UNCG Names Dr. Morgan Chitiyo the New Dean of the School of Education
Posted on April 08, 2026
Chitiyo, who has served as interim dean, will assume the permanent role on May 1. The internationally recognized scholar was also chair of the Department of Specialized Education Services, and before coming to UNCG, he held leadership positions at Duquesne University’s School of Education.
NAV1GATE is a high energy, campus-wide event designed to welcome and engage incoming students as they begin their first year at UNCG. This year’s NAV1GATE will take place on Monday, Aug. 17, and we are currently searching for students, faculty, and staff to serve as NAV1GATORS.
NAV1GATOR volunteers play an important role in creating a warm, welcoming environment for our new Spartans. By completing the NAV1GATOR interest form, respondents will be added to the contact list and receive follow-up communication from New Student Transitions & First Year Experience about assignment details, time, and location. Assignments may involve standing for long stretches and being stationed outdoors, so volunteers should make sure they are comfortable with these conditions before completing the form.
In addition to the rewarding experience of helping our new students feel at home, volunteers will receive a NAV1GATOR t-shirt, rally towel, and lunch in Fountain View Dining Hall on the day they work.
It’s time to make NAV1GATE a day to remember together!
And the Winner Is… Best University Libraries Research Projects
Posted on April 08, 2026
General refreshed images of campus landmarks and locations taken during summer of 2023. These photos feature the Jackson Library.
The University Libraries Research Award winners for 2026 have been announced. These awards are given annually in recognition of outstanding original paper or projects in any media.
UNCG Welcomes Bestselling Author Casey McQuiston to Greensboro Bound
Posted on April 06, 2026
Each spring, Greensboro Bound brings together thousands of book lovers looking for new stories. Over the course of three days, they get to mingle with hundreds of authors who entice them with fun, quirky, and stimulating tales encompassing fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
McQuiston
For years, UNC Greensboro’s University Libraries has set the scene for the weekend-long book festival by hosting a headliner event with one of its acclaimed authors to talk about their work, answer questions, and sign books for eager readers.
The library continues that tradition this April with a much-anticipated author of bestselling works, Casey McQuiston, taking the stage at Elliott University Center Auditorium on Thursday, April 9.
McQuiston’s niche is fitting for Greensboro Bound’s 2026 theme “American Kaleidoscope,” which coincides with the United States’ 250th birthday. All the authors this year, each in their own way, reflect upon America’s past, present, and potential for the future. McQuiston is the author of Red, White & Royal Blue, One Last Stop, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and The Pairing, heralded as funny and heartfelt stories about love, identity, and contemporary life.
Their work has already leapt off the page and onto the screen. Red, White & Royal Blue follows the son of a U.S. president and a prince of Wales who are engaged in a feud but are forced to feign a friendship to preserve diplomatic relations between their countries, only for it to turn into a real romance. The book was adapted to film in 2023, starring Uma Thurman, Taylor Zakhar Perez, and Nicholas Galitzine, and a sequel is in the works.
Author Percival Everett spoke at UNCG, introduced by University Libraries Dean Michael Crumpton (left).
Author James McBride signing books following his headliner panel.
“Greensboro Bound has been an ongoing and strong partner of University Libraries for many years now,” says Dean Michael Crumpton. “We initially saw this as a way to realize our community engagement strategy to embrace the larger community outside of campus. We feel our continued investment in this partnership has proven a benefit for the community, including our students and faculty, and has embraced a greater good for celebrating literacy.”
This year’s Greensboro Bound runs from April 9-11.
Historical perspectives told through color
UNCG’s part in the book festival does not end there. On Saturday, April 11, the Weatherspoon Art Museum will sponsor another of Greensboro Bound’s featured authors, National Book Award winner Imani Perry, who will speak at the Greensboro Cultural Center about her newest work Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People.
Dr. Imani Perry is a National Book Award winner and MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow whose work explores the deeply complex history of Black thought, art, and imagination. Her book traces the color blue across time and experience, from indigo fields to the music of Louis Armstrong, revealing how art, history, and culture intertwine. Through this layered exploration, Perry captures a portrait of America shaped by memory, creativity, and resilience, reflecting the many perspectives that form our American Kaleidoscope.
Dr. Perry will be in conversation with Dr. Lalenja Harrington. Hear them speak at the Van Dyke Performance Space on April 11, 3–4:15 p.m.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications and courtesy of Casey McQuiston
Setting Students Down Their Personalized Wellness Journey
Posted on April 07, 2026
At UNC Greensboro, students hear about the Eight Dimensions of Wellness. Some of these practices, like a healthy diet, are obvious. But UNCG recognizes there are many pieces in the puzzle of well-being, and they all affect one another.
UNCG wants Spartans to work on those holistic aspects of wellness during their college years so they can keep improving after graduation. Through the Spartans Thrive initiative, UNCG leaders, faculty, staff, and students are always evaluating and creating new ways to explore wellness in the ways that best suit them.
These ideas are getting a boost from Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants, led by Provost Fellow and Professor of Music Eric Willie and the Division of Student Success.
Willie says, “Through mentorship, leadership opportunities, creative scholarship, and community engagement, the Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants demonstrate how wellness can be woven into the fabric of the University experience.”
The six initiatives center around three of the eight dimensions: career, environmental, and intellectual. Students will find opportunities to make a difference, practice strategies for tricky situations, and lock into all campus resources at their fingertips. Some will be emphasized during Wellness Takeover Day on April 8.
Peer Artist Leadership Program (PAL)
Dr. Scott Glasser with the School of Music is building undergraduate string-music education majors’ career readiness with the chance to become mentors/ His PAL program arranges weekly lessons with middle and high school students.
The program uses a layered mentorship model: Graduate students mentor the undergraduate instructors, and the undergraduates mentor younger musicians. This structure means they get to work serving the community right away, while also practicing communication, lesson planning, and reflection.
Health and Wellness Event Series
Through the School of Health and Human Sciences‘ (HHS) Student Leadership Program, undergraduate students organize and lead health-focused events for their peers. They range from Pilates sessions and nature walks to run clubs and workshops.
Each event includes a short session showing how wellness feeds into academic success. Student organizers gain experience in planning, communication, and project management.
It’s led by Dr. Joi Bulls, HHS associate dean for undergraduate affairs; and Larissa Witmer, assistant dean for projects and programs.
Building Resilient Leaders
The Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement’s director Jarrod Rudd and associate director Jordan Farmer have expanded its Empower Hour programming with “Courageous Dialogue” and “Resilience,” two workshops created by the not-for-profit organization LeaderShape. Participants learn about emotional agility and communication skills. They practice navigating difficult conversations with empathy and respect, employing strategies to manage stress, adapting to change, and strengthening community. All these skills can be put to work in their classrooms, student organizations, and careers.
Maher says it’s a win-win for everyone. “Our students gain hands‑on leadership experience while the campers see role models who encourage healthy, active lifestyles,” she says.
Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge
For a first-year student, one of the biggest challenges to maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the dramatic change of routine. Assistant Professor of Information, Library, and Research SciencesHamid Nadir’s “Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge” helps them form a new routine, working in habits of movement and discovery.
Participants aim to walk five miles each week while taking photos to document their routes around campus. They log their progress through Spartan Connect and fill out a survey for a chance to win swag, turning a simple weekly event into a shared experience where physical wellness becomes a social moment and a time to forge new friendships.
Exploring Belonging Through Dialogue and Storytelling
The five-week dialogue series approaches wellness through a lens of culture, language, and shared history. Students explore how identity and history shape their experiences of belonging. They learn oral-history techniques and work with community partners to document local stories for UNCG’s Digital Greensboro archive, building communication skills and deeper cultural understanding along the way.
Student Leaders Promoting Wellness Pilates Princesses April 8, 11 a.m.–Noon Open to all students. The first 20 to arrive will receive a free mat. Due to limited availability, participants should register in advance.
Take a Moment, Take a Daisy April 8, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Minerva Statue
Fueling Your Workout April 8, 6–7 p.m. Reynolds Hall Common Area
Walk and Talk with Alumni Series Finale April 16, 4–5:30pm Nursing and Instructional Building Courtyard
Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge Locations Our Secretaries’ Garden April 13–17
Peabody parks Woods Bridge April 20–24
Building Resilient Leaders Resilience Workshop April 20, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. EUC Alexander Room
Peer Artist Leadership Recital April 25, 1 p.m. School of Music Room 110
Greensboro Symphony Pre-Concert May 2, 6:30 p.m. Tanger Center for the Arts
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography courtesy of Dr. Eric Willie, Provost’s Faculty Fellow for Faculty Development
Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants Foster Student Wellness and Innovation Across Campus
Posted on March 30, 2026
Willie
Here at UNCG, student success is viewed through a holistic perspective that recognizes the connection between well-being, learning, and community engagement. Through the University’s wellness initiative Spartans Thrive, new projects are helping students connect wellness with their academic and personal lives. Among these efforts are the Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants, led by Provost Fellow Dr. Eric Willie and the Division of Student Success, which support innovative programs designed to integrate wellness into the academic and co-curricular experience.
This year, six innovative initiatives were selected as recipients of the Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants. These grants support programs to assist students in connecting wellness concepts with their academic work and everyday lives. For this academic year, these grants are focusing on three of UNCG’s Eight Dimensions of Wellness: career, environmental, and intellectual wellness.
Together, the projects highlight the creativity and commitment of UNCG educators and staff who are building a campus culture where students can thrive in their personal and professional lives.
Expanding Leadership Through Music
Glasser
In the School of Music, Dr. Scott Glasser’sPeer Artist Leadership Program (PAL) offers undergraduate music students an opportunity to progress their career readiness through teaching. Through PAL, string music education majors provide weekly lessons to middle and high school students from Guilford County Schools, hands‑on experience that prepares them for careers in music education.
The program operates through a multi‑layered mentorship model: graduate students mentor undergraduate instructors, and undergraduate instructors mentor younger musicians. This structure allows UNCG students to refine their teaching skills while serving the broader community.
“Programs like PAL give students a chance to practice leadership in real educational settings,” Glasser explains. “They learn how to communicate, plan lessons, and reflect on their own teaching while making a meaningful difference for local students.”
Beyond strengthening pedagogical skills, the program also encourages reflection on time management, professional growth, and personal well‑being, which are crucial elements for students preparing for demanding careers in education.
For more information on PAL events, please download the flyer here.
Upcoming Peer Artist Leadership Program Events
PAL Recital Saturday, April 25 1 p.m. School of Music Room 110
Greensboro Symphony Pre-Concert Saturday, May 2 6:30 p.m. Tanger Center for the Arts
Student Leaders Promoting Wellness
Bulls
Witmer
In the School of Health and Human Sciences, the Health & Wellness Event Series places leadership directly in the hands of students. Developed through the HHS Student Leadership Program led by Dr. Joi Bulls and Larissa Witmer, this initiative features a series of events designed and led by undergraduate students.
Activities such as Pilates sessions, nature walks, run clubs, and workshops about health and career initiatives encourage students to explore multiple dimensions of wellness.Each event includes concise educational components which translate how wellness practices can directly support their academic success.
The program allows student leaders to gain experience in project management, communication, and event planning while helping their peers discover new ways to manage stress, build and retain relationships, and remain active.
These workshops are designed to help students develop emotional agility, strengthen communication skills, and navigate difficult conversations with empathy and respect.
Through guided discussions and interactive exercises, participants are exploring strategies for managing stress, adapting to change, and building stronger communities.
By embedding these workshops into an already existing leadership program, the initiative ensures that wellness‑focused leadership development becomes a recurring part of the student experience at UNCG.
For more information on “Building Resilient Leaders” events, please download the flyer here.
Upcoming “Building Resilient Leaders” Events
Resilience Workshop April 20, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. EUC Alexander Room
The program hosts a free spring break camp for elementary‑aged girls from Greensboro, focusing on physical activity, nutrition, confidence building, and mental wellness. This grant has enabled the development of a comprehensive training program for UNCG students who serve as camp counselors.
Through training sessions focused on teamwork, youth development, and leadership, undergraduate participants gain valuable experience in mentoring and health promotion. In turn, they will help create a positive and empowering environment for attendees.
Maher notes that the program benefits both groups. “Our students gain hands‑on leadership experience while the campers see role models who encourage healthy, active lifestyles,” she says.
Learn more about how “Active Girls-Healthy Girls” gets girls moving.
Encouraging Exploration Through Movement
Nadir
For first‑year students adjusting to college life, maintaining healthy routines can be challenging. The “Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge” aims to make physical activity both accessible and engaging for students living in residence halls.
Led by Dr. Hamid Nadir, assistant professor of information, library, and research sciences, the program encourages students to walk five miles per week across campus while documenting their journeys through photos of campus landmarks.
The challenge promotes physical activity, helping students explore the campus environment while connecting with peers. By turning movement into a social and collaborative experience, this initiative is encouraging students to develop healthy habits during their first year at UNCG.
For more information on the “Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge” events, please download the flyer here.
Upcoming “Spartans Walk for Wellness Challenge” Meet-ups
April 1–3: EUC pond and courtyard
April 6–10: Jackson Library
April 13–17: Our Secretaries’ Garden
April 20–24: Peabody Park Woods Bridge
Exploring Belonging Through Dialogue and Storytelling
Through a five‑week dialogue series, facilitated in conjunction with the Office of Intercultural Engagement, students will explore how language, history, and identity shape experiences of belonging.
Participants learn oral‑history techniques and collaborate with community partners to document local stories for the University’s Digital Greensboro archive.
By combining dialogue, scholarship, and community engagement, the project helps students develop empathy, communication skills, and a deeper understanding of cultural perspectives.
Upcoming “Exploring Belonging Through Dialogue and Storytelling” Events
Holding Space for Many Languages Wednesday, April 1, 5–6 p.m. Weatherspoon Art Museum
Sustained Dialogue Training: Active Listening and Asking Strong Questions for Dialogue with Elena Martínez-Torres Monday, April 6, 5–6:15 p.m. Virtual Session (open to UNCG students)
A Shared Vision for Student Well‑Being
While each of the six projects approaches wellness in a different way, they share a common goal: empowering students to succeed academically while developing the habits, skills, and relationships that support long‑term well‑being.
Through mentorship, leadership opportunities, creative scholarship, and community engagement, the Spartans Thrive Engagement Grants demonstrate how wellness can be woven into the fabric of the University experience.
As these initiatives unfold throughout the year, they will continue to highlight the many ways UNCG faculty, staff, and students are working together to build a campus community where every Spartan has the opportunity to grow, connect, and thrive.
The Office of Sustainability and campus partners are hosting a number of events in the coming weeks to celebrate Earth Day on April 22 and Arbor Day on April 24.
April 15: Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the UNCG Community Garden with the Garden Club. It will be held 5–7 p.m. at the garden on 123 McIver Street.
April 17: Help the ongoing project to restore the native habit of Peabody Park Woods with a meeting to help clear invasive plant species. On the same day, there will be a discourse on global climate change politics. Volunteers should meet at 11 a.m. under the pedestrian bridge near the Music Building.
April 22: Celebrate Earth Day on College Avenue. Campus clubs and programs, and community advocacy groups will gather from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. with information on how to get active in the community.
Gilman Scholar Irakoze Mireye in Barcelona, Spain.
Over the past 25 years, UNC Greensboro has produced an impressive 278 Gilman Scholars, the most of any North Carolina university, distinguishing it amongst a select group of high-performing institutions nationwide. The UNCG Gilman Program has directed more than $800,000 to students who are Pell Grant recipients with demonstrated financial need.
Beyond those impressive stats, the true impact of the Gilman Scholarship is best understood by the students who are transformed because of their study abroad experiences. UNCG students have studied in 44 countries through the program.
“I don’t think people from my culture or people that look like me often dream beyond their daily experience or study abroad,” says Gilman Scholar Irakoze Mierye. “Nelson Mandela said, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ I believe everyone should have access to opportunities to learn.”
Profound Perspective
Mireye, a senior social work major in the School of Health and Human Sciences, exemplifies how study abroad can transform both academic and personal trajectories. She’s the oldest of nine children in a Burundian family. She immigrated to the United States at age 10 after growing up in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Now, she is a first-generation college student who has taken advantage of her time at UNCG.
“Being here at UNCG has been really a living testimony and a transformation journey,” Mireye says. “When I could look at my life back in Africa in the refugee camp, sometimes I couldn’t go to school because I didn’t have the uniform or my parents didn’t have the money to pay for the fees or the semester. Now, I have had opportunities that make me realize education should be a right, not a privilege.”
During a faculty-led program in Barcelona, Spain, Mireye studied global health and social work, gaining firsthand experience with international healthcare systems and diverse populations.
“The experience strengthened my cross-cultural communication skills, adaptability, and global awareness,” she says. “I want to become an international social worker. Living and learning alongside professionals from different backgrounds challenged my perspectives and made me realize I need to have more cultural humility for different ways of life. I really had to get out of my comfort zone.”
Fluency in Culture
Similarly, Shelyna Moyer, an education and languages, literatures, and cultures major, found her perspective expanded through a semester abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay. Traveling outside the United States for the first time, she immersed herself in the local culture, lived with a host family, and significantly improved her Spanish proficiency.
“Before I went, I could barely understand anything in Spanish,” she says. “I am now fluent.”
Her experience also shaped her career aspirations, inspiring her to pursue teaching and potentially graduate studies in linguistics.
“I want to come into the classroom with fluent Spanish and the perspective to help my students know that the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries is very different, but there are also a lot of similarities as well,” she says.
Moyer became a part of her community there, creating close ties with her host family and fully immersing herself in the culture.
“Studying abroad is a way to open your mind and see how our humanity connects us, though we live in different ways,” Moyer says. “I had never been out of the country before the Gilman Scholarship and now, I can’t wait to go back and possibly live in another country.”
Just Go
Through the Gilman Scholarship, UNCG continues to open doors for students, fostering global awareness, personal growth, and academic success. Mireye and Moyer both credit the Global Engagement Office with helping them apply and receive the Gilman Scholarships.
“It’s thanks to the Global Engagement Office that I even knew about the scholarship,” Moyer says, “They helped us workshop our application essays, and I know it made my essay stand out because I had their tips in my head when I went to write it.”
“The Gilman Scholarship is competitive,” Mireye says. “It truly is the reason I was able to experience living abroad, studying there, eating there and learning how to live on my own in a different city and country.”
Both scholars recommend that other UNCG students apply to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. Access to international education can transform lives, and UNCG is committed to helping their students access and experience study abroad.
About the Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provides scholarships to American undergraduates with high financial need to study or intern abroad for academic credit. Established by Congress in 2001 and administered by the Institute of International Education on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the program has supported students from more than 1,400 institutions nationwide.
Written by Alice Manning Touchette
Photography courtesy of Shelyna Moyer and Irakoze Mireye
Science Everywhere Festival creates fun for all ages on UNCG Campus
Posted on March 31, 2026
Experience science like never before — talk to robots, witness honeybees in action, dive into colorful chemistry, and explore the fascinating science of anesthesia using a live cricket model.
These are just a few of the fun activities available to visitors who attend this year’s Science Everywhere Festival at UNC Greensboro. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from noon to 4 p.m. It features over 50 stations of interactive experiments, tours of science research labs, presentations by student and faculty scientists, a cardboard robot parade, food trucks, and more.
UNC Greensboro has hosted Science Everywhere for 12 years. The event contributes to the North Carolina Science Festival, a month-long, statewide celebration of science in April designed to engage youth with interactive activities and experiments and to encourage their pursuit of science-related careers.
“Science Everywhere is an opportunity for UNCG to welcome neighbors of all ages to our university to experience hands-on science and technology,” says Dr. Jerry Walsh, UNCG professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of Science Everywhere. “Active engagement in science activities has been shown to lead young people to consider careers in science. We want kids to get involved, to perform experiments, and to learn some of the accomplishments of science — to inspire the next generation of scientists.”
Something for everyone
The Science Everywhere Festival draws thousands of attendees to campus each year and includes activities and exhibits for all ages and interests. Activities cover fields of study representing nearly all of UNCG’s colleges and schools including biology, chemistry, earth science, health, nursing, kinesiology, human development and family studies, art, and nanoscience.
Middle school and high school students enjoy designing and programming robots and touring chemistry or biology labs. The event also gives older students a taste of a college campus and the resources available to UNCG students. Favorite activities for elementary school children include taking part in an obstacle course that teaches them how their muscles work, learning about “creatures of the night,” and bringing home origami from a DNA learning activity or seeds to attract honeybees to their yards.
A particularly popular activity over the last four years has been the Cardboard Robot Parade, run by Teaching Resources Center Assistant Director Matt Fisher in the School of Education. In this arts experience, kids engineer wearable cardboard robot costumes with the help of UNCG students and then take part in a parade and a robot dance party at the end of the festival.
Festival attendees receive stamps for participating in activities in different sections on campus. Those with fully stamped cards receive t-shirts as prizes.
The UNCG Native American Student Association will also host its annual Spring Powwow on campus on the same day this year. The free event, which includes intertribal dancing and indigenous vendors selling crafts and food, will include its own Science Everywhere display.
While most Science Everywhere activities take place April 11, Greensboro residents will have one more opportunity on April 17 to get their science on at the Star Party at the Three College Observatory, where participants will get to peer through the 32-inch telescope, listen to a one-of-a-kind storyteller, and learn about the night sky.
Community Building, Career Building
Science Everywhere would not be possible without hundreds of UNCG faculty, staff, and student volunteers. Fourth-year chemistry student Jasmin Grillo, who is completing her third year as the festival’s student co-director, says the big lift is worth it.
“I’m one of the kids who went to programs similar to Science Everywhere, and it’s the reason I chose chemistry as my career goal. I’m giving back to the community something that will literally carry me throughout my lifetime.”
She says it is important for kids to engage with science outside of the classroom, in a more approachable context.
“We must give kids opportunities to see how science isn’t this super daunting thing. It’s everyday life, and it’s cool and fascinating.”
UNCG Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Sherine Obare agrees, adding that the rich community event is particularly important in Greensboro. “As STEM and advanced manufacturing companies expand in our region, investing in workforce development is key to driving economic growth, strengthening communities, and preparing the next generation for high-impact careers,” says Dr. Obare.
“Inspiring kids by giving them hands-on opportunities with science and introducing them to working scientists is the first step in a pipeline that goes from elementary and high school to college education to careers in STEM. Building and strengthening that pathway is one of the reasons UNCG exists.”
by Sangeetha Shivaji and Becky Deakins, University Communications photography by Sean Norona, Martin Kane, and Jiyoung Park, University Communications
ResearchCON 2026 runs April 6–11 and showcases the full arc of research at UNCG from early discovery to global influence and community impact. Across these six days of programming, faculty, students, industry leaders, and community partners explore how research moves beyond the lab to shape healthcare, business, policy, and public life.
