UNC Charlottes draws 10 percent of its students from the Ballantyne/Union County area and maintains strong relationships with Ballantyne-area companies such as Bissell, MetLife, Premier, Snyder’s Lance and SPX, Chancellor Philip L. Dubois told the Ballantyne Breakfast Club on Saturday.
Taking the University’s message to the southernmost reaches of Mecklenburg County, Dubois spoke before a receptive crowd of more than 100 citizens, politicos and candidates for elected office. He appeared as part of a public education panel that included Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) Superintendent Ann Clark and Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC) Vice President for Learning and Workforce Development Richard Zollinger.
Dubois described how UNC Charlotte – as North Carolina’s urban research university – has staked it claim as an integral part of the social, economic and cultural fabric of the Charlotte region. He talked about the urgent need for funding for a new science building, which is currently part of discussions in the North Carolina General Assembly.
“It’s absolutely critical that we get it funded, if possible in the next year or two,” Dubois said. He noted that 50 percent of current UNC Charlotte students who have declared majors are pursuing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees, which creates a great demand for science facilities.
The chancellor also shared University data, including:
- Enrollment has grown from approximately 11,000 in 1984 to approximately 28,000 this fall
- Enrollment may grow to more than 32,500 students by 2020
- UNC Charlotte’s resident undergraduate tuition and fees are second-lowest among 18 peer universities across the United States
- Doctoral degree programs have increased from 14 to 21 during Dubois’s 10-year tenure
- 1,840 alumni are working in CMS
- 400 students are on the waiting list for the Charlotte Engineering Early College on campus
- More than 2,100 community college students from across North Carolina transfer to UNC Charlotte – a greater rate than to any other UNC system campus
Dubois also praised the success of the Passport program with CPCC, wherein transfer students receive customized advising to help make a successful transition. He promoted the CATS light rail extension to campus, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2017 and touted 49ers’ football entry in Conference USA this fall. Dubois even quipped that under new men’s basketball head coach Mark Price (an NBA free-throw shooting legend), the 49ers should make great strides from the free throw line this winter.