UNC CHARLOTTE

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Report of Activities Fall 2011-Spring 2014

This report was complied using data collected by team of community engagement experts and researchers:
Dr. Owen Furuseth, Associate Provost for Metropolitan Studies and Extended Academic Programs
Dr. Tamara M. Johnson, Research Associate for Academic Planning and Analysis in the Office of Academic
Affairs
Sean Langley, Assistant Director for Off-Campus and Volunteer Outreach
Jennifer Matz, Assistant Director of Community Affairs in the Division for University Advancement
Jeanette Sims, Director of Community Affairs in the Division for University Advancement
Wayne Stone, Associate Director of Institutional Research

Table of Contents
Intro

ReadWriteServe Tutoring Programs

Governors Village Schools
---

Definition of Community Engagement

UNC Charlotte Mission of Community
Engagement

Types of Community Engagement on Campus

Engaged Scholarship
Engaged Learning

Engaged Institutions

The Urban Institute

The Institute for Social Capital
The University Career Center for Work, Service, and
Internships
Charlotte Research Institute
The Design+Society Research Center

Children, Families, and Schools

Healthcare and Health Policy

International Understanding and Involvement

Arts and Culture

Violins of Hope

Business and Finance

4
Awards

Urban and Regional Development

--

UNC Charlotte Science and Technology Expo

STARS Alliance

--

CHARP (Charlotte Action Research Project)

SWIFT

International Festival
Great Decisions Lecture Series
---

Liberal Education

Charlotte Venture Challenge

VPA
---

Food Spending in the Historic West End MAPPR

---

Applied Sciences and Technologies

Crossroads Charlotte
PROGRAM 2

Future Directions
4

UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees

UNC Charlottes Vision Statement (approved September 27, 2002)

UNC Charlotte is North Carolinas urban research university. It leverages its location in the states largest city to
offer internationally competitive programs of research and creative activity, exemplary undergraduate, graduate,
and professional programs, and a focused set of community engagement initiatives. UNC Charlotte maintains a
particular commitment to addressing the cultural, economic, educational, environmental, health, and social needs of
the greater Charlotte region.

Chancellor Philip L. Dubois

Charlotte Business Journal Op Ed (June 13, 2011)

Economic, cultural, and social issues of the Greater Charlotte region directly drive UNC Charlottes approach to
program development, faculty recruitment and funding.... As North Carolinas urban research university, UNC
Charlottes mission compels us to help solve issues confronting the business community and to deliver a workforce
that can understand and solve tomorrows needs. The talent developedwill become the regions next generation of
innovators, entrepreneurs, teachers, finance and health professionals, and engineers.
Convocation (August 14, 2012)
Engagement is a central, defining feature of our urban research university. Our scholarly and creative activities
are UNC Charlottes calling card in greater Charlotte. We also show leadership in the many ways in which our
students, faculty, and staff give of their time and talents through service. UNC Charlotte continues to exemplify the
energy and progress of our region, and that hinges on the roles we all play in our community.

Provost Joan F. Lorden

Institutional Plan Academic Plan 2004-2009

Among the sixteen campuses of the University of North Carolina system, UNC Charlotte is the only campus with
an explicit urban mission in its charter. One of the implications of having an urban mission is the expectation that
the University will interact with its host community. While this has been an expectation since the founding of UNC
Charlotte and while the University has an excellent reputation for being engaged with its host community, the
current planning cycle represents the first time that academic departments and colleges have been asked to state and
discuss their respective plans for community engagement".

UNC Charlottes Mission of Community Engagement

UNC Charlottes Mission of
Community Engagement
As North Carolinas urban research
university, UNC Charlotte is dedicated
to establishing strong, productive
partnerships with local communities
and service providers to address social,
cultural, economic, and environmental
issues affecting the Charlotte area. The
University recognizes the importance of
establishing collaborative relationships
of reciprocity and trust with community
partners. In fact, UNC Charlotte has
earned the reputation and respect of
citizens and organizations across the
Charlotte region for the active and
engaged role it plays in community
problem- solving and developing
human capital resources. UNC
Charlotte faculty, staff, and students are
involved and engaged in community
partnerships in all facets and parts of
the region.

and activities, and highlights specific

ongoing, concluding, and newly
implemented community engagement
projects from Fall 2011 through the
Spring 2014 academic year.
Community engagement refers to
research, creative activities, teaching,
and service activities that are
collaboratively undertaken by UNC
Charlotte faculty, staff, and/ or students
in partnership with community
members. Engaged activities are defined
by reciprocal relationships between
university and community partners in
which all participants recognize and
value the knowledge, perspective, and
resources that partners contribute to
the collaboration. The community
in community engagement is broadly
defined to include individuals, groups,
and organizations external to campus
that use collaborative processes for the
purpose of contributing to the public
good.

Measured across any dimension:

the number of campus engagement
participants; the scale and complexity
of community partnerships; the
budgetary allocations for community
engagement; the span of university
infrastructure supporting engagement
commitments and activity; the forms
and breadth of engagement in the
classroom; and the impact of UNC
Charlotte on our community there are
unprecedented collaborations between
UNC Charlotte and public and private
partners.

Since its founding in 1946 as a postWorld War II, two-year evening college
center serving returning veterans,
our campus and its leaders have
intentionally directed the educational
programming elements and growth of
the university to serve the community
needs of the Charlotte region, first, and
secondly, the State of North Carolina.
Indeed, we celebrate our particular
commitment to addressing the cultural,
economic, educational, environmental,
health, and social needs of the greater
Charlotte region.

This report defines community

engagement at UNC Charlotte,
describes proposed policy changes
that would clarify the role of engaged
scholarship in tenure and promotion,
outlines student engagement programs

The UNC Charlotte Mission Statement

articulates the Universitys focus on
community engagement initiatives.
The University Goals further define
the commitment to serve community
needs. Goal Two states the Universitys

Community Engagement
in UNC Charlottes
Mission Statement
UNC Charlotte... leverages its
location in the states largest
city to offer internationally
competitive programs of
research and creative activity,
exemplary undergraduate,
graduate, and professional
programs, and a focused set
of community engagement
initiatives. UNC Charlotte
maintains a particular
commitment to addressing
the cultural, economic,
educational, environmental,
health, and social needs of the
greater Charlotte region.

Community Engagement
in UNC Charlottes Goals
GOAL 2

Stimulate increased research,

creative activities, and
community engagement with
a focus on programs and
partnerships that address the
major needs of the Charlotte
region.

UNC Charlottes Mission of Community Engagement

intent to stimulate increased research,
creative activities, and community
engagement with a focus on programs
and partnerships that address the major
needs of the Charlotte region. Within
this framework, there is a focus on
eight areas of concern to the Charlotte
region:
1) Liberal Education;
2) Business and Finance;
3) Urban and Regional
Development;
4) Children, Families, and Schools;
5) Healthcare and Health Policy;
6) International Understanding
and Involvement;
7) Applied Sciences and
Technologies; and,
8) Arts and Culture.
Examples of projects that serve these
eight areas of concern are highlighted
in this report.
The Goals for the Division of Academic
Affairs complement and strengthen the
campus-wide culture and agenda for
community engagement. Academic
Affairs Goal #1 states that the Division
will offer educational programs that are
responsive to the intellectual, cultural,
and economic needs of the region. Goal
#2 states the Division is committed to
supporting research and scholarship
that leverage discovery for the public
benefit. Goal #3 specifically mentions
community engagement in graduating
students prepared for personal success
and civic responsibility in the 21st
century. Goal #5 addresses the needs of
a diverse community of learners
through
non-credit
(continuing
education) programming. Finally, Goal
#7 states that the Division of Academic
Affairs should be engaged in focused
efforts to creatively address university

and community needs through

internal collaboration and partnerships
with public, private, and non-profit
organizations. Individual college
and academic unit plans reiterate this
commitment.
In June 2011, Chancellor Dubois created
the Community Engagement Council

(CEC) in order to bring together

faculty and staff members engaged in or
supporting the Universitys community
engagement initiatives. The Council
meets quarterly and acts as a nexus
for information sharing, partnership
building, and planning new community
partnerships.

Division of Academic Affairs Goals

GOAL 1

To offer a portfolio of educational programs that are forward

looking and responsive to the intellectual, cultural, and economic
needs of the region.

GOAL 2

To advance programs of research and scholarship that expand

the frontiers of knowledge, including those that solve problems at
the interface of disciplines and leverage discovery for the public
benefit.

GOAL 3

To graduate students prepared for personal success and civic

responsibility in the 21st century by offering challenging degree
programs, encouraging community engagement, and integrating
the values of liberal education throughout the undergraduate
curriculum.

GOAL 7

To engage in focused efforts to creatively address university

and community needs through internal collaboration and
partnerships with public, private, and non-profit organizations.

UNC Charlottes Mission of Community Engagement

Every year, since 1980,
the UNC Charlotte Urban
Institute has administered
an omnibus CharlotteMecklenburg
Annual
Survey. It is the only
longitudinal public opinion
survey in the region. In
general, the survey clients
are local governments
and non-profit agencies,
providing an affordable
assessment of community
attitudes
about
issues
important to their work.
Individual agencies sponsor
a limited number of
questions on the survey. By
sharing the cost of survey
research, agencies and
organizations can obtain
high
quality,
scientific
information on attitudes,
preferences, and interests
that
would
otherwise
require each sponsor to
field an individual survey.
In recent years, the annual
survey adopted a sample
size of 400, with a 95 percent
confidence interval.

How would you rate UNC Charlottes value to the

Charlotte community?

60

50

2011
40

2012

30

2013

20

10

Excellent

Above Avg

Average

Below Avg

Poor

Don't Know

2013
Production of a qualified pool of graduates to hire
Cultural programs

10%
18%

Intercollegiate athletics events

5%

4%
2%
5%

4%

32%

Major employer in the region

Research resources on issues affecting region
Continuing education/training of workforce
Educates the population

Since 2011, the Annual

Survey
has
built
a
longitudinal
database
around the community
value rating of UNC
Charlotte. Using a five-part l i k e r t
scale, Charlotte and Mecklenburg
County residents are asked how they
would rate UNC Charlottes value to the
Charlotte community. (See Figure __.)

Above Average in 2011 to 70.4 percent,

including over 50 percent ranking it as
Excellent, in 2013. During this period,
Below Average or Poor scores were
less than four percent.

The community survey findings

demonstrate a growing trend of
overwhelming public value for the
campus, starting with 57.1 percent
ranking the university as Excellent or

A second line of inquiry is focused

upon the reasons for UNC Charlottes
value. (See Figure __). Specifically,
when asked why UNC Charlotte was
most valuable to the community,

Other

20%

Don't know

respondents were strongly focused

on broadly educating the community,
workforce
development,
and
continuing education. Noteworthy,
sports programs and cultural programs
were far less recognized as valuable.
There were no significant deviations
from these university importance
values between 2011-2013.

UNC Charlottes Mission of Community Engagement

Greek Life
Student
Orgs

Volunteer
Outreach (Dean
of Students)

Student
Affairs

Research
and System
Development

Housing and
Res Life

Religious &
Spiritual Life

Institute for
Social Capital

Urban Institute
Women+
Girls Research
Alliance
Charlotte
Research
Institute

Community
Relations
(Advancement)

Community
Relations
(Advancement)

Research and
Economic
Development

Metropolitan
Studies

International
Programs

Academic
Affairs

UNC Charlottes
Mission of Community
Engagement

External
Relations

CHARP

Academic
Services

Multicultural
Academic
Services
Career
Center

Library

Institutional
Research

Honors
College

Provosts
Office

Athletics
Academic
Planning

Graduate
School
CHHS

CLAS

University
College

Colleges
CoENG

CoAA

UNC Charlotte has put into place critical human and physical infrastructure that
will strengthen community engaged learning and scholarship, and contribute to
engaged civic discourse in our community and beyond.

CoED

Business

Economic Engagement, Innovation, and Empowerment

Economic Engagement,
Innovation, and
Empowerment

,as well as for UNC Charlotte faculty

and students seeking to commercialize
innovations through new venture
formation.

Ventureprise provides this full range

of business advisory services and
auxiliary support in a new state-of-theart facility: the PORTAL building.

Interaction with industry is a part

of UNC Charlottes fabric, and the
University has dedicated facilities,
funding, and faculty resources to make
these collaborations successful. Two
manifestations of our commitment are
the Charlotte Research Institute (CRI)
and Ventureprise, Inc.

With an expanded mission and scope,

Ventureprise will provide strategy,
coordination and communications
services to business networks, the
university, investors and entrepreneurs.
These initiatives are designed to find the
most promising talent and ideas, make
connections, and launch customerfocused ventures.

PORTAL
The February 2014 grand opening
of
UNC
Charlottes
PORTAL
building provided tangible evidence
of the Universitys commitment to
economic development. The lightfilled, contemporary design supports
transformational
collaboration
between entrepreneurial, corporate,
and academic resources.

Charlotte Research Institute

CRI is a dedicated public/private
research institute on campus to
stimulate economic growth in the
region. CRI is focused on universityindustry partnerships with an
emphasis on research and innovation,
business growth, and job creation.
It connects businesses, researchers,
and governmental agencies with
facilities and equipment to enhance
intellectual
capital,
accelerate
technology communication, cultivate
the development of entrepreneurial
and start-up ventures, create global
educational and industry partnerships,
and spur economic growth regionally
and across North Carolina.

Two
Ventureprise
initiatives,
the Charlotte Venture Challenge
(highlighted on page ___ of this report)
and Charlotte Venture Launch are
notable for their emphasis on customer
discovery and engagement of corporate
resources.

Ventureprise, Inc.
Recognizing the importance of new
ventures to job growth, UNC Charlotte
partnered with prominent business
leaders over 25 years ago to create the
Ben Craig Center business incubator.
From 1986 through 2013, the incubator
served 135 resident client companies
and hundreds more through seminars,
advisory services, and affiliated
programs. The Ben Craig Center
recently was renamed Ventureprise,
Inc., which now serves as the gateway
for early-stage researchers and
entrepreneurs from the community
Engaged Institutions

84

The establishment of the PORTAL

building represents UNC Charlottes
long history of engagement with regional
entrepreneurs and corporations.

Engaged Scholarship--Community Entrepreneurship & Economic Development

The Charlotte Research Institute
works with the community
and UNC Charlotte campus
to accelerate technology
commercialization and champion
the growth of entrepreneurial
ventures. This mission is
accomplished through a number of
activities and services designed to
bring innovation to the marketplace
and spur economic growth.
R&D Resources The Charlotte
Research Institute offers access
to services, equipment and
facilities that can be harnessed to
conduct client-sponsored R&D
from commercial businesses,
government agencies, foundations
and other organizations. These
resources are designed to minimize
time, risks and costs for early-stage
companies. CRI provides resources
in the form of:
Expertise CRI can facilitate
research expertise from UNC
Charlotte and our other partner
organizations including NCRC
and Ventureprise. Specifically,
CRI has research centers that have
been formed to address complex
problems in an interdisciplinary
fashion. To learn more about our
centers of excellence click here.
Facilities CRI can provide access
to wet labs and office space. To
learn more about our facilities click
here.
Equipment Our region is home
to a variety of state-of-the-art
equipment which is available for

use by commercial businesses and

innovative entrepreneurs. To learn
more about the equipment that is
available click here.
Grants and Funding Partnerships
CRI has access to a number
of funding opportunities and
collaborative research grants. We
also partner with commercial
business on various grants
including SBIR and STTR
opportunities. To learn more about
funding click here.
Start-up Workshops and Seminars
CRI promotes and conducts
a number of entrepreneurial
seminars and workshops
throughout the year designed to
facilitate the commercialization of
innovative technologies and ideas
in our community.
Business Innovation Competition
(Charlotte Venture Challenge)
CRI has been holding a business
innovation competition since
2002. The competition serves as
a start-up model to launch new
companies in our region. The
competition process is designed to
accelerate new companies through
workshops, mentoring and access
to a variety of entrepreneurial
resources. One participant has
said of the competition that it was
instrumental in helping us connect
and establish an advisory board
including VCs, legal and business
professionals. The guidance and
lessons learned were invaluable
to guide and direct our company
forward.
6

Regional Economic Development

Success = United Protective
Technologies - Since the event we
have moved from a 10k sf leased
space to 20k sf in our own building.
We have expanded our product and
coatings portfolio, and now not
only supply protective films and
coating to US military customers,
but to several large domestic and
foreign non military OEM's. UPT
has grown from 5 to 21 employees,
with 75% holding Engineering or
Science based degrees. (Founders
comment in 2011.)
Charlotte Biotechnology
Conference In 2011, CRI held
The 10th Annual Charlotte
Biotechnology Conference. This
conference attracts some of the
most recognized biotechnology,
business and research professionals
from around the globe to a single
venue in Charlotte to discuss and
highlight regional opportunities
and investment trends within the
local biotechnology sector.
Sponsor Entrepreneurial
Community Events CRI sponsors
and its staff members contribute
to a variety of entrepreneurial
community activities, programs,
and educational seminars.

Giving Green at UNC Charlotte

Giving Green $ Raised

160000
140000
120000
100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0
2011

The Giving Green Campaign

UNC Charlotte fosters a spirit
of
community engagement and
volunteerism among faculty and
staff. The Giving Green Campaign
is an annual campus-wide initiative
that encourages the UNC Charlotte
community to donate their time and
talent to a wide range of important local
causes. Held in the Fall semester, the
Giving Green Campaign encompasses
UNC Charlottes fundraising efforts for
the Charlotte Arts & Science Council
(ASC), the State Employees Combined
Campaign (SECC), and the UNC
Charlotte Foundation.
The 2013 Giving Green Campaign
was a great success with $154,609.75
raised from 714 generous faculty and
staff donors. These contributions were
spread across our campus, community
and state. The Fall 2012 campaign
generated $148,520 --615 participating
faculty (20%) of employees ---total 2012
dollars to Giving Green also increased
nearly $40,000 over 2011.
Dustin Read, former director of the
Engaged Institutions

Center for Real Estate and co-chair of

the 2012 campaign, noted Being part of
a community is a shared responsibility
for one another; through Giving Green,
we can take pride in our local efforts
to care for our neighbors in the greater
Charlotte region. Working together, we
are making a difference.
Throughout the year, Giving Green
coordinates signature community
service projects for faculty and staff
including the annual School Tools
Donation Drive; volunteer days at
Second Harvest Food Bank, the
Humane Society, Classroom Central,
Crisis Assistance Ministry, and the
Safe Alliance Shelter for Women; as
well as mentoring opportunities with
nearby Governors
Village
schools.
All UNC Charlotte
employees
are
given 24 hours
of
designated
volunteer
time
every year to spend
giving back to the
local community.

94

2012

2013

Giving Green Faculty Participation

800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

2011

2012

2013

Engaged Institutes at UNC Charlotte

Engaged Institutions at UNC
Charlotte
There are several institutions on campus
that reflect UNC Charlottes long
history of community engagement.
These institutions, highlighted below,
have been consistently working with
community partners to provide insight
into community issues and to help solve
community problems.

The Metropolitan Studies

Extended Academic Programs

and

The Metropolitan Studies and Extended

Academic Programs unit encompasses
all of the universitys communitycentered research units and continuing
education functions. Metropolitan
Studies staff work to actively partner
and collaborate with local governments
and community organizations to
identify matches between university
resources
and community needs. Applied
research, continuing education, and
serving as the convener for local
and regional public policy issues are
primary activities. Metropolitan Studies
units use advisory councils, community
surveys and focus groups, client
feedback, and environmental scans to
measure effectiveness. Metropolitan
Studies staff work to actively partner
and collaborate with local governments
and community organizations to
identify matches between university

Engaged Institutions

resources and community needs.

Applied research, continuing education,
and serving as the convener for local
and regional public policy issues
are primary activities. Metropolitan
Studies units use advisory councils,
community surveys and focus groups,
client feedback, and environmental
scans to measure effectiveness.
The Urban Institute and the Institute
for Social Capital are part of UNC

implemented the Charlotte Regional

Indicators Project, a regional tool
for
benchmarking
community
development conditions across the
14-county area. Most recently, the
statewide Renaissance Computing
Institute (RENCI) has established
an Engagement Center at the Urban
Institute to develop an urban growth
simulation model for the region. The
model is able to project population
growth, infrastructure needs, and
accompanying air and water pollution
impacts of new growth patterns. Both
of these regional planning tools offer
local and county leaders powerful
synergistic data for guiding public
policy. On campus, these activities
inform other research and outreach
programs.

Charlottes Metropolitan Studies

and Extended Academic Programs
(MSExAP).
The Institute for Social Capital

The Urban Institute

The Urban Institute, formed in 1969,
is a nonpartisan applied research and
community outreach center at UNC
Charlotte. The Institute provides a wide
range of services, including technical
assistance and training related to
operations and data management;
public opinion surveys; land-use and
natural resources consulting; economic
development research; and community
planning to meet the needs of a
fourteen-county region in North and
South Carolina surrounding Charlotte.
As an example of its engaged practices,
the Urban Institute developed and

10

The Institute for Social Capital

(ISC), was established to foster
collaboration between local nonprofits, governmental agencies, and
community-based organizations
and the university for developing,
compiling, and analyzing community
data. One of the most significant
struggles facing researchers and social
service organizations is the diffusion of
human and social data. Reliable data
gathered from significant social service
and nonprofit agencies are needed
to understand the effects of relevant
initiatives on planning services,
program evaluations and public
policy. However, such information is
rarely shared across sources, limiting
an organizations ability to effectively
measure outcomes.

Engaged Institutes at UNC Charlotte

By combining key sources of data into
one community database, ISC provides
a valuable resource to assess the impact
of specific interventions across agency
lines and to better understand the
social and environmental variables that
affect the community, particularly with
regard to outcomes for children and
families.

The University Career Center for

Work, Service, and Internships
The University Career Center for
Work, Service, and Internships is
housed within Academic Affairs. The
Career Centers mission is to provide
a comprehensive approach to career
preparation with experiential and
service learning as a key component
for students. The Center fosters the
integration of academic and career
goal development through high quality
internships, cooperative education,
externships, and community
service internships and projects. It
coordinates NC Campus Compact and
provides staffing for the Public Service
Interest Group. At monthly meetings,
information on NC Campus Compact,
NSEE, and national service related
events, training, and awards are shared
with faculty and advisors who have
an interest and involvement in service
learning and public service. A weekly
Campus Compact online newsletter
provides additional information to
subscribers across campus.

Engaged Institutions

Charlotte Research Institute

City.Building.Lab.

UNC Charlottes outreach to the

business community is led by the
Charlotte Research Institute (CRI).
With a focus on research and
innovation, business growth, and job
creation, the CRI drives economic
growth by developing new research
capacity, university partnerships with
regional and national enterprises, and
innovative high-growth companies.
The CRI is the portal through which
important collaborations are created
and enriched because the institute
connects business and entrepreneurial
needs to faculty and graduate student
skills and research programs in pursuit
of applied research for cultural, social,
and economic benefit. Successful
synergy occurs in the interdisciplinary
areas of bioinformatics and genomics,
biomedical
engineering
and
science, optoelectronics and optical
communications, precision metrology,
cyber defense and network assurability,
energy production and infrastructure,
environment
and
sustainability,
life sciences, nanoscale sciences,
motorsports engineering, visualization,
and biology and translational research.
In fact, the CRI connects 15 applied
science and technology labs and
research centers to local and state
business interests. The CRI campus is
also home to a number of innovative
university spin-out companies and
works with faculty and researchers on
commercialization efforts.

The City.Building.Lab. is the refocused

and rebooted public outreach and
research arm of the Master of Urban
Design Program located in UNC
Charlottes Center City Campus.
Formerly known as the Design and
Society Research Center, C.B.L.
foregrounds
common
threads
connecting the research interests of
affiliated faculty members though
explorations of the ways that cities have
been, are, and continue to be shaped
over time. The redefined lab, therefore,
simultaneously encompasses a wide set
of initiatives while also supporting the
Universitys urban research mission.

Our new name also reflects a clearer

vision, mission, and renewed identity
for the former center. The Master
of Urban Design faculty, over the
course of a strategic planning process
(Spring 2013), expressed an interest
to address innovative and varied
research initiatives focused upon cities,
communities, and the complex urban
forces that shape them over time and
space. While the term center was
initially an important touch-point in
our discussions, the term lab emerged
as a more flexible and open-ended
research framework.
The labs mission is to think and do
to pursue sustainable urban design
strategies as agents of innovative
inquiry and positive change. This
enables the CBL to both advocate
for the design of vital places and to

Engaged Institutes at UNC Charlotte

demonstrate how to achieve sustainable

cities and communities. Its challenge is
to address the complex issues facing
the future of cities that range from
the impacts of new technologies to
rapidly shifting demographics and
from changing patterns of growth to
environmental stewardship in the face
of climate change.
In order to meet these responsibilities,
the City.Building.Lab. will pursue its
mission through:
historical and theoretical research
(think)
public engagement using applications,
explorations
and
visualizations
of sustainable urban design and
development policies and practices
(do).
The City.Building.Lab. continues to
support the mission of the Master of
Urban Design Program and the School
of Architecture through its emphasis
upon sustainable urban design and
local-to-global urbanism.

The mission of the Energy and

Environmental
Assistance
Office
(EEAO) is to apply a multidisciplinary
approach in promoting and facilitating
sustainable
pollution
prevention
activities in the region, deliver
customized client assistance, and
provide opportunities for students to
participate in projects that address realworld problems. The EEAO is a major
division of the Infrastructure, Design,
Environment and Sustainability Center
(IDEAS), specializes in bringing state
Engaged Institutions

and regional agencies, small businesses

and
engineering
practitioners
together with talented UNC Charlotte
faculty and students to address
environmental issues. The EEAO
serves as an important communication,
dissemination, and educational link
between the Infrastructure, Design,
Environment,
and
Sustainability
(IDEAS) Center and the community
at large to build collaborations. We
emphasize interdisciplinary teamwork
and draw on our diverse faculty to create
customized teams to meet collaborative
partnership needs. Students are
involved in multiple aspects of project
development and execution as they
work under the supervision of EAO
team.
The EAO delivers customized client
assistance
with
comprehensive
investigative
projects,
grant
collaborations, project management,
educational
outreach,
feasibility
analysis, verification, focus groups
and surveys, conferences, training,
and other services. Discussions and
planning are facilitated at the start
to ensure the development of project
scope and deliverables to meet your
needs. The EAO team can provide you
with timely assistance for sustainable
pollution prevention planning and
implementation, including information
about industry-specific case studies,
waste-specific case studies, and new
technologies.

Started in 2006, the Women + Girls

Research Alliance was a local nonprofit committee that provided
leadership on public policy issues
affecting women and girls in the
Charlotte region. In 2010, their
leadership asked to join the university
and was invited by Chancellor Dubois
for a merger. Combining communitybased leaders and organizations with
university resources, the Alliance
hosts a biennial Womens Summit
Conference and regularly provides
research reports and policy guides
to the Charlotte region. The Alliance
is a unique community-university
partnership in North Carolina.

Charlotte Teachers Institute (CTI)

UNC Charlottes College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences plus Davidson
College.
To strengthen teaching and learning
in K-12 public schools by offering
content-rich seminars for CMS
teachers, led by faculty experts.
In 2009, CTI became an official
member of the League of Teachers
Institutes at the Yale National
Initiative.
28 faculty at UNC Charlotte and
Davidson College have led seminars;

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Engaged Institutes at UNC Charlotte

more than 60 faculty serve on the

University Advisory Council. Since
2009, more than 400 Fellows have
written curriculum for over 60,000
CMS students.
More than $650,000 in grants and gifts
to support teachers and professors in
CTI received by UNC Charlotte and
Davidson College.
36 content-rich seminars led by 28
university and college faculty (16 UNC
Charlotte, 15 of whom came from the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,
and one from College of Engineering;
and 12 from Davidson College faculty)
for more than 400 CTI Fellows
Offered 15 public programs for more
than 2,500 people, half of whom were
CMS teachers.
More than 20 faculty gave
presentations related to teaching and
research out of the Exploding Canons,
Teachers as Scholars, and Evening for
Educators events.
Faculty collaborated on research and
writing for over 400 Curriculum Units
written by K-12 teachers.
19 UNC Charlotte faculty and 10
Davidson College faculty attended
Yale University for the July Intensive
Sessions.
Two faculty from the College of
Education, including one graduate
student, have collaborated on program
evaluation research.
CTI received the Shirley S. Schwartz
Urban Education Impact Award by the
Council for Great City Schools in 2013
for its work on teacher development
and student learning.
More than 400 Curriculum Units
written by K-12 teachers 60,000 CMS
students.
Engaged Institutions

More than 100 CMS teachers have

served in various leadership roles in
CTI, including Steering Committee,
Seminar Coordinators and School
Contacts.
CTI teachers are retained at a higher
rate than other teachers in the district
and the state.
Dozens of CTI teachers have led
professional development sessions for
CMS teachers.
43 CMS teachers have been Yale
National Fellows participating in
the July Intensive Sessions and have
written curriculum in collaboration
with Yale University faculty.
More than 2,500 people attended
public events offered by CTI through
Exploding Canons, Teachers as
Scholars, and Evening for Educators
events, half of whom were teachers.

The Office of Educational Outreach

(OEO) works in conjunction with
numerous groups, departments, and
professionals in an effort to provide the
community a variety of educational
opportunities. These activities target
teachers, middle and secondary
students, counselors, administrators,
and other community stakeholders
that are committed to strengthening
the local infrastructure of education,
i.e., curriculum, pedagogy,
networking, resources, etc.
OEO is committed to promoting
continuous partnerships in the
Charlotte-Mecklenburg region
that support a diverse population
of learners, teachers, and other

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4

professionals. Through continued

dialogue with community, OEO will
continue to support the universitys
mission to increase the intellectual
capital of this region.

In August 2011, UNC Charlotte made

a strong commitment to community
engagement by opening the Center
City Building (CCB) in downtown
Charlotte. It is the first building
constructed as part of a publicprivate plan to rejuvenate Uptown
Charlotte. It hosts the universitys
Continuing Education unit, School of
Architectures Urban Design program,
the Master of Public Administration,
and the Belk School of Business MBA.
CCB is UNC Charlottes portal for
downtown residents and community
groups, offering free or low cost use of
classrooms and meeting space to the
community. Since opening, 487 public
events and 217 university events with
public participation have been held in
the building. CCB also serves as the
headquarters for Envision: Charlotte,
a green collaboration between
businesses and government to reduce
energy consumption in Charlottes
urban core. The Envision program is
provided with CCB facilities, as a part
of UNC Charlottes commitment to the
urban sustainability partnership.

 Charlotte Research Institute

Institute for Social Capital
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
The Center for STEM Education
Small Business and Technology

Development Center
Center for Optoelectronics and Optical
Communications
Center for Precision Metrology
eBusiness Technology Institute
Center for Transportation Policy
Studies
Infrastructure, Design, Environment,
and Sustainability Center
Center for Real Estate
Charlotte Visualization Center
Center for Biomedical Engineering
and Science
NC Motorsports and Automotive
Research Center
Bioinformatics Research Center
Center for Applied Geographic Information
Science
Energy Production & Infrastructure
Center
Center for Professional and Applied
Ethics
City.Building.Lab.

Center for the Study of the New South

Center for Holocaust, Genocide, and
Human Rights

Urban Education Collaborative

Office of Educational Outreach