historically, don’t change quickly. One of higher education’s biggest tests is: Can we create programs and learning opportunities pertinent to what society needs now?”


Just five years ago, students needed strong Excel skills before they entered the workforce, Rotondo said — but that’s no longer enough. Today, they need a more sophisticated set of analytical and technical skills.


“There’s pressure on institutions and faculty to constantly retool and adjust,” Rotondo said. “Our curriculum must keep pace with changes taking place in business — changes involving, for instance, AI and entrepreneurship. Faculty and staff must be closely connected to the community to remain relevant.”


“Charlotte is having a moment, and Queens needs to seize it.”


—Denise Rotondo Dean of the McColl School of Business


Standing out from the crowd Queens is leaning into being “Charlote’s University.”


Oddi said Queens’ history of adapting to changing times has helped atract faculty and staff with a willingness — even an eagerness — to evolve.


The business community relies on Queens — and not just as a talent pipeline. “The Executive Leadership Institute in the McColl School does concierge, boutique-level leadership training for companies’ highest-level leaders,” Rotondo said. “Our focus on leadership is at the core of who we are.”


But the Queens/Charlote partnership benefits more than just business. Arts and cultural events — a Deepak Chopra lecture to a capacity crowd in 2023; Rosanne Cash’s concert this April — hosted by the university entertain and inform Charlote residents and out-of-towners alike.


Queens’ role in Charlote entails more than educating tomorrow’s leaders, as Oddi makes clear: “We’ve always served not just our students, but the larger community, as well.”


Charlotte’s enduring appeal


Charlote’s higher education landscape is evolving as other universities — Northeastern and Wake Forest, for instance — establish satellite programs here.


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A rebranding effort highlighting the Queens/Charlote connection is having a measurable impact. People are lingering longer on Queens’ revamped website. More importantly, Queens recently welcomed the largest first- year class in its history.


The university is empowering students to become the region’s most career-ready and future-prepared citizens.


All traditional undergraduates, regardless of major, are required to do an internship — something Rotondo called “one of our greatest strengths.”


That focus on career readiness leads young Queens alumni to land jobs. Good ones. “Within six months of graduation over the last couple of years, at least 95% of our students have secured a job,” Oddi said. “And, more importantly, those jobs are related to their chosen field.”


Queens students embrace Charlote just as Charlote embraces them. More than half of Queens graduates stay in Charlote aſter earning their diplomas. Charlote is vital to Queens staff, faculty, students and alumni. And vice versa.


It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that’s working for Queens and the Queen City, too. Like all the best collaborations, this one is effortless, effective, and strengthens everyone and everything involved.


QUEENS MAGAZiNE


Queens has an edge over newcomers, Rotondo said: “Other schools are entering the Charlote market with graduate programs, but you can’t create that undergraduate experience without building a campus.”


Indeed, Queens offers students the best of two worlds. Idyllic, historic campus? Check. In one of America’s fastest growing cities? Check.


How oſten does Queens’ location influence somebody’s decision to enroll?


“All the time,” Rotondo said. “People want to be part of the energy here. I say it oſten: ‘Charlote is having a moment, and Queens needs to seize it.’”


Many prospective students find themselves deciding between Queens and another Charlote university. So, Queens has to distinguish itself.


“UNC Charlote is our number one competitor for students at the undergraduate level,” Oddi said. “I anticipate more competition as UNC’s Kenan Flagler and others establish footholds in Charlote. Schools not based in Charlote see opportunity here. So, we keep reminding folks we’ve been here since 1857.”


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