College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences

UNC Charlotte health psychology doctoral student Jan Mooney is expanding her research in maternal health, with support from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Training Award. The fellowship from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will allow Mooney to work closely with NIH scientists.

Associate Professor Emeritus Charles Denton (Denny) Fernald died October 5, 2021 at the age of 77 following a year of care provided by Hospice of the Blue Ridge. Fernald was a faculty member for 42 years in what is now the Department of Psychological Science. Memorial donations may be made to: UNC Charlotte, Dr. Denny and Jo Ann Fernald Disability
Scholarship Fund, Attn.: Judy Lekowski, Office of University Advancement, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223.

UNC Charlotte Communication Studies Professor Dean A. Kruckeberg has earned the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Gold Anvil Award, the society’s highest honor for lifetime achievement in public relations. “This is certainly the greatest professional honor I have ever received during my career,” Kruckeberg said. “It’s particularly meaningful because it is awarded by a professional association that is comprised primarily of practitioners as well as of educators.”

When Nancy Gutierrez retires as dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (CLAS) at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, she leaves a legacy defined by a commitment to helping students develop a curiosity about the world and the knowledge and skills to pursue lives of purpose, and a dedication to facilitating faculty research and scholarship for what it discovers about the world around us.

Research by UNC Charlotte faculty expert Shannon Reid and co-author Matthew Valasik focuses on understanding the evidence behind the development, growth, and influence of alt-right groups within the white power movement. To learn more about this timely topic, join Reid for the kickoff of the 2021-22 Personally Speaking published authors’ series.

Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, has approved a chapter for UNC Charlotte. The University joins an elite group of just 10% of U.S. colleges and universities approved to shelter a chapter.

Professor Emeritus David Hartgen passed away on May 22, 2021. From 1989 to 2006, Dr. Hartgen was Professor of Transportation in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at UNC Charlotte.

UNC Charlotte alumna Estella Patterson ’96 is the new police chief for the city of Raleigh, N.C., chosen following a competitive national search. Patterson, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC Charlotte and was a member of the Army ROTC, has risen through the ranks with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) over the past 24 years.

As a student attending rural North Carolina grade schools and a Raleigh high school that is majority white, Candace Silver saw just a few other Black faces in her classes, if any. Lessons and books paid little attention to telling Black people’s stories, she recalls. Now, as the inaugural recipient of the new Gregory Mixon-Sonya Ramsey Black Lives Matter Scholarship, Silver continues to grow her understanding and appreciation for a broader view that includes the contributions and struggles of Black people throughout history.

Annie Burchill has distinguished herself at UNC Charlotte as she completed majors in religious studies and criminal justice and a minor in urban youth and communities, graduating in May 2021 with ambitious plans to make a difference in the world. “I recently submitted my intent to enroll at UNC Charlotte for my M.A. in religious studies,” Burchill says. “After that… who knows?…. because my mentors, friends, and UNC Charlotte as a whole have equipped me with everything I need to change the world.”