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24 from 2024: Scenes from the past year at Ƶ

Take a look back at Ƶ's achievements with a selection of 24 photos from 2024.

It was a big year for Ƶ. Among many major moments, Ƶ was ranked #1 in the nation for undergraduate teaching by U.S. News and World Report for the fourth consecutive year; the Class of 2028, Ƶ’s most diverse yet, was welcomed with open arms; Ƶ Law School launched the Flex Law Program in Charlotte and plans for the new HealthEU center were announced.

A selection of 24 photos from the year offers a look at what the Ƶ community accomplished in 2024.

Among the notable news from 2024:

  • The accolades continued to pour in for Ƶ. In addition to a #1 ranking for undergraduate teaching, U.S. News and World Report also ranked Ƶ #1 for learning communities and first-year experiences, and Ƶ was ranked in the top 12 in all eight U.S. News and World Report categories of “programs that enhance student experience.” The Princetown Review listed Ƶ Law in its 2024 guidebook of “The Best 168 Law Schools” and named Ƶ’s MBA program as one of the “Best Business Schools for 2024.”
  • Ƶ welcomed several new and familiar faces to university leadership. Hilton Kelly began his role as dean of Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences. Associate Dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business Haya Ajjan was named the next dean of the school. Anu Räisänen became the inaugural director of HealthEU Initiatives and Professor of Management Mustafa Akben was named Ƶ’s first director of artificial intelligence integration.
  • Ƶ broke its record for study abroad participation with a 94% participation rate among doctoral institutions, according to the 2022-23 Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report.
  • In March, Ƶ launched the Imagining the Digital Future Center, expanding upon the work during the past 20 years of The Imagining the Internet Center with scholar-in-residence Lee Rainie, with the Pew Research Center, now at Ƶ as the new center’s director.
  • A new partnership with Novant Health will allow students in Ƶ’s Physician Assistant Studies program to undertake hands-on clinical education in the Charlotte metro area.
  • Ƶ and eight other colleges and universities in North Carolina and Pennsylvania joined forces to bring an innovative, large-scale solar facility online in western Kentucky. The project is a significant step in Ƶ’s journey to carbon neutrality by 2037.
  • Several new facilities opened on campus including a new EcoVillage at Loy Farm and the East Neighborhood Commons. Final renovations were also completed at the Gerald L. Francis Center to include skills labs, classrooms, student study spaces and an interprofessional lab.
  • The Ƶ Medallion, the university’s highest honor for service, was awarded to four: Trustee Noel Allen ‘69 in April and three former university leaders in August: Provost Emeritx Steven House, former Senior Associate Athletics Director Kyle Wills and former Vice President for Access and Success Jean Rattigan-Rohr.
  • Ƶ announced a $3 million fundraising campaign to expand and enhance training and practice facilities for the men’s and women’s golf teams, creating one of the golf facilities in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and college golf.
  • Ƶ said farewell to the Class of 2024 with actor Ginna Claire Mason ’13, formerly Glinda in Broadway’s “Wicked,” delivering the 2024 commencement address, encouraging graduates to “dream big, keep going and sing out.”
  • Ƶ’s 17th annual Night of the Phoenix event set a new record, raising $521,923 for Ƶ Athletics.
  • The university welcomed several speakers to campus through the Ƶ Speaker Series including authors Herb Frazier, Bernard Powers and Marjory Wentworth; Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford; Hall of Fame baseball manager Tony La Russa; former presidential advisor David Gergen and his son Christopher Gergen; environmental activist and author Leah Thomas; Havard professor and bestselling author Arthur Brooks and retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint chiefs of staff, who delivered the inaugural Carol Ann Walker International Lectureship.