THE UNIVERSITY

The University offers a comprehensive array of baccalaureate and master's programs and selected opportunities for doctoral education designed to serve the educational needs of the citizens of North Carolina. In addition, it has one of the most active international studies programs in the country for an institution of its size. A number of programs, including graduate studies, are offered in the evening and at UNC Charlotte Uptown, a new class room facility in the heart of Charlotte.

UNC Charlotte is known for its "student-centered" approach to education featuring outstanding faculty in classes of moderate size. The University's goal is to help every student capable of completing college-level work to learn to the maximum of their ability and to be successful in their chosen field of study. UNC Charlotte also is gaining national and international recognition for the research and scholarship of its faculty and for its willingness to collaborate with other institutions to address the major educational, economic, social, and cultural needs of the greater Charlotte region.

Despite its location in a metropolitan area of more than 1.5 million people, the campus includes approximately one thousand acres of rolling hills with forests, streams, and ponds, surrounding a pedestrian core of contemporary air-conditioned buildings that has the feel of a small residential campus. Easily accessed by nearby interstate highways and an international airport, the campus is enhanced by University City, a planned community comprising University Place, University Research Park, and University Hospital, adjacent to the campus.

INSTITUTIONAL MISSION STATEMENT

PURPOSE STATEMENT

The University is a comprehensive institution committed to a broad and balanced curriculum in the liberal arts and sciences and selected professions. It is the distinctively metropolitan- oriented university of the state and focuses special attention on global literacy and international education. The University meets its responsibilities through campus academic programs, student support services, and collaborative relationships with the human service, health care, performing and visual arts, corporate, and governmental institutions of the metropolitan region.

The University offers baccalaureate, master's, intermediate, and doctoral level programs. Undergraduate programs are offered in the humanities, social and behavioral sciences, physical and biological sciences, and the professions of architecture, business, education, engineering, nursing and other health disciplines, and public affairs. Professional degree programs at the baccalaureate and graduate levels are offered in areas selected to meet the special needs of the metropolitan region and to complement offerings established elsewhere in the state. The University aspires to significant growth in size and distinction of its research program,curriculum, and student body.

The primary commitment of The University is to informed and effective teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. All faculties emphasize undergraduate instruction as the foundation upon which lifelong learning and advanced education are based. The resources of the campus are extended by offering many programs during the evening hours and at off-campus sites. Students are selected from applicants whose preparation promises optimum use of available resources and for whom a university education will advance the basic purposes of the society. University programs are open to all qualified students without regard to race, gender, age, religious belief, or disability. Participation by students from other states and nations is welcomed.

The distinctive responsibilities of The University influence the nature of the research and the types of scholarly endeavor and public service activity undertaken by its faculty members. Both basic and applied research and scholarship are valued and encouraged. Leadership in public service is provided through campus-based programs, consultation services, and cooperative efforts with regional, national, and international organizations.

The University is committed to excellence in its teaching, research, and service programs and the relationships that support and are supported by them. Emphasis is placed on creating a campus environment that encourages the active involvement of students in their personal and intellectual development and that promotes responsible citizenship.

The policies and practices of the University are designed to promote for each of its members:

• attitudes and opportunities for creative, critical, and independent inquiry;
• high standards for the acquisition of knowledge and the achievement of intellectual understanding;
• freedom from the limitations of ignorance, prejudice, and intolerance;
• self-knowledge and an understanding of the relationship of the individual to society; and
• knowledge of and experience with cultures and circumstances that differ from the familiar in location, time, or values.

GOALS OF UNC CHARLOTTE EDUCATION

In order to meet these goals of UNC Charlotte education, students engage in programs designed to develop understandings, skills and capacities in the following six interrelated major areas:

1. Communication
2. Problem Solving
3. Understanding Values
4. Understanding Science and Technology
5. Understanding the Arts, Literature and Ideas
6. Understanding the Individual, Society and Culture

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

In keeping with this policy, faculty and staff are recruited, hired, and promoted without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or any non-relevant disability. The University actively recruits students from protected categories and provides opportunities for the growth and development of these students.

The University's Affirmative Action Program was established in 1973 and includes the monitoring and reporting of compliance with applicable laws and regulations including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Executive Order 11246, as amended by Executive Order 11375; Revised Order No. 4; the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended; the Vietnam Era Veteran's Rehabilitation Act of 1974; Titles VII and VIII of the Public Health Service Action; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; The Americans with Disabilities Act; and all applicable laws and ordinances of the State of North Carolina. The University has a published Affirmative Action Plan, copies of which have been distributed to all departments and offices. Copies have also been placed on reserve in the Library.

The Director of Human Resources serves as the Affirmative Action Officer and is responsible for ensuring The University's commitments are met. Contact the Director of Human Resources, 225 King Building,(704) 547-4269.

Discriminatory Personal Conduct. The University seeks to promote a fair, humane and respectful environment for its faculty, staff and students. To that end, University policy explicitly prohibits sexual harassment, racial harassment, and all other personal conduct which inappropriately asserts that sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, or ancestry are relevant to consideration of individual worth or individual performance. The same policies provide procedures for the informal or formal resolution of instances where such behavior is suspected or alleged. The policies have received wide distribution and are available for inspection in all administrative offices on campus.

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE

ACCREDITATION