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UNCG will commemorate 9/11 on Wednesday with several special events planned throughout the day for students, faculty and staff.

“Patriot Day: UNCG Remembers and Reflects” will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a gathering outside Elliott University Center to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks and reflect on the impact the tragedy has had on our lives. At 8:47 a.m., the university bell will chime once to remember the first plane that crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in Conference Room A of EUC, participants can write messages of thanks to Greensboro’s first responders. The cards will be distributed to area fire departments that serve the university. From 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-7 p.m., a board will be set up at a table in the Moran Commons Atrium where students can share the names of victims or their thoughts in remembrance of 9/11.

The special events will culminate at 3 p.m. in the EUC Auditorium with a showing of the film “Zero Dark Thirty,” which chronicles the decade-long hunt for Al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

The events, sponsored by the Office of Campus Activities & Programs, are free.

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The central area of Moran Commons – still hidden from diners’ view during the renovation – is taking shape.

The metal catwalks high above the commons went in late August. The compression ring was hoisted into place earlier this month. The catwalk’s railings were installed week before last.

Some echos of the past are obvious. Evidence remains of a large clock that years ago greeted diners entering from College Avenue. In the 1904 wing of Moran Commons, the old glue-laminated beams (probably from the 1940s-50s) are now exposed, high above, a nice counterpoint to the new glue-lam beams in the center of the commons. And the old cupula – too nice and historic for recycling – has been preserved and likely will go on display in the commons.

Skylights will be a part of the dome, bringing lots of natural light.

A 110-ton capacity crane hoisted the dome’s 5,000-pound wooden beams into place last week, and wooden intermediate struts were placed at intervals between these large wooden beams.

Fred Patrick, director of Facilities Design & Construction, pointed to areas between the beams. “These are where the skylights will be installed,” he said.

Soon, the scaffolding will be taken away. Only the catwalks will remain, with the dome above. An exposed wood roof of arches will span the nearly 107-foot-diameter central space. Five identical curved wooden arch vaults will be constructed along the axis of each existing dining wing. The crown of these vaults will be 41 feet high.

He explained how the compression forces and the tension forces are handled with the dome structure. He pointed to the compression ring at the top center of the catwalks. The tension ring at the bottom of the dome structure will have 20 steel tension rods attached this week.

Impressive engineering. And Moran Commons will appear open and airy, with plenty of natural light and fewer interior walls. You’ll be able to see the plaza and fountain area all the way from the College Avenue entry.

There will be a variety of dining stations – the Mongolian Grill will be directly under the dome.

The commons will provide for a comfortable, user-friendly and modern dining space for Spartans for many years to come. Food prep areas will include Home Style, International, Breakfast, Salad/Soup and Desserts – plus a food theater for demonstration cooking.

The renovation to Moran Commons will be paid for over time by a portion of meal plan fees.

This Phase 3 renovation of Moran Commons is on schedule and will be finished in December. It is scheduled to be open to students, faculty and staff when they return in January.

Story by Mike Harris

Photography by David Wilson

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When Alex Congelosi landed in Dr. Elizabeth Lacey’s conservation biology class, the first-year graduate student realized she was in for something different. And something that would endure long after she earned her master’s degree and moved on.

Lacey isn’t your garden-variety teacher. Instead of assigning her students a research paper to write, she divided the class in half and asked each group to create a proposal to establish a “Piedmont Prairie” at UNCG — a once-common ecosystem around these parts that has all but disappeared because of urban and agricultural development. Whichever proposal emerged as the strongest would then be presented to the Peabody Park Preservation Committee in hopes of securing a grant to pay for it.

Congelosi’s group won the competition – and the grant. Last spring she and some of her classmates, now heading into their third year of grad school, gathered by the creek in Peabody Park and watched their proposal go up in smoke.

Just as they’d planned.

Two men, wearing fireproof shirts and gloves and carrying drip torches filled with flammable liquid, set fire to the dead vegetation along the small swath of land near West Market Street. Nearby, police and firefighters stood at the ready should anything go awry.

“It’s fun. Things you got in trouble for when you were a kid, now at 70 you get to do for a living,” joked Dr. Ken Bridle, president of the N.C Prescribed Fire Council who is certified to carry out controlled burns like the one in Peabody Park. “My mother would be laughing if she saw this.”

Bridle, who has worked with Lacey and her students on the project for some time, oversaw the burn without incident — with the exception of running off a few golfers on the putting green nearby when plumes of smoke crossed the creek and wafted their way. The burn lasted all of 30 minutes.

Lacey walked the perimeter of the burn site, snapping photos to document it all. “We’ve been working on developing this project since fall of 2011, so it’s very exciting to see this progress.”

A Piedmont Prairie, she explained, is a fire-adapted ecosystem that once was home to many now-extinct or endangered plant species. A few weeks after the burn, grounds workers sowed the seeds that Lacey and her students had chosen.

“All of the plants are fire-adapted natives,” Lacey said. “Grasses will be tall and adapted to burn every year. The burning creates nutrients needed to feed the seeds we are planting.”

Later in spring and summer, the patch of burned land bloomed into a flowering meadow filled with Little Bluestem, Winter Bentgrass, Appalachian Blazing Star and other endangered species, which in turn will attract a diversity of birds and insects.

One thing that Congelosi appreciates about her experience at UNCG is the hands-on education she has received from professors like Lacey.

“We are trying to recreate this basically extinct ecological system here in the Piedmont,” she explained, “because this is where it originally was. In a very few counties, they have actually brought them back — in Charlotte and Chapel Hill. It’s a really cool project.”

As for Congelosi and her classmates, they won’t see the finished product before they graduate. As they learned from Lacey, it will take several years to establish a proper Piedmont Prairie.

“I would definitely like to come back and see it in its full glory,” Congelosi said. “I’ve seen others. It reminds you of Africa, but it is in North Carolina. It is very peaceful and serene to see. The wind comes in and blows the grass. And then you realize how unique the plants are. It really makes you feel that you are a part of something unique.”

Story by Betsi Robinson, University Relations

Photography by Chris English, University Relations

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For Alan Martin, a videophone on campus means independence.

Martin, a deaf student majoring in Professions in Deafness with a concentration in Advocacy Services for the Deaf, uses the new system in Jackson Library to place calls — to both deaf and hearing people — with privacy and security.

“I feel like this is my room when I go in,” says Martin, who has a similar system at home but lives off campus. “And before I came in, it was someone else’s room.”

The room is a small one, located on the second floor of the library tower. Students, faculty and staff check out a key at the circulation desk and return it when they have made their calls. There is no cost to them.

Martin can talk to friends who sign and have similar videophone systems — like his pal Chastity in the North Carolina mountains — without going through an interpreter. He can talk to non-signing people — like his dad — with the help of a skilled interpreter bound by a code of ethics much like the phone operators who ran the old pegboard systems.

Before the advent of the relatively new videophone technology — Martin got his home system in 2003 — deaf people made extra car trips hoping to converse in person, or struggled with teletype machines that were at best annoying and at worst left them feeling disconnected.

“Videophones make the deaf person feel more involved in communication,” Martin says. “We can’t live without this kind of technology. Having this makes us more independent and things are more private for us.”

Sorenson Communications provides video interpreting services and offers videophones at no charge for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Sorenson generally serves only deaf individuals, but Sam Parker, a clinical professor in Specialized Education Services, worked with the company to install eight videophones on campus for use by deaf professors, staff and students as well as students learning to be deaf interpreters.

The library is a key location because of its extended hours, Parker says. When a room there finally became available, he jumped at the chance.

Although it is hard to know exactly how many students on campus are deaf or hard of hearing, about 10 percent of the overall population falls into those categories, says Parker, the hearing son of two deaf parents. They deserve effective communication tools just like anyone else.

“My only regret is that this technology wasn’t available 30 years ago,” he says wistfully. Wouldn’t it have been nice to talk to his parents so easily? Although he is expert at ASL (American Sign Language), signing doesn’t help at a distance without video.

“It’s like going to their porch and sitting in a rocking chair and asking, ‘How’s your day?’” Martin says.

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UNCG has appointed Dr. Bryan Terry as associate provost for enrollment management effective Jan. 1.

Since 2009, Terry has served as associate vice president for enrollment management and student academic success at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He was associate vice president for enrollment management at Seton Hall University from 2006-2009.

“Dr. Terry has extensive experiences around issues of enrollment and student success,” said UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady. “We are delighted he will be joining our academic affairs team.”

UNCG Provost David H. Perrin also cited Terry’s strong track record in recruitment and retention.

“Dr. Terry has excellent experience at two institutions whose access and student success missions are consistent with UNCG,” Perrin said. “He also has substantive experience with all three of the offices that will report to him — Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid, and the University Registrar. He is known as a strong collaborator and relationship-builder within academic and non-academic areas of the institutions where he has worked.”

At Montclair, Terry implemented a recruitment plan that increased out-of-state applications by 15 percent in the first year, by 30 percent in the second year and by 40 percent in years three and four. Under his watch, community college transfer enrollments at Montclair increased by 12 percent over two years.

During his first year at Seton Hall, applications increased by more than 400 percent. Freshman retention rates increased by four percent that year.

Terry holds a PhD in educational administration and foundations from Illinois State University, a masters in human resource management from Thomas Edison State College, and a graduate certificate in enrollment management from the University of Florida-Gainesville. He has worked in higher education since 1991.

“I am excited and honored to join the UNCG community,” Terry said. “This is an unbelievable opportunity to join a great institution. During the interview process, I met with faculty, staff and leadership and recognized the many incredible opportunities, and delightful people, at UNCG. UNCG offers a fascinating student experience with first-rate undergraduate and graduate education on a beautiful campus in an ideal part of the country.

“I look forward to working with Chancellor Brady, Provost Perrin, Vice Provost Alan Boyette and the team of enrollment professionals to further the mission of the university. My first order of business will be to build on UNCG’s success in recruiting, enrolling, retaining and graduating a diverse student body. This will obviously take a team effort and I am encouraged by the enthusiastic reception I have received from UNCG so far. I look forward to starting on Jan. 1.”

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Chancellor Linda P. Brady contributed an op-ed to the News & Record, in which she discusses how a new building project will increase student success rates.

“The addition of a recreation center in Spartan Village, our new, mixed-use student housing development along the West Lee Street Corridor, will play a critical role in enhancing the residential character of the university, increasing student engagement with their peers, faculty and the community, and improving our students’ likelihood of academic success,” she said in the article.

She added that “although there is no single strategy for improving student performance and maintaining affordability, UNCG is committed to providing our students with the living and learning environments that have proven critical to their success.”

Chancellor Brady ended her op-ed with the view that “we [will] continue our tradition of extending learning beyond the boundaries of the classroom.”

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UNCG has received the 2013 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award—a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion—UNCG has been featured along with 55 other recipients in INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s November 2013 issue.

The magazine selected UNCG based on our institution’s exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, and ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on our campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities and members of the LGBT community.

For more information about the 2013 HEED Award, visit www.insightintodiversity.com

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UNCG just might put the “forest” back in Forest.

Planners are considering – at some point in the future – a pedestrian and bike friendly route, shaded by trees, extending from the glen in Glenwood through the new underpass and along what’s now Forest Street. It could pass somewhat close to Mossman Building (away from the service-trucks area of EUC) as it proceeds to Kaplan Commons. It could continue in front of EUC to a potential transit hub and entranceway adjoining Jackson Library tower.

That was one of the most inspiring possibilities shown during a presentation at the UNCG Campus Master Plan Update forums recently.

Matt Takacs, assistant director of project management in UNCG Facilities Design and Construction, introduced two planners with Sasaki Associates, who helped with the campus master plan update in 2007 and are assisting this year as well.

The planners highlighted some of what they’d learned through an online survey:

Green spaces and pedestrian malls are important to campus character.

Students want good quality, affordable housing on campus.

Students want more dining options on Tate and Lee Streets, more places for meeting, and better connectivity among the Dining Hall, library and EUC.

Students value the campus landscape and want it pulled across to the Lee Street Corridor.

Students value sustainability on campus and want to see more sustainability efforts.

As for safety, students are most concerned about it at the periphery of campus.

Planners noted the current travel patterns across campus.

As for east/west pedestrian traffic, currently many students pass through the EUC. Similarly, students might pass through Jackson Library the same way, in the future. What is now the back of the Jackson Tower could have an inviting entryway, with a transit hub nearby.

They also addressed Lee Street. While Lee Street is more of a thoroughfare than Spring Garden, it can have some similar elements, the planners noted. Turn lanes could have landscaping. A variety of paving materials could be used. With more landscaping and “less industrial feel,” it could have a more nuanced design, they explained.

As the planners showed possibilities for the future, they noted that the campus has a long history of planning – and that UNCG’s students want green space and landscape.

With the glen on one end of campus, Peabody Park on the other, and other smaller natural spaces throughout campus, that desire could be satisfied.

The presenters explained they were thinking long term. “We’re thinking 10 or 20 years out.”

PowerPoints of the spring and fall presentations – as well as more information about the Master Plan update – can be found here.

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

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Sarah Lindsay, MFA alum and poet, was featured in Yes! Weekly. Lindsay was reading from her fourth full-length poetry collection, “Debt to the Bone-Eating Snotflower,” at the UNCG Faculty Center.

“I find that I try to give voice to things that I really don’t have any right to give voice to,” she told her audience. “The urge is there. I just hope I’m not doing an injustice.”

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It was like the game Telephone Pictionary. Only now can UNCG participants see how the “game” turned out.

And you can, too.

The exhibition “The Messenger Project” is on view in UNCG’s EUC Gallery through Dec. 20.

UNCG creative writing students and studio artists, one after the other, created the works.

The idea was simple:

A writer would create a poem or work of prose. And take it to the student artists’ lounge and leave it in a gold mailbox. A student there, inspired by the work, would create a drawing or other piece of art. And take that to the writers’ lounge, where they had a special box. There was a three-day time limit to create the work and deliver it. Anonymity for each work was protected. Ultimately, 15 students and faculty participated over a month and a half. Their series of works are displayed in chronological order. (As you enter, start from the right.)

Three UNCG graduate student organizers – Amanda Wagstaff, Molly Sentell Haile and Jessica Plante – kept a spreadsheet, to keep it all organized. They met through UNCG’s Center for Creative Writing in the Arts. At an opening reception in late November, Wagstaff explained that the student organizers were looking for an innovative way to spur interdisciplinary dialogue, even in the face of university budget cuts.

The works are displayed just as they were found, she noted.

If you want to see the exhibition of “flash art,” stop in soon before it’s gone.

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

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WFMY News 2 ran a segment on UNCG’s traditional luminaire ceremony. Luminaires are lit each winter as students prepare for final exams.

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The history of Woman’s College, now UNCG, was highlighted in the January issue of Our State Magazine.

The magazine also shared photos of the historic WC, which represent the 30 years that the school was operational before it became the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The photographs are courtesy of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at UNCG.

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The ice and snow storm closed the university from noon Wednesday through Friday. From the warmth of home, I saw tweets from students admiring the work done to battle the snow.

One student tweeted on Thursday morning, “Huge S/O to the UNCG workers that are working their — off shoveling snow and ice.”

@SpartanGuides included a Thursday morning picture of momentarily cleared major walkways, after about a half-foot of snow and ice the day and night before. (And with a prediction of more bad weather later that day.) “We appreciate the @UNCG Grounds Crew!” they said. “Not only do they keep campus beautiful, they’re clearing the snow today! pic.twitter.com/yET7ekKRZ1″

A walk around campus Friday afternoon revealed lots of snow and ice. Staff members from throughout Facilities Operations were helping dig out.

Tony Rojas in Grounds used a small snow plow to clear the ice from the Spring Garden sidewalk in front of Curry. Grounds, led by Hal Shelton, led the snow removal effort.

The entire Locksmith Shop grabbed shovels as they had the day before and were shoveling at Graham Building.

Mike Bolton and Gary Denny – they are both in the HVAC unit of Facilities Operations – were shoveling snow as they had the day before. They took care of the Faculty Center and Annual Giving. “Everybody’s pulling in,” said Bolton.

UNCG received roughly 7 inches of the white stuff. It began as snow Wednesday afternoon and night. On Thursday, freezing rain turned to sleet before turning to a second round of heavy snow.

The EUC was open Friday afternoon, a warm inviting space for students. Some enjoyed snacks and coffee in the UNCG Bookstore’s Starbucks. Bookstore manager Brad Light said they’d be open till late afternoon.

At the Sports Turf building, part of Facilities Operations, Peter Ashe explained his division of Grounds had used the full range of equipment they had – shovels to walk-behind plows to tractors with plows – to clear the major walkways and the roadways of the northwestern quarter of campus. That was their priority. He noted Housing & Residence Life and Sports Turf had collaborated on the area in and around the Quad.

I walked over to the Housing & Residence Life office and talked with five members of that department shoveling in front of Mendenhall Residence Hall, where the office is located. They said 10 members in total had shoveled that day, the day before and Wednesday evening, at every residence hall on campus, including Spartan Village.

Housing & Residence Life did more than ensure the students had what they needed during the storm. With the bad weather and the important work many employees had to do – and a lengthy commute for some – HRL offered overnight accommodations to members of various departments, including Facilities Operations, Campus Police, Dining Services and their own employees. More than a dozen staff members took advantage of it.

Although the weather shut down the university, lots of students were on campus. Many staff members and departments worked so that, for example, the students in the residence halls would have heated rooms and a way to get to the dining facilities for hot meals.

I saw some tired workers Friday afternoon. And I heard that some would be needed during the weekend as well. Those Twitter messages of appreciation from students were right on.

Story by Mike Harris

Visual: Tony Rojas plows snow Friday afternoon.

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UNCG’s natural beauty is again in the eye of the beholder.

UNCG has been certified once again as a Tree Campus USA university. The official presentation will occur on Earth Day at UNCG, April 22, said Jorge Quintal, associate vice chancellor for facilities.

The notification letter noted a commitment to healthy, sustainable urban forests among those receiving the designation.

The Tree Campus USA program, created by the Arbor Day Foundation and Toyota Motor North America, honors colleges and universities and their leaders for promoting healthy trees and engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

When UNCG initially received this designation in 2009, it was a first for any UNC system university.

Hal Shelton, UNCG Grounds supervisor, explained that a lot of people at UNCG play a role in this effort. He particularly noted UNCG’s Peabody Park Preservation Committee.

Shelton said that the campus adds more trees each year. But open space is important to the campus community as well. So in addition to adding trees, a focus is promoting the health of the trees we already have.

Students on social media often cite the natural beauty of the UNCG campus. Kevin Siler in Grounds, the campus point person for Tree Campus

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

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UNCG employees donated $198,096 to the 2013 State Employees Combined Campaign.

That generosity has received notice by the SECC.

UNCG won the Gold Chairman’s Award in the category of per capita giving in UNC schools of our size (1,500 – 4,999 employees).

UNCG and NC State shared the top spot in the UNC system for participation percentage among their employees – 36 percent.

Every system campus had a smaller donation total than the year before.

UNCG placed in the top six in dollars given – that’s among all state agencies and universities, regardless of size.

The largest campaigns were: UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, Department of Public Safety, Department of Health & Human Services, UNC Health Care, UNCG, East Carolina, Department of Transportation, State Employees Credit Union and Appalachian State.

To give that some context, East Carolina in the seventh spot has 5,434 employees and had 17 percent participation, according to the SECC, for a total of $178,672. UNCG has less than half that number of employees – 2,603 – and had 36 percent participation.

More information is available here.

By Mike Harris

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Being a 9-foot statue has its perks, it seems. “I hear and see all the wonderful, little joys across campus that probably go unnoticed. There’s the young man who held the door for the teacher with her arms full, and the group of young ladies who meet every Tuesday at the swings for a fun break during studying… .”

UNCG’s Campus Activities & Programs hosts the new blog known as Minerva’s Mentions. They hope it grows not just with students but faculty and staff as well.

“Minerva’s Mentions is a place to share any acts of kindness, happy news, or announcements for the whole campus to read,” the blog’s intro page says. Share good news about your classes, the department you work in, your staff, etc. The idea is to celebrate the great things happening here at UNCG.

For more information, visit here and share what you think is wonderful about UNCG. You can also follow on Twitter and Facebook.

By Mike Harris, University Relations

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You’re used to making copies in 2-D, on sheets of paper. But have you seen a 3-D printer yet?

University Libraries recently unveiled the first 3-D printer for UNCG’s entire campus community at an open house.

Brown Biggers conducted a short demo – as an example, he created a plastic cat. It would be 1-inch wide and a half-inch high. In 20 minutes, the MakerBot Replicator 2X would create the prototype from Bigger’s computer disk.

“It builds a layer. The build plate will drop a short distance. And it’ll build another layer,” said Biggers, the server administrator for UNCG Libraries.

The plastic taking form was white. Blue and gold plastic will be on hand in the coming months, and perhaps more variety in the future.

“It’s at 18 minutes – 94 percent,” Biggers said, reading the screen. The warm plastic feline form was missing only the uppermost part of the head and ears, as it took shape, layer by layer.

An object could be as large as 10 inches by 6 inches – but smaller sizes work better.

Biggers and Armondo Collins received the UNCG Libraries’ Innovation and Program Enrichment Funding Award for the project “DMC Makerspace.” The grant funded the purchase of the device.

The vision: expanding Jackson Libraries’ Digital Media Commons to be a place where students and the campus community make things. It’s a trend in university libraries, Biggers explained. The commons already offers multi-media support services. In the future, in addition to video presentations and audio recordings, students may come to the commons to make much more.

Beth Filar Williams, interim head of the Digital Media Commons, encourages faculty and staff to consider ways to incorporate it into their instruction and contact the commons to discuss ideas. There has been growing interest from a variety of departments already, she explained.

That ranges from archaeology, to produce artifact replicas for students to handle, and geography, to build 3-D city spaces or digital elevation models, to education, for creating manipulatives, and chemistry, to create 3-D models of molecules, to CARS, to create apparel and other retail items. “3-D visualization skills are an important and creative part of problem solving in this 21st century, linking the theory to real-world practice,” she said.

Biggers noted it is not the first 3-D printer at UNCG. The Art and Interior Architecture departments have made use of the technology.

For information and to sign up for use of the 3-D printer, visit http://uncg.libguides.com/makerspace.

Questions? Email efwilli3@uncg.edu or fbbigger@uncg.edu.

By Mike Harris

Photograph of Brown Biggers and the 3-D printer

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UNCG’s First Year Summer Read 2014 book has been chosen.

“Little Princes” by Conor Grennan is the selection.

“Little Princes” is based on Grennan’s year-long journey around the world, starting in Nepal. During his time volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal, he learns about the issue of human-trafficking.

UNCG’s FYSR Book Selection Team, composed of faculty, staff, and students, received 58 book recommendations, 14 of which met the FYSR guidelines. Once the options were narrowed down to the top 5, the book selection team read the top choices and then determined the winning title after thorough discussion about the potential for the book to appeal to a wide range of students, to engage students in discussion, and for the book to have global relevance and opportunity for service.

The FYSR Programming Team will discuss and plan curricular and co-curricular programming around the book. A variety of academic programs are committed to using the text in the classroom, including UNCG’s Lloyd International Honors College, select Learning Communities, and Foundations for Learning. Other partners in programming include Housing and Residence Life, Jackson Library, Alumni Relations and others.

If your department would like to be involved in the First Year Summer Read, contact New Student & Spartan Family Programs at yfy@uncg.edu.

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