Spotlight On: Dan Lugo, President, Queens University of Charlotte
September 2024 — Invest: spoke with Queens University of Charlotte President Dan Lugo about the university’s evolution, how the local economy has shaped the growth of the university and the ways in which Queens partners with the Greater Charlotte community.
What were some significant achievements for Queens University from the last academic cycle?
At Queens, we’re dedicated to developing exceptional talent and driving economic growth in the Charlotte region and beyond. In May, we celebrated the graduation of 420 students, featuring a keynote address by our distinguished alumna and Charlotte Mayor, Vi Lyles.
Our unique approach toward higher education ensures that our students are prepared to be job-ready with lifelong, multidisciplinary skill development that fuels them throughout their careers. We continue to have an impressive track record for graduates entering the workforce or graduate school. Our most recent data shows that 97% are employed, in graduate school, completing an internship, or working for a service organization. 95% of graduates found a position within six months of graduation, 88% of graduates felt that Queens prepared them for the career path they wanted, and 96% of graduates accepted positions related to their career goal.
We continue focusing on new program development while meeting the emerging business needs of the region. Last year, we created North Carolina’s first and only MS in Finance and Analytics and this fall we will be unveiling a newly designed MBA program. We are also addressing the critical shortage of nurses in our healthcare system by expanding our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program with a second cohort starting in January. This will double the program’s capacity to enroll an additional 35-40 aspiring nurses each year. Additionally, we are expanding into market-ready degree programs like sport management and marketing.
Despite the challenges posed by COVID, we are committed to providing our students with experiences that cultivate global perspectives, a defining characteristic of a Queens education. Through our John Belk International Program, students recently traveled to Japan, Spain, Denmark, and Sweden.
A group of our students also headed to Paris to analyze the economic impact of the Olympics and provided cutting-edge reporting on athlete experiences.
Students also participated in a Border Immersion Trip to Arizona, an experience that provided them with opportunities to study the complex realm of immigration and human migration, through academic analysis and in-person encounters with a variety of key border partners.
We’re entering our third year in Division I athletics, which has significantly boosted Queens’ national profile and expanded our student recruitment efforts across the Southeast, resulting in a 26% application increase from the Atlantic Sun Conference region.
We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes. Most recently, Royals outfielder Dillon Lewis was drafted by the New York Yankees. Queens students and alumni also had the honor of participating in the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, representing Team USA and Slovakia.
Last year across both semesters, every athletic program had above a 3,0 overall GPA, with 160 student-athletes having a 4.00. The Spring 2024 semester had a record-breaking 3.45 overall GPA as a department.
How do you see the role of liberal arts education evolving in today’s rapidly-changing world, and how is Queens positioning itself within this landscape?
It’s an exciting time to be an institution of higher education in America. While there are many challenges, I view them as opportunities for discovery and growth. Competition forces all institutions to be more thoughtful and results-driven, and Queens strives to stay ahead.
There is an entrenched debate about liberal arts versus professional training, but we have long championed doing both well. We prepare our students to tackle complex problems using a multidisciplinary approach to liberal arts combined with real-world, experiential learning opportunities.
Our motto is “Not to be served, but to serve,” and we embed this philosophy in everything we do. We always consider how we are serving the community within a global context while equipping our students with the necessary skill sets to succeed.
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Could you expand on how Queens is continuing to build and strengthen relationships with industry leaders to enhance student opportunities and drive economic mobility?
Queens accomplishes this through establishing strong partnerships with regional business leaders. We rely on these connections, on our boards or advisory panels, to guide us on emerging trends or business needs so that we can respond by shaping our curriculum to prepare our graduates to meet those needs.
We are also exploring other opportunities and emerging industries to expand the impact of our Charlotte Talent Initiative (CTI). The CTI supports talented students from lower-income areas and provides them with academic opportunities and career development. By investing in these students, we aim to create a highly skilled workforce and improve economic mobility in Charlotte. We’re providing a direct pipeline to careers for our students while demonstrating the true value of our partnerships.
What progress has been made through Queens’ DEI initiatives, and are there any efforts underway that you’re excited about?
We’ve just welcomed Renee Wells as our new Chief Diversity Officer, a dynamic leader with extensive experience that has spanned across the country. We’re confident that her efforts will strengthen our foundation of common values such as support, respect, and trust. She’s looking forward to fostering important discussions that create valuable spaces for meaningful connection and belonging.
We see diversity, equity, and inclusion as central tenets of our mission and culture. It’s a part of our strategic framework and an important part of who we are. Our students have diverse backgrounds and our pluralist approach provides a space where students, faculty, and staff can critically and openly engage with each other in respectful and meaningful ways. At Queens, we strive to see commonality across differences and seek unity rather than division.
We are also proud of the important work being done by the Center for Digital Equity at Queens University (CDE). The CDE is an important collective recognizing that digital equity is necessary for a thriving society, democracy, and economy. Through awareness, partnerships, and action, it is empowering organizations to deliver digital inclusion resources to the Charlotte community.
What are your top priorities for Queens over the next few years, as well as your general outlook for the higher education industry?
The higher education landscape is more competitive now, with a shrinking pool of high-school graduates nationwide. Robust cohorts of institutions are competing for a smaller number of students, and we find strength in being close to Charlotte because of its strong economy and diverse industries.
To remain desirable to students, we offer transformative educational experiences and a direct pathway to innovative careers. We prioritize growth by focusing on a few key areas and strive to capture a larger market share rather than shrinking in response to reduced numbers.
We’re investing in maintaining high-quality academic programs across the board, and we want our students to feel they belong and for families to choose us for our transformative education and supportive environment. I believe our culture of innovation and our relationships with the business and local communities will keep us at the forefront of what’s needed in the 21st century, allowing us to be responsive to evolving educational and professional landscapes.
How would you like to see Queens continue to evolve, particularly in the way it promotes cultivation of the arts in the wider Charlotte community?
Queens will continue to evolve along with Charlotte and is committed to serving as a convener of the broader community. We have a robust calendar of Arts at Queens events, featuring exceptional musicians, dancers and artists from around the world. Our Learning Society events bring today’s leading thinkers and doers right to our doorsteps. This October we will be welcoming New York Times best-selling author David Brooks and in February, we’ll welcome global medicine expert Abraham Verghese to discuss the future of healthcare.
We look forward to continuing to strengthen our role in the community and integrate these artistic expressions with academic conversations, creating an intellectual cauldron of thought-provoking activities.
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