Volleyball team honors Biology faculty trio
Biology faculty Crystal Walline, Meg Zets, and Nicolas Negrin Pereira are making a big difference in the classroom. Last fall, student athletes in their classes honored them during the UNCP volleyball team’s Faculty and Staff Appreciation night. The September 28th event recognized 15 faculty and staff across the campus who made positive impacts on the lives of student athletes. Students who bestowed certificates of appreciation on Biology faculty were Taylor Osborne (Dr. Walline), Abby ("Abigail") Spencer (Prof. Zets), and Kaitlyn Pressley (Dr. Negrin Pereira).
1,014 cross the stage at Winter Commencement
Aaron Woods’ eyes welled up with tears as he spotted his parents seated inside the English Jones Center gymnasium during the processional minutes before his name would be called at the Winter Commencement at UNC Pembroke. At that moment, the Pembroke native reflected on the personal obstacles he had overcome in his decades-long journey to graduation.
UNCP awarded $950K grant to establish addiction recovery center
UNC Pembroke has been awarded a $950,000, three-year grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust to create the Southeastern Prevention and Addiction Recovery Resource Center (SPARC) within the College of Health Sciences. Expanding on the current efforts of the Robeson County Health Care Corporation (RHCC) and Robeson County District Attorney’s Office, SPARC will provide a community-based effort to address the immediate and long-term substance use and recovery needs in the county.
UNC Pembroke Awarded $510K Grant to Expand Community Health Worker Initiative
UNC Pembroke has been awarded a $510,000 grant in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to expand the state’s Community Health Worker (CHW) Initiative. The funds are part of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Community Health Workers for COVID Response and Resilient Communities.
UNCP awarded grant to establish a counselor-in-residence program
UNC Pembroke has been awarded a $78,000 mental health grant to create a counselor-in-residence program. A full-time counselor will live in the residence halls and provide counseling services there. UNCP is among 12 UNC System institutions to receive grant funding to increase behavioral health capacity and strengthen mental health resources available to students starting this fall.
UNC Pembroke Awarded $300K DOJ Grant to Enhance Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy Efforts
UNC Pembroke received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVM) to support the university’s Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy Program. The grant will help the university expand its efforts to proactively prevent and respond to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking on campus. The funds will be spread over three years.
UNCP renames building in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Joe Oxendine
Chancellor Emeritus Joe Oxendine helped transform UNC Pembroke and his legacy lives on in his commitment to education, his community and the university he cherished. One of the major accomplishments during his tenure was the official name change to UNC Pembroke. The Board of Trustees voted last week to rename West Hall in honor of Oxendine. The 40,840-square-foot state-of-the-art facility recently completed a $13.6 million renovation and will be known as the Dr. Joseph B. Oxendine Administrative Building.
Adjunct nursing professor honored with state award
UNC Pembroke Clinical Assistant Professor Jermecka Hamilton Covington has been named the 2021 Rookie of The Year by the North Carolina Nurses Association (NCNA). The annual award is given by the NCNA board of directors to a nurse who has been a member less than two years and excels at promoting a positive image of nursing and the professional organization to peers and consumers.
UNCP climbs in 2022 U.S. News’ Best Colleges ranking
UNC Pembroke appeared in four categories in the U.S. News & World Report 2022 Best Colleges rankings. UNCP was ranked No.65 among Regional Universities in the South—climbing 10 spots each of the last two years. UNCP also ranked as a top performer for Social Mobility (18th), Top Public Schools–Regional Universities in the South (30th), and Best Undergraduate Nursing (221st).
UNCP’s Leslie Locklear appointed to Hunt-Lee Commission
UNC Pembroke’s Dr. Leslie Locklear has been appointed to the newly-created Hunt-Lee Commission. Locklear serves as program coordinator for the First Americans Teacher Education program at UNCP. Additionally, she serves as an adjunct professor in the Professional School Counseling Department and co-chair of the N.C. Native American Youth Organization Adult Advisory Committee. She previously served on the state’s DRIVE (Develop a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education) Task Force.