College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

John David Smith, the Charles H. Stone Distinguished Professor of American History at UNC Charlotte, is the 2016 recipient of the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, UNC Charlotte’s most prestigious faculty award in recognition of excellence in research. Medal was created to spotlight the important contributions UNC Charlotte and its faculty are making, not only in its community, but also throughout the Carolinas, the nation and the world.

Distinguished College of Liberal Arts & Sciences alumni are among those honored in April by the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association for outstanding contributions to their professions, their communities and to the university.

UNC Charlotte’s Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration program has ranked in the top 25 percent of public affairs programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

UNC Charlotte alumnus Bobbie Cavnar of Gaston County is the North Carolina Teacher of the Year for 2016-2017. Cavnar, an English teacher, completed his master’s degree in English at UNC Charlotte and is described as an exceptional teacher who makes classic works of literature relevant.

Odes to strong women who have inspired them emerged as a common thread at the International Women’s Day program held in the Student Union Multipurpose Room. Among those honored were the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences’ dean, other employees and students.

UNC Charlotte writing students’ digital stories are part of the ¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South exhibit at the Levine Museum of the New South, in the video series hosted on the Levine Museum’s YouTube channel. These digital stories created by UNC Charlotte students, along with others in the exhibit, bring the voices and stories of people to the forefront.

UNC Charlotte’s Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration program has ranked in the top 100 programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. The MPA program continued its strong ranking in the 2017 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings released in March 2016, landing at No. 63.

For innovative teaching methods that extend well beyond a traditional classroom setting, Joanne Maguire Robinson, UNC Charlotte Religious Studies chair and professor, has received the 2016 American Academy of Religion Excellence in Teaching Award.

The 40th annual conference of the National Council for Black Studies marks a historic occasion, with a theme of “Forty Years of Black Studies in the Local, National and Global Spaces: Past Accomplishments and New Directions.”

The UNC Charlotte University Writing Program’s Fall 2016 Writing Conference, “Transcendent Literacies.” will take place on October 28, 2016 at UNC Charlotte Center City. Students, teachers, administrators, and researchers may submit proposals in a variety of formats to foster discussion, conversation, connections, and new partnerships across various borders.