Welcome to Campus Weekly
International Programs’ Nell Pynes bids farewell
Dr. Penelope (Nell) Pynes, departing Associate Provost of International Programs, welcoming participants to UNC Greensboro’s popular International Festival in 2018.
Global engagement is a core value of UNC Greensboro.
The global learning and global connections that Spartans have pursued, particularly over the past few decades, have imprinted international engagement onto UNCG DNA in a way that will enrich the campus life and global impact far into the future.
Typically, around 25 faculty-led study abroad programs operate each year through the International Programs Center with more than 300 students studying abroad and an additional 220 students going on exchange programs, and in return, the same number coming from abroad to study on UNCG’s campus.
| 1 How on Earth (throughout Earth) has all this been facilitated?
In large part, by Dr. Penelope Pynes, who has played a leadership role in international programs at UNCG for more than 20 years. She will step down from her position as Associate Provost of International Programs on June 30, and will be honored with a Zoom virtual celebration on June 2.
Pynes joined UNCG in 1991 as a faculty member in the Department of German and Russian, just as the International Programs Center was being founded. She served as director of Study Abroad and Exchanges from 2001 to 2008, and since then as associate provost. She has spearheaded many initiatives, including co-chairing UNCG’s ACE Internationalization Lab (2010-12) and most recently serving as the director of our Global Engagement Quality Enhancement Plan (GE QEP), a direct extension of the ACE Lab experience.
Her office has produced UNCG’s longest-running, largest, and perhaps most beloved event – International Festival, or “I-Fest” – year after year.
“We think of it as students engaging in culture,” says Pynes. “It’s not just about the event but preparing students for global learning and engagement and giving them an opportunity to share.”
| 2 As associate provost, Pynes’ contribution to UNCG life has been tremendous, not just in expanding opportunities for global study and forging international connections, but in managing the behind-the-scenes necessities such as visa assistance, transfer credit support, and crisis or risk management when students study abroad or when international students come to campus.
She has assisted faculty in designing and leading innovative programs, such as those that look at air quality, field studies in Tanzania and Greece, conservation-focused exhibitions to Costa Rica, education in China, art in Italy, music in France, social work in Scotland, business studies in Brazil, and nursing in China, to name just a few. For faculty, Pynes has helped to raise awareness of service-learning opportunities, so they can design community- engaged programs.
Before coming to UNCG, Pynes herself traveled to Heidelberg, Germany, on a Fulbright, an experience which fueled her interest in expanding global learning opportunities for others. Her commitment to international learning is inspirational, and she steps down from her position with a strong legacy in place. Read the interview with her below to understand more of her thoughts on and contribution to UNCG’s global impact.
Could you describe the unique ways students grow as they study abroad?
| 3 The interesting thing to me is that when you study abroad, you really learn about yourself – what makes you tick and what scares you. You learn what it means to be a U.S. citizen and you learn how you have an impact in the world. For me, because I’ve always loved languages, I appreciate how much language filters into your ability to actually learn about culture. That’s the experience we want students to have during a semester or year-long program.”
Instead of just traveling, international learning is about living in and being integrated in a culture as much as you can. When students take that opportunity, it’s going to have an impact. With that depth of experience, they become more self-sufficient, more creative, and more empathetic. When students are struggling with living abroad, I have helped them create short-term goals – what to accomplish that day or that week. And as they go through, it’s amazing how resilient they become.
What do you remember about first coming to UNCG and moving into a leadership role in international programs, and what drew you to the position?
When I did my job interview to join the Department of German and Russian here at UNCG in 1991, one of the questions posed by the chair was: would I be willing to help students study abroad. At the time we had very few opportunities for students. Of course, I enthusiastically said, “Yes.” In the same year that I came so did Dr. Charles Lyons, the first associate provost for International Programs. When he met with our department that fall, I volunteered to learn more and to work on exchange. In fact, the first two students who went on our exchange program were students in my German classes. I’ve always been proud of that. Later he tapped me for specific tasks such as transfer credit articulation, advising protocols, and reentry activities. He and Steve Flynn, the assistant director, taught me a lot about the field. As a faculty member, I had set two areas that I thought I could provide service and those were international, and diversity and inclusion, and even today I see these as intertwined.
Do you have any reflections on the heritage of UNCG in international programs, and the impact?
We’ve moved from a campus with “pockets of internationalization” to a campus that even in its mission and vision explicitly mentions that we are “a global university integrating intercultural and international experiences and perspectives into learning, discovery, and service.” Everybody considers this core to what we do, and that’s such an important thing. We know the students we send abroad are made up of the same demographics as our institution, and that our faculty and staff members and students understand the value.
What impressions and memories will you take with you as you leave the role?
| 4 I will remember how unique UNCG is in its collaborative and supportive community. I have been so grateful that individuals across campus have been so involved in creating an inclusive environment and worked toward increasing our global skill sets, mindsets, and “heartsets.” There are too many to mention here, but they will recognize themselves in this statement: I am grateful to those who served on committees and task forces, made site visits to our international partners, participated and led delegations abroad, conducted research, took students abroad, advised them, participated in and conducted classes, workshops and events that helped enhance our personal, academic, and professional lives and hosted international guests.
How has international programs changed and grown during your time as Associate Provost?
I can say it’s been a journey. UNCG participated in the ACE Internationalization Laboratory in 2010-12, an 18-month university-wide internationalization self-study. That experience resulted in (among other things) the Global Engagement Quality Enhancement Plan (GE QEP) that just finished its fifth year at the end of 2018/19. We spent this year analyzing data and seeing what lessons we have learned. Our participation in this initiative was critical as we supported all activities of the QEP in one way or another.
As far as students traveling abroad, we have really grown the numbers over the years, particularly for the LIHC whose students participate on our study abroad and exchanges (they make up about 25% of our population of students who travel abroad.) Those numbers have taken a hit a couple of times (2008/9 and now with COVID-19, where we had to bring almost 140 students back this spring and cancel summer and fall programs.) Nonetheless, we are proud that the students we send abroad match our demographics of our campus.
What accomplishments during your time at UNCG are you most proud of?
First, I think it was the Baden-Wuerttemberg /North Carolina State to State Program that I was able to pilot under the direction of Charles Lyons. That three-year pilot led to the establishment of the UNC Exchange Program (UNC EP) which served the UNC System for about 20 years before changing its mission. We still manage that original program on behalf of the UNC System here at UNCG thanks to Denise Bellamy.
What can you recommend regarding international connections during this time when most programs will not be happening and travel is unavailable?
Internationalizing the curriculum is not just about transnational experiences. It is also about global connections as well. Learning how to be engaged in the world both appropriately and effectively here at home also translates into global awareness and global engagement. We
| 5 are working here at UNCG to create new virtual international experiences by building on the strengths of our faculty and staff and our excellent international partners. I think we are well poised to expand our global connections through digital means and travel as soon as safe to do so.
What are your future plans?
As you can imagine, my day – for most of my career here – has begun around 5 a.m. reading about every political, health, and natural disaster around the world to determine what steps might need to be taken to help our faculty, staff, and students who might be abroad or whose families are abroad. So, I am happy to let that part of the job go.
I am going to begin by traveling a bit. My husband and I have been avid campers and bike riders (even though we have slowed down quite a bit) so our first task is to really get back in shape so that we can do both these things.
I do plan to keep connected with the international field at least for a few years by continuing my work part-time as an ACE senior associate for internationalization helping other universities enhance their international profile. I am also keen to keep up with intercultural training, a passion of mine.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the campus community about international programs?
Although I regret having the COVID-19 situation be my last experience here at UNCG, I do know that the individual crises that were shorter in nature over time have prepared us to navigate the next couple of years. I am hopeful that the world community will recognize this time as an opportunity to reset some of its sustainability goals, because they are more critical now than ever. I would like to see UNCG emphasize the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a path to provide solutions not only to our local communities, but also to the wider world.
I’d like to thank UNCG for giving me the opportunity to serve and promote world peace over the years. I am very proud to have been connected to the University and to have worked with such a talented and committed staff.
There is a Virtual Retirement Celebration for Pynes on Tuesday, June 2. See instructions for joining below.
| 6 To register to join the celebration, please go to the registration page here.
To sign the virtual guest book, visit the submission form here.
For more information about the celebration, contact Wendy Tapia at [email protected].
| 7 Interview by Susan Kirby-Smith, University Communications Photography by Martin W. Kane and Jiyoung Park, University Communications
Pandemic moods: UNCG study seeks your input
| 8 The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us, not only in the way we live our daily lives, but in the ways we are now feeling about our lives, relationships with the people who are or are not around us, and about the future. Stress levels have changed as people are confined mainly to their homes and separated from others, without the normal societal institutions and support networks.
But with these changes and limitations can come opportunities for knowledge about human behavior and emotions.
UNC Greensboro Assistant Professor of Psychology Suzanne Vrshek-Schallhorn and a group of undergraduate and graduate students are presently conducting a research study to understand how people are reacting to and handling COVID-19 as a stressor in their lives, and how the disruptions in daily life are affecting their moods.
In the Department of Psychology Genes, Environment & Emotion (GEnE) Lab, directed by Vrshek-Schallhorn, the researchers typically study emotional responses to brief, lab- controlled stressors. This April, they pivoted with the times and created a survey to support a new study, “Pandemic Circumstances and Mood,” which launched May 1 and is now underway.
“In our lab, we are interested in the pathways from stress to depression,” says Vrshek-
| 9 Schallhorn. “Interpersonal stress seems to be particularly noxious, and with our new study we want to objectively measure how people feel about their circumstances and look at what their circumstances are like and who is vulnerable to additional stress.”
The survey is designed to take 30 minutes and asks questions that may reveal how life circumstances and mood correlate. Questions examine the social distancing effect on a variety of interpersonal relationships, as well as the individual’s comfort level in their home and their ability to acquire necessary supplies, such as groceries. One thing that distinguishes the survey is the opportunities responders have to tell their stories in their own words, so that the researchers can comprehend the narratives more deeply.
“Life stress, particularly in combination with other risk factors, can result in the onset or exacerbation of mental health difficulties, and we have already seen this occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains participating graduate student Gail Corneau. “Our study aims to identify how the outbreak of the virus is affecting people’s mental health with a focus on uncovering who is at greater or reduced risk for experiencing these outcomes.”
While this study is different than what was originally planned for the spring semester, Vrshek-Schallhorn not only sees value in the data that will be collected, but in the real-world experience students have gained in continuing research in uncertain and unusual circumstances.
“The students have been very resilient and adaptive, and they’ve also been very engaged,” she says. “They’ve learned very quickly about methodology and thinking about issues with demographics.”
More participants are sought, and the anonymous survey will be open for several more weeks. To be a part of this important work and take the survey, please visit the Pandemic Circumstances and Mood Study survey page.
Story by Susan Kirby-Smith, University Communications Graphic edited by Giselle Chun
Q&A with ‘Outer Banks’ cinematographer Brad Smith
| 10 You’ve probably heard of “Outer Banks,” one of the most popular television series right now that held the top spot on Netflix’s charts in the U.S. and countries all over the world for weeks. Perhaps you, like many others, have binge-watched the whole season while in quarantine.
The show is about a group of teenagers on the hunt for treasure, and the plot takes place on, of course, the picturesque island of the Outer Banks.
| 11 Brad Smith
The cinematographer behind all of those beautiful sunset scenes is Brad Smith, a former UNC Greensboro student who studied in what is now the Department of Media Studies.
Smith has had an incredibly successful career since his time at UNCG, building an impressive resumé working on shows such as “Friday Night Lights,” “Quantico,” “The Americans,” and “Manifest.”
Learn more about Smith and his role in the show in the Q&A below:
When did you first become interested in filmmaking?
Filmmaking just came easily to me, even as a nine-year-old kid. I grew up on a cattle farm in the Greensboro area, and that’s when I really started shooting. Growing up in the 70s, I was very influenced by the movies that were made then. The way movies were shot was very cinematic and beautiful, and that filmmaking language stuck with me. I think you can always see a little bit of that style in my cinematography, no matter what project I’ve worked on.
Tell me about your time at UNCG.
When I was deciding where to go to college, there were only a few film programs in North Carolina at the time. I knew UNCG had a good film department, and I saw that they had cinematography classes, so that’s where I chose to go. The university just so happened to be in the town I grew up in, and that kept my resources available. I was still able to use my grandparents’ farm for movie sets, to borrow a tripod, or anything else that helped me
| 12 practice.
The professors at UNCG really understood the industry at the time. The school had a close relationship with all of the television and media outlets in the area, so students always had the opportunity to go work for or assist at these stations. I think during just my second week of freshman year, I got to assist a sports cameraman at WGHP. Those opportunities really taught me about the fast-paced nature of the industry.
Frank Donaldson taught some interesting classes. One class that particularly stuck with me was his class on Charlie Chaplin. I didn’t realize it at the time, but years later I realized that learning how Chaplin made films helped me understand how to be a better filmmaker.
How was “Outer Banks” created?
One of my best friends, Jonas Pate, created it with his brother, Josh, and writer Shannon Burke. Jonas and I worked on a few shows together, so I got to form this great relationship with a very talented filmmaker from North Carolina. We both live in Wilmington, and a couple years ago, he started talking to me about the show, saying how special it was going to be, and how it wasn’t going to be like anything we’ve done before.
It feels really good to have created the look for the show with the show runners and work with one of my best friends. I think the success of shooting the show had a lot to do with our relationship, because we were together so much.
| 13 Jonas Pate, co-creator of “Outer Banks”
What was it like being the cinematographer for the show?
Other than a pilot episode I shot for ABC that didn’t get picked up, this was the first time I created the look of a show with the directors and the producers. I was handed a script that was just white pages with black letters and a description from Jonas of what he and his brother wanted the show to look like. It’s really hard to get into someone else’s head and give them exactly what they’re looking for. Their direction to me was that they wanted the environment to be just as much of a character as the main characters were. They wanted it to pull you in no matter what was happening with the actors or the plot. They wanted you to almost be able to pause it at any second, and the photography would captivate you and make you want to visit.
At the end of the day, I think we did that. People have mentioned the cinematography and mentioned the beautiful sunset shots. I’ve seen people comment, “Wow, did they shoot the whole show at sunset? How did they do that? Where was this show shot? I want to vacation there.”
The hardest part of the show was scheduling shots with the assistant director and director, because we always wanted to shoot the bigger scenes in beautiful light. That was a master puzzle to put together, and that puzzle would shift on an almost daily basis. Some of my
| 14 favorite moments from set were the times when we were shooting a scene and the light was perfect. I would be excited. Jonas and the actors would be excited. We just knew that we were doing something special.
What was one of your favorite, most memorable scenes to shoot? (Spoiler Alert)
I think if there was one scene that stands out to me that I was really happy to get, it would be when John B. (Chase Stokes) and Sarah (Madelyn Cline) get off of a ferry after being in Chapel Hill, and it’s pouring down rain. We were shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, and when we saw the forecast that morning, we were like, “How are we going to shoot that scene?”
This heavy, nasty storm rolls in. We have to halt production if lightning is within seven miles, but luckily the lightning was far enough away that we could shoot. So, we had to make a decision very quickly. Do we shoot the scene in the rain or do we put it off to another day? We originally scheduled it to be really pretty and backlit because it’s the moment that John B. and Sarah show the audience that they’re in love. We asked Chase and Madelyn, “Hey, do you mind playing this in the rain?” And they said, “Let’s do it.”
So, we have to get these big master angles, all of our close ups, and all of our other angles, and we have to do it fast. It was very difficult shooting in that rain, but I knew when we
| 15 were shooting it that every minute was special and made the scene even better. It’s a major testament to the camera operators, the assistant camera operators, the grips, and really the whole camera department and audio department.
We barely got that scene shot, and then lightning struck, and we all went running inside. We all knew we had done something brilliant that day. It’s compared to “The Notebook,” although we never intended for it to be shot in rain. I think that scene stands out out of all the ten episodes. It’s that moment that if you ask any 16-year-old girl what the biggest moment of the show is, that’s really one of the magical moments, and it all happened because of a quick decision to shoot in the rain. I would say that would be my favorite scene – having that type of emotional, climactic moment of falling in love happen in the pouring rain.
Did you ever predict the show would be as popular as it is?
I hoped it would. I knew we were making a really good product, but you never really know how it’ll do. I felt that teenagers were going to love the show. I didn’t know if you were 72 you would love the show. I didn’t know the action and adventure would captivate so many people. I also think the timing was perfect. Because of us all being in quarantine, we all needed a show with action, adventure, and treasure with a nice, beautiful sunset environment to lift us up.
| 16 I also have to give credit to Jonas, Josh, and Shannon Burke, the creators of the show. The hardest part of the process is the creation of the original idea. It’s so difficult to come up with a product that is going to be successful. Look how many shows are on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple TV, Showtime, and HBO. It’s hard to get a hit, and “Outer Banks” is a hit. It hit number one in countries all over the world and was the leading show in the U.S. for three weeks in a row. I’m very proud of it.
| 17 What advice can you give UNCG students?
Figure out your niche, define it, and put all your effort into it. I know there are jobs in my industry I would not be as good at, but I found my path early on through my natural interest in lighting and composition. I could see things with an artistic eye and be able to translate that into cinematography and tell a story.
The harder you work, the further you get ahead, and that leads to greater opportunity to be successful. Sitting in a classroom at the collegiate level was a big motivator to figure out how to get a job with a limited number of jobs available. The only answer was to be proactive and work harder. So, I did everything I could while I was at UNCG to have an advantage. I didn’t wait to be assigned a project. I did my own shooting on the weekends and during the summer just to learn as much as I could.
When I left UNCG in 1993, there were not many jobs available in North Carolina at television stations. I knew students from all over the state would be graduating and looking for the same job as me, so I drove to every television station in the state with a demo reel featuring the work I had done at UNCG, walked into the lobby in a coat and tie, and asked for a job. That’s how I got my first job. Although this was back in 1993 when there wasn’t the technology we have now, there is still a lesson to be learned about being proactive.
What’s next for you?
| 18 Before the pandemic hit, I was working on a show called “Billions” for Showtime. We are just trying to figure out when the industry can get back to work. I also think we can anticipate a second season of “Outer Banks.” It’s crazy to think of my career from the classroom of UNCG to the set of “Billions.”
Interview by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications Photography courtesy of Netflix
UNCG partnership helps area immigrant families during COVID-19
From top, l to r: A pre-COVID-19 group photo of CNNC staff member Natacha Nikokeza, AmeriCorps ACCESS Member Kathleen Herbst, and CNNC staff members Raouf Ousmane and Lizzie Biddle with immigrant family members.
Spartans have demonstrated a strong presence in the greater Greensboro community during the COVID-19 pandemic through various forms of outreach and engagement. One of those efforts has been through a partnership between the Center for New North Carolinians (CNNC), a unit under UNCG’s Office of Research & Engagement that serves immigrants and refugees in the greater Greensboro area, and NC Fusion Foundation, directed by UNCG alumna Sari Rose.
| 19 Newly arrived immigrants and refugees have been hit hard by school and business closures as well as social distancing policies during COVID-19. Due to their immigration status and difficulties in navigating complex federal support systems, including the unemployment application process, immigrants and refugees are even more at risk for housing and food insecurity during this time. Additionally, they are at high risk for contracting the virus due to the number of immigrants that work in essential occupations.
“While COVID-19 has exacerbated the precarious conditions under which many of Greensboro’s most vulnerable communities already live, it has also thrown into sharp relief the resilience and persistence of those very communities, as exemplified by the wonderful partnership between the CNNC and NC Fusion,” says CNNC director Diya Abdo.
L to r: Pilar Powell from Keller Williams and NC Fusion Foundation director Sari Rose deliver pizza to families at the CNNC’s Glen Haven Community Center.
The existing partnership between the CNNC and NC Fusion has been instrumental in helping to ease some of the worry and anxiety of families that the CNNC supports.
Within the first couple of hours that Guilford County Schools announced it would transition to distance learning, NC Fusion Foundation director Sari Rose reached out to CNNC staff to see how they could help.
Each week, Rose drives to the neighborhoods where CNNC provides services to immigrants
| 20 and refugees, going door-to-door to check in on families and delivering food.
In just two months, NC Fusion has provided over $5,500 worth of donations to families in need. The organization has been working with the Presbyterian Church of the Cross and West Market United Methodist Church – both in Greensboro – and NC Fusion’s individual supporters to provide items on an ongoing basis. Thanks to NC Fusion’s partnership with Marco’s Pizza, over 125 households have received hot pizza deliveries. Area McDonalds have also made contributions through NC Fusion to families in need of hot meals.
NC Fusion has also responded to needs beyond food. Households facing significant hardship have received rent, utility, and non-food assistance including clothing, diapers, and cleaning products.
Additionally, individuals and families with confirmed cases of COVID-19 have received much needed medical and protective supplies to help slow or stop the spread within the home. These simple gestures have made a huge impact upon many children who have been struggling with remote learning and have provided relief to parents that have been unexpectedly laid off.
In addition to being a longstanding partner of the CNNC, NC Fusion Foundation has a number of other connections to UNCG. They have worked closely with Dr. Tom Martinek (Kinesiology) for the past six years. As a graduate student of Martinek, Rose adopted the philosophy of his Project Effort program to guide NC Fusion’s work. The foundation works with approximately 1,000 kids each year through programs and partnerships, including the CNNC.
For more information on the Center for New North Carolinians see https://cnnc.uncg.edu/ For more information on NC Fusion see https://foundation.ncfusion.org/
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications, and Lizzie Biddle
UNCG welcomes the Class of 2024
| 21 The Class of 2024 will be one of the most resilient classes in UNC Greensboro’s history. During these unprecedented times, the University is going above and beyond to help 2,489 first year students and 893 transfer and adult students feel welcome into the Spartan family.
“We recognize the challenges you are facing during this time, and we are going to do everything we can to make sure you have a special experience and successful transition into college life at UNCG,” says Dr. Kim Sousa-Peoples, senior director of New Student Transitions & First Year Experience.
Here are some of the ways UNCG is welcoming the Class of 2024:
SOAR – UNCG’s new student and family orientation program – will be held virtually.
SOAR is going virtual with nine one-day sessions for first year students and their families and two one-day sessions for transfer students and their families beginning June 1.
The program will include YouTube livestream Q&A sessions for students and their families that will cover safety, dining, housing and residence life, campus involvement, and paying for college. There will also be a YouTube livestream Q&A session just for parents and families about resources to support students.
| 22 Students will participate in small group discussions with orientation leaders over Zoom, giving them a chance to meet other students and learn about leadership opportunities, student employment, and the online Canvas course.
“After students are finished with virtual orientation, I hope they feel like they have met someone in a virtual setting that they can have a personal connection with when they get on campus, and I hope that they can identify key resources and know how to access them on campus,” said Austin McKim, associate director of New Student Transitions & First Year Experience.
Students should register by May 29. See the schedule at newstudents.uncg.edu.
Visit the virtual SOAR webpage to access all available resources.
First year students will be pre-registered for the fall semester.
Course registration is always a major part of orientation and will be done virtually this year. To streamline the process, academic advisors are pre-registering first-year students for their entire class schedule for the fall semester. In late June to early July, students will hear from their advising units and receive their schedule. They can decide to schedule a virtual appointment with their advisor to answer any questions or make any schedule changes in July.
First-year students will receive a welcome kit and are invited to participate in a TikTok challenge.
In an effort to make sure this fall cohort gets something a little extra special as they enter the next chapter of their lives during these unprecedented times, a welcome kit will appear on every first year student’s doorstep that includes a branded pillowcase to be used in a TikTok challenge. Viral internet personality and School of Theatre student Ty Gibson kicked off the challenge this weekend, and we invite the Class of 2024 to create their own TikTok videos and share them on the app and on Instagram with the tags #UNCGDreams and #UNCG24. Students can also tag @UNCG and @UNCGyfy on Instagram.
| 23 New themed animated stickers, frames, and filters are available on social media.
Share your Spartan pride with new Class of 2024-themed social media GIFs, stickers, frames, and filters. New GIFs and animated stickers will be available to add to posts, and Facebook frames are available to add to profile pictures. There is also a SOAR-themed Instagram and Facebook filter that the Class of 2024 can use to share a little about themselves. All of the social media filters, frames, and stickers are available at admissions.uncg.edu.
We are excited to welcome the newest members of the Spartan community!
Story by Alexandra McQueen, University Communications Photography by Grant Evan Gilliard
New Spartan graphics enhance campus
| 24 Newly installed Spartan graphic on the main entrance to the Leonard J. Kaplan Center for Wellness
The UNC Greensboro campus hasn’t been completely quiet during this period of remote working and learning. Things have been busy lately along the Gate City Boulevard corridor, as new UNCG-branded graphics have been installed at various locations.
When Spartans return to campus, they’ll be greeted with newly painted UNCG colors on the railroad underpasses on Tate Street and Josephine Boyd Avenue, and new Spartan graphics installed on the outside of the Leonard J. Kaplan Center for Wellness.
Crews were able to take advantage of the lack of usual campus traffic to complete the railroad bridge painting, while other crews worked around wind and rain to complete the graphics installation at Kaplan.
These developments are a continuation of the effort to visually connect all of the Millennial Campus locations together in a cohesive manner, and to enhance the University’s visibility along the busy boulevard.
| 25 Workers get a break from wind and rain to complete the Spartan head installation at Kaplan.
Newly installed UNCG colors and graphics at Kaplan
| 26 Newly painted bridge on Josephine Boyd Avenue
Another view of the Josephine Boyd Avenue bridge
| 27 New railroad bridge colors on Tate Street
Underside view of the newly painted Tate Street bridge
Story by Matthew Bryant, University Communications
| 28 Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications, and David Stubblefield
In U.S. Navy, UNCG connections run deep
Navy Ensign Quinton Smith
Across the United States, Military Appreciation Month is celebrated in May as a declaration that encourages U.S. citizens to observe the month as a symbol of unity. In North Carolina, Governor Roy Cooper issued a proclamation recognizing our state’s military presence as the third-largest in the nation, including about 120,000 active duty military personnel and their families as well as over 720,000 military veterans.
UNC Greensboro has a long history of supporting the U.S. military. For eight consecutive years, UNCG has been named a Military Friendly School. Additionally, the University is one of just two UNC System institutions to be recognized with a Military Friendly Gold award. For more information, visit military.uncg.edu.
UNCG continues to draw unprecedented numbers of military-affiliated students to enroll due to flexible class schedules, generous course credit acceptance policy, and faculty support. Graduates go on to successful careers following graduation.
A great example of UNCG’s connection to the military involves four members of the UNCG School of Nursing, starting with senior class president and 2020 graduate Ensign Quinton
| 29 Smith. School of Nursing Professor Dr. Susan Letvak gave the Nightingale Pledge to Smith at his commissioning ceremony as an officer in the U.S. Navy, which was held in Smith’s hometown of Franklinville, North Carolina, in keeping with COVID-19 social distancing requirements.
The Nightingale Pledge is named after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The pledge is a modified version of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors take, and focuses on principles that nurses are expected to uphold.
Letvak shared the significance of Smith’s accomplishment. “Being selected for the highly competitive U.S. Navy commissioning program is incredible. I am thrilled he chose the UNCG School of Nursing for his education,” Letvak said. “As a past Navy nurse myself, it was quite an honor for me to participate in his commissioning ceremony.”
“I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to share my commissioning day with fellow service members and nurses,” Smith said. “Serving in the military has allowed me to be involved in something that makes an impact around the world. As a nurse, I hope to continue that impact for the rest of my life in both the military and civilian world.”
Smith received his first salute from Sergeant First Class Lenora Harley, the rising School of Nursing senior class president and a future Army Nurse Corps Officer. Ray Goodwin, a retired U.S. Navy Chief who just graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the School of Nursing, was the master of ceremonies.
Story by Eden Bloss, University Communications Photography courtesy of Ensign Quinton Smith
In Memoriam: Jon Smith
Jon Smith, longtime director of UNCG’s Sculpture Foundry died this past weekend.
Smith taught a variety of sculpture courses at UNCG and oversaw all aspects of the Foundry operations. He was a double UNCG alumnus, earning a BFA in Art in 1995 and an MFA in Studio Art in 2004. After that, he became the Foundry director, guiding undergraduate and graduate students in welding steel, pouring molten bronze and aluminum, and building sculptures by hand. Smith taught students how to safely use heavy-duty sculpture equipment and he also played a role in the new foundry’s design during the construction of the Gatewood Studio Arts Building.
Many Spartans developed their artistic skills and their confidence as they worked in the
| 30 Foundry with Smith’s guidance. He believed in the transformational power of doing art work.
“Some students come into the class afraid of fire or sparks, but some of those are the ones who get really into it,” he said in a 2018 UNCG Magazine feature. “They make something out of metal that’s solid and strong, and they never thought they could do something like that.”
Smith is remembered by colleagues as a talented artist, a reliable presence in the Foundry, a caring friend, and as someone who could repair almost anything.
Smith was also profiled in a 2017 Campus Weekly story and appeared in the video that accompanied UNCG Magazine, A Day in the UNCG Foundry.
A memorial service will be held at the Triad Funeral Home and Cremation, 2110 Veasley Street, Greensboro on Friday, May 22, at 2 p.m.
Dr. Stephen Sills
Dr. Stephen Sills (Center for Housing and Community Studies) received new funding from New Hanover County for the project “Consulting Services for a Comprehensive Housing and Public Opinion Study for New Hanover County NC.”
This proposal was developed by the Center for Housing and Community Studies (CHCS) in response to a request for proposal for a Comprehensive Housing Study issues by New Hanover County on January 17, 2020.
The housing study will include housing market analysis, community-based input (interviews, focus groups, and survey), and an action planning process that will help the joint City of Wilmington, New Hanover County Workforce/Affordable Housing Ad hoc Committee as well as residents, real estate developers, housing organizations, developers, and other stakeholders define their priorities and plans to address the need for affordable and
| 31 workforce housing.
Cost-effectiveness, projected population change, housing stock, and market data, vacancy rates, legal mandates, and community input are all considered in the process. Block-group- level data will be used to identify neighborhoods housing improvement needs and align the needs with best-practice models to address housing issues. Baseline data collected in this process will be created to track short, mid, and long-term outcomes of the Comprehensive Housing Plan.
Diana Bowman
Diana Bowman (SERVE Center) received new funding from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools for the project “Moore Magnet Elementary School – E-Learning: From Needs Assessment to School Improvement.”
This project is a facilitated, collaborative review of practices, processes, and structures within the school to respond to the findings of the comprehensive needs assessment conducted in the fall of 2019 and in order to inform future strategies toward school improvement. The review will guide the continuous, procedural development of a school improvement plan that is grounded in data and provides a road map to future progress.
Dr. John Willse
| 32 Dr. John Willse (Educational Research Methodology) received new funding from Scantron Corporation for the project “Experiential Measurement Training with Scantron Corporation (2020-2021).”
OAERS will provide research services pertaining to data management, data analysis, data documentation, report writing, general assessment activities, and other duties associated with the functions of Scantron Corporation.
Dr. Christine Murray
Dr. Christine Murray (Center for Youth, Family and Community Partnerships) received new funding from the Guilford County Coalition on Infant Mortality for the project “Needs Assessment: Guilford County Coalition on Infant Mortality.”
The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment to identify needs for the purpose of informing the planning of program revisions to better provide access to primary care to women interconceptionally who lose their pregnancy Medicaid 60 days after giving birth. The specific focus will be on women with identified chronic health conditions that need to be managed by a primary care provider. The needs assessment will be conducted by Christine Murray, Ph.D., LCMHC, LMFT.
Newsmakers: Gilliam, Kshetri, strategic plan goals, Miller
Whether researchers with timely insights or students with outstanding stories, members of the UNCG community appear in print, web and broadcast media every day. Here is a sampling of UNCG-related stories in the news and media over the week:
Chancellor Gilliam spoke to Fox8 about UNCG’s plans for the fall semester. Watch here. Dr. Nir Kshetri wrote a piece for Governing on the need for more women in cybersecurity. The article.
| 33 Business North Carolina highlighted UNCG’s success in meeting its strategic plan metrics. The piece. Men’s basketball coach Wes Miller was named ESPN’s number one college basketball coach under forty, WXII 12 reported. The feature.
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