Chancellor Gaber’s 2026-27 Welcome Message to Faculty and Staff
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to the 2026-27 academic year! Campus is once again bustling, and it is wonderful to see that our students have returned.
This fall, we are welcoming approximately 5,100 first-year students from 97 North Carolina counties, 40 states and 24 countries. We are also pleased to welcome nearly 3,000 new transfer students to Niner Nation.
They are joining UNC Charlotte at an important moment.
During the past year, we completed our first full academic year as an R1 research university, enrolled a record 32,207 students and conferred more than 9,000 degrees and graduate certificates for the first time. We climbed to No. 74 among U.S. public universities, and our For the Love of Charlotte fundraising campaign surpassed $427 million.
We also secured the largest research award in University history. UNC Charlotte will lead the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas, bringing together more than 100 partners across North and South Carolina to strengthen the electric grid, support economic growth and prepare the region for the future.
As we begin the new year, we are building on those results with a refreshed strategic plan and a clear goal: position UNC Charlotte among the nation’s top 50 public universities by 2030. This ambitious goal, which we’re calling Project 50/30, will not be achieved through one college, department or office. It will take the daily work of faculty and staff across the University: helping students stay on track, making Charlotte easier to navigate, strengthening academic programs, advancing research that addresses real-world challenges and ensuring our reputation reflects the value we deliver.
Next month, UNC Charlotte will celebrate its 80th birthday. For eight decades, this University has grown by responding to the needs of our city, region and state. That mission remains central today.
Thank you for everything you do to support our students and move this University forward. The Difference is Charlotte, and your work makes that difference possible.
Here’s to a great year ahead. Go Niners!
Sincerely,
Sharon L. Gaber
Chancellor