The spring UNCG Magazine is now available, featuring stories of real-world impact thanks to the Light the Way campaign, the most successful in UNCG history.
In addition to that Light the Way feature, “A Bright Path Forward,” this issue includes:
Dr. Heather Adams, associate professor of English, receives the Early Career Research Excellence Award for her groundbreaking scholarship in rhetoric, composition, and writing studies, with interdisciplinary specializations spanning feminist theory, feminist historiography, gendered health studies, reproduction studies, and public emotion.
Peers describe Adams as a preeminent early-career scholar in her field and one of her generation’s most prominent voices in feminist rhetorical studies. In her 9 years at UNCG, she has authored or coauthored an outstanding 17 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters as well as a book and a co-edited collection of scholarly essays — a level of scholarly activity one would expect from a full professor rather than an early career faculty member.
Adams’s work is published with top-tier publishers and journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Speech, which has a 6% acceptance rate, and Rhetoric Review, which has a 15% acceptance rate.
Her 2022 book, Enduring Shame: A Recent History of Unwed Pregnancy and Righteous Reproduction — which examines the raced and classed experiences of unwed mothers since the mid-twentieth century and traces a culture of shaming and blaming women into the present — won the highly competitive Horner Outstanding Book Award from the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition. Her 2024 co-edited collection, Inclusive Aims: Rhetoric’s Role in Reproductive Justice, was released by the award-winning Parlor Press, which publishes some of writing studies’ most distinguished scholars.
Adams has delivered over 60 national and international conference presentations, earning a Distinguished Paper Award from the Rhetoric of Health and Medicine Symposium, and her invited talks include the prestigious 2023 Kenneth Burke Memorial Lecture at Pennsylvania State University. Her work has also appeared in Communication Currents, a National Communication Association publication that aims to explain scholarly information to broad and public audiences.
Beyond sharing her work with her scholarly peers, Adams also conducts extensive work in the realm of public advocacy. For example, she has been part of a community-engaged research team developing an advocacy tool to address stigma faced by those experiencing substance-exposed pregnancies.
Finally, Adams is known as a deeply engaged teacher who has published on pedagogy, collaborating with students, and undergraduate research. She is a principal investigator and the faculty director for the $5 million Mellon Foundation-funded “Humanities at Work” program that connects UNCG undergraduate humanities majors with community partners through paid internships. Her latest work with undergraduate researchers includes a digital exhibit of oral contraceptive advertisements from the 1960s that will be hosted by UNCG libraries.
Dr. Paul Knapp, professor of geography, environment, and sustainability, receives the Senior Research Excellence Award for his innovative work in biogeography and climatology using dendroecological techniques.
Dr. Paul Knapp, professor of geography, environment, and sustainability, receives the Senior Research Excellence Award for his innovative work in biogeography and climatology using dendroecological techniques.
In the field and at his Carolina Tree-Ring Science Laboratory, Knapp uses tree-ring data to reconstruct centuries of environmental conditions and help scientists better understand complex atmospheric and forest ecological dynamics. His work explores how human activities affect environments and how climate affects human well-being.
Knapp is known by his peers for innovative work advancing the frontiers of biogeography, climatology, and dendrochronology and impacting environmental understanding and climate science, locally, nationally, and internationally. The important research has drawn over $1.3 million in funding over his career, from organizations including the NSF, USDA, Bureau of Land Management, and the NC Policy Collaboratory.
He has published over 92 peer-reviewed articles over his career — 62 in his 21 years at UNCG — and amassed nearly 3,000 citations. Over the last 15 years, he has published three to six papers a year. His research appears in top-tier disciplinary journals such as Global Change Biology, Global Environmental Change, and Annals of the American Association of Geographers, which is one of geography’s flagship journals — as well as in prestigious interdisciplinary outlets.
The diversity of journals in which Knapp’s publications appear reflects the wide, multidisciplinary impact of his research explorations.
He is known for his series of publications using isotopic analyses to demonstrate physiological changes to trees due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide, a then-controversial concept known colloquially as greening. He is also known for work demonstrating the importance of atmospheric rivers — narrow, moisture-laden plumes in the atmosphere that transport massive amounts of water vapor — in the radial growth, or width, of pine trees.
Knapp introduced the since-confirmed concept that the impact of Arctic sea-ice on the atmosphere influences wildfires in the western U.S., and he has published evidence on how atmospheric warming is associated with changing storm dynamics in North America.
He has also used dendroclimatic data to shed light on human history, as with a Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society paper on the Lewis and Clark expedition that demonstrates how the Corps of Discovery experienced one of the most severe Pacific Northwest windstorms in 300 years on their journey.
Meanwhile, his paper on the historical factors and human-environment interactions leading to the dominance of the invasive species cheatgrass throughout the Great Basin has 800 citations alone.
Knapp has delivered well over 100 conference presentations and given invited colloquia at top-tier geography programs across the country.
His outreach efforts also extend to educating the public through campus tree walks and public tours of his lab.
Finally, Knapp is an inspiring mentor who has guided over 30 graduate students over his career. His students have coauthored 26 publications with him and have won five best doctoral and masters paper presentation awards and a best research poster award at his discipline’s most important regional conference. He is also lauded for his mentorship of faculty peers.
Knapp in the field at the Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve in Virginia.
Announcement by Sangeetha Shivaji Feature photo by Sean Norona
IPSE Day celebrates education and inclusion for students with IDD
Posted on May 01, 2026
At the beginning of the April 20 High Point City Council meeting, Sam Antkowiak and his mother, Stephanie, arranged themselves in front of the dais alongside High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson. With them was Lisa Pluff, director of UNC Greensboro’s Office of Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Education (CTP).
As the group found their places, Mayor Jefferson began his proclamation that centered a transformative education model that both expands and fulfills the University mission.
Lisa Pluff
“Whereas college students with and without intellectual disabilities can attend college together,” he began, “and whereas today there are about 5,000 colleges and universities in the United States, and just over 300 have options for students with intellectual disabilities….”
In the jargon of higher education, Jefferson was talking about Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE). In essence, he was describing an advanced practical and academic curriculum for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), like the program administered by Pluff and her team at UNCG.
She and her companions all have a vested interest here. In addition to her duties as UNCG’s IPSE champion, Pluff is president of The Arc of North Carolina, which helps people with IDD achieve their life goals. Stephanie Antkowiak is the Arc of High Point’s executive director. And her son Sam is a graduate of UNCG’s Integrative Community Studies program, the University’s inclusive academic pathway for students with IDD.
IPSE can be challenging to describe in words, but this collection of people define the program aptly: a government official, representatives from education and the nonprofit sector, and someone whose life was changed because of everyone’s commitment and dedication to the cause.
A national day of recognition
Jefferson’s proclamation, along with one signed by Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, celebrates May 1 as IPSE Day in the Triad, as it is everywhere else in the United States.
IPSE Day articulates the pressing need to support those with IDD as they become more independent and productive. It is an initiative spearheaded by Think College, a national center that promotes infrastructure to enrich the lives of people with IDD after they age out of primary education.
Zion Turner graduated from the Integrative Community Studies Program in May 2025. He took business courses and worked in ITS.
UNCG has been a part of this enterprise since 2007, a year before the federal government began recognizing programs like this with grants and initiatives. This makes UNCG the first university in North Carolina to launch a 4-year IPSE program. Before then, there was little in the way of education or training after high school for people with IDD in the state.
UNCG’s program is housed under ICS, also known as Beyond Academics, with a mission to provide both real-life and academic experiences that engage students and encourage them to develop to their full potential.
Three pillars of learning
Students, faculty and staff gathered for a small reception celebrating the proclamation of May 1, 2023 being recognized as Inclusive Postsecondary Education Day in North Carolina.
UNCG’s ICS program supports and guides individuals with IDD in three vital areas, Pluff says. “Our three pillars are career development, autonomy and agency, and life planning. The goal is for them to live as independently as possible after graduation.”
Students graduate with a certificate in Integrative Community Studies, issued by the Office of the Provost.
“The ICS Program is just one of the ways that UNCG advances the University mission beyond traditional academics,” said University Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Alan Boyette. “Like all our graduates, IPSE students make us proud as they turn their potential into achievement.”
While they are at UNCG, the students attend classes, take meals in the dining hall, and live in University housing.
“We use a purposeful housing model, which supports the students in transitioning through different opportunities of living,” Pluff says. “They start on campus typically, and then move into a more traditional type of housing to gain those skills of how to cook and clean, pay the bills, and all of that.”
The career development piece is accomplished through classwork and electives. “Students take a variety of coursework,” Pluff says. “Some are courses that we developed specifically for the certificate, but there are courses available to them from all over the University, depending on their interests and career desires. For example, some students might take some courses in education if they want to go into a teaching support role.”
‘Like any other student’
IPSE students have been diagnosed with a range of IDD such as Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, or cerebral palsy. Autism, Pluff says, is a developmental disability as opposed to an intellectual disability, “so if our students have autism, they also have a co-occurring intellectual disability. But that common denominator is the cognitive or intellectual disability.”
The heart of the program, Pluff says, is inclusion and access.
“There is the idea of inclusion, which is just having a seat at the table,” she says. “But what we are looking for is for our students to truly be part of the community, and a reciprocal part of the community. It’s about true and deep inclusion of folks with varying abilities. UNCG is a very inclusive place. And our students want to make friends and be a part of the community, just like any other student.”
Story by Brian Clarey, University Communications Photos courtesy UNCG Office of Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Education
The assistant professor of consumer, apparel, and retail studies lives out her childhood dream of fashion design. As featured in the Bryan Business Report, one of her sustainable hand-knitted garments won one of the highest honors in her field, the Sandra Hutton Award for Excellence in Fiber Arts.
Janae Wofford, one of the 2026 Provost Student Excellence Awardees.
On behalf of the Provost and the Honors Council of Lloyd International Honors College, UNCG delighted to announce the recipients of the 2026 Provost Student Excellence Awards. This is the highest academic honor for undergraduate students at UNCG, recognizing excellence both in and out of the classroom.
Congratulations!
AnnaGrace Berry, Specialized Education Services Peyton Bowditch, School of Music Caden Brady, Biology Hailey Burnett, Dance Elle Burnette, Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies Rachel Clanton, Chemistry and Biochemistry Jay Clarkson, Political Science Annelise Eidt, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Elisabeth Eleazer, Biology Bella Estrada, School of Art Amber Fairchild, Biology Isatou Suwad Fall, School of Art Eileen Galdamez, Nutrition Taylor Gettings, Interior Architecture Jolie Hauser, Accounting and Finance Edgar Hernandez, Management Mac Hoffa, Dance Hanna Husseini, Interior Architecture Sabrina Ibrahim, Social Work Remi JeanMarie-Jennings, Public Health Education Malcolm Johnson, Public Health Education Gracen Long, School of Music Maya McCall, School of Theatre Samantha McInturff, School of Theatre Iyana Mercado, Political Science Ana Mosqueda, Community and Therapeutic Recreation Holland Shay Pankey, Accounting and Finance Kristina Perdue, Ancient Mediterranean Studies & Archaeology Zion Raczenski, Psychology Sebastian Rodriguez, Nursing Mya Snell, Nursing Sasha Steffey, Computer Science Nikolai Tassin, Psychology Manodnya Vaidya, Management Peyton Valla, Nursing Raquel Walton, School of Art Jacey Ward, Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies Leah Wehrly, Nutrition Janae Wofford, Chemistry and Biochemistry Arianna Young, Social Work Libby Zou, Computer Science
Safran and Kaplan Receive Honorary Degrees from UNCG
Posted on May 11, 2026
Susan Safran ’77 received an honorary doctor of science degree for her exceptional guidance in advanced learning in health care, emergency training, and higher education. Randall Kaplan received an honorary doctor of laws degree for his visionary leadership, public service, and philanthropy, establishing a transformative impact across North Carolina.
UNCG Introduces Minerva’s Health Chariot to Bring More Healthcare Services to the Triad
Posted on April 30, 2026
UNC Greensboro has launched Minerva’s Health Chariot, a mobile health unit operated by the School of Nursing that offers primary and preventive care in Guilford, Forsyth, Alamance, Rockingham, Randolph, Davidson, Davie, and Caswell counties.
Dr. Debra Barksdale, dean of the School of Nursing; Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.; Anita Bachmann, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina; were joined by other trustees, faculty members, and community representatives to unveil Minerva’s Health Chariot outside the Nursing and Instructional Building on April 29.
Minerva’s Mobile Health Chariot outside the Nursing and Instructional BuildingDean Debra Barksdale
Since its launch, the MHU has delivered care to over 3,000 people in the Triad who might not have received medical attention otherwise. The second unit will further increase access to essential health services in the region.
Chancellor GilliamProvost Alan Boyette, Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter, and Trustee Margaret BenjaminOnboard Minerva’s Health Chariot, left to right: School of Nursing Advisory Board member Robbie Franks, Director of Development Miriam Fields, Advisory board member Davette Williams, and Dr. Tiffany Gibson, clinical associate professor
Minerva’s Health Chariot introduces a new feature to the fleet: integrated telehealth technology. This lets patients connect with a primary care provider in real time during their visit, making follow-up and ongoing care easier. The unit is a repurposed transit van, and its smaller size means it can reach more locations.
Tiffany Gibson, Ph.D., RN, a faculty member and dually certified family and women’s health nurse practitioner, has been a key part of the School of Nursing’s mobile health efforts since the MHU went into service. She sees patients on the unit several times a week and serves as its director.
“What sets Minerva’s Health Chariot apart is its ability to turn a routine screening or test result into a same-day primary care, telehealth visit. This is an essential service for rural and underserved communities where access to medical care may be limited,” said Gibson.
Both mobile health units also give UNCG nursing students valuable real-world training. Nursing students and graduate nurse practitioner students get real-world, hands-on experience working with patients through the Minerva Mobile Health Scholars program.
“Remarkable change doesn’t happen without the right tools, the right people, and partners who believe in the work. Minerva’s Health Chariot brings all of that together — giving our nurse practitioners and students the platform they need to meet our neighbors where they are and deliver care that truly transforms lives,” said Barksdale.
Bachmann, who also serves on the UNCG Board of Trustees, said, “At UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina, we believe that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare, no matter where they live, and Minerva’s Health Chariot will help increase access said Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North Carolina. “By bringing telehealth-enabled, preventive care directly into neighborhoods across the Triad, this mobile unit breaks down barriers that have kept too many people from getting the care they need.”
Anita Bachmann, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of North CarolinaSarah Apel, Minerva Mobile Health Unit Nurse Manager
Minerva’s Health Chariot is one part of UNCG’s growing service to underserved communities. At the ribbon-cutting, Chancellor Gilliam announced UNCG’s recent approval to participate in the Rural Residency Medical Education and Training Fund. With this funding from the UNC System, UNCG will help increase the healthcare workforce in rural communities. The School of Nursing will receive $200,000. Another $200,000 was awarded to be shared by the Department of Social Work in the School of Health and Human Sciences and Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
To learn more or find out when Minerva’s Mobile Health Unit will be in your area, visit nursing.uncg.edu.
Story by Debbie Fuchs, School of Nursing Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
Excellence and Career-Readiness Define the UNCG Class of 2026
Posted on May 04, 2026
Seania Burnett (front row, center) leads members of her Class of 2026 in a cheer on the steps of Marcus T. Johnson Alumni House.
As UNC Greensboro’s newest alumni get ready for Commencement Day, many add flourishes to their mortarboards. These decorations tell the stories of what brought them to this point, the people who inspired them, the doubts they quashed, and the dreams they’re ready to bring into reality.
But the matching blue of the undergraduates’ robes on May 8 — and the black of the graduates’ robes on May 7 — will speak to another truth: Wherever their futures take them, they stand united as Spartans.
Degrees in hand, our graduates move forward having already changed the trajectory of their own lives. They seized opportunities, built real-world skills, and persevered through challenges that open the door to economic stability, social mobility, and meaningful work.
Words of wisdom to carry forth
This semester’s undergraduate ceremonies will be led by performance-minded UNCG students with a knack for building excitement in audiences.
Jiyah McLaughlin will deliver the Undergraduate Commencement speech at First Horizon Coliseum. She will describe her expectations when she first set foot on campus and what surprised her along the way. She will talk about what goes beyond her paper degree and describe the community, the commitments, and the moments that shaped her.
Before Chancellor Gilliam and the faculty process to their seats, drama major Seania Burnett will welcome everyone in the traditional hype video.
Once all the names have been read, fellow theatre classmate Christian Bartney will lead the turning of the tassels. Then Fatima Galvan-Ruiz, also of media studies, will deliver the send-off, with the customary ringing of the bell, alongside alumna Jana Welch Wagenseller ’76.
Honors by the thousands
Nearly 3,000 diplomas will mark the accomplishments that culminate this semester. UNCG will confer 2,030 undergraduate degrees, 704 masters’ degrees, and 79 doctoral degrees.
The undergraduates studied in 67 different majors with 255 different advisors. More than 800 of all the graduates will do so with honors.
Forty-two of the grads are aged 50 years or older. Among them, Dr. Andra James, an ob-gyn and professor emeritus at Duke University, who returned to school 30 years after earning her MD. She will leave UNCG with a bachelor of arts in history. James plans to do volunteer work in public service.
Another standout is Janae Wofford. The Goldwater Scholar has already logged hours in the lab as an undergraduate, discovering plant-based antibiotic alternatives with Dr. Nadja Cech. Wofford was accepted into every graduate school she applied to. She’ll continue her education and research at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., with support from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. It is the oldest fellowship of its kind and is awarded to only 16% of its applicants.
Know Before You Go
First Horizon Coliseum fills up fast and traffic gets heavy — plan ahead to make your big day smooth:
Guests should arrive early — before 9:30 a.m.
Carpool with friends and family.
Skip the stress. Park on campus for free and ride the Spartan Chariots.
Thursday: Shuttles will service from the Walker Deck with pickup on Stirling Street starting at 7 a.m.
Friday: Shuttles will service from the Walker Deck at UNCG with pickup on Stirling Street starting at 7 a.m. and from Oakland Deck with pickup on Forest Street.
Shuttles will run continuously until an hour after the ceremony ends.
The Coliseum recommends entering without a bag. If necessary, guests are permitted to bring one small bag or clear bag that meets policy guidelines.
Special guests prove Spartan success
Brian Hall is the Master’s and Doctoral Commencement speaker. The president of real estate at Samet Corporation earned his master of business administration from UNCG. Over a 17-year-long real estate career, Hall has developed more than 5 million square feet of industrial and medical spaces across the Carolinas.
This semester, UNCG will confer two honorary degrees to philanthropists responsible for two professorships. Healthcare entrepreneur Susan Morris Safran ’77 has supported health education at her alma mater. Her $1 million gift in 2023 established the Susan Morris Safran Endowed Professorship in Nursing. The second, Randall Kaplan, created the Randall R. Kaplan Distinguished Professorship in Innovation, elevating Bryan School faculty who advance the workforce’s most in-demand skills.
After the commencement ceremonies conclude and the caps and gowns are put away, McLaughlin, Bartney, Galvan‑Ruiz, and Burnett will seek other stages for displaying their talents. Other Spartans will put their skills to work by serving patients and communities, leading in their own classrooms, or launching careers built with hands‑on experience. Some, including Wofford, will continue their momentum in graduate study and research.
Because being a Spartan means graduating ready to work and to uplift the community while doing it.
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications Photography by Sean Norona, University Communications
CELEBRATE OUR GRADS!
Graduates and their families are encouraged to share their accomplishments on social media by tagging the University accounts and using the hashtag #UNCGGrad. Visit UNCG’s digital swag page for Commencement-themed graphics and templates.
Mention @UNCG in celebratory posts on Instagram and X and @uncgreensboro on TikTok.
Wade Maki Appointed to Senior Advisor Position Within UNCG
Posted on May 04, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Wade Maki has been appointed Senior Advisor to the Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Chancellor, effective July 1, 2026.
In this role, Wade will serve as a key connector across academic leadership, administrative offices, and the faculty, ensuring strong coordination and execution of institutional priorities aligned with the University’s strategic plan and UNC System goals. He will lead Chancellor-sponsored initiatives, including continued implementation of the strategic plan and an enterprise-wide AI strategy. He will also serve as a liaison between administration and faculty and work closely on implementation of UNC System policies.
Wade brings a deep understanding of the University and the UNC System, along with a strong record of leadership and collaboration. As Chancellor’s Fellow for Strategic Planning since 2024, he led the “Forward Together” Strategic Plan refresh and supported key initiatives, including artificial intelligence and career readiness.
Wade will complete his two terms as Chair of the UNC System Faculty Assembly, which began in 2022, at the end of this semester. He advanced policy efforts such as updates to faculty workload and post-tenure review, the Foundation of American Democracy requirement, and a consensus definition of academic freedom.
A member of the UNCG faculty since 2004, Wade has been a principal lecturer in philosophy and a recipient of the Anna Maria Gove Award for Teaching Excellence. His leadership roles have included director of the Bachelor of Liberal Studies Program and co-director of the Faculty Teaching and Learning Commons. As he transitions into this new role, Wade will step down from his faculty position in the Department of Philosophy.
Please join me in congratulating Wade on this new role and in thanking him for his continued leadership and service to UNCG.
Vice Chancellor Tina McEntire Announces Retirement in August
Posted on May 05, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share that Tina McEntire, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, will be retiring from UNCG on Aug. 1, and to recognize her extraordinary contributions to the University.
Tina will be concluding a 30-year distinguished career in the UNC System, including service at UNC Charlotte and the last six years at UNCG. During this time, she has led and supported high-impact initiatives across the UNC System, including directing a completion grant program and advising campuses on student success and enrollment.
She joined UNCG at a pivotal moment – the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and a period of national enrollment decline – and was the first enrollment leader at UNCG to report directly to the Chancellor, reflecting the strategic importance of this work to the institution. In this role, she has provided innovative, decisive leadership marked by a results-driven, no-nonsense approach, and an unwavering commitment to the mission of the University.
Tina led a comprehensive transformation of our enrollment enterprise, rebuilding a fragmented structure into a coordinated, high-performing operation grounded in best practices and data-informed decision-making. She strengthened teams across all enrollment units and introduced the University’s first multiyear enrollment projections to guide strategy and planning.
Her leadership has delivered strong results in a challenging environment. Over the past three years, UNCG has grown total enrollment by 5.3%, with new student enrollment up 13% since 2022. Fall 2025 marked our largest enrollment in four years, including our biggest incoming undergraduate class since 2019 and the strongest graduate enrollment since 2021.
Tina also modernized our enrollment infrastructure, significantly improving service, efficiency, and the student experience. She expanded and diversified our enrollment pipelines – strengthening transfer pathways, reengaging stop-out students, growing opportunities for adult learners, and reaching students not previously considering higher education. In addition, she enhanced our financial aid strategy to extend access and supported continued growth in graduate enrollment through targeted digital marketing.
In August, Tina will begin a new chapter as a Principal and Senior Consultant with EAB, partnering with colleges and universities to address the same challenges and opportunities we have navigated at UNCG.
We are deeply grateful for Tina’s leadership and lasting impact on this University. Please join me in thanking her and wishing her all the best in her next chapter. We will share more information about next steps in the coming weeks.
