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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March 31 — DODGE for a CAUSE has been cancelled. However, donations to the Spartan Open Pantry are still welcome. 

Spartans don’t let Spartans go hungry.

The UNCG community has organized a dodgeball tournament to support the Spartan Open Pantry, a food bank for students, faculty and staff who need help.

The Dodge for a Cause tournament takes place April 5. Teams should register online March 24-28; registration cost is $5 per team plus one donated item per team member.

Teams should include at least six people. Each team will collect donations for the pantry, which typically serves 20-30 people each week.

Spartans, play dodgeball for a cause!
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Prizes go to the tournament champions, the team who collects the most donations, and the team sporting the most creative uniforms.

The Spartan Open Pantry is housed in the fellowship hall of College Place United Methodist Church at Spring Garden and Tate streets directly across from the Weatherspoon Art Museum. Distributions are made Tuesdays from 5 p.m.- 9 p.m. or by appointment.

For more details on the tournament, including registration and suggested donation items, visit http://campusrec.uncg.edu/im/dodge/.

If you or someone you know needs food assistance, contact the Dean of Students Office at deanofstudents@uncg.edu or 336-334-5514.

The Spartan Open Pantry also has an online web page at http://sa.uncg.edu/dean/paths/spartan-open-pantry/.

Dodge for a Cause is a joint project of the Dean of Students Office, the Campus Activities Board, Campus Recreation, the Spartan Open Pantry and Wesley-Luther Campus Ministries.

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UNCG Dining Services and CAP are collaborating once again to bring local food trucks for UNCG faculty, staff and students. The trucks will be on College Avenue next to Minerva from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays. Vendors will accept cash, charge, UNCG Flex and SpartanCash.

Here’s the schedule for Spartan Hour Tuesdays this spring:

March 25 – Parlez Vous Crepe and Camel City Grill

April 1 – Marty’s BBQ and the Thirst Responders

April 8 – Hanu Korean and Kona Ice

April 15 – Parlez Vous Crepe and Camel City Grill

April 22 – Taqueria El Azteca Taco and Kona Ice

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For Moran Commons, the longtime dining facility at UNCG, Phase 3 of its renovation is complete. The College Avenue entrance has opened. And so have new serving stations. Come and enjoy.

The newly renovated area of Moran Commons will provide a comfortable, user-friendly and modern dining space for Spartans for many years to come.

A “Find Your Food” color-coded guide shows students, faculty and staff where they can find their favorite dining options, from gourmet salads, pizza and pasta, to Asian and Mongolian cuisine, to homestyle and gluten-free fare.

Scott Millman, director of Auxiliary Services, was on hand for the recent “soft opening” as students returned from spring break and noted that social media in the first hours showed students liked the new area a lot.

Moran Commons now appears open and airy, with fewer interior walls. Skylights bring in lots of natural light.

Five thousand-pound, glue-lam wooden beams with wooden struts are a central feature. An exposed wood roof of arches span the nearly 107-foot-diameter central space. Five identical curved wooden arch vaults have been constructed along the axis of each existing dining wing. The crown of these vaults is 41 feet high.

Millman noted parts of the commons go back more than a century. The space appears new and modern, yet its past is honored. Earlier phases of the renovation included work on the western part of the commons.

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

To see UNCG Dining specials and offers, follow them on Facebook or Twitter:

https://www.facebook.com/uncgdining

https://twitter.com/uncgdining

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

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The UNCG tunnel, built to run underneath the railroad tracks from Oakland Avenue to West Lee Street, opened April 1st, the News & Record reported. The underpass connects Spartan Village, a residence hall complex on Lee Street, with the main part of campus.

The tunnel, which was a project started by UNCG in 2012, is 170 feet long and cost about $10 million to build. The university had hoped to open it in August, before the start of the school year, but bad weather repeatedly delayed its construction.

The underpass was a joint project of UNCG and the N.C. Railroad Co. The News & Record posted a gallery of pictures of the tunnel, which can be seen here.

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The Office of New Student & Spartan Family Programs is looking for 2014 SOAR volunteers to help welcome new students and their families during the month of June.

SOAR volunteers are a team of UNCG faculty and staff who assist in greeting, guiding and directing new Spartans and their families during SOAR.

There will be eight freshman sessions this June: June 5-6, June 8-9, June 10-11, June 12-13, June 16-17, June 19-20, June 23-24 and June 26-27. The majority of SOAR volunteer duties will be on the first day of SOAR between 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Each volunteer will get a 2014 SOAR Volunteer T-shirt to wear while working and an invitation to SOAR Preview, where there will be plenty of food and fun for all.

The SOAR Volunteer program offers flexible hours and excellent benefits to all of its volunteers. You can choose which sessions and times work best for you.

If you are willing and able to be a SOAR volunteer, contact Mary Lesa Pegg at mlpegg@uncg.edu no later than Friday, May 2. You will be sent information on how to sign up for volunteer shifts.

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

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Mailing a UNCG student a letter? Address it like this:

John Smith

jsmith1 at UNCG

Greensboro, NC  27413

No, that’s not a mistake.

Since the beginning of the academic year students at UNCG have used their email address to receive regular mail, the implementation of a first-of-its-kind solution that solves not only a space problem but also a generational gap.

The solution is the brainchild of Robert Walker, the director of business services and systems for the university. The problem was the renovation of Moran Commons, the university dining hall, which used to centrally house 6,000 student post office boxes.

Traditionally, UNCG had provided a postal box for every student on campus, but that system was antiquated and the set-up required “a lot of overhead and a lot of maintenance,” Walker said. At the end of the school year, “we had to change the dial on the combination locks, relabel them, move the mail. It was two weeks worth of work.”

Work that wasn’t appreciated by a generation of students reared on email. “We had full boxes of stuff they didn’t pick up,” Walker said.

The renovation, which made the old postal boxes unavailable, offered an opportunity for change. “We looked at it with fresh eyes and said we can do better,” Walker said. “If we’re going to change it, let’s do it in a way students will appreciate.”

The new system — dubbed Spartan Mail Management — abandons the old model using post office boxes. Now when students receive a letter or package on campus, they are emailed a unique postal code that corresponds with a cubby in the campus’ central postal center in Jefferson Suites. To pick up the mail, the student gives the postal clerk the code and, if applicable, shows his or her university ID. Once cleared, the cubby is then reassigned for the next piece of mail.

In a nod to sustainability — and changing student habits — the university no longer delivers bulk mail, fliers or junk mail to the campus’ 27413 student zip code.

“Students love it,” Walker said of the new system, which gives students instant notification that they have mail and tracks all the envelopes and packages received. “We have more tracking and accountability than we’ve ever had.”

Others see the potential for the system as well. The dynamic mail management system, the first of its kind in the nation, is patent pending and won the National Association for Campus Auxiliary Services’ Innovative Use of Technology Award.

Pulling on his IT background, Walker spent about six months and 300 to 400 development hours to create the web-based system, incorporating features he found lacking in the marketplace. The university spent less than $10,000 on the hardware and computing supplies to accompany the system, he said.

But the real savings, Walker added, was in UNCG avoiding having to buy a commercial system and the expensive licensing fees that would accompany it. Other systems currently available would have cost UNCG between $100,000 and $1 million and still lack some of the flexibility and features Walker’s system has.

Now, with the pending patent on the Spartan Mail Management system, “it could become a revenue generator for the university,” Walker said.

The new system also reduces the amount of square footage necessary to handle student mail, with less than 2,000 dynamic mailboxes necessary to handle what used to require 6,000 traditional postal boxes. When the renovated space in Moran Commons reopens, “we’re giving a lot of space back to dining services,” Walker said.

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Students, put on your sneaks and let loose before final exams with a night of dancing. And raise money to fight childhood cancers.

Spartathon, a dance marathon, is set for Saturday, April 26. The danceathon, the first held on campus in more than a decade, runs from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. the next morning in UNCG’s Fleming Gym.

Spartans, put on your sneaks and let loose before final exams with a night of dancing!
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“It’s mainly a chance for students to unwind in a safe and fun manner,” says Sean Goheen, a graduate student studying higher education administration who works in the Campus Activities and Programs office.

Crystal Bayne, Student Government Association president, and Stephanie Walton, Campus Activities Board president, got the idea for a dance fundraiser while attending UNCG’s LeaderShape Institute last May.

Only a valid Spartan ID is required for admittance; no one will be re-admitted after exiting the gym. Dancers must wear sneakers or tennis shoes, and warm-weather dress — t-shirts and shorts — is suggested.

“It’s not how you would typically dress for a Saturday night,” Goheen says.

For more details, contact the Campus Activities Board at cab@uncg.edu.

Cash donations for pediatric cancer research are encouraged.

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Exams started this week. And the offerings at UNCG’s Minerva statue grow each day.

Some students believe leaving a coin, a note or an apple just may bring them good luck. Others simply like being a part of a developing tradition.

Minerva, who is associated with wisdom, has been a symbol for UNCG since its earliest days. The statue of Minerva located near Elliott University Center was commissioned in 2003 by the Class of 1953.

The tradition of leaving offerings at the base of Minerva goes back to at least 2007, when the first offering – of a coin – was documented. The first apple at Minerva was observed in 2010. This past year, for the first time, some students began writing their wishes on their apples with a Sharpie. Others began sticking coins in the fruit. One student left a dollar bill. Another left apple juice. And more and more, students take a big chomp or two out their apples before setting them down.

How this tradition started is unknown. But UNCG students have made it their own. Each semester at exam-time, students tweet about the apples and coins. It’s quite a sight. At one time during December exams, there were about 130 apples.

The students leaving apples want to do well, so they can make an impact in their careers. Those apples and coins are evidence of their commitment to succeed.

Last fall, UNCG’s Campus Weekly caught up with a group of freshmen in a UNCG Science & Medical Careers learning community who left apples and coins at Minerva their first day of class. They’d told each other their high goals for the year. As their Grogan Residential College professor, Meg Horton, said, “For these pre-med, pre-dent, and pre-vet students, the first day of their first college classes was the right time to leave offerings for Minerva.”

A check back last week showed lots of Dean’s List and Chancellor’s List accolades. “I’m really proud of these students but not surprised by their accomplishments,” Horton said.

Grogan as well as all the UNCG residential colleges have a long record of enhancing student success.

“Our students enter UNCG with a great deal of enthusiasm and determination,” she added. “They have fun but they also work hard to achieve their personal and academic goals.”

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations

Photography by David Wilson, University Relations

Related stories:

Who left these apples? Meg Horton knows – and she’s telling.

Together, gaining good fortune at Minerva

Great grades take lots more than good luck – but it doesn’t hurt

UNCG students’ dreams and determination, seen at Minerva

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Multiple foundations have pledged money toward the Union Square Campus, a collaborative space to be shared by colleges and universities in Downtown Greensboro, as reported by the Triad Business Journal on April 8 and April 15, as well as in the News & Record on April 14 and April 15.

The Union Square Campus will be a shared area between UNCG, N.C. A&T State University, Guilford Technical Community College and Cone Health, serving as a training and education area for health care professions.

Foundations that have currently pledged money toward the campus are the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation of Greater Greensboro with $4 million, the Cemala Foundation with $1.5 million, and The Phillips Foundation with $1 million.

These multi-year pledges, which amount to $6.5 million, will be used for the design and construction of the 103,000-square-foot phase one facility for the campus. This first phase facility will cost between $37 million and $40 million to fully develop. In four to six years, once fully built out, the 7-acre campus at South Elm and Lee streets will feature 1 million square feet of space at a total development cost of $100 million.

The UNC Board of Governors recently approved 10-year leases by A&T and UNCG. Opportunity Greensboro, which is organizing the project, said this rental revenue will help cover construction costs. The city of Greensboro has said it will consider donating land, building a parking lot or deck and contributing $500,000.

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Internationally-known artist Nancy Rubins will be showing her art in an exhibit at the Weatherspoon Art Museum until May 4, as reported by the Winston-Salem Journal and 88.5 WFDD.

The show is highlighting her sculptural pieces, such as small-scale studies, and the show is augmented by three short films by Michael Rudnick that document work crews installing some of Rubins’ largest sculptures. As well, 11 of her drawings are included and pinned to the walls, while many of the drawings are installed not at eye level, but much higher on the walls near the gallery’s elevated ceiling. Rubins is known to expand on the legacies of abstract expressionism and minimalism in her work, drawing back to her predecessors Robert Rauschenberg and John Chamberlin.

As well, her drawings and sculptures are fused in the exhibition’s centerpiece, which is also its largest work. Dating from the early 1990s and straightforwardly titled “Drawings and Hot Water Heaters,” it consists of several big, irregularly shaped drawings that appear to be randomly piled atop about 20 cylindrical water heaters like those most of us have in our homes. Known to explore boats in her work, the rest of Rubins’ sculptures at the Weatherspoon are miniature versions of these boat pieces, in most cases made from wood or plastic model boats and displayed on pedestals. Two of her pedestal pieces here are monochromatic bronze models, which call to mind eccentric boat-racing trophies.

The exhibition is called “Drawings, Sculpture, Studies” and is featured at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in The Bob & Lissa Shelley McDowell Gallery. It is open through May 4th from 10am-5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, as well as 10am-9pm on Thursday and 1-5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The last guided public tour will be from 2-2:30pm on May 4th.

For more information, call (336)-334-5770 or visit www.weatherspoon.uncg.edu.

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The university bell will sound at commencement. Anne Prince Cuddy, Class of ‘64, and Lindsay Ives, Class of ‘14, will perform the honors.

The old bell has been a part of our campus experience since its earliest years. It connects us to our past.

It’s the same peal heard in 1897, when overjoyed students heard news about expanded legislative funding for our university. At least 100 Normal School (UNCG) students ran to ring the bell, the Greensboro Record reported. “The young lady who first reached the bell, in the exuberance of her spirits, pulled the rope off of the wheel, but this accident did not deter her desire. In an instant the ladder was scaled … the rope was replaced, and for an hour or more joy resigned unconfined.”

The bell’s most illustrious moment? On a frigid January night in 1904, Brick Dormitory (located at the site of today’s McIver Building) caught fire. Student Josephine Scott ran over the snowy ground to alert everyone. She, too, broke the rope, a classmate recalled, and climbed the bell stand to ring it with her hands again and again. In a phone call at age 84, she said, “I still don’t know how I climbed up that ladder, but it was just one of those things you do when you have to.” Every student got out safely; no one was injured. The bell played its part.

Students and alumni became fond of the bell. They called it “Prep” because it prepared them for dinner and meals, according to an alumna cited in a letter in UNCG Archives.

A January 21, 1938, letter in The Carolinian noted the several locations the “Old Bell” had held on campus since the 1890s – near Foust Building and Brick Dormitory (where it would first sound at 6:30 a.m. each day), then near the College Avenue bridge over Walker, then near Spencer and Woman’s Hall (near today’s Moran Plaza). Even after it was no longer needed to call students to classes and meals, students still rang it to signal celebrations.

For much of the second half of the 20th century, it was displayed near the College Avenue/Spring Garden entrance. It hung at the location where President McIver and his family had once lived.

A 1963 Carolinian article suggested it was clapperless there so the Curry school children wouldn’t be tempted to ring it. It was bronzed in 1968, according to a Greensboro Record clipping, and for the next couple of decades it was featured in a “modernistic arch” at that location.

Today, the old bell is no longer silent. It is ceremoniously brought out at UNCG celebrations each year, its peal a reminder of our history.

It has been referred to over the years as the “Old Bell.” The “University Bell.” The “School Bell.” The “McIver bell.” “The Normal bell.” The “farm bell.” “Prep.” It has never been automated. When it rings, it’s because a Spartan puts effort into ringing it. No one said ringing a large bell is easy. But it’s a glorious sound. It’s our sound. Long may it ring.

Story by Mike Harris, University Relations
Photo by Chris English, University Relations

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UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady today announced the appointment of Charles A. Maimone as vice chancellor for business affairs, effective August 1. Maimone will serve as a member of the executive staff and lead the Business Affairs Division with overall responsibility for financial administration and university operations.

Maimone will join UNCG from UNC Wilmington, where he has served as vice chancellor for business affairs and chief financial officer for the past six years. While at UNCW, Maimone oversaw financial services, human resources, facilities operations, university police, auxiliary and business services, institutional risk management, and environmental health and safety. He also led a variety of campus-wide initiatives, including the development and implementation of shared services, analytics, unified budget process, alternative distance education business models, and UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“We are pleased that Charlie Maimone will be joining UNCG in this strategically important role. He is an accomplished business affairs leader who brings extensive UNC system experience and a successful record of driving innovative funding and efficiency solutions in a dynamic environment,” Brady said.

Prior to joining UNCW, Maimone held several key leadership roles with The College of William and Mary, including associate vice president for administration and director of auxiliary services. He previously held a series of auxiliary services, housing and food services, and residence life positions at UNCW, as well as residence hall-related roles with Miami University and Kent State University, both in Ohio.

Maimone received his B.A. in sociology and M.A. in education from Kent State University, and an M.B.A. from The College of William and Mary.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to join UNCG, which has a rich history as one of the three original members of the University of North Carolina and a strong reputation for helping students achieve academic success while contributing to the community,” Maimone said.

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The UNC system’s Campus Security Initiative, which studied system-level coordination of security and student safety efforts on UNC campuses,  has released its final report. The report can be found here.

The report includes 26 findings and 36 recommendations that will help make UNC campuses safer, ensure the system is meeting both the letter and the spirit of laws governing campus security, and offer a blueprint for continuous improvement.

UNC system President Thom Ross launched the UNC Campus Security Initiative in August 2013, asking for a  review of current security practices, an assessment of pending needs, and recommendations for coordinated action.

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Neon colors. Stirrup pants. Hi-top fades. All are 1980s-era icons that are back in style. But as a growing number of parents — many of whom were university students in the ‘80s — prepare to send their kids to college, those fashion flashpoints may be some of the few things that resemble their college days.

“Today’s college student has grown up with information personalized, fast and mobile,” said Kim Sousa-Peoples Ph.D., director of UNCG New Student & Spartan Family Programs at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). “Parents who have not been back on a college campus since the day they graduated may be shocked at what the college campus has to offer in 2014 — a campus that has kept up with technology to enhance the student experience and support student success.”

As student affairs professionals at UNCG and around the country prepare to welcome the newest crop of first-year students to campus, Sousa-Peoples and her staff have compiled a list of ways the college experience has changed from one generation to the next.

10 ways Millennials’ college life differs from their parents’

1. Nice to meet U. You don’t have to trade letters with your roommate to get to know him/her before the semester begins. Many students find roommates on social media or using RoomSurf.
2. No more waiting for your roommate to get off the phone. There’s no need to bring a landline to campus when just about everyone has a mobile device. Although UNCG residence hall rooms still have telephone jacks, local service hasn’t been included with room and board since 2008, resulting in annual savings of $700,000.
3. You’ve got mail. Remember needing to know the combination code or use a key to pick up your mail? That’s gone too. At UNCG, students’ email addresses also are used as their address for postal mail, which they pick up from a central processing center on campus. The award-winning, patent-pending dynamic mailbox system was created by a UNCG staff member with 21st century college students in mind.
4. Dinosaurs… Typewriters… Laptops? Typewriters are long gone, but even laptops are starting to fall out of favor, with many students opting to use tablets with Bluetooth accessories instead. “These function just as well as a laptop with the same programs and are a lot more portable,” Sousa-Peoples explains. And, in some classes, printers are out as well, as many faculty members now accept electronically submitted work.
5. E-books: Often cheaper. Definitely lighter. When it comes to textbooks, check for an online copy before you head to the bookstore. “E-books are becoming more popular. E-book readers make eye-friendly versions that can be very useful and cheaper,” Sousa-Peoples said. Added bonus: Students don’t have to carry around heavy books.
6. No more loitering for laundry. Hanging around the laundry room, waiting for jeans to dry, is a thing of the past. UNCG’s LaundryView monitoring system lets students see which washers and dryers are available online. Students can even request an automated text message to let them know when their wash is done.
7. Multiple options for emergency alerts. In an emergency, quick notification is paramount. Universities like UNCG typically offer several emergency alert options for students and parents. In addition to “blue light” telephones on campus and website updates, students can also receive emergency notifications via text, Twitter and Facebook, or as an on-screen computer pop-up.
8. Keep the quarters in your pocket. Many services — including vending, laundry, copies, even take-out from select restaurants — can be paid for with a student ID card. And there’s no need for parents to mail a check when the balance is low; funds can often be deposited online.
9. Skyping for success. Video interviews are an increasingly common part of the 21st century job hunt. Some campuses, like UNCG, give students access to a mock interview service that helps them prepare and practice for video interviews.
10. Taking (some) of the pain out of groupwork. Social media apps like GroupMe, which allow a group of subscribers to communicate via group text, can make all-night groupwork sessions at the library a thing of the past.

But for all the changes to the collegiate experience, some things do remain the same. “Ramen noodles, soda and coffee still are a college student’s best friend,” Sousa-Peoples said.

The post Expert: 10 ways Millennials’ college life differs from their parents’ appeared first on UNCG Now.

In early July, Governor Pat McCrory appointed two new members to the UNCG Board of Trustees. Betsy S. Oakley, UNCG alumna and co-owner of Charles Aris, Inc., and Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, executive director of the Phillips Foundation, were appointed to serve through June 2019.

William (Dean) A. Priddy, Jr., UNCG alumnus and retired executive vice president at Qorvo, Inc., and Mona G. Edwards, chief operating officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, were recently appointed to the UNCG Board of Trustees by the UNC Board of Governors. Their appointments are also through June 2019.

Charles Blackmon and UNCG alumni Susan Safran and Brad Hayes were each reappointed by the Board of Governors for a four-year term.

UNCG Student Government President Brittany Hudson will serve as an ex officio member during the academic year.

On July 2, the trustees elected their board officers for 2015-16. The officers are:

• Chair – Susan Safran
• Vice-Chair – Brad Hayes
• Secretary – Ward Russell
• Officers-at-large – Charles Blackmon and Frances Bullock

The full membership of the 2015-16 Board of Trustees is:

• Charles Blackmon
• Frances Bullock
• Vanessa Carroll
• Mona Edwards
• Brad Hayes
• Randall Kaplan
• Betsy Oakley
• Elizabeth Phillips
• Dean Priddy
• Ward Russell
• Susan Safran
• David Sprinkle
• Brittany Hudson

Some brief information about the newly appointed members:

Betsy S. Oakley is co-owner of Charles Aris, Inc. At UNCG, she received her bachelor’s degree in Clothing and Textiles, has served on the Board of Directors of the School of Human Environmental Sciences Foundation, has been a member of the UNCG Legislative Network, and has been chair of the Friends of the UNCG Libraries.

Elizabeth C. Phillips is executive director of the Phillips Foundation. A recipient of the Triad Business Journal’s Women in Business Award in 2015, she is involved in a variety of organizations, including Action Greensboro Operating Group, Salvation Army of Greensboro Advisory Board, Generation GPAC (founder and co-chair), Akola Project (founding designer and vice president) and Echelon (founding president).

William (Dean) A. Priddy retired this year as executive vice president of administration, Qorvo, Inc. Earlier in his career, he was at Analog Devices and RFMD. He received both his bachelor’s and M.B.A. degrees from UNCG. Priddy has served on the UNCG Bryan Business School Advisory Board and has received the Bryan School Distinguished Alumni Award. He also has served on the Board of Partners Ending Homelessness and in 2010 was named the Triad Business Journal’s Change Agent of the Year.

Mona G. Edwards is chief operating officer for the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, where she oversees day-to-day operations, human resources and the staff who lead marketing and communications and community and foundation relations. She has more than 20 years of combined experience in the nonprofit sector, government, legal and leadership fields. She also serves as a feedback and executive coach at the Center for Creative Leadership.

Brittany H. Hudson, as UNCG Student Government Association president, will serve as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees this academic year. A senior, she is a Business Administration and Media Studies double major from Charlotte, NC. In addition to her service in student government, she is a member of Delta Sigma Pi Professional Business Fraternity and the 2015 recipient of The James H. Allen Student Leader Scholarship.

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Welcome all new and returning students. Time to move in, get settled and learn what’s up at UNCG.

It’s Rawkin’ Welcome Week!

This is when the stillness of the summer campus gives way to the hustle, bustle and excitement of a new school year at UNCG. Summer is over, but the fun is just ramping up. Rawkin’ Welcome Week is 13 festive days of carnivals, parties, student convocation, a comedy show, and more, to welcome new and returning students to UNCG. This will certainly be a week to remember.

While Rawkin’ Welcome Week focuses on getting information into the hands of new students to make them feel at home in their new home, there are a number of featured events new students will want to mark on their calendars, including:

• “Party Like a Rawkstar,” a dance/mixer in the Elliott University Center’s Cone Ballroom, Friday, Aug.14, 8 -11 p.m.
• “Out of State Student Reception” will be held in the Virginia Dare Room of the Alumni House, Saturday, Aug.15, 4-5 p.m.
• Chancellor-elect Franklin Gilliam’s address at student convocation, a mandatory event for all new UNCG students, Sunday, Aug, 16, 4 – 5 p.m. in Aycock Auditorium.

Thinking about getting involved in campus extra-curricular activities? Don’t miss “Fall Kick-Off,” Tuesday, Aug. 18, on College Avenue. Here’s where you will find exhibits, tents and booths filled with information about how to participate in intramural sports, get involved with your favorite cause or investigate the Greek scene on campus. There is a lot more to learn about UNCG, so make a point to uncover the hidden gems on campus by visiting exhibits spanning the length (almost) of College Avenue.

Other important sources of information to make navigating UNCG easier, include Housing and Residence Life’s “Fastest Way to Class,” Jackson Library’s “Hack the Stacks” informational sessions, and the “Chili Zone,” where new Spartans and their families can enjoy respite from the heavy lifting of move-in, are available across campus through Aug. 26. And while moving in don’t forget to enter the “Best Dressed Room Contest to win a Grand prize of $475 in merchandise. Register here: http://campusrec.edu/facilities/hour.

There are more than 2,800 new students arriving on campus during Rawkin’ Welcome Week so jump in, make new friends and learn just how much UNCG has to offer! For a complete list of activities during Rawkin’ Welcome Week visit: http://yourfirstyear.uncg.edu/rawkin-welcome-week/.

Students must have their UNCG ID’s to participate in Rawkin’ Welcome Week.

Story by Joe Gallehugh,  contributor

Photography by Martin W. Kane, UNCG University Relations

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UNCG is a remarkable institution, uniquely positioned to grow and thrive.

Chancellor-Elect Franklin Gilliam Jr. delivered remarks at the 124th State of the Campus Address Aug. 12, with UNCG faculty, staff and board members assembled in Aycock Auditorium. His first day at UNCG will be Sept. 8.

He spoke of UNCG’s impact on and engagement in the greater community – and what it means for its students and the region and state.

“I will be an advocate for this university and for public higher education in this state,” he said. He noted that most states are now spending less on public higher education per capita than they did in 2008.

The biggest UNCG fundraising challenge is fellowships for students, to ease the burden of debt. He explained that debt burden impacts the career choices for students, and that our state needs many of those careers that are not necessarily the most lucrative, but are essential for our society.

He talked of his first impression of UNCG on his initial visit. “This is a beautiful campus,” he told his wife, Jacquelean Gilliam, as a student showed them the university.

Gilliam shared his thoughts about UNCG’s culture and its future. “Culture refers to a clearly articulated and broadly shared set of values that define the very nature of an organization,” he explained. He stepped from behind the podium to the front of the stage, closer to the audience, and laid out a set of values that builds that culture:

• Shared fate. “We have a shared fate,” he said. “We have to collaborate.”
• Excellence. “There has to be a common standard of excellence in everything we do,” he told the faculty and staff gathered.
• Accountability. “People have to be held accountable. We all do.”.
• Innovation. “We have to have an entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “We have to act like we’re a start-up.”
• Transparency. “That means clarity – about how decisions are made.”
• Inclusion. “We all have a stake in UNCG,” he explained. Ideas can come from anyone and anywhere, he added. UNCG needs inclusive decision-making and communications.
• Fun. We’re at college, he said. “We should get joy out of that – the joy in what we accomplish together.”

He alluded to the title of the occasion: the 124th State of the Campus Address, and the permanence of UNCG’s enduring, vital role in the community and state. “We’re not going anywhere. We are here.”

Acting Chancellor and Provost Dana Dunn gave an address on the accomplishments of the past year. She received an extended, rousing ovation, as did Dr. Gilliam.

Trustees Chair Susan Safran offered remarks as well. “I do believe we are on the edge of a new era,” she said.

Read the remarks of Acting Chancellor and Provost Dunn and Chancellor-Elect Gilliam (pdf file).

View Chancellor-Elect Gilliam’s remarks:

By Mike Harris
Photo by Martin Kane

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