The Black & Gold

October 29 | Issue 8 | Black & Gold 2020

Alumni & friends,

Welcome to the Black & Gold, a weekly digest of UNC Pembroke news and information! Our faculty, staff, students and nearly 30,000 alumni all over the world never cease to amaze us with stories of resilience, determination and commitment to make their world a better place.

I hope you enjoy this newsletter to learn more about how UNCP, along with our alumni and friends, is making a difference on campus and in the communities we serve.

Your support and friendship makes that possible and sustains our university into the future. Thank you for all you do for this university and the students.

Sincerely,

Robin Gary Cummings, MD

Chancellor

Changing Lives Through Education

UNCP journalism students earn honors for environmental reporting

Five UNC Pembroke journalism alumni received third-place honors in a student category for environmental reporting, announced Sept. 30 during an annual award ceremony held by the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ).

Jessica Horne (now a reporter for The Robesonian), Alex Smith, Tyana Morris Emberton, Sadira Bacchus and Jonathan Miller completed the award-winning project, “Hurricanes Spawn a Flood of Problems” for their Spring 2019 journalism capstone course, Investigative Journalism, taught by Dr. Darlene Natale in the Department of Mass Communication.

The winners of the SEJ Awards for Reporting on the Environment were selected from the best articles, radio broadcasts and videos released from March 1, 2019, through Feb. 29, 2020. The SEJ competition was open to professional and student journalists from around the world.

COVID-19 UPDATE

As UNCP navigates these unprecedented times in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are keeping the health and safety as well as the educational priorities at the forefront of our operational focus. The university is currently offering instruction in a mix of online, hybrid and traditional face-to-face settings. We are closely monitoring the situation on campus daily, and you can follow our progress, plan, case reporting and updates at COVID-19 Updates.

HAPPENING ON CAMPUS

Nursing Professor Deborah Hummer honored with distinguished educator award

Assistant Professor Deborah Hummer has been named a recipient of the National Hartford Center of Gerontological Nursing Excellence Distinguished Educator in Gerontological Nursing Award.

The awards program is a Hartford initiative aimed at recognizing the leadership of nurse educators working with students, faculty and providers and older adults in diverse settings. Gerontological nurses work in collaboration with older adults, their families, and communities to support healthy aging, maximum functioning and quality of life.

UNC Pembroke teacher prep program earns top marks

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s undergraduate elementary teacher preparation program has been named among the top in the country by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a nonpartisan, not-for-profit research and policy organization, for strong training in classroom management strategies.

This month, NCTQ released its 2020 Teacher Prep Review: Clinical Practice and Classroom Management, which finds encouraging progress in teacher preparation programs’ adoption of evidence-based classroom management strategies that are universally effective, regardless of student age or the subject being taught.

UNCP’s undergraduate program is among only 14% of elementary programs to earn an A and serves as a model of excellence for others. UNCP is among only 138 out of 979 programs nationwide to receive an A on classroom management.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Nikki Brooks

Masters of Arts in School Administration 2006

Nikki Brooks earned a Master of School Administration from UNC Pembroke in 2006, Brooks currently serves as Elementary School Principal at Rex-Rennert Elementary School

Brooks was recently named the Public Schools of Robeson County Principal of the Year!

UNCP's School of Business

The UNCP School of Business paves the way to brighter futures!

Boasting advanced degrees and real-world business experience, the faculty help open doors to careers others only dream about.