2015-2016 NEWS

THE ART DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Art Garden Laurinburg

Sixteen monumental sculptures designed and fabricated by UNCP students and faculty are currently featured in the newly created Art Garden.  Located on the corner of Main and Church streets in Laurinburg, NC, the new outdoor space was dedicated June 16, 2016.  The dedication marks the beginning of annual exhibitions of public art unlike any other in the area. The garden is intended to become a gathering spot for future public events, such as music and arts festivals and other community-based projects.  The exhibition space is an excellent example of the university working with local communities to enhance the quality of life. 

The Art Garden is a collaborative project between the city of Laurinburg, the Scotland County Arts Council and The University of North Carolina at Pembroke Art Department. Primarily designed by UNCP students under the direction of associate professor Adam Walls, the garden offers a looping trail that wraps around and through a collection of sculptures. Many of the student works in this year’s exhibition were funded by donations by the City of Laurinburg.  The garden also currently features a large-scale mural by McNair Evans created as part of the Echode Project (www.echode.org).  For more information on the UNCP Art Department visit its website

 

THE 2016 GRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM POSTER CONTEST WINNERS

CarolineThe School of Graduate Studies and Research proudly announced the winners of the 2016 Graduate Research Symposium Poster Contest. Winners include: 

Jessica Mager (Elementary Education): A Study of Daily Five Reading and its Effectiveness Towards Increasing Student Motivation

 

Dena M. Ali (Public Administration): Improving Firefighter Effectiveness through Wellness

Caroline Newman (Science Education): The Effects of Student Generated Modeling on High School Physical Science Student’s Self-Efficacy and Motivation

A special congratulations to Caroline Newman, pictured above, who received Best Research Poster and Presentation at this year’s event!

The students named above will join representatives from other graduate schools across North Carolina at Graduate Education Day in Raleigh on May 24. 

 Jacqueline E. Barnoski (Nursing) received an honorable mention for At-Risk and Early-Stage CKD Identification Barriers Amongst Diabetics in the Primary Care Setting

The College of Arts and Sciences joins in congratulating the award recipients and in celebrating the accomplishments of our outstanding students.  Photos of the event are available here

 

 

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CELEBRATES ACADEMIC AWARDS DAY 2016

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrated the achievements of our students at Academic Awards Day, March 30, 2016. Sixty scholarships and awards were presented to outstanding students in the College. Their excitement and enthusiasm were shared with faculty, staff, and donors alike. Pictured above are faculty and recipients from the Department of Biology:  Dr. Lisa KellyDr. Connor Sandefur, Robbie Juel, Harold Arrington, Ashley Allen, Cameron Troutman, Ethan Sanford, and Dr. Velinda Woriax, department chair. For a complete list of recipients see the program and click here for more photos.

 

UNCP MODEL UNITED NATIONS TEAM DOES IT AGAIN!

Model UN TeamThe UNCP Model United Nations team, pictured above, returned home after a highly successful performance at the 2016 Spring Southern Regional Model United Nations. At this conference the team represented Russia, the Dominican Republic, Bulgaria, and Ethiopia. The team received more total honors than any other school at the conference and was the only school to win multiple position paper awards. The team received a total of eleven awards, including six individual awards, three Outstanding Position Paper awards, and two team awards, including an Outstanding Delegation award for Russia, which is the highest team award given.

 “In the span of two short years our Model UN team has transformed from one that had never won anything in its first six years to one of the strongest delegations in the southeast. The team has won a total of 29 awards in the four conferences participated in during school year 2015-2016,” noted faculty advisor Kevin Freeman (Political Science & Public Administration) .

Outstanding Delegates: Garrison Davis, Andrew Yarborough/John Ware, Maureen Johnston/Na’ilah el Amin, Demetrius Edwards, Dajer Fernandez, Mia Baxley/Chapell Brock

Outstanding Position Paper Awards: Ethiopia, Dominical Republic, Bulgaria

Team Awards: Ethiopia (Honorable), Russia (Outstanding)

 

UNCP MODEL ARAB LEAGUE WINS AWARDS

Model Arab League

The UNCP Model Arab League team participated in the Southern Regional Model Arab League (SERMAL) conference at Converse College in Spartanburg, SC, March 11-13, 2016.  Sixteen students and Professor Kirill Buminattended. The team represented Saudi Arabia and took the roles of the heads of state and government in a simulated crisis committee, which pitted Morocco against Algeria in a territorial dispute over Western Sahara territory.  Professor Bumin notes, “Dr. Freeman and I are very proud of the wonderful work our Model United Nations and Model Arab League students are doing.” The students faced strong competition and brought home eleven awards: ten individual Distinguished Delegate awards students earned for work on their respective committees and an Outstanding Delegation award for representing Saudi Arabia overall. “This is superb! It is wonderful to see UNCP represented so well by this group of students!” Added Dr. Meredith Storms, interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences.

 Participating students included: Kendall Bauer, Mia Baxley, Garrison Davis, Brian Edwards, Dajer Fernandez, Riley Gary, Tyler Grumelot, Devon Hester, Logan John, Maureen Johnston, Nicholos Palmer, Nicholas Rhodes, Carlos Rodriguez, Maddie Smith, Desmond Woods, and Andrew Yarborough. 

 

UNCP GRADUATE SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM RANKED

Best Social WorkThe UNCP Master of Social program is ranked #6 among the 50 Most Affordable Accredited MSW Programs in the East for 2016.  Best Social Work Programs (BSWP) ranked MSW programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in New England, Mid-Atlantic and southeastern states.  BSWP confirmed the schools’ accreditation status and compared their graduate tuition and fees to rank the programs. UNCP's program is considered the 6th most affordable in the eastern United States. Check out our Master of Social Work program

 

ART STUDENT PLACES IN NATIONAL COMPETITION

Untitled by Reneba JohnsonGraduate student Reneba Dayona Johnson (Art) participated in the national New Impressions Printmaking Competition, and her print Untitled (pictured at left) tied for a third place award in the etching category.  Sponsored by the printmaking paper company Arnheim 1618, the competition was for college students across the country and awarded prizes totaling $10,000. Her print, along with those of the other winners, will be exhibited at the Sawtooth School of the Visual Arts, Winston-Salem, NC, and at the Southern Graphics Conference in 2016. Other winners in this category were from Cal State Long Beach; the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the School of Visual Arts, New York; and the University of British Columbia.

 

STUDENTS AND THE PERCUSSIVE ARTS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

Students_Percussive_Arts_Soceity Joseph Van Hassel (Music) and seven UNCP students performed at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in San Antonio, Texas, November 11-13, 2015. Their performance included the world premiere of David Macbride's Flam, which can be seen here. The students not only performed but also attended performances and sessions by professionals such as Christopher Lamb (principal percussionist with the New York Philharmonic) and Ndugu Chancler (drummer for Michael Jackson, Santana, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, etc.).

Students received a PURC grant to help fund the trip. Participants, pictured left to right above, included: Allison Sontag, Hunter Baxley, Brandon West, Melody Strupe, Angelis Hernandez, Darius Dawson, William Campos, David Macbride (composer), and Joseph Van Hassel.

 

UNCP GRADUATE RAMON ZEPEDA MAKING A DIFFERENCE

UNCP graduate Ramon Zepeda (Sociology and Criminal Justice) was featured in a Fayetteville Observer article on December 26, 2015.  The first member of his immediate family to graduate from both high school and college, Zepeda is currently the program director for the Student Action with Farmworkers Program of the Southeast, a non-profit organization that helps college students and farmworkers build coalitions for social change through storytelling and the arts.  Born in a small village in Mexico, Zepeda lived in East Los Angeles before his family settled in Hoke County, while his father pursued work in agriculture.  Faced with pressure to work full time to help support his family, he chose the convenience of UNCP because of its supportive faculty and staff. “They are good people. I knew this would be difficult for me, and they were super-supportive,” he says. Today, he lectures on immigrant worker issues at colleges across the South, sharing his first-hand experiences, and addressing economic misconceptions and stereotypes about immigrant workers. Associate professor James Robinson (Sociology and Criminal Justice) notes, “His ability to engage with students is amazing. He speaks with an understanding that comes with experience.”  

 

RECENT GRADUATE NAMED 2015 OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Caleb Lockear, a recent gradute of the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department, was selcted by his peers as the 2015 Police Officer of the Year for the Laurinburg North Carolina Police Department.  Locklear joined the force in 2013. Robert McDonnell (Sociology and Criminal Justice) notes, "It is a great honor, especially when selected by your fellow officers. He is another example of high quality outcome produced by our department. More importantly, he is a fine young man."  Congratulations, Officer Locklear.

 

UNCP MODEL UNITED NATIONS TEAM HAS SUCCESSFUL FALL CONFERENCE

Vietnam Delegation

Twenty-Five students traveled to Atlanta to participate in the Fall Southern Regional Model United Nations Conference and returned after having the most successful fall conference in the history of the UNCP program.  UNCP delegations representing the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam won Distinguished Delegation awards, and the Vietnam delegation won an Outstanding Position Paper award.  Students Tyler Grumelot and Micah Baldwin also won individual awards in their committee. 

The Model United Nations Program at UNCP is led by Kevin Freeman, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. “What’s most exciting is the energy in our students. They go to conferences expecting to win, and the students police each other to make sure that everyone is pulling their weight. I’m incredibly proud of our team and how they represented UNCP," he stated. 

 

UNIVERSITY CHORALE AND PEMBROKE SINGERS PERFORM WITH REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Chorale

The UNCP University Chorale and Pembroke Singers performed their Annual Fall Concert at the UC Annex October 29, 2015. One of the highlights of the concert was a combined performance of "Hope for Resolution" performed by the UNCP University Chorale and Gray's Creek Women's Chorus for an audience of more than 200 guests. Under the direction of Ms. Amy Stovall, Gray's Creek High School choral program has become one of the strongest choral program in our region.  Ms. Stovall is a recent graduate of our Master's degree program in Music Education.

José Rivera, Undergraduate Music Education Coordinator, noted, "These types of artistic/educational collaborations between our institution and regional school Arts programs are powerful venues to build meaningful relationships, support existing Arts programs, and attract potential students to our university." 

 Next semester the University Chorale will collaborate with two other area high school choral programs for a combined performance of "Choral Music from Around the World."

 

MODEL UNITED NATIONS TEAM BRINGS HOME AWARD FROM NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Model UN Team

UNCP’s Model United Nations team traveled to Washington, D.C. October 30-November 1, 2015, to participate in its first National Model United Nations Conference.  The team brought home a Distinguished Delegation award recognizing its overall strength in diplomacy, negotiation, writing, problem-solving, and teamwork. One team member, Nicholos Palmer, also won an Outstanding Position Paper award for an extensive research paper discussing his committee's goals related to particular world problems.  The team members included: Diana Feria, Maureen Johnston, Jordin Dickerson (Head Delegate), Jeremy Jacobs, Nicholos Palmer, Logan John, Demetrius Edwards, Andrew Yarborough, Dajer Fernandez, Garrison Davis.

"This is an incredibly competitive conference, and to come home with two amazing awards truly speaks to the strength of this school’s Model UN program and students," noted Kevin Freeman (Political Science and Public Administration).  While in Washington, the team had a private tour of the Capitol Building and visited the Brazilian Embassy, where embassy staff briefed the students on Brazilian foreign policy. 

 

NEW BOOK ABOUT MERRIWELL BY RYAN K. ANDERSON

Anderson_Merriwell

Ryan K. Anderson, associate professor in History, has published a new book Frank Merriwell and the Fiction of All-American Boyhood: The Progressive Era Creations of the Schoolboy Sports Story (University of Arkansas Press, September 2015, 320 pages).  Created by Gilbert Patten, writing under the name of Burt L. Standish, Frank Merriwell was a fictional schoolboy athlete featured in over 800 stories published in Tip Top Weekly. “He helped define an entire generation of boys who grew up with him, and he informed a generation how to raise a boy,” Anderson said.  “This book has appeal to readers interested in gender studies, sports, business, and book history,” Anderson continued. 

 

ART MAJOR RECEIVES 2015 TRI-STATE SCULPTORS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Jai_work

UNCP undergraduate art major Jai Woods will be recognized for her accomplishments at the 37th Annual Tri-State Sculptors Conference in Wilmington, NC. The conference will be held at UNC-Wilmington October 1-4, 2014. During the conference Ms. Woods will conduct a presentation of her work for Tri-State Members as she receives her 2015 Tri-State Sculptors Memorial Scholarship. This award is granted to one undergraduate and one graduate student whose work demonstrates a focus or concentration in sculpture.

  

STUDENT SCIENCE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM (SSEP) GRANT RECEIVED 

Kids in the Garden: Developing STEM Skills for a Sustainable Future, a program created by professors Martin Farley (Geology and Geography), Rita Hagevik (Biology),  Deborah Hanmer (Biology), and Jeffrey Warren(Education) receives funding from The Burroughs Wellcome Fund, an independent private foundation headquarted in Research Triangle Park, N.C..  The Student Science Enrichment Program (SSEP) grant provides $180,000 distributed over a three-year period. 

The program is designed to engage rising middle and high school students from Bladen, Richmond, Robeson, and Cumberland Counties in STEM-related biotechnology research and careers by having them study the hidden “micro-world” of pollen (palynology) and how it relates to sustainable agriculture, botany, ecology, and environmental change. Approximately 20 secondary students as well as their schools and teachers will participate each year in the project over a three-year period. The 2015 Student Science Enrichment Program grants, awarded to 13 nonprofit organizations and totaling $2.16 million, support informal STEM programing to take place outside the traditional classroom setting.  

 

DR. ELLERBE PUBLISHES REVIEW IN PROMINENT JOURNAL

Calvina_Ellerbe

Calvina Ellerbe, associate professor in Sociology and Criminal Justice, recently published a review in a prominent referred journal.  Her review of the book Faith, Family, and Filipino American Community Life by Stephen M. Cherry appears in the September 2015 issue of Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews

 

2015 LSAMP SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM WELCOMES STUDENTS

LSAMP

The NC-Louis Stokes Alliance for Minoriy Participation (LSAMP) at UNC Pembroke is an NSF-funded grant with Dr. Velinda Locklear Woriax (Biology) as the principal investigator and Ms. Valarie Deese as the Recruiter/Campus Coordinator. The goal of the grant is to increase the number of capable, successful historically underrepresented students completing a baccalaureate program in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as well as the number of students that enter into STEM graduate programs.

Four incoming freshman participated in the UNC Pembroke LSAMP Summer Bridge enrichment component July 6 through August 7, 2015.  The program included hands-on laboratory projects, fieldtrips, instruction on academic support opportunities, and tips for student success. Students developed research projects individually to allow them to think critically about about how problems are approached using the scientific method. Students isolated bacterial species from a local river source and conducted various assays to identify the species to the genus level. Research findings will be presented at upcoming regional and national meetings.