A group of UNC Charlotte M.B.A. students played an important role in
helping PBS television personality Charlie Rose prepare for a prestigious
hosting assignment.
The seven students – Natalia Baum, Louise Fuller, Richard Ng, Paula Paul,
Jacob Peacock, Ramesh Srinivasan and Christine Sweet, under the direction
of Belk College executive-in-residence Carroll Gray – interviewed some of
Charlotte’s top business leaders and prepared a briefing book for Southern
Roots, Global Vision 2008, a panel discussion organized by the Levine Museum
of the New South on April 15.
“We heard that Mr. Rose is very thorough and likes to be 110 percent
prepared,” said Carroll Gray. “In addition to providing background
information on the executives, the students also provided data on Charlotte
and the changes our economy has experienced in the past ten years.”
The once-in-a-lifetime research assignment came as a side benefit of the
Belk College’s sponsorship of the event, which featured panelists Amy Brinkley
(Bank of America), Ann Caulkins (The Charlotte Observer), Bob Johnson
(Charlotte Bobcats), Cynthia Marshall (AT&T), Tom Nelson (National
Gypsum), and Ken Thompson (Wachovia). Panelists discussed economic
development in the New South in a new century, examined Charlotte’s
transformation into an international business center and considered the
challenges and opportunities of the global economy.
“This was an unforgettable experience for our team,” said student researcher
Richard Ng, a quality and productivity consultant at Bank of America.
“We each had a rare opportunity to meet with these senior leaders and
hear their unique thoughts about the community, education, and the ever
changing global economy.”
The event, held in the historic McGlohan Theater at Spirit Square, was
taped and will be broadcast statewide on UNC-TV beginning in May. More
than 50 Belk College students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the taping.
The program was a follow-up to the original Southern Roots, Global Vision,
which took place in 1998. The first panel, also hosted by Charlie Rose, included
corporate titans Hugh McColl (Bank of America), Ed Crutchfield (First
Union), Crandall Bowles (Springs Industries), Ruth Shaw (Duke Energy), C.D.
Spangler (University of North Carolina) and John Guffey (Coltec Industries).
The Levine Museum of the New South is an interactive history museum
housing the nation’s most comprehensive interpretation of Southern history
since the end of the Civil War. The museum tells the stories of the people who
have reinvented and shaped the region since 1865.