May 31, 2023
Dear UNCW Community:
Congratulations to all our Seahawks who graduated this month. More than 3,000 brand new alumni earned degrees during the commencement ceremonies. I am proud of what the Class of 2023 has accomplished so far and look forward to seeing what its future holds.
May also brought the launch of the redesigned uncw.edu website. The new site reflects UNCW’s dynamic and innovative approach to education. With a new program finder to showcase degree options and an engaging design featuring increased accessibility, the new website highlights the unique stories of our university like no other.
Those stories are also highlighted at key campus events that bring together scholars and other visitors to share experiences and knowledge. The Global Marine Science Summit, sponsored by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, was hosted May 17-19 at our Center for Marine Science. The summit was a venue for international scientists, policy makers and industry leaders from the U.S. and overseas to develop solutions for global marine science issues and to address the economic climate of coastal regions.
UNCW hosted other major regionally relevant and globally important summits this month:
In addition to hosting visitors on our campus, we’re working with collaborators to put our scholarship to work in the world. The North Carolina Ecosystem Technology project has been awarded $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation's Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, to develop an economic engine that could rapidly improve the quality of life in rural coastal communities. The NCET team, comprised of 11 principal investigators from seven institutions including UNCW, received one of the first-ever NSF Engines Development Awards.
Seahawks are excelling elsewhere, as well. Baseball won its seventh CAA Championship title, and six Seahawks earned spots in the NCAA Track & Field East Preliminary Round as the spring season draws to a close. The UNCW media production team took home a first place award at the recent DigiFest® Temecula film festival in California for its documentary “Game On UNCW: Esports + Education.”
As these accomplishments show, our recent graduates leave UNCW’s classrooms behind for now, but they join a teal network eager to support them and help them pursue their goals.
Yours in Seahawk spirit,
Aswani K. Volety
Chancellor