November 2018

Message from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli

Dear Seahawk Community,

The season of Thanksgiving offered UNCW many opportunities to celebrate the faculty, staff and students who make our university so special. Our university was proud to acknowledge the remarkable ways that many Seahawks responded to Hurricane Florence in a collection of stories featured on the new Hurricane Heroes website (above). Students enjoyed UNCW’s annual “Wagsgiving,” held in Wagoner Dining Hall, and staff in Alderman Hall hosted a pie social and canned-food drive to benefit a local charity. 

Congratulations to Nicole Geczi (Watson College of Education), recipient of the 2018 Staff Award for Excellence, and AiM system administrator Michael Last (Office of Facilities), who received the Governor’s Award of Excellence, the highest honor bestowed on a state employee. Assistant professor Darin Penneys (College of Arts and Sciences) is part of an international team of botanists that was awarded a $1.3 million National Science Foundation grant. The MarineQuest program (Watson College) earned a $262,206 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

UNCW moved up one position to rank 5th nationally among comprehensive universities in the number of students studying abroad, as represented in the 2018 Open Doors® Report on International Educational Exchange. The university also received federal recognition as a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, a designation that enhances program graduates’ job marketability. Professor Ulku Clark (Cameron School of Business) masterfully guided the university’s application through the process. 

Our men’s soccer team scored success in November, competing in the first round of the NCAA Division I championship. Five Seahawks earned all-state honors from the 2018 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association. Devontae Cacok ’18, a senior forward on the men’s basketball team, is leading the NCAA Division I ranks in rebounding and was named to the Lou Henson Player-of-the-Year Award Watch List. Our Seahawks also scored a big win over rival ECU earlier this week. Keep up with all of our great sports teams at uncwsports.com. 

Jose V. Sartarelli
Chancellor

Department of History faculty member Christopher Laursen (center, with Chancellor Sartarelli and Provost Marilyn Sheerer) received the Excellence in e-Learning award at the Fall Faculty Meeting, where members of the UNCW faculty recognized colleagues for teaching, research and scholarship.

The UNCW Beekeepers presented honey from their first harvest to Chancellor Sartarelli. 

Jay Richardson (right), vice president of the UNCW Student Veterans Organization, addressed the audience at the annual Veterans Day celebration on the Campus Commons. At left is Bill Kawczynski, UNCW director of military affairs.

Live Oak Bank President Huntley Garriott was the featured speaker for the Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series, which brings executives, government officials, academic professionals and nationally recognized speakers to UNCW to speak on topics related to priorities outlined in UNCW’s Strategic Plan.

UNCW Executive in Residence Tom Simpson (center right, top) and his wife, Cindy (center right, holding plaque), host international students at their home annually for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. At this year's event, the Office of International Programs awarded the couple a certificate of appreciation for their hospitality.

The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion observed Native American Heritage Month with a reception in the Clock Tower Lounge, where UNCW senior Shauni Bird (above) performed a traditional dance. Greg Richardson, executive director of the NC Commission on Indian Affairs, spoke at the event.