#WeAreAllNiners

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Today, on 4/9 we are encouraging Niners across the globe to express their Niner Nation pride, using the hashtag #WeAreAllNiners.  Forty-niners everywhere have demonstrated selfless and unwavering support, understanding, and patience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our students are adapting to the “new normal” of online or remote learning.   Faculty members and students are using 3-D printers to produce protective face shields for health care workers.  Our alumni are supporting fellow alumni-owned small businesses. 

But our current 49ers continue to need your help and support.

The COVID – 19 pandemic will continue to cause some dislocation in all of our lives.  But, for our students, the pandemic threatens to disrupt their dreams and the brighter future that a UNC Charlotte degree promises.

Two weeks ago, I encouraged all of Niner Nation to support the Student Emergency Relief Fund and the Jamil Niner Student Pantry Fund to help provide needed relief to students.

Your response has been remarkable. You have contributed nearly $350,000 allowing us to fulfill close to 60 percent of the applications we have received from needy students.  However, there are currently over 490 students on the waitlist for funding and that number grows every day. We need your support to help fund their emerging needs. The Student Emergency Relief Fund will be even more critical in the weeks and months ahead as we work to support students in ever-changing situations.  Together, we can keep our students on track to graduate — and to make a difference in the world themselves.

While 4/9 serves as an annual reminder of the enduring spirit and goodwill of our Niner Nation family, that’s especially true this year.  I hope the energy and pride you feel for UNC Charlotte today will continue in the coming weeks and months. I am grateful for your support of our students, alumni, faculty, and staff during this unprecedented time.  By working together, there’s nothing we can’t do. Because we are, in fact, 49ers.  

With appreciation,

Phil

Philip L. Dubois
Chancellor