QEP Spartans Thrive Seeks Applications for Engagement Grants
Posted on September 23, 2025
Student Success tells students about the Spartans Thrive initiative.
Since Fall 2023, UNCG has implemented Spartans Thrive, an initiative dedicated to supporting both students’ academic success and their overall well-being. This five-year program is integral to our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), enhancing student success by integrating wellness into academic experience.
We are inviting proposals from UNCG Faculty and Staff for programs, events, or activities that align with one or more of the following wellness dimensions from our QEP: Career, Environmental, and Intellectual.
Successful proposals are eligible to receive awards up to $10,000 and will help create a balanced, fulfilling college experience by integrating wellness concepts into both curricular and co-curricular activities.
The deadline for application is Oct. 10, and applicants will be notified about their application status on or before Oct. 24. Authors of successful proposals will have an initial meeting with the Division of Student Success by Nov. 6.
See attached link to access the proposals document for further details. Any questions may be directed to Eric Willie at ejwillie@uncg.edu.
Weatherspoon Honors Sarah Warmath for her Enduring Contributions
Posted on September 23, 2025
Sarah Warmath is being recognized for six decades of dedicated support to the Weatherspoon Art Museum. On Thursday, Sept. 25, during its fall open house, Weatherspoon will celebrate her and her family’s legacy by naming its atrium Warmath Commons in their honor.
On Sept. 15, UNC Greensboro kicked off its Hispanic Heritage Month events outside of Moran Commons with Fiesta at the Fountain. At the Fiesta, students representing cultural clubs and support organizations shared their services and social connections, speakers addressed the assembled crowd about the importance of honoring Latine cultures at UNCG, and performers dazzled their audience before all in attendance joined in to dance and celebrate the heritage that makes them unique, yet united.
Todos los Espartanos
Today, 15.6% of the University’s total enrollment self-identifies as Hispanic or Latine, a percentage that has steadily grown over the past 10 years. In fact, our recent incoming class of first-year Hispanic students are up 23% from last year.
These new students feel at home at UNCG. Latine student leaders welcome them and become their “familia.” Latine staff and faculty teach and offer support. Latine cultural and social groups connect them with their culture. It’s a formula that fosters success with every Hispanic graduate who crosses the stage for a UNCG diploma and sets off to fulfill their discovered purpose.
Marisa Gonzalez ’16 ’19, educational developer for University Teaching and Learning Commons, remembers finding a home at UNCG and knows the importance of supporting Hispanic students who came after her: “As the first emerging Hispanic-serving institution in the UNC System, we have the responsibility to model the way in North Carolina. Beyond enrolling Hispanic students, we must also serve them in all capacities and help them get to the finish line at graduation.”
Although Hispanic Spartan students stand united, this group is made up of independent nationalities, each with its own traditions and heritage. Learning about how these cultures influence America — just as they influence our campus — is what Hispanic Heritage Month is all about.
Una Historia de Influencia
The declaration honoring Hispanic cultures in the United States was initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. It originated as a week of celebrations until President Ronald Reagan declared Sept. 15-Oct. 15 Hispanic Heritage Month in 1988.
The mid-month start commemorates the independence of many Central American countries from Spanish rule in September 1821. Independence Days are celebrated on Sept. 15 in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, closely followed by Mexico (Sept. 16), Chile (Sept. 18), and Belize (Sept. 21).
Although the University prides itself on welcoming students of diverse backgrounds every day, Hispanic Heritage Month gives all Hispanic cultures the opportunity to share their traditions and values with the campus community.
Una Fiesta para Todos
Don’t let your lack of Spanish heritage keep you from attending Hispanic Heritage Month events at UNCG. Everyone is welcome to celebrate the ways Latine cultures make our campus community rich and vibrant. Check out the following scheduled events and come out to learn, participate, and lift up the cultures that make us uniquely “Espartan.”
¡Celebra con nosotros!
Men’s soccer: UNCG vs. Davidson Sept. 23, 7 p.m. start time at the soccer stadium Cheer on the men’s soccer team during an evening of fun while celebrating HHM with a special section and giveaways.
Queer & Coffee: LGBTQ+ Latine Artists Sept. 25, 3–4 p.m. at EUC Azalea Room Meet up for a cup of coffee while learning more about queer Latine artist of the past and present.
Raíces y Resonancias: Exploring Hispanic Heritage Through Culture and Mind Sept. 30, 3 p.m., location to be determined The Departments of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures and Psychology are collaborating to host this event celebrating the voices, histories, and identities of Hispanic heritage students. It’s a place to reflect on the cultural richness of the Hispanic world and examine how heritage, identity, and mental health intertwine in shaping the student experience.
Hispanic Heritage Month Talent Show Oct. 2, 6 p.m. at EUC Auditorium A popular tradition each year at UNCG, and this year will surely be no different. Enjoy the amazing talent showcase of singing, dancing, acting, and more from students.
UNCG Latin American Folk Ensemble Gallery Performance Oct. 2, 6–7 p.m. at Weatherspoon Art Museum McDowell Gallery This concert led by Lorena Guillen will feature the works of Afro-Latino composers. The exhibition Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice will be on view. Refreshments are available after the performance.
Guitar Concert: Carlos Castilla Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. at School of Music Organ Hall This free concert will entertain everyone with Hispanic music provided by Carlos Castilla with Lorena Guillén and Alejandro Rutty.
¡Camina el campus!
Exhibición Pattern Recognition – Visita Guiada en Español Sept. 20, 11 a.m.–Noon at Weatherspoon Art Museum Join a guided tour in Spanish of the new Pattern Recognition exhibition at the Weatherspoon and learn more about the objects from its collections. Snacks will be available after the tour. It’s free to enter, but registration is required.
1st G Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration Sept. 25, 6:00–7:30 p.m., Bryan School, Room 132 1st G will lead an evening discussion about various cultural traditions, and we invite all to share their own traditions and experiences with the group. Loteria and coloring books will be available for extra fun.
¡Bienvendos! UNCG Admissions Sept. 27, 9.a.m., School of Education Building An opportunity for prospective junior and senior bilingual students and their families to learn all about the resources UNCG has to offer. They’ll take part in sessions on admissions, financial aid and scholarships, and tour the historic campus. Current UNCG students and parents will talk about student life and the resources that helped them.
University Libraries Open House Oct. 8, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Jackson Library Staff from various library departments will be available to share information on how they can help create a more excellent college experience. Free coffee and churros will be provided.
Hispanic Excellence in Business Oct. 8, 5 p.m. at EUC Alexander Room Join the Bryan School and ALPFA as a panel of professionals share their experiences. There will be light refreshments provided.
Exhibición Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice – Visita guiada en español Oct. 18, 11 a.m. at the Weatherspoon Art Museum This guided tour in Spanish focuses on the work of renowned Civil Rights icon William H. Johnson. Snacks will be served at noon. Admission is free but registration is required.
¡Descubre un grupo nuevo!
Latinx Connections Every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Gove Student Health Center This weekly group welcomes all students who identify with or feel connected to Latinx/o/e experiences, regardless of nationality, racial/ethnic background, or other intersecting identities. Join a supportive space to build community, make connections, share resources and recharge. A willingness to engage and honor group members’ privacy are the only requirements to attend. Facilitated by Cecilia Gonzalez Barber, LCMHC
Spanish Heritage Language Program Presents: Nuestras raíces Sept. 26, 1. p.m. Bryan Building, Room 205 Doubling as an info session, current student members will share poetry about their identities and cultures and explain how to get involved in the program.
Aguas Frescas & Hot Topics Oct. 7, 5 p.m. EUC Alexander Room This mental health space allows students to hear and learn from others.
Alianza Social Oct. 8, 3 p.m. MHRA, Third Floor Faculty Lounge Faculty and staff are all invited to come together and celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as the mid-semester point.
Historias Espartanas
In addition to participating in Hispanic Heritage Month events, check back with UNCG News this month for profiles of students, staff, and alumni who personify “Historias Espartanas.”
These Spartans know where they come from, confidently express their heritage, and help shape the future of their cultures in the United States. They are perfect Spartan examples of the nation’s 2025 theme for Hispanic Heritage Month, Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future. It’s a theme that perhaps no university in North Carolina can understand better than UNCG.
Story by Becky Deakins & Janet Imrick, University Communications. Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications.
UNCG Researcher Tracks Where Tick Numbers are Climbing
Posted on September 23, 2025
Lyme disease cases have gone up in North Carolina since the last decade. Biology Professor Gideon Wasserberg, Ph.D. just published a new surveillance study showing where the number of blacklegged ticks is growing, including areas traditionally considered low risk.
The clear August morning outside Fleming Gym started like so many First Week at the Gs before it. Helpful volunteers in lime green T-shirts and student leaders with flags emblazoned with UNCG schools and colleges filed in to assume their posts. It was time to welcome the Class of 2029 to their orientation session known as NAV1GATE. But as the fresh faces of the newest Spartan class began to fill the gym’s 2,000+ seats, faculty, staff, and other volunteers noticed a slightly different vibe this year.
The students were noticeably dialed in. Fewer heads down with AirPods in, and more chatty introductions between peers in the stands. As the program started, the groups cheered for their schools and colleges every time the names were mentioned. When Chancellor Gilliam teased them about choosing friends wisely, the students laughed easily and urged him to share an irreverent joke. And when the towel twirl signaled the start of their college journey, it was obvious that this class was coming with more Spartan spirit than UNCG had seen in recent years.
Strength in Numbers
Now that UNCG’s enrollment numbers are in, we know that this incoming class is part of the largest UNCG student body in the past four years. It’s a group that defies predictions that college enrollment would steadily decline and the demand for four-year degrees would not return.
Thanks to UNCG’s efforts to support student success, invest in academic programs that student seek, and show prospects their perfect fit on campus, UNCG achieved significant milestones this year.
Largest incoming undergraduate class since 2019 – New first-year students are up 7%. – New transfer students are up 5%.
Largest total graduate student enrollment since 2021 with 6% growth since last year
Continued success in serving underrepresented students – Incoming Hispanic/Latino students are up 23%. –First-year first-generation students are up 18%.
The UNCG student body represents 99 counties in North Carolina, 46 states in the nation, and 89 countries across the globe, all unified in Spartan spirit.
Measuring Spirit at Rawkin’ Welcome Weeks
The surge in sheer numbers, driven by the large and exuberant first-year student group, is great news for UNCG. The vibe on campus is tougher to measure, but attendance at welcome events during the first weeks of classes supported theories developed at NAV1GATE. This new class seems to be emerging from what many see as a “COVID hangover” and is anxious to participate in campus activities.
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Akens reports that overall attendance at Rawkin’ Welcome Week events was up 6% this year. These events introduce new students to clubs and organizations, resources, and campus services that keep students thriving at UNCG. More than 5,000 students attended at least one of these events, and many attended several.
“We have seen tremendous levels of engagement these first few weeks,” Akens said. “Our students really value in-person interactions and want to be part of the Spartan community.”
From busy move-in days to Rawkin’ Welcome events like Fall Kick-off and Piney Palooza, incoming students brought great energy campus this year.
Mike Ackerman, associate director of Recreation and Wellness and a regular volunteer at NAV1GATE, agreed that the crowd this year was “louder and more engaged.” Attendance soared at Kaplan Center’s RecFest this year, while Piney Palooza, the season’s opening event at Piney Lake, broke the previous attendance record by several hundred students. “There is a noticeable shift in the level of engagement and positive vibes of the incoming class,” Ackerman said. “It is awesome to see.”
The first hints of this shift appeared when residence hall assignments began filling up this summer. Although enrollment was supported by commuter and online students in the early 2020s following the COVID shutdown, Housing and Residence Life occupancy has been at capacity in recent years. This year 76% of first-year undergraduate students are living on campus, with about 150 more than last year.
Spartan Spirit Scores
As campus living boosts campus activities, Spartan athletic events are also experiencing a bump in student engagement. Average game attendance in the first weeks of the soccer and volleyball seasons prove the story.
“Athletics staff and players have seen a huge rise in Spartan pride this year,” said James Nance, director of marketing and game operations. “This feels like the first year of students who weren’t negatively affected socially by COVID. We have had fans waving flags and banging drums at soccer games, and a row of students at all our volleyball games bringing the energy and excitement.”
UNCG can only hope this positive spirit will lead to more wins on the field and court, and in the classrooms.
“Our University is on an excellent trajectory,” said Chancellor Frank Gilliam, Jr. “It’s no wonder Spartan pride is on the rise, along with our enrollment. We have much to be proud of.”
Story by Becky Deakins, University Communications. Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications.
It’s not just a question for new UNC Greensboro students finding their way during their first semester. Any Spartan may wonder, “Am I taking the right classes to get my degree on time?” Hundreds of prerequisites and electives sometimes make the course catalog feel like a map to navigate towards graduation.
Fortunately, the journey comes with guides. UNCG academic advisors let students know whether they’re headed in the right direction or need to pump the brakes and get back on track.
“A lot of times, students’ perception of advising is, ‘I’m just going to go when I need to register for classes and get my advising code,'” says Anne Marie Sohler, director of undergraduate advising in biology. “But we’re really here to help you figure out your four-year plan.”
Advisors from some of UNCG’s schools and colleges share their expert thoughts and strategies to ensure students chart a clear path to degree completion.
aN Advising Checkup
Every August, with proud faculty, friends, and family looking on, School of Nursing (SON) students take part in one of their most anticipated traditions: the Coating Ceremony. This milestone occurs in nursing schools across the United States to mark students’ transition into clinical practice.
Given the demanding course load – with classes in biology, chemistry, human development and family studies, nutrition, and more – people like Britt Flanagan and Philip Simpson are fully invested in advising them.
“Establishing rapport with their assigned advisor is critical to a student’s success in college,” says Simpson, SON director of student success. “Advisors advocate for their students. They keep them informed of important timelines. They’re a trusted, go-to resource who can help troubleshoot and be a cheerleader throughout a student’s academic career.”
Flanagan, student success coordinator, says nursing advisors not only help students stay on track, but help them remain competitive so that they’ll be accepted into the nursing program. She says, “We jokingly tell students that their first homework assignment is to fully understand the plan of study and what options they have or do not have.”
She says advising meetings should be a two-way conversation. Students should never feel like they have to hold back questions. “As an advisor, I wish more students would come prepared with any questions,” says Flanagan. “When they don’t, I worry they do not fully understand the challenges ahead of them or the demands of the major.”
With time, money, and dreams on the line, Simpson says students can depend on their advisors to be open and honest when reviewing their options. Think of a nursing advisor, he says, as a “one-stop solution. Even if we don’t have the answer, we are quick to make the necessary connections for the student.”
Biology’s New Advising Model
One of UNCG’s strengths is its highly connected network of professionals. Students praise the investment of their faculty mentors put into their pupils’ interests, so they can steer them to the best labs and classes to kickstart their desired career path.
Last year, the Department of Biology surveyed faculty and students on how to improve advising. They learned that one of the negatives of the faculty-led advising model was that extra administrative work fell upon professors and lecturers already juggling full teaching schedules. If faculty had their attention constantly bouncing between two “jobs,” students were at risk of missing out.
Sohler led the launch of BioAdvise, moving those tasks from the professors’ plates to experienced staff and graduate students.
“Our department is so incredibly large,” she explains. “We found it was overwhelming for faculty because there are so many students.” As of Fall 2025, there are almost 1100 students enrolled in biology majors.
Sohler says biology’s course sequence is more rigid in their first and second years. Juniors and seniors typically diverge to choose courses in line with their career tracks. “We have the largest number of pre-professional students in the College of Arts and Sciences,” she says. “But biology is a super broad discipline. We must be able to serve this diverse group of students.”
Additionally, many UNCG students work while earning their degrees. The advisors offer guidance on balancing jobs with good academic standing. “Students can talk to us about things like what sequence of courses to take, what to do if a situation pops up, how to withdraw for extenuating circumstances.”
She is excited about how BioAdvise might make the department run more efficiently. “This is going to allow faculty members to do what they’re good at, which is mentor students in their area of expertise,” she says.
Get in the Teaching Mindset
School of Education (SOE) students may love their college classes, but their hearts anticipate teaching in a classroom. Advisors get them ready for the shift from student to student-teacher to a full-time teacher.
Whereas the biology track grows more flexible after the prerequisite courses, SOE class schedules start off flexible and then become more predetermined, according to Ciara Marable, associate director for the Office of Student Success.
For her, a journey with a student starts during SOAR, UNCG’s new student orientation. “I have a presentation slide that reads, ‘Academic advising equals academic success.'” she relates. “We try to drive that home from the very first day they’re on campus.”
As with nursing, education requires a second admissions process to guide students into the programming of their choice. Advisors monitor transcripts to ensure that students can qualify for program acceptance, including maintaining the GPA requirements and passing the Praxis test.
She says it’s in the best interest of a student to check in with their advisor more than once a semester. That can be done in person or via email or a remote meeting. Marable consistently reminds them to stay in the “teacher mindset.”
“Think about how you’re going to use this coursework in your future classroom,” she says. “Think of your fellow student as your future colleague. How you’re going to form relationships with parents, principals, school counselors, cafeteria staff, coaches. See yourself as a teacher.”
Marable is excited by the proactiveness of UNCG SOE students, who work with a single advisor from day one to Commencement. “They’ll come in saying, ‘I know I’m supposed to take this, this, and this,'” she says. “It’s a lot of relationship and rapport-building. We know our students really well, and they know us, and they enjoy meeting with us.”
Moreover, she says advisors help students think about thriving on campus, by working on their organizational strategies and encouraging them to form relationships with professors who can provide even more opportunities beyond coursework.
To advisors, success is more than a high GPA. Success is when a student is prepared to step into their new career.
“Drop by our office,” says Marable. “See what we’re doing and develop a relationship with us so that we can help. After all, you’re here for four years.”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
Phipps Family’s Impact Grows with New Scholarship for Nursing
Posted on September 26, 2025
Dale and Barbara Phipps have supported multiple programs across the University for years. This new scholarship adds to their commitment to the School of Nursing and creates new opportunities for students on their way to a career in health care.
Doctoral Hooding Ceremony Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, at 10 a.m. Volunteers report by 8 a.m. UNCG Auditorium
University Commencement Ceremony Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at 10 a.m. Volunteers report by 8 a.m. First Horizon Coliseum
Volunteers may sign up here for the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony, Commencement Ceremony, or both.
For those who have never volunteered before and are curious about what it means to commit, UNCG will hold a formal walkthrough with training and plan for virtual meet-ups. Volunteers will learn their team leads before the walkthrough. For more information about the ceremonies, please visit the Commencement Central website or email commence@uncg.edu.
UNCG very much appreciates everyone who contributes their time, expertise, and support in bringing these special events to life for graduating students and their families.
‘GUIDE’ Training Sessions Open to Faculty and Staff
Posted on September 29, 2025
Student Affairs wants all faculty and staff to feel more confident in every student conversation, which they can do by joining one of this year’s GUIDE Training sessions.
Each three-hour session sponsored by Student Affairs is led by experienced facilitators in counseling, public health, wellness, and higher education. GUIDE doesn’t add to your workload but prepares you for the real conversations you’re already having in classrooms, advising sessions, and hallways.
These in-person sessions are open to all faculty and staff:
Video games are often dismissed as an art form, a view that John Borchert, Ph.D., firmly rejects. The UNC Greensboro faculty member argues that the immersive worlds created for players are indeed art in their own right. What’s more, he emphasizes, they serve as powerful tools for broadening how we understand and engage with more traditional forms of art.
“When many people think about video gaming and esports, they think only about the fun, the entertainment, the distraction,” he says. “But behind all of that is a suite of technologies and capabilities in real-time 3D simulation, interactive technologies that can be used for many different applications.”
Borchert will explore some of those applications this year as the Weatherspoon Art Museum’s Margaret and Bill Benjamin Faculty Fellow. With access to artworks and in partnership with Weatherspoon staff, he will explore ways in which 3D technology intersects with physical art and classroom pedagogy.
A whole new world of 3D
The digitization of art brings great potential. Curators can create 3D models of any of the thousands of paintings and sculptures in the Weatherspoon’s collections. Some of the tools work on smartphones and other hand-held devices.
Borchert will draw upon his collaborations with Epic Games, creators of the popular game “Fortnite” and the Unreal Engine gaming software suite. For this research, he’ll focus on RealityScan. This software in the Unreal suite of tools can photograph anything in the real world and build a 3D model. “The goal is to show the flexibility and the breadth of abilities in digital and game-based technologies,” he says.
As the world becomes more digital, Borchert says now is the time for everyone at UNCG to think about how they can get the most out of technology while remaining responsible citizens. “It allows for a new level of participation and interactivity with art, cultural artifacts, and historic figures,” he says.
A group can’t touch a fragile or damaged work, but they safely work with a 3D digital replica. They can view a model of an object physically fixed in place from all angles. A class of students on one side of the country can study artwork in a museum on the other side.
“The promises of that technology are big for a museum or an art archive,” says Borchert. “All your archived materials are now readily available in a digital space. If you want greater public access to art and greater art appreciation, those technologies make that possible.”
Partners with a shared vision
Borchert is the third UNCG faculty member to hold this fellowship—a research partnership that the museum offers annually to a professor who will explore its collections through a unique disciplinary lens. He says, “The Weatherspoon has been incredibly progressive and cutting edge in their thinking about what it means to be a museum, to have an archive, to be on a university campus interacting with faculty and students.”
The museum is excited to work with Borchert to build upon their present creative applications. Emily Stamey, Ph.D., curator of academic programming and head of exhibitions, says, “While we are eager for Dr. Borchert to help us think about the immediately practical applications of these digital technologies, we are especially excited to think with him about ways in which not just the computer software, but the larger discipline of gaming and its investment in world-building might help us think about new contexts and frameworks for understanding the artworks in our collection.”
UNCG, the tip of the spear
With these explorations come important questions: What becomes of copyright and intellectual property? Will digital recreation deplete a work’s artistic value or expand it?
Borchert has always been interested in how art and technology connect to culture and morality. That’s reflected in his background as a faculty affiliate of religious studies, director of the Network for the Cultural Study of Videogaming, and director of the videogaming and esports studies program. As the Weatherspoon’s Benjamin Fellow, he’ll convene working groups with interdisciplinary faculty and museum staff who bring a range of vantage points to consider these questions with museum staff.
Free and open to the public
Borchert will lay some groundwork for this research and give an overview of UNCG’s exciting esports initiatives during a free event at the Weatherspoon. Hear him talk about “The Art of Gaming,” his previous work in art and technology, and what is to come to Greensboro through UNCG and its partnerships in the art and media industry.
The event will be held Aug. 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. with a reception to follow until 7:30 p.m.
This collaborative work comes during an exciting time of expansion for UNCG. It is building the Jeanne Tannenbaum Center for Creative Practice, which will serve the University’s Millennial Campus Initiative to innovate art across all platforms.
“How do we take these best practices and activate them as resources?” he says. “For example, the Black Box Studio in the Tannenbaum Center will be a wholly immersive studio with full motion capture technology in the room and a 600-square-foot LED wall. If you wanted to interact with art from the Weatherspoon archive in such an unprecedented way, that will be the space to do that.”
UNCG, with the Weatherspoon, can help set the standard for this relatively new practice of regularly bringing museum collections, digital technologies, and classroom teaching into partnership. In the first year, with help from other faculty, he hopes to have drawn up a set of best practices.
“It puts us in a pretty unique space,” he says. “UNCG raises its profile in the gaming and digitization space. It creates an opportunity for the Greensboro community to be on the cutting edge, thinking about what a digital future might look like. And our students can ask the questions about how to be digital stewards.”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
