When Dr. Terri Shelton retires from UNCG this summer, one of the framed photos she’ll take home is of graduating students. It’s a great memory.
There have been many such memories, almost all powered by engaging community and faculty partners, she says. “You bring in their expertise and vision and add what you might know or contribute. And then you get to see powerful change.”
As vice chancellor of research and engagement and the Carol Jenkins Mattocks Distinguished Professor for the last 15 years, she’s seen a 133% rise in UNCG’s external-award dollars – and has experienced something intangible: “The thrill of supporting, or creating relationships, or trying to remove barriers for our incredible faculty, researchers, and students so they can find that spark.”
She joined UNCG’s faculty in 1995, and in 2001 was appointed director of the Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships. Her earlier work had been in a clinical setting in pediatrics and psychiatry, to improve the health of children and families. She helped found the North Carolina Infant and Young Child Mental Health Association and the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care in Maryland, and was instrumental in the Ready for School, Ready for Life initiative in Guilford County and the now-statewide NC Juvenile Justice Behavioral Health Partnership. She worked with Surgeon General C. Everett Coop and others on the 1986 amendment and reauthorization of the U.S. Education of the Handicapped Act, which mandated states provide services (from birth onward) to families of children born with disabilities and recognized the essential role of families in child health and development. She also co-chaired an N.C. legislative task force on postsecondary education and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
About that framed photo?
In 2007 at UNCG, Terri Shelton joined Joan Johnson ’75, Lisa Pluff ’18 MALS, and eager supporters in launching North Carolina’s first four-year certificate program for individuals with intellectual disabilities, Integrative Community Studies, often called in those early years “Beyond Academics.”
It emphasizes self-determination, life planning, and career development, preparing students to engage with the ever-changing world around them. As the first and still the only four-year program in the state, it continues to make a strong impact, with 129 graduates including this year’s new Spartan alumni.
“When you think about how our University started – a quality education for women when there were few opportunities – it’s in that same vein,” Shelton says. “I just feel like it’s baked into our DNA: accessible excellence.”
When the first class graduated with certificates in May 2011, there were hugs all around. A photographer snapped a shot. She treasures that moment. It’s a reminder of UNCG’s collaborative innovation – and of who we are.
By Mike Harris ’93 MA
Photograph of Dr. Shelton by Sean Norona ’13; framed photo (currently still on her office wall) courtesy Dr. Shelton