Solomon Franklin is enthusiastic about making a difference, not only at UNC Charlotte but in the greater community.
A member of the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte Inc., Franklin mentors two young men, one in middle school, the other is in high school. He also is on the organization’s board of directors as chief operating officer.
“My personal mantra is represented by the acronym S.O.L.O., which stands for Serving Others, Loving Others,” said Franklin. “My goal is to utilize resources to create platforms for people to have a voice and energize people to move toward documented objectives and focus on important tasks to accomplish what truly matters.”
On campus, Franklin is the staff advisor for the UNC Charlotte chapter of the Collegiate 100, an auxiliary chapter for the 100 Black Men of America Inc. Currently, chapter members volunteer at Turning Point Academy to mentor underserved youth. Collegiate 100 won the 2014 National Chapter of the Year, and the chapter recently inducted 39 new members. The organization is planning its fourth annual Hoops for Hope Basketball Tournament, which collected more than 1,000 food items for the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Community Table last year. The goal is for competing teams and attendees to bring canned goods to assist children who deal with food insecurity. The tournament will be in early May at UNC Charlotte.
A member of the Facilities Management Department, Franklin primarily works with personnel in the Building Environmental Services (BES) and Recycling unit as a program development and education coordinator. Managing processes and continuous improvement initiatives are among Franklin’s major job responsibilities. He schedules and documents training opportunities for staff, and most recently, he spearheaded a zone study. This involved examining the organizational structure, zone geography and staff shift times and schedules. Throughout the process, Franklin worked with managers and supervisors, and he initiated surveys to gather feedback. Ultimately, a reorganization plan was developed, which has been approved and will be implemented this year.
A native of Greensboro, Franklin earned bachelor’s degrees in graphic design and Africana studies and a master’s degree in history from UNC Charlotte.
He has received the 2009 Africana Studies Alumnus Award for Excellence, the 2012 Urban League of Central Carolinas Young Professional of the Year Award, the 2014 Distinguished Member Award from the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) and was designated a 2015 Success Leader in Charlotte by the YBM Leadership Alliance.
“I love this University, and I am a 49er for life,” said Franklin. “I want to continue to make an impact to positively improve the brand of UNC Charlotte. I am passionate about ensuring the University has an engaged and active student population; high morale among employees; and a clean, productive campus environment.”
In March, Franklin was honored as one of the 2015 Employees of the Year. Nominators singled him out as a “truly selfless, servant leader,” who is “enthusiastic, energetic, caring, forward-looking and charismatic.”