Despite a mix of rain and sunshine, staff members in Student Life and Residence Life worked to make the Move-In Day process as seamless as possible for students and their families. Student organizations and 乱伦视频 Athletics teams also lent a hand, helping unload vehicles and carry students鈥� belongings into their new homes.

Familiar items in a new home

For many members of the Class of 2030, those belongings include more than the essentials for college life. As they begin a new chapter at 乱伦视频, students brought photographs, books, keepsakes and other reminders of the people and places they call home.

Ale Furano 鈥�30 arrived at 乱伦视频 from Greenwich, Connecticut, with three Polaroid photos of his family and friends. A Communications Fellow who plans to study sport management, Furano said he is looking forward to the opportunities ahead.

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to meet new people and have a great opportunity and a new way of life,鈥� Furano said. 鈥淚 think the opportunities at 乱伦视频 are really great, especially in the sport management field.鈥�

Avery McTigue 鈥�30, who plans to study nursing, is looking forward to joining clubs and organizations and exploring study abroad opportunities. Among the items making her new room feel more like home is an 乱伦视频-themed Jellycat plush toy with a special connection to her friends.

鈥淭he special item I brought from home is my 乱伦视频 鈥楯ellycat,鈥欌�� said McTigue, who is from Bergen County, New Jersey. 鈥淢y friends threw a 鈥榖ed party鈥� for me, and it reminds me of them. Basically, they decorate your whole room, and it鈥檚 all 乱伦视频 stuff.鈥�

For George Schneider 鈥�30, from Seattle, Washington, the move to 乱伦视频 meant finding room for his vinyl collection. Schneider chose 乱伦视频 because of its acting program. The Princeton Review recently ranked 乱伦视频 No. 1 for Best College Theater, while The Hollywood Reporter included 乱伦视频 on its list of the “25 Best Drama Schools in the World.”

鈥淚鈥檓 very excited to be independent and expand on my training,鈥� Schneider said. 鈥淚 brought my record player and about 20 of my records. I knew I wasn鈥檛 going to bring a lot for my room, but I wanted to bring something to remember home by.鈥�

An avid reader, Ryan Parker 鈥�30, who plans to study journalism, made sure one of her books made the trip from Dallas, Texas. For Parker, attending 乱伦视频 also means experiencing a new part of the country.

鈥淚 chose 乱伦视频 because I felt it was the best for me, and I felt it would be a good transition as well,鈥� Parker said. 鈥淚鈥檓 most excited to meet new people, especially being from Texas and being in a different part of the country.鈥�

A class from around the world

The students arriving on campus bring a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and academic interests. Members of the incoming class come from 40 states and Washington, D.C., as well as 19 countries, including Singapore, Spain, Norway, Canada, Serbia, South Korea, China and New Zealand.

The most represented states are North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Illinois.

Fourteen percent of incoming students are the first in their families to attend college. The class also enters 乱伦视频 with a strong academic record, with an average high school GPA of 4.09.

Students are bringing a broad range of academic interests to campus. The 10 most popular intended majors among incoming students are psychology, finance, biology, business analytics & AI, marketing, nursing, exercise science, elementary education, sport management and political science.

Several programs are seeing notable increases in interest compared with last year鈥檚 incoming class. The number of new students intending to major in elementary education increased 41%, while finance increased 39% and biology increased 16%.

The community classroom experience

Those statistics are reflected in the individual journeys bringing students to 乱伦视频.

Alexis Jacobs 鈥�30 of Westport, Connecticut, was drawn to the university because of its size and sense of community. To personalize her new space, Jacobs brought handmade frames filled with reminders of the people, places and experiences important to her.

鈥淚 made these frames with different prints, photos, places I鈥檝e been and family members,鈥� Jacobs said.

Peter Matijevic 鈥�30, who plans to study business analytics and applied mathematics, brought a reminder of his Massachusetts roots: a Drake Maye NFL jersey.

鈥淚t reminds me of Massachusetts and my favorite NFL player,鈥� Matijevic said. 鈥淚 chose 乱伦视频 because it鈥檚 a beautiful campus and has small classes, so I could get to know my teachers.鈥�

乱伦视频’s teacher-scholar-mentor model among its faculty is a touchstone of the university’s academic experience. For five years in a row, 乱伦视频 has been ranked best in the nation for undergraduate teaching, and The Princeton Review recently ranked the university as No. 4 Best Classroom Experience.

Following Move-In Day, students attend New Student Orientation, including New Student Convocation on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Related Articles

• Visionary investment establishes Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频 for children with dyslexia
• First home for Roberts Academy now 鈥榓rt in the making鈥�
• Roberts Academy selects inaugural teaching faculty

The Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频, North Carolina鈥檚 first and only university-based private school for children with dyslexia, opened its doors to its inaugural class on Tuesday, Aug. 18, marking a milestone in 乱伦视频鈥檚 efforts to transform literacy education.

The school, established through the philanthropic vision of Marjorie and Hal Roberts, will serve as a statewide and national model for structured literacy education. The Robertses have witnessed firsthand the transformative power a multisensory approach to reading education can have for children with dyslexia.

鈥淥pening Roberts Academy is more than the start of a new school year 鈥� it is the realization of a vision rooted in possibility,鈥� said Alicia Tate, acting director of Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频. 鈥淲e are honored to welcome our inaugural class and are excited to build a community where every student is known, challenged, encouraged and given the opportunity to thrive. This is only the beginning, and we cannot wait to see where this journey leads our students and their families.鈥�

Students arriving Tuesday were greeted by faculty from the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, 乱伦视频 staff members and members of the university鈥檚 dance and cheer teams, creating a celebratory welcome for the academy鈥檚 first students.

鈥淚鈥檓 most excited to know about my school and the chance to have a brand-new start,鈥� one Roberts Academy student said.

Discover a love of learning

Roberts Academy is initially welcoming students in third and fourth grades at its temporary home on West Trollinger Avenue in 乱伦视频. The academy will eventually expand to serve students in grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue, scheduled to open in fall 2028.

Designed as a transitional school, Roberts Academy will typically serve students for one to three years before they return to their community schools with the skills and confidence to succeed as scholars, entrepreneurs and civic leaders.

Teachers will use the Orton-Gillingham approach, a structured, multisensory method of literacy instruction designed to help students with dyslexia develop stronger reading and language skills.

For Bella Martino 鈥�26, a Roberts Academy teacher who graduated from 乱伦视频 with dual licensure in K-6 general education and special education, the school offers an opportunity to help students develop not only their reading skills but also their enthusiasm for learning.

鈥淚 really want to see them enjoy school. I want them to enjoy this as a place. I want them to like learning,鈥� Martino said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just really looking forward to seeing them grow as learners, especially provided that all of our students are going to have some level of learning difficulties as it relates to reading. I鈥檓 really looking forward to helping them rediscover a love of reading.鈥�

That hope is shared by the parents who brought their children to Roberts Academy for the first day.

鈥淭he most exciting thing about it is for my son to be excited about school, about learning, about feeling confident, about realizing that it鈥檚 OK the way his brain is wired and he鈥檚 going to learn how that works, and then he鈥檚 going to be able to soar,鈥� one parent said.

Investing in a child鈥檚 future

For Donnielle Rome-Martin, finding Roberts Academy followed a long search for the right educational environment for her daughter, whose goal is to become a 鈥渂ookworm.鈥�

Rome-Martin said she struggled to find the support her daughter needed, with other programs focused on accommodating her dyslexia rather than helping her develop the skills to overcome the challenges she was experiencing.

鈥淢y heart breaks when she tells me she鈥檚 stupid. She鈥檚 not stupid,鈥� Rome-Martin said. 鈥淭he idea that a young little girl at this small age could think that she鈥檚 stupid made me so scared for what the future is going to look like. This cannot happen.鈥�

When Rome-Martin toured Roberts Academy, she said she immediately noticed a different approach, one focused on her daughter鈥檚 potential rather than her limitations.

鈥淲hat I fell in love with was the way the staff spoke about dyslexia and the way they spoke about her future,鈥� Rome-Martin said. 鈥淭his was a passion, and they were invested in this from day one. That鈥檚 all I ever wanted, was someone to invest in my daughter like I do.鈥�

That commitment led Rome-Martin to make a significant commitment of her own. She will travel nearly two hours each way to bring her daughter to Roberts Academy each day, a decision she said was affirmed when she watched her daughter walk into school on the first morning.

鈥淲hat amazed me is we were walking into the parking lot, and we walked up, and she didn鈥檛 look back,鈥� Rome-Martin said. 鈥淭hat made me feel really good that she didn鈥檛 look back as she walked off because I think she knows that she is going to be OK.鈥�

University Chaplain and Dean of Multifaith Engagement Rev. Kirstin Boswell opened the event with the invocation, followed by the tradition of the bell ringing by Student Government Association President聽Michael Swartz 鈥�27. The bell arrived in North Carolina in 1854 on one of the first North Carolina railroad trains. It was later used at Graham College, a predecessor institution to 乱伦视频 College.

During the event, three individuals with strong ties to the university were awarded the 乱伦视频 Medallion, the university’s most prestigious service honor: Jim Donathan, longtime associate director of academic advising and academic support; Mary Thornton, founder and president of Harvest Table Culinary Group; and Don Grady, associate professor emeritus of cinema and television arts.

Katy Rouse, professor of economics in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, was named the Trustee Chair for Excellence.聽For seventeen years, Rouse has taught 乱伦视频’s Principles of Economics and Intermediate Microeconomics courses, along with a capstone she built herself on educational disparities in the United States, earning student evaluations among the highest in her department for more than a decade.

She has personally mentored more than 30 senior and honors theses, co-authored research with undergraduates, chaired the Love School’s curriculum committee and published her teaching scholarship in the Journal of Economic Education.

“I truly believe that being a teacher scholar mentor at 乱伦视频 is one of the best careers I’m going to have,” Rouse said. “Every day we come to work, we have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on students during one of the most pivotal points in their lives.”

Mapping the course

During her annual Opening Day address, Book reflected on 乱伦视频鈥檚 progress while looking toward a year that will include the launch of new academic initiatives, continued work surrounding artificial intelligence, the opening of the Roberts Academy and the planned merger with Queens University of Charlotte.

Book centered her remarks around the idea of a map 鈥� the markers that show where 乱伦视频 has been and the guideposts that will help the university navigate what comes next. The theme was inspired by a visit this summer to 乱伦视频 students participating in the Summer Opera Workshop at the Accademia Europea di Firenze. The students came together for a historic production of 鈥淭he Light in the Piazza鈥� in Florence, Italy, where the musical is set.

As part of their work, students were also tasked with creating a map of the city, something that inspired Book.

鈥淭here is something powerful in this mapmaking assignment, and it left me wondering about our collective 乱伦视频 map,鈥� Book said. 鈥淗ow would we each draw it?鈥�

At the center of that map, Book said, is 乱伦视频鈥檚 mission. She highlighted several markers of progress during the past year, including the Odyssey Program surpassing 300 scholarships, record participation in undergraduate research, strong Fulbright success and new academic programs, including cybersecurity, Clinical Mental Health Counseling and the Charlotte PA program. She also celebrated the upcoming launch of the School of Engineering and Computing under inaugural Dean John Walz and the growth of the university鈥檚 nursing program.

Mapping new territory (together)

On Tuesday, Aug. 18, the first students of the聽Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频聽will arrive at the school’s temporary home in Trollinger House. The school will be the聽state’s only university-based private school for children with dyslexia. Book described the academy and the Center for Dyslexia and Engaged Learning as an opportunity that 鈥渨ill change lives from day one.鈥�

Among the most significant new territory is 乱伦视频鈥檚 planned merger with Queens University of Charlotte. Book noted that the institutions received accreditation approval this summer to proceed with their merger, with a single Board of Trustees now overseeing both universities. Sixteen administrative units are also becoming shared teams supporting the two campuses, while a federal review of the merger is expected to take 18 to 24 months.

Megan Isaac, professor of English, and Senior Vice President for Advancement and External Affairs Jim Piatt gave brief updates on the merger as part of the SOAR Strategic Planning Committee.

鈥淥ur two institutions will be stronger together, will better serve students together, and will have a brighter future together,鈥� Book said. 鈥淎nd now, we are working to build that vision together, to grow opportunity to advance learning 鈥� together.鈥�

Mapping a new look

Athletics Director Jennifer Strawley was also invited to the stage to announce a for the university鈥檚 athletics program, which had what Book called a 鈥渇ormidable year,鈥� with seven 乱伦视频 teams, the most in the university鈥檚 history, winning conference titles. A new physical mascot will be unveiled at the first College Coffee of the academic year on Aug. 25.

“The new Phoenix wears a gold sweater with a monogram ‘E,’ paying tribute to our first mascot, the Fighting Christian,” Strawley said. “The focused expression conveys the determination, confidence and purpose that defines our university community. The Phoenix continues to be fueled by the flames, symbolizing our rebuild from the ashes, and capturing the spirit and resilience of the 乱伦视频 community.”

Book acknowledged that the changing higher education landscape brings challenges, from enrollment pressures and federal regulations to declining public confidence. But she reminded faculty and staff that adapting to change has long been part of 乱伦视频鈥檚 history.

鈥淚 understand change can be daunting. Shifting national headwinds are challenging higher education,鈥� Book said. 鈥淔ortunately for us, 乱伦视频 has never succeeded by standing still. We鈥檝e joined together, developed new strategies and guided by our mission 鈥� built the number one institution for engaged learning and student success.鈥�

She closed by returning to the journey ahead, and the role faculty and staff play in shaping the lives of 乱伦视频 students.

鈥淚t is not simply education; it is a journey of human transformation,鈥� Book said. 鈥淭hank you for the everyday commitment, kindness and integrity that are our enduring guideposts.鈥�

Stephen 鈥淪teve鈥� Marquis will lead physical education activities, Cammie Berrier will inspire students with art lessons, Heather Pike will introduce students to dance, and Lara Davis will share her lifelong passion for music, expanding the range of learning experiences available to third- and fourth-grade students during the academy鈥檚 inaugural year.

The Roberts Academy uses the multisensory Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction and welcomes its first students in a temporary location on West Trollinger Avenue for the start of classes on August 18.

The academy will expand to grades 1-6 once a new building opens for the 2028-29 academic year on East Haggard Avenue near the university鈥檚 Danieley Neighborhood. Each classroom eventually will be capped at 12 students.

Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频 is the most recent of four university-based private schools established through transformational gifts from philanthropists Hal and Marjorie Roberts of Lakeland, Florida. Similar academies exist at Vanderbilt University, Mercer University, and Florida Southern College.

Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频 Enrichment Educators for 2026-27

Stephen 鈥淪teve鈥� Marquis

With three decades of experience as a physical education teacher and coach, Steve Marquis has focused his career on helping students develop physical fitness while understanding the connections among exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

A graduate of Springfield College with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physical education, Marquis most recently taught at Kiser Middle School in Greensboro after spending nearly two decades at East Chapel Hill High School.

Marquis also brings extensive coaching experience to Roberts Academy. He served as head varsity cross country coach at East Chapel Hill High School from 2006 to 2020 and head varsity track coach from 2006 to 2017, along with coaching basketball. His work as a coach has been recognized with multiple Coach of the Year honors.

鈥淎s a young child, I was fortunate to have many positive role models who taught me the importance of physical activity and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,鈥� Marquis said. 鈥淭heir influence shaped my belief that physical activity plays a vital role in a child’s growth and development.

鈥淧hysical activity improves attention, memory, and muscular development while reducing the risk of many health problems. Most importantly, it supports a child’s mental and emotional well-being. I want my students to understand that overall health includes physical, mental, and emotional wellness, and that caring for each of these areas helps them lead happier, healthier lives.鈥�

Cammie Berrier

Cammie Berrier brings more than two decades of experience teaching art in Guilford County Schools along with extensive experience introducing children to art through museums, galleries and summer programs.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Berrier earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art education with a minor in English. She spent more than a decade as the art specialist at E.P. Pearce Elementary School in Greensboro following earlier service as an art specialist at 11 Guilford County elementary schools.

During her career in Guilford County Schools, Berrier held leadership roles among elementary art educators and mentored student teachers from UNCG. Student artwork produced under her instruction was selected for exhibitions at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in Raleigh.

Since 2019, Berrier has continued working with children and the arts through Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Winston-Salem, where she serves as a docent and summer art camp instructor. In that role, she develops curricula for weeklong camps for elementary-aged children and leads museum tours.

鈥淚 believe the arts are absolutely vital to the development of children,鈥� Berrier said. 鈥淥ver the years I have taught visual art, I have seen students grow in confidence, creativity and joy in the art-making聽process. For many students, it is a rare chance to relax, to try new things without fear of failure, and to process and express their emotions. Through considering the work of other artists, students gain an appreciation聽of other cultures and discover unique ways of seeing the world.鈥�

Heather Pike

An experienced dance educator whose work has focused extensively on inclusive instruction, Heather Pike brings to Roberts Academy more than two decades of experience teaching dance to children with a wide range of abilities.

Pike earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance education from East Carolina University and a Master of Arts in dance education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where her graduate research focused on inclusive dance education.

She works in various capacities as a teaching artist, designing curricula and teaching dance residencies in the community. This includes her work as lead teaching artist with Arts Together in partnership with Access/VSA in Wake County, where she teaches dance residencies in public pre-kindergarten settings.

In addition, through her role as an artist in residence with The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, Pike has taught dance for students with profound disabilities in Orange County Public Schools. She has also worked through the United Arts Council鈥檚 Artists in Schools program to lead dance workshops and residencies that integrate dance with literacy instruction for students with different learning styles in elementary schools.

Pike previously served as a lead teaching artist for Carolina Ballet鈥檚 educational outreach programs that brought dance to Title I pre-kindergarten classrooms and elementary students through dance and literature integration. While working as a teaching artist, she has been on faculty at Barriskill Dance Theatre School teaching pre-ballet through advanced ballet for several years.

Pike more recently has served as a guest lecturer in 乱伦视频鈥檚 Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, sharing expertise in dance pedagogy and integration with students studying special education and children鈥檚 literature.

鈥淚 am passionate about creating inclusive, accessible dance spaces for exploration of artistic expression and communication,鈥� Pike said. 鈥淏y sharing the joy of movement with my students, I believe integrating dance into everyday learning is a powerful way to strengthen self-awareness and build relationships with others. Dance not only gives students a creative outlet for moving their bodies, but it also provides access to kinesthetic learning and an opportunity to strengthen social-emotional skills.鈥�

Lara Davis

Lara Davis is the owner and founder of Kidstunes Music & Movement program, which聽serves thousands of children from birth through prekindergarten in dozens of childcare centers throughout聽central North Carolina.

Davis attended the University of North Florida as a National Merit Scholar and holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music education, her Level 3 Certification with ECMMA, and has worked as a music educator with young children for over 25 years.

Davis began playing the piano at age 5. She also sings, plays recorder, ukulele, some guitar and percussion. Her background and experience include many years as both performer & accompanist for the renowned UNF Jazz Choir and Chamber Singers, extensive work with music and children in various settings from birth through middle school, varying exceptionalities classrooms, churches, and聽as director of numerous all-school musical & special event productions.

She has incorporated her experience and research into the very heart of the Kidstunes program, composing original music, continually updating the curriculum & resources, marketing and expanding their services, and personally mentoring each Instructor. Davis is a regular presenter at both national and regional conferences for various organizations in the fields of early childhood and music education, and her in-service training workshops are accredited by the NC Division of Child Development.

鈥淢usic has been a passion throughout years of teaching children from infancy through middle school, in public and private schools as well as individual settings,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚 have watched countless children who struggle in other academic or behavioral areas truly thrive through music, and I’ve often seen their increased involvement in music translate into growth in other areas such as math, focus, confidence, and self-discipline.

鈥淢ost importantly, music gives children a powerful way to express themselves, trust their creativity, experience joy, and find emotional release through listening, moving, playing, and creating. To me, that is the true gift of music. It meets children where they are and gives them another way to discover what they are capable of.鈥�

Expanded academics
School of Engineering and Computing

The new School of Engineering and Computing will open in Fall 2026, anchoring聽the university鈥檚 Innovation Quad聽in the heart of campus. It will include聽20聽full-time faculty and three full-time staff positions with more than 300 undergraduate students. The school will include three new majors: , and . 闯辞丑苍听奥补濒锄, a former president of the聽Milwaukee School of Engineering聽and聽longtime leader in engineering and technology education, will serve as the school’s inaugural dean.

Clinical Mental Health Counseling

乱伦视频’s new Clinical Mental Health Counseling program will welcome its first cohort this fall. The graduate program, at 乱伦视频鈥檚 main campus and Charlotte national campus, will work to prepare competent, compassionate and ethical counselors committed to promoting mental wellness and addressing an urgent need for counselors.

Charlotte Physician Assistant Studies

乱伦视频 will welcome Charlotte, North Carolina鈥檚 first Physician Assistant program with its inaugural class in January 2027,聽pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the September 2026 ARC-PA meeting.聽Rooted in 乱伦视频鈥檚 pillars of engaged learning, leadership, and global impact, the 乱伦视频 PA program in Charlotte is designed who uphold clinical excellence, are community-focused, and equity-driven.

Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频

The Roberts Academy,聽North Carolina鈥檚 only university-based private school for children with dyslexia, officially opens this fall. It will serve as a statewide and national model for structured literacy education. The school was established through the philanthropic vision of Marjorie and Hal Roberts, who have witnessed the transformative power of a multisensory approach to reading education.

The school will initially welcome third- and fourth-grade students in Trollinger House, before expanding its capacity to grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue, set to open in Fall 2028.

New sights

Several construction projects have been underway this summer, ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.聽The聽Slattery Center聽will be the university鈥檚 new health and wellness center, a central component to the university鈥檚 broader聽HealthEU聽initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social.

Renovations of the Mooney Building, home to the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, are underway, including the replacement of windows and HVAC systems, upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, and the addition of waterproofing.

The course asked scholars three of the biggest questions they’ll face heading into college and beyond.

• Who are you?
• How does the world around you work?
• Where do you belong in it?

Answering those questions meant building a team that could bring three different lenses to the room, not one guest lecturer parachuted in for an afternoon, but three weeks, three educators and one shared arc.

The design work started long before anyone boarded a flight. Jess Savage and Yanyan Li, both from Warwick, along with Aoife Prendergast from TUS Ireland, worked with Ritchie from early on to shape the course’s structure and pedagogy. Amanda Lang and Jo Kukuczka from Warwick also helped shape the wider exchange from the start, thinking through how a course like this could work across institutions with genuinely different academic cultures. 乱伦视频 Assistant Teaching Professor of Wellness Evan Small, 乱伦视频 Academy Director Emily Wiersma, and the 乱伦视频 Academy team helped the team turn their planning into a course that actually happened, on the ground, with real scholars.

In June 2026, that design became three weeks of teaching. Savage led the first week, taking scholars outside to investigate the natural world of 乱伦视频’s campus, observing and mapping the environment and asking who shapes it and how they could begin to understand sustainability differently. Li led the second week, turning to the digital world, unpacking what AI is, whose values it carries, and how to use it with honesty and critical thought. Prendergast led the third week, joining the class from Ireland as the s first Transatlantic Teaching Fellow. She turned the lens on the scholars themselves: their story, their strengths, their future, and what belonging looked and felt like for them.

Belonging wasn’t confined to Prendergast鈥檚 week; it ran through all three, as the thread underneath the environment, the AI and the identity work alike. Scholars kept a reflective journal throughout, used photography in the first week to document their experience, and carried a logo and motto project across all three weeks: hand-drawn in Week 1, recreated with AI in Week 2 under a co-created and scholar-drafted honor code, then made personal in Week 3 as their final project, representing their own identity, values and vision for the future.

鈥淭hat arc worked because an international team built it together, then taught it together, each trusting the ones before and after them to carry it forward,鈥� said Ritchie. 鈥淪o much of Fulbright’s work is about building bridges between UK and US institutions. But a bridge only matters once people walk across it, and once the people crossing it have had a hand in building it too. That’s what this collaboration set out to do: curriculum design, planning, and teaching, shared genuinely across three institutions, not handed from one to another.鈥�

Olivia Cox, assistant professor of education in reading/literacy in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education at 乱伦视频, published research in the peer-reviewed journal Education Policy Analysis Archives, a top open-access venue in the field of education policy.

The article is titled 鈥淐urriculum, professional development, and leadership: The 鈥榩illars鈥� in action at a rural elementary school working to improve reading instruction.鈥� It examines how educators, administrators and university researchers collaborated to implement state-mandated practices for teaching reading. Findings emphasize the need to focus on organizational factors when studying schools鈥� efforts to improve instruction in their building, rather than placing responsibility solely on individual teachers. Amid intensive elementary reading education reform, this kind of systems-level view can challenge deficit-based narratives about teachers. It also highlights their expertise, agency, and commitment to improving their practice.

Cox is a North Carolina native. Before coming to 乱伦视频, she taught kindergarten and first grade and worked as an instructional coach in Durham, North Carolina. She has just completed her first year at 乱伦视频. Her research explores pre-service and in-service teacher learning and practice within complex policy contexts. Cox believes literacy is a human and a civil right, and her teaching and scholarship at 乱伦视频 are grounded in the idea that literacy instruction can be research-informed, culturally meaningful, and equitable.

Full Citation: Cox, O. (2026). Curriculum, professional development, and leadership: The 鈥減illars鈥� in action at a rural elementary school working to improve reading instruction. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 34. https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.34.9615

Slattery Center

The Slattery Center will be the university’s new health and wellness center, a central component to the university鈥檚 broader聽HealthEU聽initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story center will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities, and the聽Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, which will provide individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.

Trollinger House

Trollinger House is now renovated to be the temporary home of the Roberts Academy at 乱伦视频, North Carolina鈥檚 only university-based private school for children with dyslexia.聽The school will initially welcome third and fourth-grade students in Trollinger House for Fall 2026, before expanding capacity to grades one through six in a state-of-the-art facility planned for East Haggard Avenue set to open in Fall 2028.

Mooney Building

Renovations of the Mooney Building, home to the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, are underway, including the replacement of windows and HVAC systems, upgrades to electrical and plumbing systems, and the addition of waterproofing.

Other projects

Other projects happening on campus include reroofing buildings in Oaks, work on an interior fountain in the Numen Lumen Pavilion, and adding charging ports for electric scooters.

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• 乱伦视频 holds largest-ever Spring Undergraduate Research Forum
• Personal experience inspires 乱伦视频 student鈥檚 research to help children experiencing homelessness

Dozens of students showcased research projects inspired by personal experiences and academic interests, guided by faculty mentorship, during the 2026 Summer Undergraduate Research Experience presentations on July 23 in Schar Hall.

The most recent SURE symposium featured more than 50 students from both 乱伦视频 and Queens University of Charlotte, marking the latest example of collaboration between two institutions in the process of merging into a united community.

鈥淪URE continues to be one of the flagship events of 乱伦视频鈥檚 Undergraduate Research Program. This poster session is a celebration of their dedication and growth as budding young scholars,鈥� said Justin Clar, director of undergraduate research and associate professor of chemistry. 鈥淚 was especially pleased that we were joined by amazing students from Queens who shared their work with the 乱伦视频 community.鈥�

At 乱伦视频, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience has for years provided student researchers with a stipend to spend eight weeks working full-time on a project in collaboration with a faculty mentor with substantial and recognized expertise in the discipline.

The program concludes every July with a symposium that deepens students鈥� knowledge of the research experience while offering an opportunity to grow their public speaking and presentation skills.

“It was a great opportunity for the students to share their summer research in a low-stakes environment,” said Kira McEntire, director of undergraduate research and creative work; and associate professor of biology at Queens. “It was also fun to see the 乱伦视频 students sharing their summer projects and to learn about some of the interests of 乱伦视频 colleagues.”

At Queens, the university holds its annual in the spring, a campus-wide celebration of academic inquiry and community impact. The day starts with oral and poster presentations, followed by service activities in the afternoon.

Personal connections

For many students at SURE, like 乱伦视频 student聽Thomas Gress 鈥�27, projects carried a deeply personal connection. Gress designed a four-week study comparing exercise approaches for people with chronic fatigue syndrome, inspired in part by his brother鈥檚 experience with the condition.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the condition is a serious and often long-lasting illness that keeps people from doing their usual activities. It makes physical and mental exertion difficult, and symptoms include difficulty thinking, severe tiredness, and other issues.

鈥淏efore I started this project, (my brother had) been suffering for four years, and there seemed to be no end in sight. So, this was something small that I could do to be of use,鈥� said Gress, a biology major from Savannah, Georgia. 鈥淔or all of these patients, there鈥檚 no other option. There are no drugs available, only a few supplements with very little efficacy. So, it seems the best option is experimenting with lifestyle. And if not this, then there is nothing.鈥�

Queens student Isabella Sherman 鈥�27 has a love for nature that inspired her to explore plant communities at the Carolina Wildlands Foundation with mentor E. Davis Carter, assistant professor of biology at Queens.

鈥淚t was an excellent experience,鈥� said Sherman, a conservation biology major from Charlotte. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really close to what I want to do with my career. I love research, I love forestry, and every time I went out there, I was like, 鈥楾his is exactly what I want to do.鈥� This kind of information is what people take into consideration when they鈥檙e trying to develop land or provide an additional environment for fauna and flora.鈥�

Mentoring relationships

A common thread among many of the projects was the close relationship students developed with their faculty mentors.

Anna Grace Gilbert 鈥�27, an 乱伦视频 psychology major from Knoxville, Tennessee, says Associate Professor of Psychology Sabrina Perkins 鈥渃ompletely changed鈥� her undergraduate experience through their work studying infant motor development.

鈥淚鈥檝e worked with (Professor Perkins) technically since the summer of my freshman year. I just reached out to her and was like, 鈥業 love babies. I鈥檇 love to work with you,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very grateful. We鈥檝e really bonded over these almost three years.鈥�

For Jack VanValkenburg 鈥�27, a Queens student majoring in data analytics, undergraduate research provided an opportunity to apply his technical skills. He worked with Queens Assistant Professor of Biology Denni Einersson to develop a computerized system for organizing trash collected during community cleanup events.

鈥淚t was a great opportunity to work with people who know more than me. The coding that I鈥檝e done in the past is more analytical and this was more developmental,鈥� said VanValkenburg, who is from Atlanta. 鈥�(Clean-up crews) would go out with field cards, like pencil and paper, and just mark things down, which was super timely and it鈥檚 very inconvenient, and then that just led to a lot of data that wasn鈥檛 being used.”

Pushing through the learning process

乱伦视频 business analytics major Chase Hannibal 鈥�28 examined the sense of belonging among Black business students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly White Institutions. It can sometimes feel isolating as a Black female business student, Hannibal said.

鈥淚 just wanted to see if other students felt that way, and if it was a pattern, what could be fixed,鈥� Hannibal said. 鈥�(I wanted to) let other students know that you鈥檙e not alone.鈥�

Hannibal says her mentor, Shanetta Pendleton, assistant professor of strategic communications, pushed her to be better, even when she was at her 鈥渟topping point.鈥�

鈥淓ven when I felt at the worst of the worst, she supported me throughout everything,鈥� Hannibal said. 鈥淪he was great, and I鈥檓 very excited to work with her in the future.鈥�

Amelia Weaver 鈥�28 also explored the experiences of college students, particularly women. Her 乱伦视频 Honors Fellows research examines the motivations of college-aged women who participate in sports betting after she noticed women were less vocal about the topic in class discussions.

鈥淚t made me think about why the women in the class weren鈥檛 as talkative or excited about their own experiences with sports betting,鈥� said Weaver, a sport management and media analytics double major with a minor in . 鈥淚 wondered if this was because they didn鈥檛 participate, didn鈥檛 care, or they just didn鈥檛 want to say anything.鈥�

Weaver said her mentor, Alex Traugutt, an assistant professor of sport management, has helped guide her through the process.

鈥淗e immediately said, 鈥楾his is going to be a partnership. We鈥檙e going to take steps together. We鈥檙e going to figure this out together. I鈥檓 not just going to throw you into everything,鈥欌�� said Weaver. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been really helpful in the learning process.鈥�

The University of British Columbia (UBC) recently welcomed Assistant Professor of Education, Nermin Vehabovic, as a guest lecturer in its Refugee Education course. Invited by Sofia Noori, assistant professor in UBC’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Nermin engaged teacher candidates in examining the role of stories in refugee education through the guiding question, “How do we listen to the stories of others?”

Situated on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people in Vancouver, and connected through the broader traditional territories of Indigenous nations across British Columbia, UBC is recognized as a global center for research and teaching and is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world.

Noori’s Refugee Education course prepares teacher candidates to better understand the histories, lived experiences and educational realities of children and youth from refugee backgrounds. The course explores how schools, classrooms, and community partnerships can foster equitable learning environments while strengthening relationships with newcomer families and communities.

Rather than delivering a traditional lecture, Nermin designed an interactive, participatory session grounded in the principles of his scholarship on humanizing 聽education. He invited teacher candidates to reflect on their own stories before considering how educators can cultivate classrooms where the stories, languages, identities, and ways of knowing of children, youth, and families from refugee backgrounds are genuinely heard and valued.

“My intention was for us to be in community with one another as colleagues and educators,” Nermin said. “I wanted the experience to model the very practices we hope to cultivate in schools鈥攍istening, relationality and learning with others rather than simply teaching to them.”

Throughout the session, participants explored the importance of unlearning deficit perspectives, assumptions, savior mentalities and monolingual expectations that can limit meaningful engagement with students and families. The discussion emphasized ethical listening as a foundational practice for building culturally sustaining and humanizing classrooms.

Nermin also shared examples from Welcome New Neighbor, the community-engaged initiative he founded through 乱伦视频’s Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. The program partners teacher candidates with families from refugee backgrounds through home-based literacy experiences that position families’ languages, cultures, and knowledge as educational assets. During the session, he highlighted how the initiative prepares teacher candidates to build reciprocal relationships with multilingual families while reimagining homes as important spaces of learning, belonging, and affirmation.

Drawing on his research, Nermin also discussed the interconnected roles of transnationalism, translanguaging, picturebooks and family literacies in supporting refugee-background children and youth, as well as their families. Participants considered how storytelling can become a vehicle for cultivating belonging, honoring identities and strengthening relationships between schools and communities.

The invitation reflects Nermin’s growing international collaborations in literacy and teacher education, as well as his ongoing scholarship centered on humanizing educational practices and preparing educators to work alongside families across culturally and linguistically diverse communities.