@UNIVGAZETTE GAZETTE.UNC.EDU VOL. 43, NO. 9 CAROLINA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS MAY 16, 2018 Rye Barcott to graduates: ‘Do not run from the pain’ or the more than 6,000 students sitting in a sea of Carolina blue in Kenan Stadium on May 13, the F journey to graduation was anything but easy. There were demanding classes, all-nighters and count- less assignments to overcome on the way, but those chal- lenges led to a degree from Carolina. As the graduates prepare for the next phase of their careers, Marine veteran and social entrepreneur Rye Bar- cott urged them to continue taking their challenges and turning them into something useful and positive. “The truth is, many of life’s most fulfilling moments— and most accomplishments—rarely happen without some degree of pain,” he said. Barcott, the co-founder of nonprofits Carolina for Kibera and With Honor, delivered the Commencement address as Carolina celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2018. Chancellor Carol L. Folt presided over the ceremony that drew nearly 30,000 of the graduates’ family and friends, as well as Board of Governors Chair W. Louis Bis- sette, Board of Trustees Vice Chair Charles G. Duckett and General Alumni Association Board of Directors Chair Jim Delany. The degrees of 6,119 Carolina students were conferred during the 90-minute ceremony. They included 3,886 with bachelor’s, 1,596 with master’s, 262 with doctoral and 637 with professional degrees from the schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing and pharmacy. JON GARDINER See COMMENCEMENT page 10 Faculty Marshal Terry Rhodes leads the academic processional into Kenan Stadium. Winners selected for Creativity Hubs inaugural awards Carolina’s new Creativity Hubs initiative, a Magnuson as a platform on which to assemble scientific challenges,” Magnuson said. “The prowess in big data management, the Hetero- component of The Blueprint for Next strategic teams of researchers from diverse disciplines two project teams that have been selected geneity in Obesity Creativity Hub will take a framework, has announced awards to campus to tackle major societal challenges and leverage for these initial awards embody the bold novel approach to assess the underlying causes research teams pursuing solutions to two of additional support from external sponsors. approach that I envision of Creativity Hubs of obesity, tapping information that has not the world’s most pressing issues: the obesity “While Carolina has long prided itself on award winners.” been traditionally studied to unlock new, tar- epidemic and the global clean water shortage. its culture of low stone walls, we must be aggres- Leveraging the strengths of Carolina’s geted ways to treat the disease. The Creativity Hubs initiative was devel- sive in capitalizing on our unique strengths schools of medical and health sciences, its oped by Vice Chancellor for Research Terry and positioning our faculty to tackle major affiliated research centers and institutes and its See HUBS page 4 Massey winner Meet a few employees Closing of Horace 3Barbara Polk dispenses 6behind each successful 9 Williams Airport kindness and candy. Commencement. marks end of an era. 2 UNIVERSITY GAZETTE German department’s Priscilla Layne wins Message from CHANCELLOR CAROL L. FOLT Berlin Prize fellowship STATEMENT ON BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTE ON HONORARY DEGREE Priscilla Layne, assistant professor in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, has won a Berlin Prize for 2018–19 from the American Acad- I recommended that the University of North Carolina reviewing a recommendation to revoke his honorary degree, CONTRIBUTED emy in Berlin. at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees initiate a process via a and they will formally vote on the matter at their regular The Berlin Prize mail ballot to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Bill May meeting. is awarded annually Cosby in 2003. This is the first known time that the University The University has no tolerance for sexual assault, and we to scholars, writers, has taken steps to rescind an honorary degree, and we do not have worked diligently in recent years to comprehensively composers and art- take this action lightly. In this case, Cosby’s acts were so revise our sexual assault and misconduct policy and enhance ists from the United counter to our campus values that this prestigious honor is no resources for our community. We encourage anyone to visit States who represent longer appropriate. safe.unc.edu for more information. Priscilla Layne the highest stan- Honorary degrees are awarded based on the informa- dards of excellence in tion available at that time, and we do not intend to review Sincerely, their fields. Fellows receive a monthly stipend, par- the actions of each recipient years later. The Trustees are Carol L. Folt, Chancellor tial board and accommodations at the academy’s lakeside Hans Arnhold Center in Berlin-Wannsee. The Berlin Prize provides recipients with the time and resources to step back from their daily obligations to work on academic and artistic proj- Officers designated to help campus ects they might not otherwise pursue. The fellows navigate free speech issues are encouraged to work with local individuals and institutions in the academy’s well-established network, forging rich connections and lasting In an April 25 email to students, faculty and staff, the University affirmed The University Gazette is a University pub- transatlantic relationships. its commitment to fostering an environment where intellectual engage- lication. Its mission is to build a sense of During her semester-long fellowship at the acad- ment flourishes and campus community members are free to express their campus community by communicating emy this fall, Layne will work on her second book, information relevant and vital to faculty opinions and ideas. and staff and to advance the University’s The Office of the Provost sent the message to the campus community Out of this World: Afro-German Afrofuturism, which overall goals and messages. in accordance with the Board of Governors free speech and free ex- is under contract with Northwestern University pression policy. Press. The book focuses on Afro-German authors’ EDITOR use of Afrofuturist concepts in literature and the- Gary C. Moss (919-962-7125) In certain circumstances, the University may restrict when, where and [email protected] how First Amendment rights are exercised, but in doing so, the campus ater, from the poetry of Philipp Khabo Köpsell to may not prohibit expression because the content is unpopular, offensive the plays of Olivia Wenzel and Simone Dede Ayivi. MANAGING EDITOR Susan Hudson (919-962-8415) or even hateful. [email protected] The University established the Policy on Use of University Facilities for Noncommercial and Commercial Purposes (unc.policystat.com/ DESIGN AND LAYOUT policy/4487860/latest) and Policy on Access and Use of Buildings (unc. UNC Creative (919-962-7123) policystat.com/policy/4473804/latest) consistent with these standards. CHANGE OF ADDRESS To assist students, faculty and staff in navigating the complex issues Make changes through your department’s regarding free speech on campus, the University has designated the fol- HR representative. lowing responsible officers to serve as resources about policies that affect The editor reserves the right to decide the exercise of speech: what information will be published in the Associate Provost Jean Elia, [email protected], 919-962-2624; Gazette and to edit submissions for consis- Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity tency with Gazette style, tone and content. and Engagement Becci Menghini, [email protected], 919-843-0594; Dean of Students Jonathan Sauls, [email protected], 919-966- 4045; and Layne argues that Afro-German artists have Kim Strom-Gottfried, director of the Office of Ethics Education and increasingly engaged with Afrofuturism in order to READ THE Policy Management, [email protected], 919-962-6495. critique Eurocentricism, uncover German racism, GAZETTE ONLINE AT All of these administrators are available to respond to questions or rewrite the past and imagine a more positive future gazette.unc.edu concerns. for black peoples. MAY 16, 2018 3 Good deeds and leadership highlight Polk’s 37-year career in admissions Before Barbara Polk began her 37-year career at Carolina, she was a student here who considered transferring. Instead, she stayed, graduated and began working here. Tens of thousands of college-bound students whom she has helped should be thankful she stayed. “I haven’t transferred yet,” Polk said. The Statesville native, who is Carolina’s deputy direc- tor of undergraduate admissions, served with five directors and also served as interim director and acting director at two different times. She worked in and oversaw every aspect of admissions: application evaluation, communications, interna- tional applications, recruitment, publications, special talents (athletics, music, drama) and high school counselor relations. Polk is one of six University employees to earn a 2018 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award. “It’s a tremendous honor,” Polk said. “It’s not a singular honor because I don’t work by myself. I’m the one fortunate enough to receive the recognition, but I share the award with everyone I work with across campus." JON GARDINER A 1979 graduate and member of the Order of the Golden Fleece, Polk began her first job in 1980 in Student Affairs. She Budgets and much more have changed during her career, but Barbara Polk’s gift for helping students, belief in Carolina’s mission and leadership qualities have remained constant. had duties in orientation, peer counseling, the international cen- ter and academic counseling. communities. We had between 10- and 12,000 applications; this Evaluating applicants is judicious work, Polk said. “We try to As that job ended, her last-minute application snagged an year we had 43,000. understand students in the context of their school, in the context assistant admissions director’s job.