Office of the Chancellor

Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli with portrait

March 31, 2021

Dear Seahawk Community,

We marked a year this month since the global pandemic first affected classes, programs, campus housing and other activities at UNCW. As challenging and difficult as each month has been since then, we have rallied as a community. We have continued to teach, learn, discover and grow in meaningful ways. There are signs of hope that better days are ahead – COVID-19 key metrics are improving in North Carolina and vaccinations are increasing. We have opened a vaccination clinic on campus, we are preparing for May commencement exercises with in-person options for the Class of 2021, and we are planning for a typical fall semester.  

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the 3Ws, surveillance testing and other efforts designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. If you have not yet been vaccinated, I encourage you to sign up when you are eligible. Your participation is vital to the health of our campus and community. 

UNCW’s outstanding students, faculty and staff reached some impressive achievements this month. The university is one of only three institutions to receive the 2021 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award for Internationalization. Andrew Castagno ’21M earned a Fulbright Scholar award and Shelby Keiko Davis ’21 and Madison Stump ’24 received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships. Kudos to UNCW Senior Associate Athletic Director/SWA Tiffany Tucker on her appointment to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee and to Associate Professor Rachael Urbanek, assistant chair in the Department of Environmental Sciences, for earning the Wildlife Society Fellows Award.  

The UNCW community has a special opportunity to support the university on April 6-7, from noon to noon, during Seahawks Give. For 24 hours, gifts of any amount to any area of campus can help unlock thousands of dollars in challenge funds and will also be counted as part of Like No Other: The Campaign for UNCW. 

In closing, please join me in welcoming Lowell K. Davis to UNCW as our new Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. He will officially join the Seahawk family in May. I also want to share my heartfelt appreciation for University Police Department Chief David Donaldson, who is retiring June 1 after nearly three decades of dedicated service to our campus community.  

Go Seahawks!

Chancellor's signature 

Jose V. Sartarelli
Chancellor