End-of-semester Message to Faculty and Staff

Dear Faculty and Staff,

As we close out the fall semester and students finish up exams and gear up for a well-deserved break, I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of all we have accomplished this year. Great things are happening at Charlotte!

This weekend, we will celebrate more than 3,700 students who have earned degrees or graduate certificates in the summer and fall terms. Each graduate has proven that Niners are resilient, determined, resourceful and innovative. We are proud of each and every one of them.

It’s exciting to see all we have accomplished this year at Charlotte.

This semester, we set several enrollment records, including our largest-ever first-time-in-college class, at nearly 4,500, and largest class of new master’s and doctoral students. Looking ahead to Spring Semester, we are expecting another year-over-year increase in both graduate and undergraduate enrollment.

We also achieved the position as one of the nation’s top 100 public universities, at No. 96, in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings. Overall, the University climbed 41 spots and is one of the fastest rising universities in the U.S.

The University also is making remarkable advancements in research, with record expenditures and innovative new partnerships that will power the future for our region and state. Further, with growing research expenditures and doctoral graduates, The Chronicle of Higher Education is projecting Charlotte will receive R1 research status in 2025, further broadening our impact.

This is a University on the rise, in rankings, reach and impact. What is happening – collectively and simultaneously – is happening only at Charlotte. And this surge of momentum is powered by our outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni, and their growing impact on our region, our state and beyond.

Thank you for all of your great work. I wish you a safe, relaxing and happy holiday break. I can’t wait to see all we will accomplish in 2024. Go Niners!

Sincerely,

Sharon L. Gaber
Chancellor