January 8 | Issue 15 | Black & Gold 2021
Alumni & friends,

Happy New Year! As we look forward to a new year and new beginnings, we also take a moment to look back at the good 2020 brought to our university and our community. Despite COVID-19, there were a number of milestone achievements and activities to advance our vision of UNC Pembroke’s future and our mission of Changing Lives Through Education.

We hope you enjoy this brief look back at the top 10 stories of 2020!
Changing Lives Through Education in 2020
UNCP, like much of the world, adjusted operations quickly last spring for health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. While campus and classrooms looked a little different this fall, we successfully completed the semester on campus. The changes fueled a spirit of dedication and innovation bringing critical research projects and partnerships to UNCP to help protect our community and changing the way we provided services across campus. From the Robeson County Health Department to other UNC System institutions, we are grateful for the support and collaboration on our campus as well as across our community and state.

UNCP enrollment stands at 8,262 students, a 7.3% increase over the 7,698 enrollment in Fall 2019. Since the implementation of the NC Promise Tuition Plan at UNCP, the university has seen an impressive 32% increase in overall enrollment.

UNCP scholars are choosing their paths and excelling, evidenced by a number of student awards and scholarships. Students like business student Guillian Prince who earned an N.C. Department of Transportation Scholarship specifically for minority students. Allisa Dilling, Zach Bayles, Miranda Jones and Raymond Gilbert Jr. who earned the Hattie M. Strong Scholarships for aspiring teachers. Rising senior, Kamren Lewis honored for service and leadership by NC Campus Compact. Bricen Duff and Abigail Parnell were named the 2020 Maynor Scholars. UNCP Freshmen Mackenzie Dukes and Isabella Locklear named as the 2020 Early Assurance Scholars guaranteed a spot at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine.
Graduate student, Elzetter Norris, was awarded a national fellowship to support her UNCP educational journey. Rising junior, Kaitlyn Deal, was crowned Miss Indian North Carolina.

UNCP faculty experienced landmark achievements in their fields. A leading expert on neurodegenerative diseases, Dr. Ben Bahr, was awarded a milestone patent, the university’s first-ever, for a method to treat Alzheimer’s and traumatic brain injuries. Physics professor, Steven Singletary, leveraged his love of skydiving to help design parachutes used by the World Food Program for food drops in South Sudan earning the organization a Nobel Peace Prize.

UNC Pembroke has been awarded a three-year, $950,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to establish the REACH (Research Engagement Action Community Humanities) program supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds as they work toward a career in academia.


Upon leaving UNCP with their degrees in hand, these UNCP students are well on their way to success with valuable internship experience on their resume thanks to Cummings Aerospace and Pfizer.
 

Graduation this spring and fall looked a little different thanks to COVID, but creativity and determination still allowed UNCP to offer graduates their chance to cross the stage and celebrate their achievements.
The sounds of construction were heard across campus and the community throughout this year. The James A. Thomas Hall and West Hall construction projects on campus soared forward and the university's new gateway entrance at Lumbee Hall saw the final touches of its installation. In Pembroke, the A.S. Thomas Center downtown neared completion while the town received a $5.2 million grant for improvements and safety. Two new housing developments in the community also saw their start in 2020. 
In a year where many students and families are experiencing financial obstacles in achieving educational goals, generous UNCP donors are stepping up to make sure our mission of access and affordability continues. Nearly 200 donors supported the UNCP Student Aid Fund and below are a few examples of the many new scholarships established this year by individuals who understand the power education has to shape the course of communities for generations to come.

Evidence of the high-quality, exceptional education experience UNCP provides is being noticed across NC and the nation. This year, UNCP was acknowledged as one of the top universities in the South for social mobility, was among the top public schools in the South and is the most ethnically diverse university in the South while rising more than 10 spots in the Best Colleges regional ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges. UNCP’s elementary teacher preparation program was among the top in the country, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) for strong training in classroom management. Also in 2020, UNCP was named the winner of the 2020 Student Success Collaborative’s Return on Education Award by EAB.
UNC PEMBROKE | uncp.edu