher-Clemens, is
acting president and chief financial officer of the
company.
“Fortunately we work pretty well together, and
we still actually like each other,” Clemens laughed.
“But it can be a stress under the best conditions.”
On the business side, Miescher-Clemens’
involvement has been a boon for HepatoSys. On
the research end, the synergy between Clemens
and Lee and the partners’ ability to create a
workable division of labor is essential to the
company’s survival.
“To make the company stuff work things like
sleep and personal life get sacrificed, but it’s been
worth it,” Clemens said.
With a little luck, an infusion of capital and
favorable clinical trials, thousands of people in
the United States and millions worldwide might
experience first-hand the life-saving fruits of a
company that began as a university spinoff.
Lisa Patterson is senior writer
in the Office of Public Relations.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 21
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
Celebrates
40th Anniversary
By Paul Nowell
The year 1969 is remembered for some
remarkable, if disjointed, events and happenings:
Man walks on the moon. Woodstock. The first
e-mail sent on the Internet. On a lighter note,
both Sesame Street and Monty Python’s Flying
Circus make their debut on the small screen.
Some important institutions also got their
start in 1969, including the UNC Charlotte
Urban Institute. And much like the enduring
impact of these historical events, the Institute
continues to wield significant influence in the
region some four decades after its founding.
In 2009, the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
is marking its 40th Anniversary. The Institute,
a nonprofit arm of the university, investigates
22 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
and finds solutions to the social, economic, and
environmental challenges facing the Charlotte
region.
The Institute also offers technical assistance
and training, public-opinion surveys, land-use
and natural-resources consulting, economic-
development research and community planning.
By conducting research, collecting and managing
data, and analyzing policy, the UNC Charlotte
Urban Institute provides relevant, accurate, and
non-partisan information to lawmakers, scholars,
elected officials, planners, and citizens.
While the wording of the Institute’s mission
statement sounds very technical, the purpose
of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute can be
John Chesser, Jeff Michael, Erskine Bowles,
Ann Ponder (Chancellor UNC Asheville)
with others at the opening of the RENCI
Engagement Center office of UNC Asheville
at the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville,
October 1st. Chesser and Michael presented
work with UNCA to expand their urban growth
model to western North Carolina.
understood by the retelling of a story from the
University’s earliest days as an institution.
Always a visionary, UNC Charlotte’s first
chancellor, Dean Colvard, asked UNC System
President Bill Friday to establish a community
outreach initiative for the new “urban” university
in Charlotte that would be modeled after the

successful agricultural extension service at North
Carolina State University and other land-grant
universities.
Friday agreed and the UNC Charlotte
Urban Institute was born. Similar centers were
established at UNC Chapel Hill and NCSU.
“The appropriations that went to each of the
three campuses were in the $275,000 range,”
said Bill McCoy, who served as director of the
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute from 1986 to
2001. “While this amount is not large, in 1969
it probably seemed like a healthy amount, and
what it did is provide enough to establish the
infrastructure necessary to support the institutes. 
“It is telling that in the coming and going of
small non-academic units in a university setting
these three institutes have lasted 40 years and are
still going strong,” McCoy said.
The three institutes developed independently
so there was little overlap in their primary
missions and work programs. The one at UNC
Chapel Hill has worked primarily on grant-
funded major research projects and statewide
applied research projects.  The one at NCSU
plays the role of primary researcher for the
Legislature.
The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute’s role has
been primarily regional and focused on applied
research projects. According to the Institute’s
director, Jeff Michael, its primary mission
continues to be to seek solutions for social,
economic and environmental challenges facing
the region’s communities.
While those challenges have evolved along
with the community, the work remains as vital
today as it did at the outset.
www.UNCC.edu Q409
A lot of things
have changed over
the last 40 years,
but what hasn’t
changed is the core
mission of the UNC
Charlotte Urban
Institute remaining
fully aligned with
the mission of the
university and
the region
“A lot of thing have changed over the last
40 years, but what hasn’t changed is the core
mission of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
remaining fully aligned with the mission of the
University and the region,” said Michael, who
has been director of the Institute since 2003.
“There’s a hunger and a thirst for research on
some very important public policy issues.
“Because this is a research university, it allows
us to get out in front on such issues as growth,
economic development and transportation,”
Michael said. “And we can be nimble because we
are a non-teaching part of the University.”
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
John Vogler, researcher at CAGIS with John
Chesser from Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte
with their display at the opening of the RENCI
Engagement Center office of UNC Asheville at
the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville.
Owen Furuseth, an associate provost at UNC
Charlotte, said the Institute’s role in meeting the
needs of the region and state has become more
sophisticated. Current economic challenges
only reinforce the principle that public higher
education and community needs are inseparable,
he said.
As Associate Provost for Metropolitan Studies
and Extended Academic Programs, Furuseth
oversees all of the University’s community-
based research organizations, including the
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute. Along with
his administrative duties, Furuseth works
with research teams in the Urban Institute
on neighborhood and community planning
projects for local governments and philanthropic
organizations.
Currently, he and Heather Smith, a professor
of geography and earth sciences and an Urban
Institute Faculty Fellow, are working with
researchers and other colleagues at UNC
Charlotte, Carolinas Medical Center, and the
Latin American Coalition on long-term projects
examining the Charlotte region’s rapidly growing
and changing Latino immigrant community.
The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
exemplifies the truly “engaged urban university,”
Furuseth said.
“In a remarkable way, the legacy of the UNC
Charlotte Urban Institute has mirrored the route
of the University over the past 40 years,” he
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 23
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
said. “From Chancellor Colvard to our current
chancellor, Philip L. Dubois, our leaders have
fully understood and supported the mission of
the Institute.”
Several major projects in 2009 continue to
demonstrate just how the Institute maintains its
public policy analysis focus.
The Citistates Report. Published
simultaneously in several of the region’s
newspapers, including the Charlotte Observer,
the Citistates Report calls for bold public policy
action to leverage growth into opportunity and
preserve quality of life.
Conducted in partnership with nationally-
known writer and planner Neil Peirce, the report
offers a region-wide assessment of Charlotte’s
future economic, environmental and leadership
challenges and is often quoted by policy makers.
Another is the Regional Indicators Project.
The Project builds on the work of several earlier
attempts to establish a benchmarking initiative
for the Charlotte region, and has also drawn
heavily upon the experiences of similar efforts in
other areas across the country, such as the Boston
Indicators Project and Sustainable Seattle.
“This is a method to keep our collective
fingers on the pulse of what is occurring in the
region, the challenges and the success stories,
“said Furuseth. “It drills down below the surface
to see how our region stacks up against other
parts of the country.”
The Regional Indicator data sets cover 10
theme areas, ranging from economic vitality
to the arts, recreation and cultural life, and
environmental quality. Using these data, public
leaders and planners can assess current conditions
in single counties or across the Charlotte region.
The Renaissance Computing Institute
(RENCI) at UNC Charlotte is part of a
larger collaborative venture involving other
public and private universities and the state of
North Carolina.  It brings together academia,
government, industry and computing and
technology resources to find practical solutions
to real world challenges.
UNC Charlotte’s RENCI project is an
innovative research partnership that brings
together the unique talents of three university
centers — the Center for Applied Geographic
Information Science, the Charlotte Visualization
Center and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
— to study growth and urbanization and their
impact in the state of North Carolina.
In particular, the UNC Charlotte research
scientists have developed a sophisticated urban
24 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
growth tool that projects the rate and pattern
of residential and commercial development
across the Charlotte region, through the year
2030. This tool helps to identify and address
the opportunities and challenges that new
urbanization presents.
Researchers at RENCI recently announced
plans to expand their study of development
patterns in North Carolina to rapidly-growing
counties in western North Carolina as well as
the Triad and Research Triangle regions of the
Piedmont.
The original study, released in 2008, found
development in the Charlotte region had
increased over 850 percent between 1976 and
2006. The study also forecasted an additional
2.2 million acres to be developed by 2030,
or 30 percent of the region’s landscape, with
Mecklenburg County expected to convert all
unprotected lands within 25 years.
New study results will be available this
fall with the release of data on four counties
surrounding Asheville followed by a report on
land conversion rates in western North Carolina
in the spring of 2010.  Reports on the Triad and
Triangle areas will be available later in 2010.
In addition, the UNC Charlotte Urban
Institute works on other projects, including
Crossroads Charlotte and a social capital
building initiative of the Foundation For The
Carolinas in Mecklenburg.
“One of the biggest strengths of the UNC
Charlotte Urban Institute is its ability to respond
to challenges literally on the run,” Furuseth said.
“A lot of organizations know they can reach out
to us when they are in need of our services.”
The collaboration began under the leadership
of Norm Schul, who was named the first director
of the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute in 1969.
Schul also was the the Dean of the College
of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UNC
Charlotte.  One of his first initiatives was to
host a regional conference on urban issues with
speakers from national organizations such as the
Brookings Institute.
In the mid-1970s, Schul resigned to devote
himself exclusively to his duties with the college.
After a national search, Jim Cox was hired and
he was succeeded by Jim Clay.
Clay, who taught geography at the university,
moved quickly to move the Institute back to its
original mission: applied research projects for the
regional community. Clay’s primary effort was
planning and implementing the development
of University Place, a mixed-used shopping
complex adjacent to the campus.
Clay became so involved with the
development of University Place that he could
no longer do both, which resulted in his
resignation as the director of the Institute.  Mary
Dawn Bailey, a long-time professional employee
of the Urban Institute, became the interim
director while yet another national search was
done. 
In 1986, McCoy was named director of the
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute and he served
in that position until 2001. Now retired, he still
works on projects at the center and Michael call
him an invaluable advisor.
“Our work is as much about process as it is
about results,” McCoy said. “I always thought
that our work was all about providing our
clients, often political or nonprofit entities,
better information than they would have
without our help to improve their decision
making capacity.”
The UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
performs a wide variety of research services
– surveys, focus groups, interpreting data,
stakeholder interviews, document searches –
for the primary purpose of providing good
OPinformation on which to base decisions.
For example, the center is responsible for
the creation of UNC Charlotte’s on-campus
survey center, which has become one of the
university’s greatest resources for on-campus and
community-based research.
Much of the work is an attempt to force
clients to look into the future. Among these
processes are strategic planning, comprehensive
planning, physical planning and meeting
facilitation. 
“While it is difficult to measure success, I
believe that the Institute has had some positive
impact in providing the research, developing
processes and exposing new ideas to enhance the
decision making skills of our regional partners,”
McCoy said.
Michael said his biggest challenge is to figure
out how to harness all the academic muscle at the
rapidly growing campus, which has added a lot
of new programs and disciplines in recent years.
“I inherited an institution that was on solid
ground,” he said. “Bill McCoy left it in great
shape when he left this job and we have great
brand recognition.”
Paul Nowell is media relations manager
in the Office of Public Relations.

A Musician with Something
Interesting to Say
By Chris Barton
After 24 years on the faculty of one of the
most renowned conservatories in the world,
violinist David Russell left the Cleveland
Institute of Music. He joined the faculty of
UNC Charlotte’s Music Department in August
as the inaugural Anne R. Belk Distinguished
Professor of Music.
Russell is on a mission to create a new
destination and a new model for educating
talented musicians.
In tandem with a degree of prestige, the
conservatory experience comes with staggering
tuition costs and an education focused almost
entirely on the development of the art form.
“Players with great technique are a dime
a dozen,” Russell said. “Musicians with
something interesting to say is the element
that makes the difference. Without the human
element, the performance is nothing more than
science and patterns.”
In Russell’s opinion, the intense and
singular focus of a conservatory education
may not be the best means of educating and
developing healthy, complete individuals. “I
want to create an environment of balance [at
UNC Charlotte] where a student can grow as
an individual and as a human being and also
become a great performer.”
There are 116 music majors and 42 music
minors among the nearly 25,000 students at
UNC Charlotte. “The role of the arts in a public
university needs to be broad,” Russell said.
In searching for a distinguished professor
of music, the music faculty search committee
pinpointed a model of greatest interest and
developed a position profile — Russell’s
teaching style and artistic ambitions proved an
ideal match.
“The typical model for a distinguished
professor of music is a globe-trotting virtuoso
whose name brings prestige to the institution
but who actually spends very little time on
www.UNCC.edu Q409
its campus,” said Jay Grymes, coordinator of
Undergraduate Studies in Music and chair of the
search committee.
“Recognizing that the Anne R. Belk
Distinguished Professor of Music would
instantly become the most visible member
of our faculty, we decided instead to look
for someone who would reflect the values of
our department, college and the University;
an established authority who continually
demonstrates excellence as both a performer and
a teacher. In envisioning the perfect candidate,
David immediately came to mind. We were
thrilled when we received his application,”
Grymes noted. “A number of eminent violinists
also applied. It was clear from our discussions
with various candidates that this was one of
the most desired jobs in the country. David’s
exceptional combination of artistry, pedagogy
and collegiality made him the ideal choice.”
In addition to his teaching schedule,
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
Russell will perform and act as an ambassador
of the University around the world. He will
appear often on stage at UNC Charlotte and
throughout North Carolina. Most recently, he
performed an inaugural recital in October and
will play several chamber music masterworks
with faculty colleagues in January 2010.
A renowned master teacher, he has been
invited to teach all over the world and will travel
to conservatories in Cordoba, Spain; Lisbon,
Portugal; Bristol, England; and to the Moscow
Conservatory, where Tchaikovsky once taught
theory and harmony.
During Holy Week in April, Russell will
travel to Israel to teach at the Keshet Eilon
Music Center in Western Galilee. In a spirit of
unity similar to the much-publicized West-
Eastern Divan Orchestra, led by former Chicago
Symphony director Daniel Barenboim, Russell
will provide private instruction and master
classes to young Israeli, Palestinian and Israeli-
Arab Durs.
Audition and transfer requests, including
some from the prestigious Manhattan School
of Music, are arriving in the Music Department
far earlier than usual. With a noted master
pedagogue and performer joining the already
accomplished and forward-thinking music
faculty, UNC Charlotte is poised to establish the
new model of educational balance and artistic
excellence that David Russell envisions.
In doing so, UNC Charlotte’s Department of
Music will move one step closer to fulfilling its
destiny as a standard-bearing institution in the
field of music education.
The distinguished professorship was
established by a generous gift from Irwin and
Carol Belk.
Chris Barton is Marketing/Box Office Manager for
Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 25
UNC CHARLOTTE | c e n te r s t a g e

Run
49ers,
Run!
With financial aid applications
up 30 percent and the economy
way down, the UNC Charlotte
community and kind folks from
the Charlotte region came together
on a rainy morning to raise
money for need-based student
scholarships (and get a little
exercise in the process).

In the end, more than 600

people signed up for the first
annual 4.NINER K run/walk
event. Some conquered the hilly
campus, others simply hung out
soaking up (or soaking in) the
atmosphere, enjoying food, music
and camaraderie. Over $27,000
was raised to help UNC Charlotte
students stay in school.

26 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 27
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re

By Lisa A. Patterson

What’s Your
Status?
HIV/AIDS on the rise
among older adults

28 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu


Even in the Age of Information myths
and misconceptions abound about HIV/
AIDS prevention and transmission. But,
according to UNC Charlotte Associate
Professor of Sociology Diane Zablotsky,
the most damaging response to HIV/AIDS
is silence. Silence has contributed to an
upsurge of HIV cases among individuals 50
and older over the course of the epidemic.
Currently, about 19 percent of all people
with HIV/AIDS in the United States are
age 50 and older. This number reflects a
combination of people over 50 who have
been recently diagnosed with HIV, as well as
people who have been living with the virus
for decades since improved treatments are
helping people with HIV live longer.
According to a 2005 Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention report,
individuals over 50 remain a relatively small
segment of those at-risk group for sexually
transmitted diseases, with four times as
many HIV diagnoses occuring in people
ages 25 to 44. However, by the end of 2007,
approximately 131,742 Americans aged 50
and older were diagnosed with AIDS.
But a confluence of conditions has
created an environment for HIV to flourish
in a traditionally low-risk, and therefore
overlooked, population.
“Historically when you looked at AIDS
diagnoses people 50 and older accounted
for 10 percent of all diagnoses,” Zablotsky
said. Midlife and older adults have always
been present in the epidemic. By 2007,
they made up 12.5 percent of all Americans
diagnosed with AIDS.
There are
approximately
72 million
Baby Boomers
(individuals
born between
1946 and 1964)
in the United
States today.
Americans who
make it to age Diane Zablotsky
65 will live
longer on average than their counterparts
in the industrialized world, and many will
remain sexually active well into their golden
years thanks to pharmaceuticals (think
Viagra) and other health technologies.
Many older Americans come out of
lengthy marriages or relationships and re-
www.UNCC.edu Q409
“When I first
started my work,
when we were
trying to explore
the situation with
HIV generally, our
first approach was
to alert people that
this [HIV/AIDS] was
something that
people across the
life course need
to know about.”
enter the dating scene. Some are uneducated
about HIV/AIDS or have antiquated views
about the virus. A huge group of the over-
50 crowd never received sexuality education
in school.
Evidence suggests women, who can
expect to live an average of five years longer
than men, are especially vulnerable. In an
analysis of National Health Interview data,
Zablotsky found that almost half of women
over age 50 were totally uninformed about
HIV, compared with only 14 percent of
younger adults.
In the early days of the epidemic,
Zablotsky explained, blood transfusion was
the primary mode of HIV transmission in
older people. Currently, the primary mode
of transmission for both older men and older
women is through sexual activity.
While working at the National Institutes
of Aging, Zablotsky published one of the first
papers on the issue.
“When I first started my work, when we
were trying to explore the situation with
HIV generally, our first approach was to alert
people that this [HIV/AIDS] was something
that people across the life course need to
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
know about,” she said.
Though the health community has made
strides in tailoring education messages,
Zablotsky noted, most funding for
preventive education in the last 20 years has
targeted traditionally high-risk populations,
often excluding older adults because of
assumptions about their behaviors.
Zablotsky said prevention begins
with open conversation, as well as the
acknowledgment that humans are sexual
beings across the life course. Labels and
stigma associated with sexually transmitted
disease remain barriers to conversation, but
Zablotsky said fewer people might tune out
messages that frame sexual health as a lifelong
wellness issue.
“What we need to talk about is how you
make choices to stay well,” Zablotsky said.
Research conducted by AARP indicates
that older patients feel uneasy discussing
sexual behavior with their physicians.
Conversely, many young doctors are
uncomfortable talking about risky sexual
behavior with people old enough to be their
parents or grandparents.
“One of the things that has been part
of the discussion is how we can ask about
risk factors when we do other types of
screenings. The big thing is to keep asking
people about their behaviors regardless of
age,” Zablotsky said.
These conversations do not have to take
place within the confines of the doctor-
patient relationship. Increasingly, public
health professionals and advocates are
encouraging teens and their parents to sit
down and talk to their elders about HIV
prevention.
Seventy-two-year-old HIV prevention
advocate Jane Fowler made headlines with
just such a suggestion. Fowler, who was
diagnosed with HIV in her 50s, said people
need to get over their embarrassment and
start talking. She encourages doctors, friends,
kids, grandchildren, and everyone else to
check on the HIV prevention knowledge,
motivation and skills of their elders.
Zablotsky concurs. “As a sociologist my
goal is make conversations a part of our
everyday activity,” she said. “The risk does
not disappear if we fail to discuss it.”
Lisa Patterson is senior writer
in the Office of Public Relations.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 29
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
Spanning
Borders, Cultures Public relations program casts its net worldwide
By Matt Wayton
The modern public relations practitioner
is more than a communicator; he or she
assumes a leadership and management role
that establishes and maintains relationships.
In today’s globally interconnected economy,
PR practitioners must span borders and
reach across cultures to be effective.
At UNC Charlotte, future practitioners
have the opportunity for global immersion.
Earlier this year, the University established
the Global Center for Public Relations.
Dean Kruckeberg, recognized as among the
top public relations scholars in the world,
joined the University to launch the center.
Kruckeberg, a tenured, full professor
at the University of Northern Iowa for 25
years, was content at the Iowa institution,
where he served as coordinator of the public
relations degree program and the mass
communication division in the Department
of Communication Studies. However, he
recognized UNC Charlotte as an institution
of enormous potential.
“I came and saw the quality of faculty,
the support from the administration, the
attributes that Charlotte and the region
offered and the potential for the center, and
I shared their vision,” said Kruckeberg.
The dedication of the Center for Global
Public Relations Feb. 21 featured top
leaders in public relations from throughout
the region and the world. According to
Kruckeberg, the center’s mission is to
encourage the evolution of global public
relations as a specialization that can help
people and organizations worldwide through
communication and understanding. The
goal is for the center to serve a resource for
30 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409
Dean Kruckeberg has extensive global
public relations experience, especially in
Russia and Eastern Europe.
The globalization of the University public relations
program, located in the Communications Studies
Department, began in earnest about a decade ago.
students, practitioners and educators who
want to increase their knowledge through
onsite research, educational opportunities
and global partnerships. The center also
offers research, seminars, online courses,
professional development and guest
teaching for practitioners and students.
Scholars and educators are invited to spend
their sabbaticals or breaks at the center as
scholars-in-residence.
The globalization of the University
public relations program, located in the
Communications Studies Department,
began in earnest about a decade ago.
Public relations professor Alan Freitag
helped lead the charge. He knows about
international public relations on a global
scale. He literally co-wrote the book on it -
Global Public Relations: Spanning Borders,
Spanning Cultures (with UNC Charlotte
professor Ashli Stokes). As former director
of media relations and press aide to the
Supreme Allied Commander for NATO
from 1990-93, Freitag also served as director
of media relations for the Strategic Defense
Initiative Organization at the Pentagon.
In his travels with the NATO commander,
Freitag visited former Soviet bloc territories
and saw throngs of people proudly waving
NATO flags and cheering the arrivals.
As the Cold War barriers between the
East and West broke down, Freitag felt
www.UNCC.edu

the world was going to become much more
interconnected, and there was going to be
an explosion of international discourse and
commerce. Freitag, who earned his doctorate
following his professional military career,
had many options to teach nationally and
internationally after his 22-plus years as an Air
Force officer, but he selected UNC Charlotte.
The University “shared my vision of
wanting to build the premier program in
international public relations in the world,”
Freitag said. “UNC Charlotte is a growing
university, in a growing city, in a region
that already has a prominent international
footprint and is accessible to the world.”
When Freitag first arrived in 1998,
communication studies included one public
relations professor offering two classes.
Freitag felt students needed more than
just an introduction to public relations;
they needed to study cross cultural
communications. Students needed to build
on traditional origins in journalism and
publicity and move forward with their skill
sets. The international public relations
concentration was created and classes have
been growing every year since.
“One of the strengths of our program is
that we offer a balance between an academic
and professional focus” said Freitag.
The University “shared my vision of
wanting to build the premier program in
international public relations in the world.”
“We have people who have been almost
exclusively academic, but we also have
people who are primarily professional, which
gives us a great balance.”
To provide students with international
exposure, communication studies professor
Barbara DeSanto started a small summer
trip to London. During the four-week
program students stay at Regents College
and have class time with the program leader
and various special guest speakers. They also
get an insider’s look at London via tours
of and visits to the U.S. Embassy, IBM’s
European headquarters, international PR
firm Ketchum, British Broadcasting Corp.
and many other organizatioins.
The department also offers the Joe S.
Epley Certificate in International Public
www.UNCC.edu
Alan Freitag brought an international
perspective to UNC Charlotte’s public
relations academic program. He currently
serves as president of the Faculty Council.
Relations - the only one of its kind in
higher education today. The certificate helps
students acquire a deeper understanding of
the factors that complicate human and mass
communication across cultures. Although
the certificate does not require students to
take extra coursework, it crafts their electives
toward an international focus.
At the graduate level, the University
offers a master’s degree with a public
relations focus. The program is research-
based, planning-driven and management-
oriented to help future practitioners achieve
organizational objectives and facilitate
organizational change. Students engage in
critical analysis of public relations models,
functions and roles. There also is an overseas
exchange program that partners with
fe a t u re | UNC CHARLOTTE
Oreboro University in Sweden, Manchester
Metropolitan University in England and
Zeppelin University in Germany. Through
a consortium arrangement, master’s
students study their first two semesters at
UNC Charlotte and then spend the third
semester studying at one of the three partner
universities.
With the newly established Center for
Global Public Relations, UNC Charlotte has
established itself as a leader in the field.
“We are fulfilling a need with the
center to expand public relations’ body of
knowledge, sharpen its focus on further
research and to formalize professional
education for public relations practice on a
global scale,” said Kruckeberg.
Freitag envisions that the University
will “expand the pallet.” He said, “Public
relations needs to be the guiding light in the
area of expanding relationships, culture-to-
culture and nation-to-nation.” The three
skill areas needed to achieve these goals are
the ability to critically analyze an issue or
crisis, to develop creative solutions and to
communicate effectively.
UNC Charlotte’s location affords
opportunities to not only practice global
PR but also to learn from highly respected
experts. Charlotte is an internship-rich
environment in virtually every type
of organization, including Fortune
500 companies, professional sports
teams, government agencies, nonprofit
organizations and public relations firms.
The program’s academic reputation has
allowed it to attract many guest lecturers and
instructors. For example, the department’s
media relations course was taught recently
by the director of media relations for Bank
of America. UNC Charlotte constantly
brings in great professionals because of the
proximity to one of the most vibrant cities in
the country.
The tremendous support from University
leaders combined with an elite faculty,
unique initiatives and a strong relationship
with the city of Charlotte has enabled UNC
Charlotte to build one of the premier public
relations education programs in the world.
Matt Wayton graduated from UNC Charlotte
in December 2009. He interned with the
Office of Public Relations from May-July.
Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 31
UNC CHARLOTTE | a l u m n i p ro f i l e

Noah Lazes
King of Charlotte’s
Entertainment Scene
By Rhiannon Bowman

“The day after

giving the
commencement
speech to Tau Beta
Pi, I opened
Fat Tuesdays.”
If it weren’t for a thoughtful dean, Charlotte
wouldn’t be the city it is today. Robert
Snyder, retired dean of UNC Charlotte’s
William States Lee College of Engineering,
saw something in Noah Lazes, and he made
sure the young student saw something in
Charlotte, too.
Lazes, president of the ARK group, is the
man responsible for the N.C. Music Factory
and numerous other clubs throughout the
Queen City. Before choosing to attend
UNC Charlotte, he applied to Virginia Tech,
Georgia Tech and Penn State University.
He says Dean Snyder told him to consider the
cities surrounding each university, and pay close
attention to the entrepreneurial opportunities
each offered. “You could see Charlotte
transforming,” Lazes says. “At that time, it felt
like a small town with a lot of potential.”
He chose to attend UNC Charlotte, despite
not knowing a soul in the city. A choice, it turns
out, that was fiscally wise as well. He credits the
Noah Lazes

32 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu


skills and knowledge gained at the University
with saving his company countless dollars. For
instance, he was able to save $2 million on a
retaining wall at the Regal Starlight Theater, near
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, because of his
engineering expertise.
Lazes, who graduated in 1994 with a civil
engineering degree, enjoyed his time on campus.
While at the University, he obtained his pilot’s
license, learned to play the guitar, rushed Lambda
Chi Alpha and eventually became the president
of Tau Beta Pi, the oldest and most prestigious
engineering honor society in the nation. He also
fostered his entrepreneurial spirit.
It didn’t take long for him to notice Charlotte
lacked an entertainment district. So, with the
Chamber of Commerce’s blessing and funding,
he and a friend organized an event called “Street
of Champions” when the NCAA announced
Charlotte would host the 1994 Final Four
championship basketball games.
Lazes said they took over several burnt
out buildings on Tryon Street and made an
entertainment district appear, practically
overnight. He earned enough money from that
venture to open his first club. In fact, he says,
“The day after giving the commencement speech
to Tau Beta Pi, I opened Fat Tuesdays.”
That endeavor, once on the corner of Fifth
and College streets where Blue Restaurant and
Bar is today, is now on ice. But, the rest, as the
saying goes, is history.
By 1996, The Charlotte Business Journal was
commenting on the city’s blooming Uptown
nightlife writing, “While city boosters are
scrambling to draw national restaurants and
clubs into a planned Uptown complex, a
collection of locally owned clubs are carving out
their own entertainment district.”
Soon after graduation, Lazes began what
has evolved into Center Cityfest and now
attracts more than 100,000 people each
year. At first, though, he says locals didn’t
like the idea of closing Uptown streets for a
bunch of bands. Now, it seems, they are not
only used to the inconvenience, they look
forward to it.
Before long, Lazes attracted the attention
of international developers and event
promotion companies who encouraged
his involvement in projects throughout
the country. At one point, he says, he had
a stake in 25 restaurants and clubs. All
the while, though, he was accumulating
properties in Charlotte — like the old
www.UNCC.edu Q409
a l u m n i p ro f i l e | UNC CHARLOTTE
Lazes began what
has evolved into
Center Cityfest
and now attracts
more than 100,000
people each year.
textile factory he’s since transformed into
one of the city’s hottest new attractions, the
N.C. Music Factory.
The 31-acre project has put a new face on the
Fourth Ward, and it’s only getting started. (So
far only 9 acres have been developed.) Currently,
it boasts such nationally recognizable venues as
Butter, a restaurant and nightclub that got its
start in New York City, and The Fillmore, whose
original venue is part of historic San Francisco.
At first, though, Lazes had to work hard
to convince big name clubs to give the city a
chance. But, he says, once they did “they were
wildly impressed.”
Something he appreciates about Charlotte
is that local politicians and businesspeople are
accessible. And, he’s proud of his alma mater,
saying he likes to celebrate UNC Charlotte’s
accomplishments and milestones. “I remember
when 20,000 students was a dream,” he says.
Now he’s the father of a young child and glad
he chose Charlotte to raise his family. He even
convinced his business partner and father, Rick
Lazes, to move to the city from New Orleans
mere months before Hurricane Katrina struck.
As far as what the future holds for Lazes, you
never can tell. “We joke,” he says, “Some people
play golf, some people race horses ... we have a
flare for entertainment.”
And, he’s always ready to listen to suggestions.
“We don’t like to pigeonhole ourselves,” he says.
“I’m happy to work with whoever has the next
great idea.”
One thing he’d like to see happen is for
someone to create a company of engineers whose
mission is to help developers find aesthetically
pleasing ways to solve problems and save money
at the same time. He’d do it himself, he says, but
he’s a little busy right now.
Lazes transformed an old textile factory in the Rhiannon Bowman, ’08, is a
Fourth Ward into one of the city’s hottest new
attractions, the N.C. Music Factory. freelance writer based in Charlotte.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 33
UNC CHARLOTTE | fe a t u re
Becoming
Health Literate Nurse educator to develop diabetes intervention
By Lisa A. Patterson
What’s the number one predictor of healthcare
access? Health insurance, or lack thereof.
Individuals who don’t have insurance, studies
show, fear the cost of care and therefore avoid
seeking care.
Consequently, one of the largest stressors
on the nation’s health care system comes
from uninsured individuals who use hospital
emergency rooms as a primary means of care.
They do so because they can’t be turned away
from the emergency room and because, without
health insurance, it is nearly impossible to find
affordable primary care services, said UNC
Charlotte assistant professor of nursing Maren
Coffman.
People who use emergency rooms for
treatment are more likely to wait until they are in
crisis to visit the hospital. Often, an illness that
might have been treated and managed becomes
debilitating, expensive and chronic. Coffman,
who is developing a diabetes intervention, said
the disease is one such example.
Diabetes disproportionately affects ethnic
minorities: nearly 15 percent of Latinos adults
living in the United States have diabetes,
compared to 9 percent of non-Latino whites.
Poor nutrition and lack of exercise increase their
risk for diabetes, diabetes-related complications,
and poor health.
Charlotte, with a 932 percent increase in
Latino residents between 1980 and 2000, has
one of the highest Latino growth rates in the
nation accompanied by an estimated 65 to 70
percent Latino uninsurance rate.
“In this community, many barriers prevent
this vulnerable and largely immigrant population
from accessing medical care, negatively affecting
overall community health,” Coffman said.
34 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
Maren Coffman
Many Latinos in the area do not know how to
access care and many do not have a regular health
care provider (61 percent). Low health literacy
and health care barriers suggest that Latinos with
diabetes are failing to get preventive care, delaying
needed care, and misusing the emergency
department.
Coffman recently became one of just 15
nurse educators from around the country to
receive a competitive grant from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to conduct
research on health literacy and diabetes among
Latinas. The three-year $350,000 “Nurse Faculty
Scholar” award is given to junior faculty who
show outstanding promise as future leaders in
academic nursing.
“As a young nurse, I had an opportunity to
spend over a year living in South America, where
I learned the customs of the people and became
fluent in the Spanish language. This experience
led to my passion to understand and respond to
the health care needs of Latinos wherever they
live,” said Coffman. “Access to health care and an
understanding of the health care system has been
challenging for many Latinos in the area, causing
even those with serious illnesses to defer medical
treatment,” she added.
Coffman will use a health literacy instructional
framework in her experimental study. Health
literacy is the ability to obtain, process, and
understand basic health information and services.
Health literacy skills help individuals better
comprehend health issues, navigate the health
system, and take independent action with regards
to their health.
She will focus on Latina women with diabetes
in the Charlotte area and will reach out to
study participants using local Latino churches,
community service agencies, and Spanish
language newspapers and radio.
Mary A. Nies, Professor and Carol Grotnes
Belk Endowed Chair in Nursing, and Owen
Furuseth, Professor and Associate Provost
for Metropolitan Studies, Academic Affairs/
Department of Geography, will serve as her
mentors.
“Coffman’s research on health literacy and
Latinas with diabetes will not only benefit
a population in need, but will highlight the
Continued on p. 37
 with apparel and gear from
www.UNCC.edu Q309
For the latest looks and
largest selection of
UNC Charlotte merchandise,
visit the Barnes & Noble at
UNC Charlotte Bookstore
in the Student Union.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 35
 600 Runners Defy
Rain, Net $27K+ for
Scholarships
In October, more than 600 runners
and dozens of volunteers turned out
on a drizzly but triumphant morning
today, raising more than $27,000
for need-based scholarships at UNC
Charlotte. All proceeds from the
inaugural 4.NINERK event will be
provided to students who need financial
aid to remain in school next semester.
The focal point of the event was
a 4.9 kilometer footrace along an
undulating course on the UNC
Charlotte campus.
Charlotte 49ers’ mascot Norm the Niner and Carolina Panthers’ mascot Sir Purr joined
“It’s gratifying to see so many
Joel Gallegos director of the Office for International Programs and Niles Sorensen, vice
people turn out and make this race an chancellor for development and alumni affairs as they reach the finish line.
overwhelming success,” said Chancellor
Philip L. Dubois. “Almost every day I
receive e-mail messages from students
faced with financial decisions no
student should have to make. Their
families are suffering financially and
cannot help them, and they often
already work, sometimes more than
one job, to supplement the financial aid
they receive. The proceeds from today’s
run will help many stay in school.”
For the fall semester, UNC Charlotte
welcomed a record enrollment of more
than 24,700 students. Come spring, a
significant number of these students may
be unable to continue their studies due to
state budget cuts to need-based financial 49ers cross country teammates Junior Aurora Trujillo (left) and
aid. Due to the current economic climate, Freshman Alyssa Bradley (right) barely broke a sweat.

an even larger number of students applied

for financial aid this fall. However, the
state budget eliminated several sources of
potential aid.
“This year, financial aid applications
are up 30 percent. With less aid
from the state, some of our neediest
students would be unable to return
in the spring,” said David Dunn, vice
chancellor for university relations and
community affairs.
Major sponsors included the
UNC Charlotte Alumni Association,
Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville,
The Charlotte Observer, Fifth Third
Bank, 49Fanatics.com, Chartwells and 49ers men’s basketball Head Coach Bobby Lutz joins alums Wingho Liu ’07 (right) and
Trader Joe’s. Johnathon Romero ’06.

36 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu


1970s
Henry Doss, ’70, recently was elected
president of the board of directors of
the National Committee for the New
River (NCNR). He has served on the
NCNR board for two years. In addition,
Henry was recently appointed by the
North Carolina Legislature to serve
a four-year term on the Western
North Carolina Regional Economic
Development Commission. He continues
to provide volunteer care to patients
and families of Hospice.
1980s
William G. (Bill) Whittaker, ’79,
Past-president of the UNC Charlotte
Alumni Association (2006-2008), was
named Charlotte Catholic High School’s
Distinguished Alumnus for 2009. He
was honored for accomplishments
including establishment of need-based
scholarships sponsored by the Alumni
www.UNCC.edu Q409
Association of UNC Charlotte and
named after Dr. Gregory Davis.
2000s
Tarek Elshenwy, ’07, is currently
working as an industrial engineer at
UPS in Charlotte. He also is pursuing an
MBA degree through Queens University.
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
alumni notes | UNC CHARLOTTE
Continued from p. 34
important role nurses play in the greater health
care arena,” Nies said. “The findings of her
research will be easily transferable to other areas,
beyond diabetes, and the health literacy findings
will be useful to nurses in a wide variety of health
care settings.”
Coffman’s study will consist of 10 culturally
appropriate, small group classes that focus on
reading, interpreting and applying health text
and information. Participants will learn to
understand written health information, healthy
nutrition and physical activity practices, and to
access and use primary health care services.
Interventions that improve health literacy
could provide Latina women with diabetes the
skills they need to navigate the U.S. health care
system and improve healthy behaviors. If found
effective, the intervention could be widely used
in practice to improve diabetes self-management;
it could also be applied to other populations and
with other health conditions.
Lisa Patterson is senior writer in
the Office of Public Relations.
| UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 37
 Continued from p. 3
distraction, a well-known effect. However,
subsequent findings began to indicate that
the effect continued outside of the periods of
meditation.
“When we re-calibrated their pain
thresholds after the training had started and
we found that they felt less pain, compared
to the control subjects,” Zeidan noted. “This
was totally surprising because a change
in general sensitivity was not part of our
hypothesis at all.”
“We were so surprised after the first
experiment that we did two more. We thought
EEG (electroencephalogram) caps were worn by study participants to measure how meditation affects the perception of pain as measured by brain waves.
that no one was going to listen to us because
no one had done this before… and we got a
robust finding across the three experiments.”
Zeidan stresses that the effect the
researchers measured in the meditation
subjects was a lessening of pain but not a
lessening of sensation. The calibration results
showed little change in the meditation
subjects’ sensitivity to the sensation of
electricity, but a significant change in what
level of shock was perceived to be painful.
38 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
“The short course of meditation was very
effective on pain perception,” Zeidan said.
“We got a very high effect size for the periods
when they were meditating.
“In fact, it was kind of freaky for me. I was
ramping at 400-500 milliamps and their arms
would be jolting back and forth because the
current was stimulating a motor nerve. Yet
they would still be asking, ‘A 2?’ (‘2’ being the
level of electrical shock that designates low
pain) It was really surprising,” he said.
Zeidan suspects that the mindfulness
training lessens the awareness of and
sensitivity to pain because it trains subjects’
brains to pay attention to sensations at the
present moment rather than anticipating
future pain or dwelling on the emotions
caused by pain, and thus reduces anxiety.
“The mindfulness training taught them
that distractions, feelings, emotions are
momentary, don’t require a label or judgment
because the moment is already over,” Zeidan
noted. “With the meditation training they
would acknowledge the pain, they realize
what it is, but just let it go. They learn to
bring their attention back to the present.”
Though the results are in line with past
findings regarding mindfulness practitioners,
Zeidan says that the findings are important
because they show that meditation is much
easier to use for pain management than it
was previously believed to be because a very
short, simple course of training is all that
is required in order to achieve a significant
effect. Even self-administered training might
be effective, according to Zeidan.
“What’s neat here is that this is the briefest
known way to promote a meditation state
and yet it has an effect in pain management.
People who want to make use of the
technique might not need a meditation
facilitator — they might be able to get the
necessary training off the Internet,” Zeidan
said. “All you have to do is use your mind,
change the way you look at the perception of
pain and that, ultimately, might help alleviate
the feeling of that pain.”
The research was funded in part by a grant
from the National Science Foundation.
James Hathaway is research communications
manager at UNC Charlotte.
 Building Blocks | UNC CHARLOTTE

REQUIEM FOR THE TWO-HANDED

SET SHOT
the 49er’s men’s basketball season is off to a fast start and Coach
Bobby Lutz recorded his 200th victory at Charlotte. 49ers basketball
has a rich history – the ’77 Final Four providing the pinnacle so far. But
did you know our roots go way, way back. Yep all the way back to these
intrepid “cagers” of Charlotte College, circa 1952. Here, Coach Irving
Edelman poses with his charges, including co-captains Henry Beatty and
Nick Chamis, Jack Proctor and Johnny Long.

www.UNCC.edu Q409 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 39

UNC CHARLOTTE | D ev e l o p m e n t N ew s
The press conference announcing the Kulwicki gift featured (left to right) Dean Bob Johnson, motorsports impresario Felix Sabates, Chancellor Philip
L. Dubois, motorsports engineering program director Ahmed Soliman and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dean Michael Lovell.
Kulwicki Family Gifts
to Fund Scholarships,
Motorsports Facilities
To honor the legacy of former
NASCAR racing champion Alan Kulwicki,
his family has committed nearly $1.9
million to support engineering education
at UNC Charlotte. A trust fund will
benefit the Motorsports Engineering
Program in the William States Lee
College of Engineering’s Department of
Mechanical Engineering and Engineering
Sciences.
Considered the largest individual
gift ever received by the engineering
school, the funds will be used for student
scholarships and to construct a new
motorsports engineering facility on the
UNC Charlotte campus.
The Kulwicki family also is contributing
nearly $630,000 to his alma mater, the
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The
gift also will be used for scholarships and
to create the Alan Kulwicki Memorial
Student Center in the university’s
engineering building.
40 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q409 www.UNCC.edu
All UNC Charlotte race cars are now emblazoned
with references to Alan Kulwicki
In recognition of the Kulwicki family’s
generosity, the UNC Charlotte Board
of Trustees has approved naming the
university’s existing motorsports research
laboratory in honor of Kulwicki, who
died in a plane crash several months after
he won the 1992 NASCAR Winston
Cup championship. The facility will be
called the Alan D. Kulwicki Motorsports
Laboratory.
The gift also will elevate the status of
the university’s motorsports engineering
program, which produces some of the
most qualified applicants in motorsports.
Roughly 10 percent of all NASCAR
engineers are UNC Charlotte graduates.
“Currently we have nearly 100 students
enrolled in the program,” said Lee College
of Engineering Dean Bob Johnson.
“Besides rigorous classroom work, these
students get a lot of hands-on experience
in various levels of racing, from drag racing
to design-and-build teams such as Formula
SAE and Mini Baja. Along the way, they
gain additional valuable experience in
such areas as management, scheduling,
fabrication and teamwork skills.”
Kulwicki earned a mechanical
engineering degree from UWM in 1977
and was the first college graduate to win
stock car racing’s premier title.

Charlotte Needs Strong
Hometown Research University
By Yi Deng
Dean, College of Computing and Informatics
The 21st Century economy is innovation
driven — innovation drives economic growth,
job creation and solutions to critical societal
problems. For any major economic and
population center like Charlotte, a world class
research university is critical to maintain and
strengthen the region’s competitiveness. The
potential impact of the research university
on its surrounding community is evident in
examples including, Stanford University and UC-
Berkeley and the Silicon Valley; the University
of Washington and the city of Seattle; and
Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and North
Carolina State University and the Research
Triangle Park region.
With its deep pool of talent and resources,
top-notch education programs, cutting-edge
research and entrepreneurial culture, UNC
Charlotte not only supplies the region with
a highly trained workforce, but also serves as
an innovation powerhouse for the region’s
industry and economy, a hotbed for start-up
companies and as the magnet to attract
new business, capital and top talent.
One might say that the Research
Triangle universities can supply
the innovation and human capital
that Charlotte needs to maintain
its competitiveness. After all, these
universities are North Carolina’s leading
academic institutions; and it is certainly
true that they have been a major source
www.UNCC.edu
of talent and resources for Charlotte and its
industries. I would argue, however, that Charlotte
needs a large-scale, world class research university
in its backyard. Such universities are not only
direct providers of education and research, but
also serve as the catalysts for and the centers of a
strong regional ecosystem, which is needed for
supporting and sustaining the innovation-driven
economy and community in Charlotte.
The current economic crisis underscores the
need for such an ecosystem in Charlotte and will
drive the diversification of the regional economy.
This ecosystem embodies and propels a dynamic
culture of entrepreneurship, a broad base of
talent and expertise, a home-grown network
for information, knowledge, collaboration and
partnership, which helps to enhance the city’s
perspective | UNC CHARLOTTE
prestige and attract new capital. Universities from
afar cannot provide these benefits to Charlotte.
Charlotte needs and deserves a world class
research university in its backyard. UNC
Charlotte is Charlotte’s research university.
Despite its short history, UNC Charlotte has
quickly emerged as one of the top up-and-
coming national universities in the country with
rapid growth in scale and quality. The future
of Charlotte and the University is intrinsically
linked. The city needs UNC Charlotte’s
continued growth and improvement to sustain
and expand its economy and industries; and the
concerted support from Charlotte’s industrial
base and community is indispensible for the
University to achieve status as one of the
nation’s premier research universities.
This symbiotic relationship is mirrored
by a timely initiative from the UNC General
Administration entitled “Innovate, Collaborate,
Accelerate,” which articulates the UNC vision
for innovation and technology development.
It further highlights UNC Charlotte’s
responsibility as a key partner to the Charlotte
community and the region’s economic
development.
Our community and our University are
both facing significant challenges right now.
But I am confident that if we work together,
there is no obstacle we cannot overcome. The
future for Charlotte and for UNC Charlotte
is bright, indeed.
UNC CHARLOTTE magazine
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PAID
Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 949

The University of North Carolina

at Charlotte
9201 University Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001

Looking from the front porch of the

student union, all is calm on the plaza