Center of Attention
On Monday, August 27, the Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to invest $8 million toward the completion of the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at UNC Charlotte.
The planned conference center will enable the University to bring large research symposia and academic conferences to Charlotte.
City leaders commented favorably on the project. Charlotte City Council District 4 representative Greg Phipps stated, "The project will bring conferences to the campus and Charlotte that are not coming here today. And, this will have a positive impact on the area."
Councilman Braxton Winston stated the University’s conference center “is a great example of an investment that we want to have by a light rail station. It will continue to tie the University area to uptown so that we can expand the city to have access for more people.”
Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera added, “This (conference center) is a great educational opportunity that gives access to researchers and experts in various fields. It will help our city become one of the best when it comes to educational talent.”
The addition of first-class conference space to University City will generate new business for the city and for nearby hotels and retailers.
Within the first seven years, projected estimates show the hotel and conference center could generate nearly $9 million in city, county and state taxes.
Net proceeds are projected to generate $7 million in the first five years, which the UNC Charlotte Foundation could use to develop additional scholarships for students and to address other high-priority needs of the University.
"Thank you to Mayor Lyles, the members of the City Council, staff from the City and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority and our partners in the hotel industry for their support of this important project," said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. "It was a team effort. We also could not have come this far without the guidance of former Deputy City Manager and CRVA consultant, Ron Kimble. The new hotel and conference center will truly be a great benefit to the University and the city of Charlotte."
Chamber Board of Advisors Holds Quarterly Meeting on Campus
The Charlotte Chamber Board of Advisors held its quarterly meeting in the PORTAL building on campus, Monday, August 27. Chancellor Philip L. Dubois greeted the group of business leaders and encouraged them to find, hire and keep UNC Charlotte graduates, and their talent, within the Charlotte region. “There have been 66,865 degrees awarded at UNC Charlotte since 2005, and 85 percent of those graduated stay in the region.”
As part of the meeting, Chamber President Bob Morgan moderated an affordable housing discussion with panelists Julie Porter from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, Laura Belcher from Habitat for Humanity and Fulton Meachem from the Charlotte Housing Authority. In addition, business leaders within the Charlotte Chamber launched the 2018 campaign for the City of Charlotte bonds for transportation, neighborhood improvement and affordable affordable housing.
(Above, Fulton Meachem from the Charlotte Housing Authority and Julie Porter from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership)
Chancellor Meets with City’s New Planning Director
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois recently met with Taiwo Jaiyeoba, Charlotte’s planning director, and Alyson Craig, the city’s deputy planning director, to learn more about Jaiyeoba’s vision for the Queen City, especially the University City area.
Dubois also briefed the planner and his team on UNC Charlotte’s development and enrollment growth.
Jaiyeoba (left) served as an executive at HNTB Corp. before being named Charlotte’s planning director in January 2018. Previously, he worked as a city planner in Sacramento, California, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. 
A native of Nigeria, Jaiyeoba emigrated from Botswana in 1996.
Craig ’13 (right) served as director of UNC Charlotte’s Childress Klein Center for Real Estate and as director of the Master of Science in Real Estate program at the University before accepting her current role as Charlotte’s deputy planning director in May 2018.
Previously, she served as a development and acquisition associate for the Grubb Properties’ Investment team in Charlotte and as a vice president of a planning and engineering firm in Florida. Craig earned a master’s degree in real estate from UNC Charlotte.
Linda Hunt Williams Retires after 51 Years of Public Service
One door has closed as another one opened for N.C. Rep. Linda Hunt Williams ’96.
After 51 years of public service, starting in 1967 with the U.S. Navy and concluding in 2018 with a term in the N.C. House of Representatives, Williams (left) looks forward to moving back to her native state of Louisiana with her husband, Pat.
Williams, who earned a master’s degree in public administration from UNC Charlotte, is a former Holly Springs councilwoman. She leaves a distinct footprint in the community through her professional and volunteer work with Futures for Kids, Citizens for a Sound Economy and Children’s Scholarship Fund-Charlotte, to name a few.
While a state lawmaker, she focused on safe roads, taxes and responsible government. Although Williams said she is sad to leave North Carolina, she is grateful for the opportunity to represent her constituents and to witness the state’s tremendous growth in population, economy and reputation.