May 2, 2024
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
What a year we have shared at UNCW! It is already marked in my memory by big moments for our university. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected four UNCW students as national Hollings Scholars, our faculty earned numerous national awards and grants, and a collaboration of campus partners opened the new Shoreline Sports complex. The university also hosted an exciting Homecoming, celebrated a historic fundraising campaign that has raised more than $131 million (so far), and cheered for our Seahawks, who beat Kentucky in men’s basketball and won Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) championships for men’s and women’s swimming and diving and men’s tennis.
These are just a few of the many accomplishments achieved by Seahawks like you during the 2023-24 year. We also launched our 10-year strategic plan, and we are in the process of finalizing the campus master plan. I invite you to visit uncw.edu/news, read my monthly newsletter, and follow the university on Facebook and Instagram for more stories about Seahawks’ success.
The past year also stands out for important conversations held on our campus and within our community about a wide range of topics, including state, national and global affairs. At times, these conversations include direct and indirect pressure on the university to “take a stand” on political and social issues. As a public university, UNCW cannot speak for all Seahawks on all issues. We are best at providing an environment to educate Seahawks on the issues in our world.
Consistent with state law and UNC System guidance, the university refrains from issuing statements about political and social issues to support the principles of academic freedom and free expression and to encourage the free and open exchange of ideas, especially on difficult subjects. As a campus community, we have made a commitment to the aspirations outlined in our Seahawk Respect Compact, which emphasize a campus culture of “inclusiveness, mutual respect, acceptance and open-mindedness.”
Let me briefly address a topic that is generating a lot of conversation on public university campuses across North Carolina. In April, a UNC Board of Governors committee proposed changes to UNC System policy about diversity and inclusion. You can read the proposed information on the System Office website here. The full board is scheduled to consider the proposed changes in May.
Many of you have asked what this action means for UNCW. The university cannot answer that question until final changes are approved and UNC System guidance is in place. We can, however, convey that UNCW will continue to foster an environment of respect, belonging and support for every member of the Seahawk community.
We will celebrate more than 2,900 outstanding Seahawks on May 10-11, when the university will hold commencement for the Class of 2024. Thousands of these students graduated high school in 2020, which means most of them did not have the opportunity to participate in a graduation ceremony. UNCW is honored to lift up these Seahawks during one of five ceremonies, including the university’s first-ever celebration just for graduate students.
I hope to see many of you at commencement and the year-end festivities that precede the ceremonies. Until then, best wishes with final exams and year-end projects. Take time this summer to relax, recharge and reinvest in yourselves and your health and wellness.
Yours in Seahawk spirit,
Aswani K. Volety
Chancellor