UNCG continues to advance student success with higher on-time graduation rates and lower student debt, all while navigating the challenges of a global pandemic.
Jeff Milroy conducts a focus group as part of his research.
Partnering with national and local organizations, the UNCG Center of Athlete Well-Being keeps the focus on the whole person
The benefits of sports and physical activity are well-documented catalysts for improving mood, physical fitness, and even prolonging life. However, up to 35% of elite athletes in college and professional leagues have expressed mental health concerns. The top issues reported by athletes included feelings of burnout, depression, and anxiety.
Since 2013, Milroy and other researchers at the Center have been researching factors that impact the well-being of athletes. He and his colleagues have become proficient at building science-based resources aimed at incorporating prevention science into sports culture to ensure that supporting athletes not only includes improving their performance but also develops character and overall well-being.
“Our goal is to ensure the athlete is getting all of the benefits sport participation can offer—social-emotional learning, how to conduct themselves with their peers, and how to develop a good coach-athlete relationship—and to prevent negative impacts to their health,” Milroy says. “We want athletes of all levels to know that sports are not just about performance; they are about developing as a human.”
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
The Center for Athlete Well-being develops programming that specifically target known risk factors and protective factors for well-being. It takes a multifaceted approach to promote well-being and prevent bodily harm among student-athletes of all ages.
“We do a lot of work in alcohol and other drug prevention where there are risk factors like social norms, attitudes, and expectancies related to that behavior,” Milroy says.
One output of the work is an online prevention program developed by the center known as myPlaybook, which addresses heavy drinking among college student-athletes.
“This behavior jeopardizes athletes’ general health and academic standing, and negatively impacts athletic performance,” Milroy says. “Effective prevention programming reduces these risks by tailoring content to college student-athletes and using theory-based factors shown to reduce future alcohol misuse.”
A June 2016 study co-authored by Milroy and published in The Sport Psychologist evaluated the effects of myPlaybook on student athletes from 60 NCAA Division II institutions, and found the program significantly impacted college student-athlete social norms to positively prevent or reduce future alcohol-related harm.
“Interventions, including myPlaybook, are an example of how we use research to be data-informed and help athletic organizations,” Milroy says. “When they know more about their athletes, they can make shifts and adjustments to create a space in which the athletes can be excellent athletes while they develop as human beings.”
Partnering for change
The Center scales its research to bring its data-based solutions to sports and beyond. To-date, they have researched a variety of topics, including alcohol misuse, the win-at-all-costs mindset, and athlete mental health.
“Wherever there are societal issues related to athletes within the health realm, that’s our area,” Milroy says. “We owe our success to our interdisciplinary approach, collaborating with public health educators, clinical and licensed counselors, sport psychologists, and social workers.”
The Center uses a collaborative approach that includes coaches, athletes, educators, and students to maximize its success.
The NCAA has adopted the Coaches Assist training developed by the Center of Athlete Well-Being. Building upon the principles of health coaching, prevention science, and motivational interviewing, the interactive workshop prepares coaches to become facilitators of student-athlete well-being. “It includes empathetic communication training to help make sure their athletes are seen and heard outside of training,” Milroy says.
The work of the Center also caught the attention of the National Football League Foundation’s InSideOut Initiative. The Initiative combats the professionalized win-at-all-cost sports culture by redefining the purpose of sports in the school community: connecting students to transformational coaches and creating culture of belonging to encourage student growth and character development.
“Our evaluation is investigating how that win-at-all-cost mentality can be detrimental across a variety of groups, including athletes, coaches, and administrators,” Milroy says. “The evaluation of the InSideOut Initiative is uncovering that intentional leadership, transformational coaches, and well-defined learning outcomes to ensure sports participation results in the development of the student’s human potential.”
Milroy is also a consultant with Prevention Strategies, founded by UNCG’s former chief innovation officer David Wyrick, Ph.D.. Prevention Strategies shares the Center’s ethos and mission, developing evidence-based programs for the health and well-being of young adults, especially athletes.
Other collaborations include working with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, The McCrae Williams Foundations and, most recently, Beyond Sports, a Greensboro based non-profit organization devoted to addressing the disparities in access and equity for youth sports, particularly in Title 1 schools.
Collaborating with other UNCG faculty and local and national sports organizations, Milroy hopes to continue to expand the Center’s impact.
“Developing a culture of care for athletes and coaches is the goal,” he says.
The Divisions of Student Success and Student Affairs invites all colleagues to save the date for UNCG Wellness Takeover Day on April 8.
The UNCG Wellness Takeover Day Planning Group is preparing a campus-wide event focused on lifting up student well-being and mental health in a visible, approachable way. This will unite the great work already happening across UNCG and reinforce our identity of creating a culture of care. While classes will be in session, this all-day event is intended to engage students, faculty, and staff in a variety of planned wellness experiences and build community connections throughout the day in person and online.
All units can submit a wellness event or program to participate, no later than Feb. 20.
What we’re building
Th planning group is working on “distributed model” where colleges/schools, student groups/organizations, and campus units host wellness experiences across the physical and virtual campus. Think of it as a choose-your-own-path wellness day where students can drop into activities that fit their schedules, interests, and needs.
The planning group will compile a unified schedule and provide a ready-to-use communications toolkit — social graphics, monitor slides, language you can copy/paste, and a landing page — to help you promote your activity.
Your unit’s contribution can be:
Big or small (examples include a wellbeing workshop, group walk, healthy snacks pick-up station)
Active or passive (examples include a yoga class, quiet reset space, or social media engagement)
A new or a repeat program
In a classroom, office suite, auditorium, outdoor space, or virtual
A one-time activity or something you already do with a wellness focus
UNCG Wellness Takeover Day is for all students, wherever they are on campus, online, working, caregiving, or commuting. Here are a few examples of virtual and in-person activities to spark ideas and we know your unit will bring creativity and possibilities we haven’t even imagined yet.
Targeted Inflammation Treatment: UNCG’s Wu Awarded NCInnovation Grant
Posted on January 06, 2026
Assistant professor of nanoscienceKerui Wu has received a grant from NCInnovation to advance his work on targeted treatments for inflammation with fewer harsh side effects.
Many chronic diseases—like arthritis, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders—are driven by inflammation deep inside the body. But today’s anti-inflammatory drugs often affect the whole system, leading to side effects that make long-term use difficult. Dr. Wu’s project focuses on delivering medicine directly to the immune cells most responsible for inflammation, called macrophages.
Think of it like a targeted delivery service: instead of flooding the entire body, the treatment goes straight to the cells causing the problem. This approach could make medications work better at lower doses and with fewer risks.
For patients living with chronic inflammatory conditions, that could mean better quality of life. For healthcare providers, it could mean more effective tools that avoid some of the complications of current therapies.
“Dr. Wu’s work has the potential to change how we treat chronic inflammatory diseases while improving the quality of life for tens of millions of Americans,” said UNCG Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.
“This NCInnovation grant recognizes UNCG’s strength in translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions.”
With NCInnovation support, the team will continue developing and testing this delivery platform, building a foundation for future treatments that are safer, more precise, and more responsive to patients’ real needs.
“Dr. Wu’s research into a new method for delivering anti-inflammatory medicines to the body could prove transformative,” said Michelle Bolas, NCInnovation’s interim CEO. “NCInnovation helps universities advance discoveries with just this kind of real-world application, strengthening the university-to-industry pipeline that’s central to American competitiveness.”
NCInnovation helps university innovations advance toward commercialization by supporting university applied research through the critical research and development phase between proof of concept and readiness for the private market. This December, NCInnovation approved $10 million to support 13 university research projects across 11 UNC System campuses. NCInnovation’s grant funding is part of a larger effort to support the development and commercialization of university research in North Carolina.
Photography by Sean Norona Adapted from an announcement by NCInnovation
UNC Greensboro’s Interpreting, Deaf Education, and Advocacy Services (IDEAS) program looks back on 50 years of groundbreaking work. As the first program of its kind in North Carolina, it attracted dedicated individuals who emerged as leaders in Deaf education and advocacy.
Virginia Madorin ’11
Madorin works closely with schools and educators across North Carolina, ensuring they can give the best services to more than 1,500 deaf students in the state.
We constantly get questions from professionals who want to go back and redo their training to do Deaf education because they see the need for that.
Lineberger’s was already fluent in ASL thanks to his family when he came to UNCG. He lay the groundwork for IDEAS students who enrolled after him based on the experiences he witnessed in his own family.
You need content knowledge to work in a legal setting, social services setting, religious settings and others. You have to know a little about a lot, so you can interpret not just words, but concepts for an equivalent message in ASL.
On Jan. 22, UNCG will host the annual celebration of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., in UNCG Auditorium with other Greensboro colleges and universities. This year’s theme is “Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Non-Violent Way.”
Spartan Dining is inviting members of UNCG departments to roll up their sleeves and join students for Fried Chicken Wednesday. This popular weekly tradition is a great way to connect with students, show campus pride, and support one of our most loved dining events.
Departments are encouraged to sign up to help serve alongside the Spartan Dining team and be part of the excitement. Whether you’re greeting students or helping behind the line, your presence makes a difference.
Kimberly Petersen, Ph.D., Named New Dean of Lloyd International Honors College
Posted on January 13, 2026
UNC Greensboro has appointed Dr. Kimberly “Kim” Petersen as the next dean of Lloyd International Honors College, following an internal search. Petersen, who has served as interim dean since August 2025, will assume the permanent role on Feb. 1.
“Dr. Petersen’s experience across teaching, research, and academic leadership has prepared her exceptionally well to serve as dean of Lloyd International Honors College,” said Alan Boyette, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. “Her time as interim dean, combined with her leadership of undergraduate research initiatives and her long-standing commitment to student mentorship, gives her a deep understanding of how to create meaningful, transformative educational experiences. She brings vision and practical experience to this role, and we are fortunate to have her lead the Honors College forward.”
“Lloyd International Honors College has long been a catalyst to ignite and nurture future success stories,” Petersen said. “Our students are the light of hope in an ever-changing world, and it’s a privilege to support our endeavors as dean.”
Widely recognized for transforming the undergraduate experience in organic chemistry, Petersen has reimagined one of the most demanding courses in the sciences through an approach grounded in connection, inclusion, opportunity, and engagement. She has developed innovative instructional strategies that make complex concepts accessible, including interactive molecular modeling, online instructional resources, and virtual journal clubs that foster critical thinking and student independence.
In her research laboratory, Dr. Petersen mentors undergraduate scholars who regularly advance to graduate programs in science, medicine, and pharmacy. Many of her students have earned nationally competitive honors, including National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and Goldwater Scholarships. Her leadership has also played a pivotal role in advancing STEM education at UNCG, including her involvement with the NIH-funded Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) and Undergraduate Research training Initiative for Student Enhancement (U-RISE) programs, which support students from underrepresented backgrounds and have positioned the University as a national leader in undergraduate STEM training.
Dr. Petersen’s commitment to inclusive excellence, student-centered leadership, and academic innovation makes her exceptionally well suited to lead Lloyd International Honors College as it continues to expand its impact at UNCG.
Fun Greensboro Outings to Finish 2025, Ring In 2026
Posted on December 17, 2025
A calm stillness settles over UNC Greensboro as the excitement and intensity of final exams and Commencement fade, marking a time when students can ease into a well-deserved winter break.
But there’s no shortage of activities for Spartans looking for something to get them through the cold months. Want to get in the holiday mood? Want to keep busy between classes? Need a fun outing to enjoy with local friends?
Check out what’s popping around Greensboro this December and mark your calendars for new opportunities when classes resume in January.
Hit the Ice
Grab a few friends for an afternoon on the ice. Piedmont Winterfest at LeBauer Park is open now through Feb. 1. You can skate your worries away Wednesday through Sunday for only $15 a day. On Mondays and Tuesdays, you can watch the Greensboro Curling League or, better yet, inquire about forming your own curling team.
In January, students can share the ice with fellow Spartans. Activities & Campus Events has reserved the rink for Jan. 15, 4–10 p.m.
Catch a Classic Film
The Carolina Theatre of Greensboro counts down to Christmas Day with festive classic films. Bring your student ID and save a dollar on your ticket. And if you bring your friends, you may be eligible for a group discount.
Get tickets for your favorite holiday flicks in the movie lineup:
Dec. 17: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Dec. 18: Home Alone
Dec. 19: Elf
Dec. 20: The Muppet Christmas Carol
Dec. 22: It’s a Wonderful Life
Dec. 23: White Christmas
Take a Walking Tour
Lace up your walking shoes and bundle up. Greensboro’s historic walking tours don’t stop when it’s cold. Make history come alive and appreciate the people who made the Gate City a hub of culture and innovation in North Carolina.
Historic Downtown Walking Tours: This guided tour will provide an in-depth look at Greensboro’s unique contributions to the Underground Railroad, the textile industry, women’s education, and more.
African American History Tours: Discover more about Civil Rights figures, explore the origins of Green Book hotels, the development of church communities, and the establishment of educational and business institutions.
True Crime Tour: Interested in the more morbid side of history? Explore some of the city’s most infamous true-crime locations and stories.
Other walking paths make you feel like you’ve dropped into a wintry wonderland. The Greensboro Science Center never ceases to impress with its seasonal show, featuring millions of lights that encircle its aquarium, zoo, and museum.
Or you can wander among the holiday balls that turn the Sunset Hills neighborhood into a place out of a fairy tale. Hundreds of homeowners have participated in this tradition since the 1990s. It’s become the course for an annual charity 5K, “The Running of the Balls,” created by firefighter and UNCG alumnus Nick Loflin ’01, ’23 M.A.
Choose Your Own Beat
What’s better than a night of live music? How about live music with food?
And if you don’t sing or dance, you’re still in luck. Greensboro caters to bookworms and other nerdy interests. The Abbey Tap House hosts the Pages & Pints Book Club on the third Wednesday of every month. Joymongers hosts Taproom Bingo weekly, and Boxcar Bar + Arcade tests your knowledge each week during Trivia Night, pizza included. Pick out a new book to read while jamming out to bands at Scuppernong’s holiday show.
Get to the Game
Cheer on the Spartans. You might get a t-shirt out of it. Pepsi sponsors men’s basketball’s Jan. 15 matchup against The Citadel at home, which means the first 500 students to arrive can get a t-shirt. On Jan. 17, the team heads to Greensboro’s First Horizon Coliseum for “white-out” day. Students are encouraged to wear white, with a chance to get a replica jersey during that game against Mercer.
The women’s basketball team enjoyed a stellar end to the non-conference season. After a rousing victory vs. South Carolina State on Dec. 22, they kept up that streak with an incredible 114-35 win over Carolina University on New Year’s Day, then they emerged triumphant against Livingstone, Samford, and Mercer. They return home on Jan. 22 to play Chattanooga.
If you want to check out the pros, First Horizon Coliseum can hook you up with hockey and basketball. Cheer on the Gargoyles, deep into its inaugural hockey season. The team goes up against Wheeling this week. You can also root for the Swarm, Greensboro’s NBA G League, in the Coliseum Complex’s Novant Health Fieldhouse.
Start 2026 Strong with Campus Winterfest
UNCG will welcome back students in January with a range of activities that cater to both thrilling and relaxing interests, ensuring something for everyone’s taste. Campus Activities & Programs has filled out the Spartan Connect calendar with cozy ways to start the new semester.
Flannel fits, fuzzy socks, and hot cocoa reign supreme. Whether you’re jamming, lounging, or hanging out with your favorite people, this night is all about the snow-side of fun.
Join Recreation and Wellness for a guided introduction to rock climbing. Each participant will learn how to wear a climbing harness and utilize the Kaplan Center’s top-rope and bouldering walls. Sessions run through January.
Create vision boards centered around the eight dimensions of wellness. Spartan Well-Being will help students set intentions for the new year. Journaling supplies, planner templates, and customizable goal-trackers will be provided. Snacks are included.
Want to get more involved on campus next semester? Student organizations will set up tables to tell Spartans about their offerings and opportunities for the new year.
Start the semester with intention and good energy. New Student Transitions and First Year Experience will help students create vision boards to map out their goals and dreams, connect with other students, and build community and camaraderie.
Meet with coaches to review your syllabi, formulate questions to ask your instructors, and organize important dates in your planner or calendar.
Plan Ahead to Serve
Exploring Greensboro takes on a special significance for Spartans, who are passionate about giving back. Right now, many of them look forward to the MLK Day of Service on Jan. 17.
The University-wide event, led by the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement, honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Student volunteers divide into groups and go out into the community. Past projects have included stocking food pantry shelves, tidying up gardens, and filling backpacks for children.
It’s so popular that registration is already full, but you can add your name to the wait list for 2026.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
Tony L. Patterson '89, film maker visits UNCG during the release of his latest movie.
Alumnus Tony L. Patterson’s long road to holiday laughs
Before he wrote the script for his feature film, “#WorstChristmasEver,” screenwriter Tony L. Patterson ’89 lived it.
“I was divorced, and my ex-wife had just moved to Atlanta, so I flew to Atlanta to see my kids on Christmas,” he says. “The short version is: They never made it to Atlanta. My son had three flights canceled. My daughter had all her flights canceled. I spent Christmas Day at my ex-wife’s new house with her new husband, without my children, by myself.”
Though it wasn’t very funny at the time, that tortuous holiday inspired him and his writing partner, Maurice Hall, to turn the whole episode into a seasonal comedy. Now in theaters and on several streaming platforms, #WorstChristmasEver is the biggest project of his 20-year career in film and television. It’s his first feature-length film to make it to theaters — he’s written or co-written four of them, as well as four short films. It’s also the first to star big-name actors, and the first with the potential for mainstream success.
They say it takes 20 years to become an overnight sensation. Sometimes more. And in Tony’s case, it all started during his time at UNC Greensboro, where he first became enamored with the craft of storytelling and the art of theater.
Before he wrote the script for his feature film, “#WorstChristmasEver,” screenwriter Tony L. Patterson ’89 lived it.
A Wayward Path to the Finish Line
Patterson’s first shot at a UNCG degree was inauspicious. He started in 1981, but after three semesters he found he didn’t have the skills or direction to make it work. He left school and joined the US Marine Corps Reserve.
“The Marines taught me discipline,” he says. “So, in the fall of 1984, I was ready to come back to UNCG full time.”
He took as many classes as he could — 12 hours per semester — while working part-time jobs that wouldn’t interfere with his studies: Biscuitville, Hardee’s, and Showbiz Pizza, an early competitor to Chuck E. Cheese where he leveraged his military training to work on video-game circuit boards.
The birth of his son prompted him to get a job with benefits, which precluded full-time study. He finished his last 16 credit hours one night class at a time, before graduating with a degree in English in 1989, nearly eight years after he took his first class.
It was a long, arduous path, but eventually the spark ignited a flame.
“UNCG gave me a voice, because it was a microcosm,” he says. “The world is not perfect and my college experience was not perfect.” But UNCG taught him to consider how to make the world better.
His love for the power of theater and affinity for the written word began in UNCG’s halls.
“People I met here, from all walks of life, have nurtured me,” he says. “Dr. Jim Clark, my English professor from my very first year, was an incredible man. Twenty-five years after I graduated, I came back to campus, and he was in the same office. I said, ‘Dr. Clark, you still need to clean your office.’ And he said, ‘It’s Tony Patterson!’ He remembered me after all that time.”
He credits Dr. Betty Jean Jones with introducing him to the nuances of theater, and the Neo Black Society, which had its own traveling theater troupe, with allowing him to “grasp my Blackness and to elevate it.”
There were about 12,000 students at UNCG when he got here in 1981, he recalls. “And because I’m a geek with numbers,” he says, “I remember there were 1,061 minority students. Maybe 10 to 1 doesn’t sound like diversity, but it was like a lot of the schools I had been bused to when I was a kid, so I felt in my element.”
“#WorstChristmasEver” could be considered a Black film because the filmmakers are Black, as is most of the cast. But Tony doesn’t see it that way.
“These are my characters,” he concedes. “These are the people I grew up with. When people see my movies, Black or White, they’re like, ‘Oh my God, this guy is just like my uncle.’ I try to stay away from tropes because I don’t want stereotypical characters. I want layers. I want growth in my characters. I don’t make Black films; I make films about humanity. The world is not just me and people who look like me. I didn’t get to where I got without people who don’t look like me.”
“People I met at UNCG, from all walks of life, have nurtured me,” Patterson says.
Big Laughs on a Small Budget
Patterson and his partners shot #WorstChristmasEver in Los Angeles on what could be considered a shoestring budget — the entire tab, including payroll, permits, and catering, amounted to less than $600,000.
They spent the most on actors: Bill Bellamy, who got his start on “Def Comedy Jam” and other early MTV shows; Taja V. Simpson, whose credits include “Found,” “A House Divided,” and a couple of Madea movies; Shanti Lowery, a veteran of dozens of TVC shows and several films; and Hall, Tony’s screenwriting partner, who also played on the Ohio State University’s 2002 national football championship team. They splurged on leading man BJ Britt, who previously had roles in “The Groomsmen” franchise, “Sons of Anarchy,” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” among many others.
“I tell BJ, ‘You are the Golden Child,’” Patterson says.
It was a long, arduous path, but eventually the spark Tony L. Patterson found at UNCG ignited a flame.
There are also newcomers to film in the cast, and he says it was gratifying to give them a leg up in the business. It’s only fitting that a Spartan alumnus would find joy in lighting the way for others.
“We got an amazing young actress, Mo Ashley, who plays my daughter, and this is her first feature film,” Tony says. “Tyler Lofton plays my son; it is his first feature film. I want to be the guy who, when someone’s on the red carpet, they say, ‘Tony L. Patterson gave me my start.”
“#WorstChristmasEver” is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, Awesome, and Plex, and is showing in theaters now.
Story by Brian Clarey, University Communications Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications
