 "Photo: DTH Photo Illustration/Ricky Leung")
Green is good. Just ask Rameses, who was spotted donning a darker shade recently. Whether it's the UNC mascot or the extended community, green is a priority. Environmentally friendly buildings are popping up throughout campus and the town. Several high-profile projects also are getting the green light after years on the drawing board. Then there's the record-breaking amounts of money pouring into the University from the state and private sector, helping all Tar Heels put their greenest foot forward.
See pages 8 and 9 for more on "green" trends. UNC seeking to hit external research goals N.C. steps up conservation New school features eco-friendly innovations Town to offer free Wi-Fi access
Environment a priority
In one of the most innovative joint efforts seen in the nation, the University and the town of Chapel Hill partnered last summer to commit to reducing carbon-dioxide emissions 60 percent by 2050.
As the campus continues to grow, the emphasis on environmentally friendly facilities becomes more evident, such as the recently opened Morrison Residence Hall. And as plans for Carolina North, UNC's proposed satellite campus, develop, planners are stressing building green.
The town purchased three hybrid-electric buses during the summer and plans to move to purchasing only hybrid buses.
Builders will break ground on the $30 million Greenbridge condominium project in the next month - a development recognized by the state for leadership in environmental design.
The N.C. General Assembly provided millions in funding to promote green businesses, green building and the biofuels industry.
Major projects move ahead
Many major projects in the University and the region are moving forward after years of planning.
Carolina North, UNC's planned satellite research campus, will go to the Board of Trustees and the town of Chapel Hill for approval this semester, and groundbreaking could happen as early as 2009.
Construction will take decades, but this year represents a bold move towards physical progress. Officials also are partnering with the corporate sector for research projects.
The University is moving into its second phase of the science complex in the heart of campus, as well as the next stages of the Arts Common complex.
Growth and construction will continue this year on the state-of-the-art N.C. Research Campus, the 350-acre, self-contained community in Kannapolis that will host N.C. universities and more than 100 biotechnology companies, including the UNC-Chapel Hill Nutrition Research Institute.
UNC rakes in the dough
Record donations have poured a total of more than $2.2 billion in gifts and pledges for UNC-Chapel Hill's eight-year Carolina First Campaign. As the campaign draws to a close in December, officials are focusing their energies on raising money for faculty salaries and benefits, as well as meeting individual department goals.
The much-talked about plan to propel UNC faculty salaries into the 80th percentile of peer institutions received a solid boost this year from legislators, who set aside $86.3 million for academic salary increases.
The General Assembly met 100 percent of the UNC system's request for need-based financial aid and also met expectations for capital funding - another high priority among system campuses.
UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser's goal, announced last year, to raise $1 billion in external research funds by 2015 is on solid footing. Several academic units are collaborating to reach that goal, bringing in a total of $610 million in grants and contracts during the past fiscal year.
