Dear Colleagues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I complete my seventh year as UNC Charlotte\u2019s fourth chancellor (on July 15), I am pleased to provide you with another update on activities at the University. For those of you who have regularly received and read these periodic missives, you\u2019ll note that this one is a tad bit late in arriving. Normally, I like to issue my updates shortly after the commencement ceremonies but, this year, one thing after the next seemed to get in the way. I can promise you that I haven\u2019t been goofing off. In fact, I missed commencement this year as my daughter, Ali, was celebrating her graduation from West Virginia University. With three college graduates now out in the working world, I can see the Promised Land!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Back home, however, commencement went on quite well without me. Commencement is a ceremony that traditionally marks the completion of an academic journey, but the event also represents a beginning. For UNC Charlotte, this year marked the start of a new era, as the University celebrated our 100,000th alumnus during spring commencement ceremonies. To help commemorate the occasion, past alumni association presidents were on hand, along with members of some of our first graduating classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marketing major Fabian Elliott was honored as the 100,000th graduate in the company of nearly 3,500 of his peers, 48 of whom earned doctoral degrees. In fact, the 2011-12 academic year was a record breaker, with 118 doctoral degrees awarded in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commencement provides a moment to pause and reflect, but the pause doesn\u2019t last for long. The University is a place of constant change, with little \u201cdown time\u201d for the faculty and staff who create a positive experience for our students. The University community has been diligently preparing to welcome the largest-ever freshman class in our history\u2014631 more prospective students than anticipated have accepted admission for fall 2012. If all of the students who\u2019ve accepted admission attend, our estimate is that fall freshman enrollment will total 3,801.<\/p>\n\n\n\n