University City Report (PDF) - Charlotte Chamber of Commerce

©PatrickSchneiderPhoto.com
decided to shut down its college centers back in
1949, the Queen City’s business and education
leaders commandeered the center, and Charlotte
College was formed. By 1965 the college had
joined the University of North Carolina system, and
today UNC Charlotte is the fourth-largest school in
that 16-campus system.
With a full-time faculty that is 900 strong, and
now offering 19 doctorate, 80 graduate and 90
bachelor programs, the institution is a valuable
resource not only for University City but the greater
Charlotte region as well. Obviously, the university
has come a long way since its tiny college center
days. But UNC Charlotte’s growth continues at a
stunning — and extremely exciting — rate.
Construction for the Energy Production and
Infrastructure Center (EPIC) at UNC Charlotte
is currently underway. The $76-million facility
will augment the Charlotte Research Institute
campus and will conduct research in new energy
technologies. This is also a boon for UNC Charlotte
students. By utilizing the EPIC building’s state-ofthe-art
lab facilities students will receive hands-on
experience with a laundry list of industry leaders,
including Duke Energy Corp., Siemens Energy, Inc.,
the Shaw Power Group and AREVA.
Across from the EPIC facility, construction also
continues on a brand-new UNC Charlotte football
stadium. The 49ers will begin competing in 2013
when football returns to their campus for the first
time since 1948. Football will join the 16 other
UNC Charlotte varsity sports teams that currently
compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
However, when it comes to education UNC
Charlotte isn’t the only cutting edge campus in
University City. Like the university before it, the
Governor’s Village, a cluster of four Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), was yet another
feat of planning and foresight. Named after four
N.C. governors, the schools covered every grade
for primary and secondary students living in
University City. The four schools are Nathaniel
Alexander Elementary School, James Martin
Middle School, Vance High School and John
Motley Morehead STEM Academy (a magnet
school that was named a School of Distinction in
2011).
Initiated in the mid-1990s, the campus was an
experiment designed to provide a unified K-12
approach to learning, a workplace magnet for URP
employees and a new technology-based system
to increase communication between parents
and schools. With its close proximity to URP, the
campus sat at the forefront of innovation as it
received millions of dollars in technology grants
from IBM.
Due to University City’s population explosion,
in 2001 CMS removed the workplace magnet
designation from the Governor’s Village schools to
accommodate the increasing influx of students.
Though IBM ended its grant around the same
time, new partnerships have formed that will once
again connect the public school campus to area
businesses and also to the university.
Financial services titan TIAA-CREF and UNC
Charlotte recently announced a partnership to
provide additional support to the 4,700 students
and 500 faculty members in Governor’s Village.
Job shadowing, tutoring and professional
development are just some of the services
provided to the schools, enhancing the student
experience while returning the Governor’s Village
to its initial design of offering unique opportunities
in conjunction with local businesses and
institutions.
When it comes to education, UNC Charlotte
and the Governor’s Village might stand out, but
they shouldn’t overshadow the myriad of other
University City Report 3