UNCG Alumna Turns Family Recipes into Healthy Dips

Posted on March 28, 2024

Photo of Mehek Khera in an outdoor setting.

Mehek Khera ‘16 M.B.A. fondly recalls childhood meals, ones that her great grandmother made from hand-me-down recipes. Now the UNC Greensboro alumna, born in India, has brought those family recipes to the United States with her Niramaya line of dips.

The dips, now available in Sprouts Farmers Markets, will soon be available in 900 nationwide Albertsons Companies’ grocery stores, including Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, and Shaw’s.

Khera, who immigrated to the United States when she was 24, named her company after a Sanskrit word she learned from a blessing her great grandmother shared. As Khera explains, “niramaya” means “wellness for all,” and it reflects what she seeks for herself and her customers.

Mission Driven, UNCG Educated

Kera learned about the UNCG Bryan School of Business & Economics from an admissions counselor in India. She then immigrated from India to Greensboro to work on her master’s degree.

A sense of mission was something UNCG Professor Vidyaranya Gargeya, who is now retired, helped instill in Khera while she was a M.B.A. student at UNCG. “The Bryan School gave me the foundations of business,” she says. “And Dr. Gargeya changed my life at the time.”

Tuisha Stack, her graduate adviser and now administrative director for graduate programs in the Bryan School, was also a strong support.

“Mehek was one bright eyed, hardworking, and eager student,” says Stack. “She never missed a professional development opportunity and was an active member of our Spartan Women in Business chapter. What has stayed with me about Mehek is her humility given how brilliant she is.”

Khera says UNCG gave her foundational knowledge that has served her well during her career.

“It was a very flexible yet very rigorous program that welcomed a cohort of students from around the world,” she says. “I graduated with a deep understanding of supply chain and marketing … as well as a lot of industry contacts, prospects for jobs, and great friends.”

A Company Born Out of Adversity

Between school and part-time work, Khera says she was putting in 16- to 18-hours a day and not eating well.

“I had developed some autoimmune conditions, as well as some chronic ailments, and I collapsed one day at the Los Angeles airport,” she recounts. “That was a wakeup call for me to do better in taking care of myself.”

Khera decided to pursue a post-graduate nutrition certificate at an online institute based in New York, and from that experience, Niramaya came to be.

“I realized that what I grew up eating back home in India was so nutritious, and I had never stopped and thought about it because it was so delicious,” she says.

Khera saw opportunities to fill the gap in American grocery stores for Indian food that’s nutritious and accessible for American consumers. She also saw a way to improve her life and that of others.

“Food is a difficult industry to be in, but still I chose that because of a mission inside my heart to make life better for others,” Khera says.

Product photos promoting jar of Niramaya Super Greens Saag.

Marrying American and Indian cultures

Khera, who lives in New York City, considers the Niramaya dips to be a fusion of her two cultures —American and Indian.

“American consumers love dips as a snacking product,” she says. “And dipping in India is a favorite choice to eat flatbreads like roti and naan.”

Niramaya’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free dips are made from sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, spinach, beets, and other plant-based foods, she says. “They can be used as marinades, as dipping sauces, or as toppings to your favorite bowls.”

Khera takes pride in the fact that the dips can be used straight from the jar, with no cooking required. That makes them easy for busy working adults like her.

“People don’t have time to cook, and they don’t have time to sit and think what should be in their food product,” she says.

As Niramaya’s sole full-time employee, Khera says she wears multiple hats — juggling fundraising, networking, running day-to-day operations, marketing, planning for the future, and more.

“We are trying to position Niramaya as the next Indian American snacking company,” she says.

Dean Banks Digs Dips

Dr. McRae Banks, Margaret & Harrell Hill Professor of Entrepreneurship and dean of the Bryan School of Business and Economics, saw Khera’s dips were available at Sprouts Farmers Markets on social media.

When the dips appeared on shelves, he eagerly purchased all three to try and to share with family members who are vegan or have gluten and dairy allergies. At checkout, Banks told the Sprouts assistant manager of Khera’s connection to the Bryan School. The Sprouts team got excited and started planning a promotion on the spot.

“I have no doubt that Mehek will achieve her goal of becoming the Indian American snacking company,” says Banks. “The reception she has enjoyed from supermarket chains has come quickly and come big. With her healthy dips, Mehek has tapped into both a desire and need in the marketplace.”

To business school students everywhere, Khera offers advice.

“It doesn’t matter what profession one chooses, whether it’s a full-time job or entrepreneurship, that calling should come from inside of you,” she says, “or from an inspiration that you feel so deeply about that you’re willing to take on the challenges that come with that decision.”

Story by Dee Shore and Amy Burtch, AMBCopy
Photography provided by Mehek Khera

Product photo of six jars of Niramaya food products.

Have a calling for entrepreneurship?

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Oberlies and Maher Named UNCG’s 2024 Research Excellence Awardees

Posted on March 27, 2024

UNCG Professor Nick Oberlies oversees his students' work in a lab.

UNCG congratulates our 2024 Research Excellence Awards winners, who’ve spearheaded impactful research related to fungi, drug discovery, and the psychology of physical activity.

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University Teaching & Learning Commons Director Search Announced

Posted on March 26, 2024

Sun rises over UNCG campus.

UNCG is in need of a new Director of the University Teaching & Learning Commons (UTLC). The UTLC provides support that directly impacts faculty development, student retention and success, and UNCG’s ability to grow as a transformational leader in learning. The goals of the UTLC include:

  • Developing a culture of teaching and learning for student success that is anchored in Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
  • Providing direct support for department- and college/school-level leaders in their efforts to set and achieve data-informed student success goals
  • Advancing scholarly and effective teaching and learning practice. 

Because there is more than enough talent on campus to lead this important unit, this will be an internal search that will only consider candidates already employed at UNCG. Candidates with experience leading a team and with the ability to proactively improve academic student success are desired. Those interested should apply here and be prepared to submit a detailed cover letter and a copy of their CV by April 8 at 5 p.m. More details and a complete job description can be found here

Co-chairs Sam Harlow and Jeffery Kaplan will lead the internal search for our next director of UTLC.

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Summer Camps Offer Discounts to UNCG Faculty and Staff

Posted on March 26, 2024

Children raise their hands in a UNCG classroom.

Each summer, UNCG brings a new set of students onto campus. Thanks to faculty, staff, and students across many disciplines, children in the community get to learn about science and math, technology, sports and Esports, as well as the arts. The 2024 summer camps are accepting registrations now, and some of them offer discounts for faculty and staff members to take advantage of.

This list is subject to change and will be updated as more information is provided.

DREAM Camp
Children of UNCG employees are eligible for a 50 percent discount. To redeem the discount, indicate the UNCG affiliation (e.g. faculty, staff) on the registration form.

DREAM Camp is a summer day camp designed for children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 with social skills and friendship challenges, including but not limited to those with high functioning autism. The main focus of the camp is to enhance social and friendship skills.

Stefani Workman Soccer Camps
Redeem a $20 discount using the code F&S2024 for the Girls, Jr. Spartan Day camps.

Trina Patterson Basketball Camps
The camp offers a $50 discount for UNCG faculty and staff. Applicants may redeem by selecting “UNCG Faculty and Staff Rate” when checking out.

Chris Rich Soccer Camps
The Junior Spartan Day Camps offer $20 off the registration fee for faculty and staff. Enter the code staff2024 to redeem the discount during the registration process. 

Esports and Gaming Camps
Redeem a $60 discount using the code UNC60FORYOU.

Technovation For Good
UNCG employees’ children are eligible for full scholarship for the day option of $500. If selected, students will be required to submit a $150 fee. More information is available on the admission page.

Technovation for Good is a day and residential program for rising high school sophomores through seniors, administered by the Bryan School’s Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management. It will provide the participants with hands-on, practical experience with Programming, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Mobile Application Development, Sustainability, Analytics and/or the Internet of Things.

Camp Speakalot
As it is part of a research study, the camp is free of charge to all participants who qualify for the study. Camp Speakalot is overseen by the UNCG Speech and Hearing Center.

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Behind the Mask: UNCG Alumna Brings Theme Park Characters to Life

Posted on March 26, 2024

Sumo wrestlers pose with actors dressed as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Lucy.
Sumo wrestlers visit the Peanuts characters at Universal Studios Japan.

Costumed characters are part of many theme park experiences. Whether they’re a performer, an immersive tour guide, or a movie character, there’s a chance their costume ties back to a UNC Greensboro alumna. 

Karen Weller.
Karen Weller

Karen Weller ’75 wanted to do something in the fashion industry. A series of collaborations and recommendations, which began at UNCG, took her from merchandising to creating costumes for actors at Disneyland and Universal Studios theme parks.

“To me, no experience is wasted time,” says Weller. “Even if the first job you get doesn’t turn out to be the all-time best job you ever wanted, it’s going to teach you things that you can take along with you.” 

Weller’s experiences ultimately took her to The Costume Connection, a design and development company she co-founded that has handled projects for Radio City Music Hall and Warner Brothers Studios, among other famous entertainment corporations. Their accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, and most recently a THEA Award from the Themed Entertainment Association for their work on SeaWorld Abu Dhabi. 

Stages of Success 

Weller always wanted to design clothing, so a university in the middle of North Carolina’s textile industry felt like the right fit. She came to UNCG to get her bachelor of science in clothing and textiles, now within the Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies Department (CARS).

An invitation from a student in another program at UNCG unexpectedly helped put Weller on track for a career in themed entertainment. 

“A college dorm mate of mine who was a music major asked me to come help sew costumes in the Theater Department’s costume shop for a show she was to perform in,” says Weller. “At the time, I was like, ‘I love this, but what can I do with it in the real world?’”

That experience, combined with courses on fabric draping, costume history, and theatre appreciation, as well as the encouragement of her professors hooked Weller onto the idea of costuming. “I was learning skills that were different from the things I was learning in the fashion department.”

A theme park guest hugs Winnie from Woody the Woodpecker.
Winnie from Woody the Woodpecker at Universal Studios Japan. Weller was on the park’s original design team.

Upon graduating, she went into merchandising but found she wanted something more creative. She moved to the west coast and decided graduate school could aid in redirecting her career. Because costuming work is primarily based on project contracts and recommendations, Weller had to form new connections. She taught college courses and worked for regional theatres and Shakespeare festivals until a colleague told her about a job opening with Disneyland. 

“That first job with Disney was what solidified the theme park direction for me,” she says. 

Entering the World of Entertainment 

After seven years with Disney, she got an offer to help Universal Creative open a new theme park in Japan. “I’d supported Tokyo Disneyland and their park opening in Paris, but that was from our home base in California. Universal Studios Japan gave me a chance to be at the front end of opening a park being built from the ground up, and I got the chance to go onsite during the process.” 

Working internationally has been one of the perks of her career. Weller and The Costume Connection’s co-owner, Bonnie Sinclair, have helped well-known entertainment entities expand into other countries. Most recently, that includes the award-winning indoor marine park at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi.

“Almost everything I work on now has been through networking contacts,” says Weller. “I would have to really dig into my resume history to find when I last cold called somebody. It’s incredible and humbling.”

There is a lot of unique hands-on testing that goes into a theme park costume. For example, for SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, they held underwater fittings for a mermaid costume. All the costumes must hold up in hot, humid, or icy climates. If a park has animals, they make sure the costume elements are not toxic or have pieces that are easy to swallow. They even test to make sure the oversized, exaggerated features are not too scary for children. 

Watching how park visitors interact with their final product is a special reward for Weller. “When we get a chance to be on site, it is great to see the guests and their reactions,” she says. 

Many Paths of Creativity 

Window at Universal Studios Japan bears name of UNCG alumna Karen Weller.
Weller got a tribute in a Universal Studios Japan window for her role in opening the park.

Costumes are part of many industries. Some of Wellers’ peers went into theatre, ballet, or circuses. Their designs appear in films, music videos, and live concerts. They bring historical reenactments and museum exhibits to life. They design regalia for religious ceremonies and royal pageantry. One of her colleagues even teaches costume design for video game character development.

“You can really explore many kinds of individual passions through all that can be done with costumes,” says Weller. 

Today, UNCG’s CARS Department has a historic costume collection to help students research fashion trends. The College of Visual and Performing Arts offers a bachelor of fine arts in drama with a concentration in design and technical production. Weller encourages UNCG students to begin building those potential game-changing connections with their peers before they graduate. 

“Take note of students you know who are doing clever things, that you think you collaborate well with. Keep in touch with them. This is a time of incredible communication opportunities that did not exist a couple decades ago. Those connections may lead to something satisfying in two years or ten years that you never expected.” 

Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications 
Photography courtesy of Karen Weller, The Costume Connection

UNCG student Lisa Woolfall stands a row of mannequins with dresses.

Make your Dreams Leap off the Page.

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First Day Complete Expands to All UNCG Students

Posted on March 26, 2024

An open textbook and a notepad on a table at UNCG.

Due to the remarkable success of UNCG’s First Day Complete program in Fall 2023 – with a prior academic year student savings of nearly $2.5 million – the University is expanding the program beginning Fall 2024. 

First Day Complete provided students with immediate access to essential course materials and contributed to a more seamless and productive academic experience. Beginning in Fall 2024, graduate students can participate in the First Day Complete program – enabling all UNCG students to benefit. 

Key features of the First Day Complete program for students:

  • Immediate Access: Graduate and undergraduate students can enjoy the same quick and easy access to required course materials, fostering a dynamic and prepared learning environment. 
  • Cost Savings: The University remains dedicated to reducing our students’ overall cost of attendance. The First Day Complete program provides an affordable option for accessing essential course materials. Students can save as much as 50 percent on course materials each semester, and starting Fall 2024, the First Day Complete program participation cost will decrease to $19 per credit hour. Remember, First Day Complete offers free shipping or pick-up at the bookstore. 
  • Streamlined Process: Our streamlined process has received overwhelmingly positive feedback. In a recent UNCG Bookstore survey, 92 percent of students said they found it convenient to have course materials bundled and delivered to them through the First Day Complete program. 
  • Opt-Out Option: UNCG understands that individual preferences and circumstances may vary, and we are making the process even easier for students who wish to opt out of the First Day Complete program. We respect our students’ choice and want to ensure that they have the flexibility that best suits their needs. 

This exciting expansion to include all students aligns with our commitment to providing valuable resources to all members of our academic community. As we approach the start of the 2024-2025 academic year, students and faculty will receive additional information on the First Day Complete program. If you have any immediate questions or want to learn more, please visit our First Day Complete website or contact the UNCG Bookstore at sm684@bncollege.com

We wish you a successful conclusion to the spring semester and look forward to continuing to support our students! 

Go Spartans, 
Campus Enterprises

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Jensen wins UNCG’s Thomas Undergrad Research Mentor Award

Posted on March 25, 2024

A professor points at her laptop, while two students listen.

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Dr. Ernestine Small: First to Break Faculty Color Barrier

Posted on March 25, 2024

Black and white photo of Ernestine Small.

While growing up in Pleasant Hill, North Carolina, with her four siblings on her grandfather’s peanut and cotton farm, Ernestine Brown Small had many Black role models, among them teachers, businessmen, and doctors.

But it was when a nurse visited her one-room segregated elementary school to give students immunization shots that Small felt the call to become a nurse. She recalled that the smell of rubbing alcohol on her arm inspired her career decision.

Preparing For Her Purpose 

Headshot of Ernestine Small, UNCG's first Black faculty member.

Before Small’s endeavors at UNC Greensboro, she was accepted into the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where she was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society. She participated in the Civil Rights Movement in the early 1960s, marching through downtown Tuskegee with other students and staff, before graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in 1963.

She went on to become a registered nurse at Moses Cone Hospital while it was still segregated in Greensboro. The Black staff ate in the hospital kitchen, but Small was asked by the administration to be the first African American to eat in the hospital cafeteria for White staff within her first year. Small said the cafeteria was desegregated that day.

In her second year at Moses Cone Hospital, she decided to go to graduate school at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. for her Master of Science in nursing. In Spring 1967 she was the only African American to graduate with a Master of Nursing from Catholic University.

Instrument For Change 

As new job opportunities opened for Small, she applied to be an instructor at UNCG, having heard about the development of a baccalaureate nursing program in the mid-1960s. She had attended Black and Segregated schools in the past and thought it would enhance her career to be a part of something new. At the time, not aware that she would be the University’s first Black faculty member. 

After being interviewed and hired by Dr. Eloise Lewis, the founding dean of the School of Nursing in 1967, Lewis told Small that she had broken the University’s faculty color barrier at only 24 years old. “I’ve always believed that I was an instrument for change and that I was where I was supposed to be,” she said. 

 Within her 24 years at UNCG, she taught medical-surgical nursing courses as an educator and advised the Neo-Black Society and the Nu Rho chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Small worked with many African American students, faculty, and staff members to promote a promising experience at UNCG. LaVonne Fisher ’70 BSN, ’82 MSN, a member of UNCG’s School of Nursing Advisory Board and a close friend of Small, says Small was the reason she became a nurse. Small made Fisher feel confident in her capability to perform well in the nursing program.

Small was the third recipient of UNCG’s Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award in 1989. Outside of working full-time at UNCG, she became the first African American president of the North Carolina Nurses Association from 1979-1981, as well as serving on the North Carolina Board of Nursing from 1982-1985. While serving as a leader and mentor to others and raising her own children, she continued to pursue her education. She earned a Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from the University of Virginia and a Doctor of Education from NC State University.

Legacy in The Works

Dean Barksdale stands in front of the UNCG Nursing Instructional Building staircase.
Dean Debra Barksdale

Small, the first of many, carried her nursing education legacy to other institutions, including North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University. Before she retired, she worked as a nurse education coordinator at the Shelby County Health Department in Memphis, Tennessee.

Being an activist, mentor, and leader, Dr. Ernestine Small opened doors for many more at UNCG. 

Dr. Debra Barksdale, UNCG School of Nursing’s first African American dean, said it was giants such as Small who paved the way as a builder, uniter, and agent for change. In similar ways, Barksdale’s push to further her career resulted in a lasting impact across the nursing profession.  

UNCG Associate Professor of Higher Education, Dr. Delma Ramos, focuses her attention on advocating for transfer students motivated by her own experience as a community college transfer graduate. Selected to be a part of the UNC System Faculty Fellowship Program, Ramos said the fellowship allows her to extend the work she does for transfer students at a greater multitude.

Dr. Jeanette Wade, the director of UNCG’s new Human Health Sciences program and a medical sociologist with a Black feminist perspective, shares what mentoring students means to her. She said, “I get to pay that forward. I get to be the person to see the light in people that other folks may not see the light in. I love that about my job.” Interested in understanding how to better health care for black women, Wade applies her findings to the community.

Story by Lauren Segers, University Communications
Photography by Sean Norona, Martin W. Kane, and Jiyoung Park, University Communications
Additional photography courtesy of the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at the University Libraries

Two nursing students study a health vitals monitor.

Change lives through health care.

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Call for Provost Fellow on Faculty Affairs

Posted on March 25, 2024

Students sit in a lecture hall during a UNCG business class.

Dear faculty, 

I am pleased to invite applications from faculty members interested in serving as Provost Fellow for Faculty Affairs for the academic year 2024-25. Below, you will find detailed information regarding this opportunity.

Provost Fellow

Provost Fellows are selected from among UNCG faculty of any rank or tenure status interested in administrative leadership. The Fellow is selected from a pool of applicants and will collaborate with the Provost and other administrative leaders to develop and implement actions tied to institutional priorities and needs. As further described below, the experience as Provost Fellow for Faculty Affairs will provide the Fellow with opportunities to strengthen the faculty experience at UNCG and enhance our inclusive faculty culture across campus.

Terms of appointment

The Fellow will continue to engage in their home departmental activities but will be provided up to 50 percent release time from research, teaching, and/or service responsibilities, as agreed upon by the fellow, dean, and Provost.

The Fellow will receive professional development funds to attend a professional conference or similar event/activity approved by the Provost

A Fellow whose work continues through the summer will also receive one month of summer salary. 

The fellowship is flexible in terms of timing and length of service and will be negotiated with the Fellow, unit Dean, and Provost. Given the timing of this announcement, adjustments to teaching in the fall 2024 semester are unlikely; if course releases are required, they would likely occur in the spring semester. 

The Fellow will not be permitted to teach course overloads during the fellowship period.

If the Fellow is released from teaching, funds will be provided to the Fellow’s home department for course replacement at the unit’s standard per-course rate. 

Provost Fellow Activities

The Provost Fellow will work in collaboration with others across campus to enhance faculty support, strengthen faculty engagement in campus life, and advance our values in all aspects of faculty development and related activities. Working in consultation with the Provost, the Fellow will make meaningful contributions that include the following:

  • Serving as a liaison to the Affinity Group Council. 
  • Identifying and facilitating related faculty training and development opportunities, including those offered by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD).
  • Developing and hosting faculty gatherings to enhance faculty belonging and connection across units. 
  • Identifying and assisting with implementation of additional actions or practices the Provost’s Office may consider supporting related to faculty development, retention, and success.
  • Reviewing Academic Affairs processes and policies for enhancements and improvements to support faculty development, retention, and success.
  • Facilitating feedback on policy edits and updates related to faculty life.
  • Supporting the coordination of ongoing small group meetings with the Provost and faculty to enhance understanding of the faculty experience and to afford mutual dialogue.

Application Process

Professional track and tenure-stream faculty of any rank are eligible to apply. Interested faculty should discuss their intent to submit their application with their department/program/school head, chair, or director and their dean. Submissions should include a letter of interest that identifies the applicant’s qualifications for and interests in the fellowship (no more than two pages), a current CV, and a description of the preferred amount of release time (with justification). Also required is a recommendation letter from the applicant’s chair/head/director.  In addition to commenting on the applicant’s potential for administrative leadership, the letter from the head, chair, or director should confirm the dean’s endorsement and identify the specific aspect of the Fellow’s normal workload assignment where release time would be applied (teaching, research, or service). Please submit these materials to Sarah Myers (skmyers@uncg.edu) no later than Friday, April 19.

If you have any questions regarding the activities and experiences of this position, please feel free to contact the current Provost Fellows, Dr. Joyce Clapp (jfclapp@uncg.edu), Dr. Amy Vetter (amvetter@uncg.edu), or Dr. Connie Jones (ctjones4@uncg.edu).

Review Process

The Provost, current Provost Fellows, and other senior academic affairs leadership will evaluate all applications and make decisions by Friday, April 26, 2024.

Thank you,
Provost Debbie Storrs
Alan Boyette, Senior Vice Provost

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UNC Greensboro Extends Commitment Deadline For Admitted First Year Students

Posted on March 25, 2024

Students smiling and walking on campus

UNC Greensboro, in alignment with other institutions in the UNC System and many nationally, has chosen to extend the commitment deadline for its admitted first-year students to May 15. This decision was made in response to the late federal rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and subsequent nationwide delays in processing students’ financial aid awards. 

Traditionally, National College Decision Day falls on May 1. However, without financial aid information, students and families are having a hard time assessing their college choices.

“We understand the unprecedented challenges students and families are facing during this year’s college decision-making process. It is essential that we allow adequate time for admitted students to evaluate their options and make informed decisions about their college journey,” said Erin Slater, director of undergraduate admissions at UNC Greensboro. “Extending the commitment deadline to May 15 allows us to accommodate the challenges brought about by delays in the financial aid process.”

The UNCG Office of Admissions staff remains committed to serving the best interests of future students and is dedicated to providing them with a seamless transition into college life. Admitted students are able to take important steps, like registering for orientation and signing up for housing, before providing their official commitment decision. 

“We want to assure students that their transition to college is our utmost priority,” added Slater. “We’re working diligently to provide the necessary assistance every step of the way.”

Students are encouraged to mark May 15 on their calendars as the new commitment deadline and to take actions like securing housing and orientation in the meantime. UNCG’s Office of Admissions staff is available to address any questions or concerns students and families may have. The university will continue to keep incoming students closely informed of all developments leading up to the commitment deadline.

Find Your Way Here

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