The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) has named UNC Charlotte among its 2021 winners of its Excellence and Innovation Awards in recognition of the University’s response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The University was selected for a special, one-time award that recognizes model work in achieving student success despite challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“UNC Charlotte’s selection as the 2021 AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award for Campus Pandemic Response in the Urban Category is a testament to the talent and dedication of our employees and the support and hard work of our students,” said Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “Through our collective efforts, we were able to deliver the highest quality education to our students — whether remotely or in person — while achieving record-breaking enrollment and fundraising goals. All of Niner Nation has ownership and pride in this award.”

The University’s entry, “Learning in the Time of COVID,” was selected by the AASCU awards committee for its outstanding results and potential to influence and serve as a model for other institutions.

AASCU President Mildred García, in announcing the award recipients, noted, “I am honored to recognize these Excellence and Innovation Award winners, who demonstrated immense creativity, resilience and dedication during an incredibly difficult year. These institutions are paving the way in prioritizing equity, student success and moving their diverse communities and regions forward as Stewards of Place.”

Highlights of UNC Charlotte’s innovative campus response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that were honored in the award include:

Wastewater testing and quarantine procedures: Faculty, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers from several academic disciplines came together to implement wastewater testing that serves as an early-warning system to locate the presence of COVID-19 and signal the emergence of potential clusters of people with coronavirus. The University’s efforts were among those mentioned in an article published by the New York Times in August 2020.

Remote learning and student life: The University’s Center for Teaching and Learning and Audiovisual Integration and Support for Learning Environments teams worked especially hard to give faculty the tools needed to ensure instructional continuity.

Mitigation to vaccination: For the 2020-21 academic year, the University started semesters online and delayed limited student move-in, which allowed time to implement, in collaboration with the Mecklenburg County Health Department, a plan of action that was coordinated predominantly by the University’s Office of Safety and Security. The daily Niner Health Check, a survey tool developed by UNC Charlotte’s Office of OneIT, enabled students, faculty and staff to report COVID-19 symptoms/exposure, resulting in a team of University contact tracers, specially trained graduate students in public health sciences, to determine who had been in close proximity of those infected. In the spring, the University partnered with Atrium Health to host vaccination clinics on campus for faculty, staff and students.

Constant communication: An online dashboard provides information to the wider community about the institution’s COVID-19 status. Updated daily, the dashboard gives real-time health trends. Niner Nation Cares, a comprehensive website with information about COVID-19 safety efforts and academic and administrative protocols was launched, and the Office of University Communications spearheaded the creation of “The New Norm,” an educational campaign with safety information to protect the campus community.

The University will be recognized formally at the AASCU 2021 Annual Meeting, held in-person in Clearwater Beach, Florida, and virtually from Nov. 7–9.

This morning at 8:19am, a 2.7 magnitude earthquake struck just North of Charlotte near the city of Morganton at a depth of 5.6 km.

According to the USGA, the quake was felt as far away as East Charlotte and East Tennessee:

Earthquakes have been increasing in frequency around the Charlotte region over the past few years. Last year, we experienced the largest earthquake in over 100 years when a 5.1 magnitude quake hit Sparta, NC, and since then, dozens of aftershocks have continued to rattle our state.

According to USGS.gov, “Moderately damaging earthquakes strike the inland Carolinas every few decades, and smaller earthquakes are felt about once each year or two.”

Did you feel this morning’s quake near Morganton? 

Tropical Storm Fred is heading our way, and while the Charlotte region may not be in its direct path, we’ll still be seeing heavy winds and rain, and potential flash flooding.

The National Hurricane Center sent out the following alert this morning:

At 1000 AM CDT (1500 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Fred was
located near latitude 29.2 North, longitude 85.7 West.  Fred is
moving toward the north near 10 mph (17 km/h), and this general
motion is expected through tonight.  On the forecast track, the
center of Fred should make landfall in the eastern Florida
Panhandle this afternoon or early this evening, and move over
western Georgia on Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts. 
Some strengthening is possible before landfall. After landfall, 
Fred is expected to quickly weaken.

According to meteorologist Brad Panovich, Flash Flooding and mudslides will be likely along the south and east-facing slopes of the NC mountains over the next 72 hours:

The Atlantic Coast hurricane season for 2021 runs from June 1st through November 30th.

NWS officials are reminding all residents in Atlantic Coast states to be prepared for this hurricane season.

In case of a power outage, make sure to have the following emergency items stocked in your home;

• Car charger for cell phones and other devices
• Clean drinking water (recommended 1 gallon per person per day, minimum three days)
• Flashlights 
• Batteries: Extra batteries for all of your devices
• Weather radio/clock
• Non-perishable food
• First aid kit

We will continue to update this article as this storm develops.