@UNIVGAZETTE GAZETTE.UNC.EDU VOL. 42, NO. 9 CAROLINA FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS MAY 3, 2017 Anson Dorrance shares thoughts on character in his Last Lecture Women’s soccer Coach Anson Dorrance performs the same ritual before each national championship game his team plays (a whopping 24, with 22 of those victories). It doesn’t have anything to do with super- stition. It’s all about appreciation. “I spend the entire day and half the night before the national championship game writing a note to every senior on my roster, thanking each of them for the incredible human contribution they’ve made to my team,” Dorrance told the seniors attending the Last Lecture on April 20. The next morning, Dorrance delivers the letters, often “bleary eyed and honestly half asleep.” JON GARDINER “Rest assured the letters are more powerful and Chancellor Carol L. Folt reviews the strategic framework with members of the University Board of Trustees on Jan. 26 before they vote valuable to my team than me actually being awake unanimously to approve. during the game,” he said. Dorrance uses the letters not only to let his senior players know how important they are to the team, Folt lays out bold vision for Carolina’s future he also shares copies of the letters with the rest of the team so that they remember the special young In its entire 223-year history, Caro- And, perhaps most importantly, women they are playing for. lina has never had one overarching she added, it captures an underlying “What we are consciously trying to do is to con- vision to guide its growth — until quality about Carolina that may be struct real connections where our players, emotion- now. Chancellor Carol L. Folt shared the most essential of all: its willing- ally, play for each other,” the coach explained. “And that vision — The Blueprint for Next ness to continually reinvent itself. Higher education is the this stuff works.” — with University community mem- That quality was evident throughout longest and most inspiring Dorrance was selected by the Class of 2017 to deliver bers who packed a room at the Caro- 2016, as deans and administrators par- the Last Lecture on the west lawn of the Morehead Plan- lina Inn earlier this year. and most important ticipated in three rounds of thinking etarium and Science Center, as the sun began to set. The The Blueprint for Next, a strategic about how the goals of their schools industry in all of America talk is based on the premise, “If you knew this was the framework that spans all the Univer- and units fit within the core strate- last lecture you would ever give, what would you say?” sity’s schools and departments, was that leads from dream to gies in the University framework. The The talk had long been a tradition at Carnegie Mel- shaped over the past three years by framework also incorporated input opportunity. lon University, usually for professors nearing retire- hundreds of people who shared their from extensive interviews, administra- ment. But the Last Lecture got national attention ideas about what the University is and tive retreats and a Big Ideas group. CAROL L. FOLT in 2007, when computer science professor Randy their dreams of what it can become. That willingness to change, over the Pausch, dying from pancreatic cancer at age 46, gave Yet the framework’s core elements were crafted so succinctly course of the 20th Century, enabled Carolina to emerge as a leading a funny, upbeat message that got millions of viewers they could be captured on a single page. public research university, Folt said. That same willingness is needed This blueprint, Folt said, embodies the same sense of hope now, as colleges and universities across the country grapple with See LECTURE page 11 and possibility that was present more than 200 years ago when Carolina’s founders created the country’s first public university. See FRAMEWORK page 6 Take a look behind New app Northside neighborhood 3the scenes as sketches 4 combines facial 12 celebrates completing become costumes. recognition with data. two Habitat homes. 2 UNIVERSITY GAZETTE NEWS IN BRIEF Carolina Blood Drive set for June 6 Southern Historical Collection The Employee Forum encourages Carolina faculty and staff receives $877,000 from Mellon Foundation to participate in the 29th annual Carolina Blood Drive, set for June 6 at the Smith Center. Free parking is available. The Southern Historical Collection (SHC) our history,’” said SHC Director Bryan Giemza. Recently recognized as the 2016 American Red Cross Top at the Wilson Special Collections Library has As part of the grant, the SHC will hire a full- Sponsor, the Carolina Blood Drive has collected more blood received an $877,000 grant from the Andrew W. time Community Archivist and advance or com- than any other sponsor in the Durham district, bringing in more Mellon Foundation to further develop its transfor- plete four community archiving projects currently than 31,000 pints of blood since 1988. The University’s efforts mative model for “community-driven archives.” underway: have helped boost the community blood supply, potentially Activities for the three-year grant, “Building a The Appalachian Student Health Coalition; impacting the lives of more than 93,400 hospital patients. Model for All Users: Transforming Archive Col- The Eastern Kentucky African American The blood drive will begin at 7 a.m. and continue through 6 lections through Community-Driven Archives,” Migration Project; p.m. Walk-ins will be accepted the day of the drive, but appoint- will begin immediately. The Historic Black Towns and Settlements ments are strongly encouraged. Schedule an appointment by Community-driven archives are created through Alliance; and calling 800-733-2767 or visiting redcrossblood.org. partnerships between a community that wishes The San Antonio African American Community Participation in the semiannual University-wide blood drives to document and preserve its own history and an Archive and Museum. as either a donor or volunteer is considered work time for both archival repository. In many cases, these are stories Giemza thinks having the community direct permanent and temporary employees. Time to donate blood or of marginalized communities that past generations archiving activities with support from an archivist volunteer must be requested in advance and management will of historians and archivists did not consider signifi- can foster trust and understanding. consider both the employee’s request and the operating needs cant enough to record or preserve. “It’s a very democratic process that places the of the office. “These projects let us reach communities where owners of the story at the center of documentary For more information, visit blooddrive.web.unc.edu. people tell us, ‘I didn’t think anyone cared about efforts,” Giemza said. Two students earn Goldwater Scholarships Second-year student Scott She has been doing research on a Emmons and third-year student non-coding RNA that regulates the The University Gazette is a University pub- Sarah Miller have been named 2017 transition to a differentiated (non- lication. Its mission is to build a sense of Goldwater Scholars. stem cell) fate in embryonic stem campus community by communicating information relevant and vital to faculty This prestigious scholarship pro- cells. She plans to pursue a medical and staff and to advance the University’s vides up to $7,500 per year for eligi- degree and a doctorate in epigenetics overall goals and messages. ble educational expenses to students and hopes to conduct research who excel in academics and who plan regarding long non-coding RNA. EDITOR Gary C. Moss (919-962-7125) to pursue research careers in science, Her goal is to be principal investiga- [email protected] mathematics, engineering and com- tor in a laboratory at a research uni- CONTRIBUTED RACHEL MCCLAIN puter disciplines. versity’s school of medicine, investi- MANAGING EDITOR Scott Emmons Sarah Miller Susan Hudson (919-962-8415) “My congratulations go to Scott gating epigenetic influences of cer- [email protected] and Sarah on their recognition from the prestigious Goldwater tain RNA as they relate to human health. Foundation,” said Chancellor Carol L. Folt. “They are perfect examples of the next generation of innova- DESIGN AND LAYOUT UNC Creative (919-962-7123) Emmons, 20, is a sophomore from Bloomington, Indiana, tive researchers and problem solvers who will make an impact on majoring in computer science and mathematics in the College a global scale,” Folt said. “The diversity of their research — in CHANGE OF ADDRESS of Arts and Sciences. He is a Robertson Scholar and an Honors areas ranging from visualization of microbiome data to non-cod- Make changes through your department’s HR representative. Carolina student. ing RNA in embryonic stem cells — sets them apart as pioneers At Carolina, Emmons has done research in visualization of who will help create scientific breakthroughs.” The editor reserves the right to decide microbiome data and is now researching in the mathematics For 2017, the foundation selected 240 scholarship recipi- what information will be published in the Gazette and to edit submissions for consis- department on network theory. He spent last summer teaching ents. Emmons and Miller were chosen from a field of 1,286 tency with Gazette style, tone and content. middle school math in the Mississippi delta. students who were nominated by 470 colleges and universities While still in high school, Emmons co-founded Sparq Cre- throughout the nation. ative Solutions LLC to help small business owners organize their Joshua Gray, a third-year student from Raleigh, was awarded resources and target them efficiently. He plans to pursue a doc- an Honorable Mention. torate in computer science and conduct research in network sci- Congress established the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and READ THE ences and teach at the university level.