Chancellor's Newsletter, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Chancellor Volety on the challenge course
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Message from Chancellor Aswani K. Volety

Dear UNCW Community, 

We welcomed back to campus many alumni, friends and supporters for Homecoming 2024 this month. It was exciting to see current students join former students and the broader Seahawk community for more than 40 events like no other. Celebrations included the annual TEALGate party, recognition of 75 years of The Seahawk’s news, Centro Hispano’s Homecoming Formal, and AAGA’s Homecoming Brunch, to name just a few highlights. Our men’s and women’s basketball teams put up valiant efforts, even if they didn’t take away a win. 

We are working to share our campus not only with our Seahawk family but also with the greater community. We’re in the final phases of developing our 2024 Campus Master Plan with the involvement of faculty, students, staff and members of the public. A focus is encouraging interaction and sharing with others everything our Seahawks have to offer.

The newly outfitted Corbett Anatomy Lab in Veterans Hall continues our strong focus on community engagement by providing space for continuing education and pipeline programming. Randall Library’s Special Collections have been boosted by a gift from Dr. Antony Percy and his family of his collection of books and papers. The family’s contribution also will support the Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History (CSENCAH) efforts toward preservation, accessibility and storage. 

Among our visitors in February were the Honorable Deb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Liz Klein, Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Both spent time at our Center of Marine Science discussing pressing environmental issues facing oceans and coastal ecosystems. UNCW’s leadership on coastal issues can be seen in the launch of the Blue Economy Index, an equity benchmark designed to track the performance of companies involved in supporting sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth. It’s the first of its kind associated with the Blue Economy.

U.S. News & World Report has again recognized our strength beyond our campus borders as UNCW climbed to 16th in its national list of best online bachelor’s programs, as well as earning recognition for graduate business and education programs. UNCW’s future is bolstered with strong offerings from the arts, athletics, research and scholarship to draw collaborators and others to appreciate the wonderful work of those affiliated with this university.

Yours in Seahawk spirit,

Aswani K. Volety

Chancellor

Above: Chancellor Volety tackles the challenge course hosted by UNCW's Campus Recreation during Homecoming 2024.

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Spotlight

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Chancellor Volety shakes hands with Deb Haaland on CMS dock

Chancellor Volety and Center for Marine Science Executive Director Ken Halanych welcome U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland during her visit to the Center for Marine Science. Liz Klein, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, accompanied Secretary Haaland for a tour of the facility and opportunity to meet with faculty, staff and students. 

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Gallery

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Chancellor Volety, Dean Jack C. Watson, members of the Corbett family and community leaders at ribbon cutting ceremony

Chancellor Aswani Volety, College of Health and Human Services Dean Jack C. Watson, members of the Corbett family and community leaders celebrated the completion of the Dr. J. Richard “Dick” Corbett Anatomy Laboratory with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

 

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Two people walk to demonstrate the SportGait concussion monitoring app

Professor of Psychology Dr. Len Lecci has been awarded $149,224 from the Chuck Noll Foundation for Brain Injury Research. Over the next three years, in partnership with SportGait, researchers will use a mobile assessment tool to examine concussion recovery.

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Lucy Holman and Dr. Antony Percy

Dr. Antony Percy (seen here with Lucy Holman, Dean of Randall Library) and his family have made a gift of his collection of books and papers. The gift will also create The Percy Family Support Fund for Special Collections in the Center for Southeast North Carolina Archives and History (CSENCAH).

 

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Jason Mott

Jason Mott ’06, ’08M, author and an associate professor in the Department of Creative Writing, has been selected to receive a 2024 Creative Writing Fellowship of $25,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts. Mott is one of 35 writers awarded the highly competitive fellowship.

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Woman in water working at shellfish farm

The UNC Wilmington Blue Economy Index launched as an equity benchmark to track the performance of companies involved in supporting sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, the first of its kind to be associated with the Blue Economy.

 

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Seahawk statue

UNCW is again noted in the top 20 best online bachelor’s degree programs by U.S. News and World Report. It climbed two spots to 16th nationally on the popular annual list. Several of its online graduate programs are also recognized. 

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Jessica B. Harris

Jessica B. Harris, food scholar and bestselling author, was the keynote speaker for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. This year’s observance celebrated the legacy of civil rights and social justice in education.

 

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Kayaker in river with sonic overlay of riverbed at far right

In the lower Cape Fear and Brunswick rivers lie remnants of the region's history of rice cultivation and the enslaved West Africans and their descendants, the Gullah Geechee, who worked the fields. A team of researchers is attempting to document that history.

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Latest News

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Featured Seahawks

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Riley A. Stephenson

Sergio Madera-Garcia '21, Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year

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Alejandra Sotelo

Dr. Melissa Batchelor '96, '00M, Distinguished Diversity Award

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Lauren Daley Bryant

James Stasios '70, Distinguished Citizen of the Year

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Marcia J. Avedon

Linda B. Sayed '78, '85M, Distinguished Alumna of the Year

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The Alumni Association Distinguished Awards are presented to individuals in recognition of their extraordinary achievement, outstanding character and exemplary service to the university and community. The awardees above were recognized during the university's Homecoming celebrations Feb. 15-18.

 
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UNCW rankings badge
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UNCW Strategic Plan logo
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Like No Other. The Campaign for UNCW logo
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OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR | UNC Wilmington | 601 S. College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403 | 910.962.3000

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