Student Engagement
When you join the community that is the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, you will find a place of exploration and discovery. Here, you will be challenged to think more broadly and more deeply than probably ever before. You will learn to think critically and to act compassionately, working alongside your professors and fellow students in the classroom, in research settings and in the broader community.
With a major in CLAS, you will find you can:
- Think critically and analyze complex situations.
- Solve problems efficiently and effectively.
- Speak persuasively with a variety of audiences.
- Translate data into useful knowledge.
- Write coherent explanations and arguments.
- Collaborate with teams and lead from within.
- Do research and analysis using state-of-the-art methods and technologies.
- Interact with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Cast a wide net for career and life opportunities.
student opportunities
Students can find diverse options for academic and personal development, including through learning communities, academic organizations and success seminars. Academic clubs and organizations provide another way for you to become involved. Many College academic departments offer honors programs, in addition to the University Honors Program. Engagement opportunities feature leadership roles, volunteerism choices and special talks and seminars to help you grow your knowledge and skills as you prepare for your future. Among the offerings:
- Learning Communities
- Undergraduate Research
- Internships
- Honors Programs
- Education abroad
- Experiential Learning
- Service Learning and Outreach
- Academic Student Organizations
- The LEADS Program
Student News
UNC Charlotte’s speech team won third place at the Novice National Championship Forensics Tournament in early March at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. The award recognizes the top novice competitors from across the country in competitive public speaking, debate, and interpretation of literature.
Betsabe Rojas Gonzalez is one of the first UNC Charlotte students or alumni ever chosen for the highly competitive Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Program graduate fellowship. Fellows receive up to $84,000 for two years of graduate studies, internships, and other professional development opportunities and have the opportunity to work as a U.S. Foreign Service officer.
UNC Charlotte health psychology doctoral student Jan Mooney is expanding her research in maternal health, with support from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Training Award. The fellowship from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will allow Mooney to work closely with NIH scientists.
Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, has approved a chapter for UNC Charlotte. The University joins an elite group of just 10% of U.S. colleges and universities approved to shelter a chapter.
As a student attending rural North Carolina grade schools and a Raleigh high school that is majority white, Candace Silver saw just a few other Black faces in her classes, if any. Lessons and books paid little attention to telling Black people’s stories, she recalls. Now, as the inaugural recipient of the new Gregory Mixon-Sonya Ramsey Black Lives Matter Scholarship, Silver continues to grow her understanding and appreciation for a broader view that includes the contributions and struggles of Black people throughout history.