Looking Back at 2019’s Most-Read Feature Stories
As the year comes to a close, it’s worth looking back at the UNC System’s efforts—at every level—to improve lives and strengthen North Carolina.
University leadership has been working hard on new initiatives to promote student success. Research, teaching, and engagement has been revitalizing local economies. Students and faculty have dedicated themselves to serving communities near and afar. Partnerships and publications have helped North Carolinians relax and take time to savor all this state has to offer.
This review of the most read stories of the year doesn’t cover the extent of all that we do. But it makes one thing abundantly clear: the UNC System has accomplished a lot in 2019.
Credit Where Credit is Due
The UNC System’s new Advanced Placement (AP) credit policy came into effect in 2019. Why was this change so significant? Because it meant that countless graduating high school seniors could earn their first college credit without even setting foot on campus for the first time, and that every UNC System institution had just improved its degree efficiency. Read more …
William L. Roper
Ever wonder why the interim president of the UNC System wears bow ties practically every day of the year? This candid conversation with Dr. William L. Roper reveals why. Read more …
From the Soil to the Glass
With nearly 200 licensed wineries and 2,300 grape-bearing acres, the state now ranks seventh in the United States in terms of wine and grape production. A 2016 economic impact study estimated that North Carolina’s wine and wine grape industry generated $375 million in wages and $89 million in state taxes. In various ways, UNC System institutions have helped to grow this increasingly important segment of the state’s economy. Read more …
The UNC Press Has Transformed the South …
Not too many university press publications find their way into the luggage of beachward-bound North Carolinians. The coast is for light reading—for books with pages that practically turn themselves. Academic publications are for classrooms, not for relaxation. But then again, The UNC Press isn’t your average university press. Read more …
Dr. Andrew Kelly
A conversation with UNC System Senior Vice President for Strategy and Policy Andrew Kelly explores a number of the key initiatives the University has pursued to improve performance measurements, public accountability, and student success. Read more …
Growing Talent at Home
The UNC System has dedicated itself to making college education more affordable. Its efforts will ensure that every North Carolinian has access to a college education and the economic mobility and personal rewards one can bring. Signature programs at the three NC Promise institutions exemplify how this investment isn’t just good for the students. It benefits local economies too, from Murphy to Manteo. Read more …
Dr. Kimberly van Noort
In this interview, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly van Noort discusses the UNC System’s work to promote student well-being, technological innovation, and credit for military experience. She also reflects on the joy of reading French literature and raising goats. Read more …
Looking Beyond the Obvious
The mission of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program is to recruit and prepare the state’s most promising students to teach in a STEM or a special education area and to serve high-need schools. Two Fellows, at different stages in their career, share their thoughts on the joy of helping students to see beyond the obvious. Read more …
Linguistics Leads to Good Fortune
Believe it or not, sentence structure has an impact on health and well-being. Just ask Brandi Montgomery and Crystal Cox, two of North Carolina’s 2018-19 Schweitzer Fellows. Read more …
Serving, From Rutherford to Rwanda
Contrary to what routinely plays out across TV and cinema screens, not every college student’s idea of a spring break is to baste in SPF 30 under the scorching Florida sun. Every year, students across the UNC System prove that fun and hard work aren’t mutually exclusive pursuits. Rather than orchestrating the mid-semester break as a getaway blowout, these students use their time off to give something back in the form of service. Read more …