January 2019

Message from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli

Dear Seahawk Community,

We started the new year with great recognition from U.S. News & World Report, which ranked UNCW 8th in the nation on its list of “2019 Best Online Bachelor’s Programs.” This distinction highlights our commitment to making affordable, high-quality academic programs more accessible for students with diverse needs, including rural residents, working professionals and military-affiliated students. Other institutions on the list include Arizona State, Oregon State and the University of Florida. We also look forward to building on the opportunities now available to UNCW as one of North Carolina’s “Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity” (along with ECU, UNCC, UNCG and NC A&T) as announced last month.

Earlier this month, the College of Arts and Sciences launched a new Visiting Artist and Scholar Program, supported in part by the Beane Wright Foundation through UNCW Board of Trustees member Agnes R. Beane. General Counsel John Scherer was appointed to the N.C. Veterans Affairs Commission, and UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship received a $100,000 grant from the NC IDEA foundation. An international group of scientists – including William McLellan, a research associate in the Department of Biology and Marine Biology, and marine biology graduate student Laura Murley – launched a research cruise in January to explore ocean waters off the coast of North and South Carolina to conduct cetacean visual and acoustic surveys.

As these and other achievements show, our spring semester is shaping up for success. Progress will continue across campus on Phase I of our recovery from Hurricane Florence, which caused $140 million in damage at UNCW last fall. We still have a lot of work to complete – our full recovery will require a couple of years of dedicated effort – but we have repaired a number of campus buildings; initiated renovation plans for Dobo Hall, our main science building; and installed modular units designed to serve as temporary science labs and faculty offices (see photo below). In addition to storm-related projects, construction of Veterans Hall is well underway; we are nearing completion of new parking areas; and we are moving forward with plans to remodel and expand Randall Library.

In closing, I want to recognize the contributions of the late Marvin K. Moss, former UNCW provost, who was instrumental in paving the way for the growth and success of our Center for Marine Science. He passed away in January, but the university he championed will continue to thrive far into the future.

We’re wrapping up the first month of the spring semester with Homecoming 2019. I look forward to seeing hundreds of alumni back on campus for reunions, the Legacy Pinning Ceremony, the African American Graduate Association Luncheon, TEALgate, basketball games and much, much more.

Go Seahawks! 

Jose V. Sartarelli
Chancellor

UNCW welcomed community leaders to Kenan House in anticipation of the new coastal engineering program, which is pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. In this photo, Chancellor Sartarelli greets Dr. Yousry Sayed of Quality Chemical Laboratories, whose five-year, $5 million commitment is helping UNCW develop new programs in chemistry and pharmaceutical science. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo ’83 is at right in the background.

The Williston Alumni Choir, which includes UNCW Board of Trustees member Wilma Daniels (front row, center), performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, sponsored by the Upperman African American Cultural Center. 

UNCW installed modular units near Leutze and Morton Halls to serve as temporary research labs and office space while Dobo Hall undergoes extensive renovation to repair damage from Hurricane Florence.

Scholars from 20 different countries are visiting campus through the Fulbright Teaching Excellence Award program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and the International Research and Exchanges Board. It enables secondary school teachers to come to U.S. host universities for six weeks to engage in targeted professional development and growth opportunities.