Invitation                                                           back to top

Greetings SPGRE Alumni!

As a member of the 1988 inaugural class of Summer Pre-graduate Research Experience (SPGRE) students, it is with great pleasure that I invite you to participate in the 20th year anniversary celebration of the SPGRE program in Chapel Hill on July 24-25, 2008.

You may not know that in May of 2007, Dr. Henry Frierson moved from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to assume the position as Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Florida in Gainesville.  At the same time, I became the new director of the Research Education Support Program, the umbrella organization for SPGRE.  What a wonderful experience to be able participate in the program in which I was a student in 1988! 

You also may not be aware that the SPGRE program, which is now nationally recognized as a model for guiding minority students to the Ph.D, has produced approximately 150 PhDs since it began.  We are extremely proud and appreciative of Dr. Frierson’s work and would not miss the opportunity to celebrate this achievement with him.

Our goal is to assemble 100 PhD SPGRE alumni in Chapel Hill on July 25th for a 20 year celebration banquet.  Participating in the banquet will also be the 2008 class of SPGRE students.  We would love to celebrate and share your success with these undergraduates.  Imagine meeting 150 people who once were where you are and who are now where you would like to be.  What an inspiration and example to the students.  While the banquet will be the culmination of the celebration, there will also be the H.T. Frierson research symposium in which the 2008 SPGRE students as well as students from neighboring summer research programs will present their work in oral and poster presentations on the morning of the 25th.  

Having said all of that, the success of the event will depend upon getting you, the PhD alumni from previous classes, back to Chapel Hill.  This will be an awesome way to honor Dr. Frierson as well as to recognize the significant contributions of this program.  There would be no greater testament to the program and to Dr. Frierson’s work than to have 100 success stories in one room!

So here is what we need from you as soon as possible.
1)  Please check your calendars and let us know if you will be able to attend.  The rsvp information is enclosed.
2)  Even if you are unable to attend, we would like to get a collection of alumni information, so please return the requested information either online at the SPGRE 20 year celebration website or using the enclosed form.  We are planning to assemble an alumni book and need everyone’s updated information. 
3)  If you think that you cannot attend, please reconsider!  Just think 150 PhDs in one room all having participated in one program inspired by one man.  It does not get much better than that! 

We look forward to hearing from all of you very soon. 
Best regards,

Valerie Sheares Ashby
Bowman and Gray Distinguished Term Professor of Chemistry
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Agenda                                                                            back to top

RSVP                                                                      back to top

If you have not already submitted your biography online, from the link that was sent out originally via email, please do so by clicking here. Or if you prefer, you may send your biography to Kacey Hammel at khammel@email.unc.edu.

We are collecting biographies of all the SPGRE alumni to include in a book that will be distributed during the 20 Year Anniversary Celebration. We are hoping to have ALL alumni in the book, so whether you are attending or not, please submit your biography.

Airport:
            Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU)
            Website:  www.rdu.com

Hotels:
            Carolina Inn
            website: http://www.carolinainn.com/
            211 Pittsboro Street
            Chapel Hill, NC 
            Phone: 919-933-2001 or 800-962-8519
            Price:  $155-$530

            The Franklin Street Hotel
            website: http://www.franklinhotelnc.com/
            311 West Franklin Street
            Chapel Hill, NC 
            Phone:  919-442-9000 or 866-831-5999
            Price: $198-$585
           
            The Courtyard Marriott
            website: https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/rduch
            100 Mariott Way
            Chapel Hill, NC
            Phone: 919-883-0700 or 800-321-2211
            Price:  $149-$289

The Hilton Garden Inn at Southpoint
website: www.hiltongardeninn.com
7007 Fayetteville Road
Durham, NC 
Phone:  919-544-6000 or 877-STAY HGI
Price: $109-$174
           
Hampton Inn
website: www.hamptoninn.com
6121 Farrington Road
Chapel Hill, NC
Phone:  919-403-8700 or 800-HAMPTON
Price:  $119-$165

           Holiday Inn Express
           website:  www.holidayinnexpress.com
           6119 Farrington Road       
           Chapel Hill, NC
           Phone:  919-489-7555 or 888-HOLIDAY
           Price:  $87-$116

More Information:
UNC Chapel Hill Campus Visitors Information: http://www.unc.edu/visitors/