College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

The aromas and tastes of the holiday season call forth memories of traditions and of times spent with family and friends. Hot chocolate is a particularly special drink, building connections among people worldwide. We invite you to pause for a moment to consider historical, botanical, and cultural aspects of this comforting drink. We also hope you will take a moment to savor this special time of year with those you cherish.

Tanure Ojaide, Frank Porter Graham Professor of Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte, is co-recipient of the 2018 Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa for his book, “Songs of Myself.”

Dr. Louis Diamant (Lou), professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, died at home in Charlotte on November 23, 2018. In 1963, when the University was still Charlotte College and consisted of only two buildings, Diamant became the founding chairperson of the Psychology Department.

Sue Spaulding, long-time member of the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, died suddenly on December 5, 2018. An avid and fearless traveler, she was doing what she loved most—cruising the sunny tropics. She was hired as Lab Director in 1993 and served the department in a variety of roles until her retirement in 2014.

With resources provided through the Levine Scholars Program and the Department of Geography & Earth Sciences, student Danielle Miller has led an effort to create a weather studio in the McEniry Building for meteorology students to use to hone their skills. “I knew we needed a space to have higher quality equipment, to get more real life experience and help our students be better prepared,” she says.

Africana Studies outgoing chair Akin Ogundiran will serve as Editor-in-Chief of African Archaeological Review (AAR). This is the oldest continent-wide journal in the field of African archaeology. The five-year appointment will provide students with the opportunity to be part of the editorial process of a major international journal, in addition to providing UNC Charlotte with more visibility as a research university, Ogundiran said.

A photo of a rusted shovel with a broken handle, aged by years of harsh Appalachian weather and hard work, sat on display in UNC Charlotte’s Atkins Library during most of November. Seth Flynn, the creator, is a senior who is minoring in gerontology; he submitted it as part of a contest hosted by the Gerontology Program, with the support of the Gerontology Club and the J. Murrey Atkins Library, which asked students to answer the question: “How do you see aging?” The work and the touching story behind it earned Flynn first place in the competition.

In his 2017 memoir At Home, Away From Home, UNC Charlotte’s Tanure Ojaide speaks of the indelible impressions from his early years in Nigeria. In his words, “One does not forget what one yearns for at heart.” At age 70, many of his poems, short stories, critical essays, and books serve as activist works calling out for justice and fairness for the people and the ecosystem of the Niger Delta.

UNC Charlotte psychology alumna Laura Clark has been named the head of the United Way of Central Carolinas, which announced her as its new president and chief executive officer effective September 7. Clark became the sixth leader in the organization’s 86-year history. She earned a master’s degree in clinical/community psychology from UNC Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Appalachian State University.

The Greater Charlotte Apartment Association has named UNC Charlotte alumna Kim S. Graham as its new executive director. Graham earned a Master of Public Administration degree from UNC Charlotte and most recently served as senior vice president of outreach and fund development with The Housing Partnership, a Charlotte-based housing nonprofit corporation.