Chancellor Phil Dubois
UNC Charlotte
By Suzanne Bledsoe
      
Chancellor Phil Dubois of UNC Charlotte joined us today to give an update on all of the happenings on the up and coming, more likely "already there" campus at UNC Charlotte. Dr. Dubois, the fourth chancellor of this relatively new institution, started his term of office with an eye towards building the visibility of UNC Charlotte, not only nationally and internationally but locally as well. His vision is being fulfilled through a five prong strategy:
 
Growth: UNC Charlotte was founded in 1946 as an adjunct to UNC Chapel Hill. By 1949 it was a two year college and in the early 60s it became a four year institution with its campus on the then far perimeter of Charlotte's boundaries. It has since grown to an enrollment of 22,400 students in 2007, with an expected 23,000 students in 2008 and 30,000 in 2020. The student body has evolved from a commuter, part time student population to one that is 80% full time, with 50% of the students living on campus and 20% of them enrolled in graduate programs. UNC Charlotte is an integral and very important part of the UNC system, with the expectation that up to 15% of the surge in student enrollment in North Carolina over the next 10 years will occur on its campus.
 
Maturation: UNC Charlotte has a wide range of well respected and accredited academic programs. In addition to very broad undergraduate programs, there are now 18 doctoral programs, enrolling over 700 students. The evolution of the doctoral offerings began in 1997 when the first doctoral agree was awarded under the leadership of Jim Woodward to 50 or more a year currently. The physical infrastructure of the campus has grown accordingly to accommodate the expanded academic offerings and several new buildings are in the planning stages or under construction in anticipation of a student population of 30,000 in less than 15 years.
 
Engagement: In an effort to engage the local community and region and become more connected to the local population, plans for an 11 story, 140,000 square foot building on the corner of Ninth and Brevard Streets in center city are well underway. This facility will house all graduate programs in business and architecture as well as continuing education opportunities for the business community and the community at large.
 
Connectivity: With the expansion of the UNC Charlotte campus to the center city, Chancellor Dubois recognized the importance of a light rail system that will extend to the northeast corridor where the main campus is located. Parking, as at all college campuses, is a huge challenge. With the planned light rail lines running directly from the center city to the front door of the student union, accessibility should be much easier. The ridership statistics of the current and planned student population make this project an even more attractive one for federal funding purposes.
 
Visibility: While admittedly UNC Charlotte is a young institution by higher education standards, Chancellor Dubois points out that there are ample opportunities to promote and educate the community about its changing attributes. The more traditional student body, the broad academic undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs and the growing campus facilities need to be highlighted and become an integral part of the identity of what is already one of the largest institutions in the North Carolina university system. With all of the recent discussion of adding a football team to the mix, visibility has been enhanced greatly and that will continue as that project moves forward.
 
Congratulations to Chancellor Dubois on his success thus far in achieving his vision. As we've heard it said before…you've come a long way!
    
Head Table: Bob Barber, Lynn Wheeler, David Zimmerman, Ron Kimble, Cynthia Marshall, David Barnhardt;
Invocation: Tom Burgess;
Visitors & Guests: George Robinette; Health & Happiness: Don Steger; Song: Gregg Walker; Piano: Thomas Moore; Photos: Bert Voswinkel

• Road to Recovery: Edgar Love is in CMC Rehab following surgery for a brain tumor and will return to Duke Hospital the end of the month; Burgl Pruett (Ronnie's wife) is at home and progressing since her cancer surgery last week; George Thompson came home from the hospital last Thursday. He is working with a physical therapist and expects to be working in cardiac rehab soon.
    
• David Norman will be set up in the State room again next week in case you need a ROSTER PHOTO. The price is $10. If your photo has not been updated in the last two years, please take advantage of this offer or President David may just flash your picture on the wall! If you are a new member and need a photo, this is the way to go.
   
• Pam Jefsen was honored for 24 years of service with the Red Cross by the Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross; Floyd Davis and Alan Adler joined former HUD Secretary, Henry Cisneros as Mike Collins' guests on Charlotte Talks; Cecily Durrett's daughter, Madison, will be presented at the Charlotte Guild Debutante Ball in August; Major Todd and Christine Smith have been appointed to the Greater Birmingham Area Command in Birmingham, Alabama. They will be leaving Charlotte the weekend of June 21st;
   
• Welcome to the Board: BG Metzler for Women Executives; Marilynn Bowler, Rick Jackson and Robert Freeman for Better Business Bureau. Janet Fortner was quoted as saying a concern for her business this year will be proposed cuts to Medicare's benefits for hospice patients; Mary Rinehart contributed to an article about investing in SRI (socially responsible investments); the Charlotte City Council appointed Alan Adler to the Citizen's Review Board, which reviews citizen complaints against police officers; Herb Harriss was on the news all weekend following tornado damage that tore the roof off the Baxter-Harriss building. Herb expressed his thanks to Bob Webb and Rick Handford, Myers & Chapman, for their immediate response to the situation.
   
• Nominations for outstanding businesswomen for the Charlotte Business Journal's 12th Annual Women In Business Achievement Awards are due by May 23, 2008; CPCC Opera Theater will perform Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) May 16-18;
       
• The Youth Job Connection at Goodwill is looking for employers to hire workers ages 14-21 for the summer. Contact Michael Elder, elder@goodwillsp.org, for additional information.

Should you question the eligibility of any nominee, contact the Rotary office by 5/19/2008.