Friends of UNCW

The Friends of UNCW is a volunteer organization that formed in December 1963 to help Wilmington College (now UNCW) increase the library's holdings from 11,000 to 50,000 volumes — a minimum requirement at the time for accreditation as a four-year institution. The Friends have been steadfast UNCW supporters for more than 50 years.

Gift to the Friends of UNCW Support Fund enable us to provide a merit scholarship and special projects based on proposals from UNCW faculty and staff. The Friends of UNCW play an active role in Like No Other: The Campaign for UNCW, leaving a lasting impact on students, alumni and community members.

Elizabeth Dunn Friends of UNCW

My job on these boards is to be a part of keeping the university vibrant, and on the map.

resources

Current Members

Officers

Koula Katsikis

President

Allison Graham

Vice President

Janine Powell '88

Treasurer

Happy Clark

Secretary

Louise Gorham ’59

Honorary Life Member

Board of Directors

Cynthia Boylan

Nan Caison '83

Virginia Callaway

Kathey Craig

Julie Fisher '83

Amber Harris '04

Karen King '94

Heidi Lee '98

Meredith Lewis

Jane Maloy

Linda Miles

Kelli Queen '04

Nancy Rau

Lindsay Smith

Claire Stanley

Kay Warren

Beth Woodruff

To speak with someone about the Friends of UNCW, contact:

Stephanie Borrett
Development Specialist for Boards Management
(910) 962-3592
borrettsw@uncw.edu

Grants Awarded

Each year, the Friends of UNCW awards grants from the support that they have raised. View some examples of the awards provided to students, faculty, campus and programs, or see all of this year's awards from the full list below.

Support for BaFa’ BaFa’ face-to-face learning simulations which enhances understanding of cultural differences so that teachers can better reach students.

Provides kitchen supplies for the new Military Resource Lounge to open in Veteran’s Hall.

A new vortex for the CMS molecular teaching lab used by both graduate and undergraduate students.

Support for the Coaction Lab, a collaborative faculty research initiative within the Digital Arts program.

Scholarships for students from underrepresented populations to participate in the Jr. Seahawk Academy and increase their interest in STEM programs.

Grants Awarded Spring 2023

Grant to the Art and Art History Department to fund the purchase of a Cricket Maker 3 (CM3), which can cut/engrave many different materials. The CM3 will be used within the ceramics studio to allow students to bridge technology and clay together to create unique surfaces and keep pace with the practices of modern art and ceramics.
Grant to the Biology and Marine Biology Department to fund the purchase of a digital compound light microscope with digital imaging capabilities for the Oriole Burevitch Laboratory, expanding its abilities to conduct research and foster educational programs and outreach opportunities.
Grant to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to fund the purchase of supplies to support sedimentary arsenic research within the Cape Fear watershed. This research will generate preliminary data for the department’s next proposal to the National Science Foundation.
Grant to the Department of Sociology and Criminology to fund the purchase of Ancestry DNA tests for Dr. Kimberly Cook’s ReMembering Project, which works with descendants of the 1898 Massacre and Coup d'etat in Wilmington to document the generational impact of the events.
Grant to the Accountancy and Business Law Department to fund the purchase of Chromebooks to provide free tax assistance to more low and moderate-income individuals and families through the Internal Revenue Service’s sponsored program Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.
Grant to the Computer Science Department to fund the usage of an online VPN service to further investigate search engines.
Grant to the Computer Science Department to fund the building of an Enigma machine, which would be used in Data Security and Cryptography classes and enable students to encrypt, decrypt and learn about the mathematical concepts behind it.
Grant to the UNCW Counseling Center to fund the purchase of virtual reality equipment to teach and practice mindfulness and meditation activities.
Grant to the Campus Life and Arts Program to have selected student artwork professionally framed for display in Alderman Hall and the Fisher University Union.
Grant to the Earth and Ocean Science Department to fund the construction of ADA-compliant raised vegetable beds.
Grant to the Environmental Sciences Department to further underwater sound research, a novel, inexpensive and non-invasive method of monitoring aquatic ecosystems’ health.
Grant to Housekeeping – helping fund its monthly incentive program and socials.
Grant to the Music Department to fund the purchase of stereo boxes to allow electronic, digital controller ensembles to perform live and record with proper signal transfer. The funds will also purchase a power amplifier, enabling the pop and digital controller ensemble groups to properly amplify vocals when in locations outside of campus’ performance halls.
Grant to the Department of Creative Writing to fund the Publishing Laboratory’s purchase of a hand lino press, which will place basic hand-printing equipment in the Pub Lab for the first time.
Grant to MarineQuest to fund the purchase of materials and tools for students to engineer a low-cost conductivity sensor and understand how it is used to study coastal systems.
Grant to the Office of Institutional Diversity & Inclusion to fund the purchase of marketing materials for the Asian Heritage Cultural Center.
Grant to the Office of Military Affairs to enhance the quiet room.
Grant to the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences to fund the Healthful Living and Fitness Education Program’s purchase of new equipment for content courses and teaching methods courses.
Grant to the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences to fund the Healthful Living and Fitness Education Program’s purchase of microphones for student teachers and practicum students that will be used to complete the required educational teaching performance assessment.
Grant to the School of Nursing to send the Prelicensure Nursing Coordinator to the Certified QPR Gatekeeper Instructor Training and return to hold special sessions to train faculty and students in the fall of 2023.
Grant to the Randall Library to provide funding for a portable exhibit to showcase “Desegregation in Wilmington, NC, 1968-Beyond,” allowing this important information about Wilmington’s past to be made available to the UNCW community and beyond.
Grant to the  Betty Holden Stike Education Lab within the Watson College of Education to purchase the components of The Kitchen Classroom Kit, which is distributed to the enrolled Ed Lab students and community children who are tutored in reading and math.
Grant to D.C. Virgo to establish a collaboration between a 6th-grade teacher and a UNCW faculty member to engage 6th-grade students in a group read and exploration through dialogue, poetry and letter writing of the award-winning book, Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson.
Grant to the Watson Junior Seahawk Academy to provide STEM, Health, Teacher Education learning for middle school children during the summer.