UNCThe magazine of The UniversityCharlotte of North Carolina at Charlotte for Alumni and Friends • v16 n3 q3 • 2009 Learning to Serve UNC CHARLOTTE | chancellor’s letter Levine Scholars = Future Leaders You don’t have to look far to see that However, what makes this initiative so UNC Charlotte has undergone amazing special, and so important, is its goal — to transformation in just a short time period. develop compassionate, ethical leadership The campus experience has changed in for our region. The program’s emphasis nearly every regard since the University’s on community service will provide founding. These changes include the Charlotte with a cadre of truly committed many new academic initiatives at the young people devoted to working in our bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels neighborhoods and with community and facilities that provide our students organizations across the city. and the community with the best possible Charlotte is a vibrant, growing city. In environment for learning that we can create. designing this program, it was the wish of In this issue of UNC Charlotte magazine, the Levine’s, as well as the desire of those you will learn about a new, exciting at UNC Charlotte who were involved in initiative that signifies the University’s shaping the program, that our scholars maturation as an academic institution (see connect with all that Charlotte has to “Learning to Serve,” on page 10). In fact, offer. Through their service to community the recent development of the University’s and dedication to life-long learning, we premier scholarship program, the Levine believe the Levine Scholars will make an Scholars Program, is a watershed moment in enormous impact on our campus and in the the University’s history. community as they engage with Charlotte’s In partnership with Sandra and Leon civic, corporate and non-profit leadership. What makes this Levine and the Leon Levine Foundation, The first class of Levine Scholars will the University has created a four-year, arrive in fall of 2010. We hope you will join initiative so special, full ride scholarship program specifically us in welcoming them to the Queen City, aimed at producing citizen-leaders for the and we look forward to sharing news of and so important, is Charlotte region. Over just the next 10 their accomplishments with you. years, the Leon Levine Foundation has its goal — to develop committed to providing more than $9.3 compassionate, million in merit-based scholarships. Cordially, A scholarship initiative of this magnitude ethical leadership for will not only strengthen the University’s ties to the community; it also will allow our region. UNC Charlotte to compete with the best institutions in North Carolina and throughout the United States for Philip L. Dubois academic talent. Chancellor UNC CHARLOTTE magazine www.UNCC.edu contents | UNC CHARLOTTE 22 10 20 features departments 10 Learning to Serve 3 News Briefs 26 Center Stage 14 The Gift of Literacy 28 49ers Notebook 36 Building Blocks 18 Living Together 38 Alumni Notes 22 The Health 41 Perspective Care Conundrum alumni profiles 32 A Journey Through Time 16 Brian Toomey 32 student success 20 Rocking the Campus On the cover: On Aug. 18 Leon and Sandra Levine joined Chancellor Dubois to announce the creation of the Levine Scholars Program. The campus will welcome the first Levine Scholars in fall 2010. Cover illustration by SPARK Publications. www.UNCC.edu Q309 | UNC CHARLOTTE magazine 1 UNC CHARLOTTE | editor’s desk Whole Lotta Stakin’ Going On This 2009-2010 academic year at UNC Charlotte will be the greatest The University of North Carolina at Charlotte ever. It will be hard to beat 2008-2009, but this year will see even more Volume 16, Number 3 velocity in the University’s trajectory, even as we begin a slow climb out of an awful recession. Philip L. Dubois The recession is important to mention only so that it can be set aside Chancellor as a topic of hand-wringing regarding the growth of UNC Charlotte. Ruth Shaw Certainly, recession-related budget cuts have played havoc with important Chair of the Board of Trustees and practical plans UNC Charlotte had for our faculty and staffing levels to finally catch up – almost – with our rate of growth. Not only did the Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Community Affairs campus experience a reduction in force to the tune of a relatively modest David Dunn 13 displaced employees, but we are also unable to hire scores and scores of Editor new people for positions that were desperately needed. Gloomy? Not when Director of Public Relations you consider the good news. John D. Bland Leaf thorough these pages and you will see examples of changes that signal more than Creative Director continued growth; they signal critical mass of the sort that fires school spirit – not just among Fabi Preslar alums and students, but among all people of goodwill who are willing to stake their claim in UNC Charlotte. Contributing Writers Rhiannon Bowman Start with the cover story. The creation of the Levine Scholars is the largest individual Phillip Brown gift commitment ever presented to UNC Charlotte. The program commences immediately Lisa Lambert Paul Nowell with marketing and recruitment and will yield our first cadre of super-scholars next fall. The Allison Reid University, through the generosity of philanthropic titans Leon and Sandra Levine, has just Karen C. Wilson stepped to a higher plane. Read about it beginning on page 10. Staff Photographer See the photo spread about the big, beautiful Student Union, pages 4, 34 and 35. This Wade Bruton awesome facility is huge in ways beyond its 196,000-square-foot size. The union is the new Circulation Manager magnet for students because it provides for them a much needed home away from home on Cathy Brown campus – a home with all the amenities that a first-class university should offer. Also this year, two strategically important facilities will rise from the ground – our Design & Production SPARK Publications Center City classroom building at Ninth and Brevard uptown and our Energy Production Infrastructure Center on campus. Much has been written and said about both, but to be able to actually see them becoming real is going to be fantastic. A third such facility was completed UNC Charlotte is published four times a this summer: the Bioinformatics building. With the Center City building, we stake our claim year by The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., to enhanced access to people who live and work uptown, and become an even more significant Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 presence – a true landmark – in the Center City. With EPIC, we are working in partnership ISSN 10771913 with the leading energy organizations in the Charlotte region to train specialists and develop new technology. With Bioinformatics, we’re building one of the largest such programs in the Editorial offices: Reese Building, 2nd floor United States. The University of North Carolina Finally, UNC Charlotte’s “Stake Your Claim” branding campaign is hitting full at Charlotte throttle with advertising, giant pickaxes located around town and the introduction of the 9201 University City Blvd. 4.NINER K run and walk event to help raise funds for scholarships. There’s a whole lotta Charlotte, NC 28223 704.687.5822; Fax: 704.687.6379 stakin’ going on at UNC Charlotte. The University of North Carolina at Regards, Charlotte is open to people of all races and is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants, students or employees based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability. John D. Bland, Editor Printed on Director of Public Relations recycled paper 17,500 copies of this publication were printed at a cost of $.70 per piece, for a total cost of $12,300.00. 2 UNC CHARLOTTE magazine | Q309 www.UNCC.edu R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Avoiding and Treating the a Common Injury Ankle Sprain By Lisa A. Lambert nearly 23,000 Americans each day. As the academic year approaches and you and your loved ones gear up to take to the field, consider the following advice: WHEN SPRAINS HAPPEN With any ankle sprain, the ankle should be immediately immobilized to protect the joint and allow the injured ligaments to heal. The ankle should be immobilized for at least a week for the simplest sprain, 10 to 14 days for a moderate sprain and four to six weeks for more severe sprains. As with other such injuries, the recommended first aid for an ankle sprain, goes by the acronym RICE: R for rest, I for ice, C for compression, E for elevation. In other words, get off the foot, wrap it in an Ace-type bandage, raise it higher than the heart and ice it with a cloth-wrapped ice pack applied for 20 minutes once every hour (longer application can cause tissue damage). This should soon be followed by a visit to a doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer, who should prescribe a UNC Charlotte professor and sprains are characterized by partially or period of immobilization of the ankle and undergraduate athletic training director completely torn ligaments. rehabilitation exercises. An anti-inflammatory Tricia Hubbard recently made headlines with Commonly, sprains are caused when the drug may be recommended and crutches research into a common, often ignored health foot lands on an uneven surface or object provided for a few days, especially if applying issue — the ankle sprain. and turns either in or outward beyond the pressure to the ankle is too painful. If you Hubbard joined experts at the National acceptable range of motion.