The Noble Fellowship

The Noble Fellowship, an endowed fellowship at Queens University of Charlotte, was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Jerry H. Greenhoot and the late Dr. Kathryn W. Greenhoot. The program is named for Noble Hines, whose life and values expressed the concept of “paying it forward” long before it was defined elsewhere. His contributions were multiplied by the lives he influenced well beyond those people he knew or intended to assist. In gratitude and recognition of Noble Hines’ gifts, the Greenhoots created the Noble Fellowship, a scholarship dedicated to continuing excellence and academic growth for upperclassmen and faculty at Queens.

In several ways, the Fellowship is unique in that it acts as an enabling stipend to allow the pursuit of a specific project. The Noble Fellowship is entirely merit-based and is neither a reward nor recognition of past achievement but is given in anticipation of work to come. The potential academic projects are completely up to the individual and are countless.

The Goal

The goal of the Noble Fellowship is to encourage and mentor students and faculty as they prepare for a lifetime of creative and generous work. The Fellowship consists of individuals who demonstrate merit in their lives and their scholarship and anticipate lifelong contributions to the arts, science, teaching, or public service. Fellows are chosen from people of the highest intellectual curiosity, character, depth, and breadth of thought, as well as life interests.

Characteristics of a Noble Fellow

• Demonstrates commitment and capability in his/her chosen academic field.
• Demonstrates potential for leadership, intellectual aptitude, and scholarly achievement at Queens or to the greater community.
• Owns a desire to initiate and complete a specific academic project which requires funding.
• Displays upstanding moral character, absolute integrity, and intellectual honesty.
• Owns a broad “worldview” extending beyond themselves. A Fellow is to be a “Soul of Honor.”
• Demonstrates potential for future offerings to, the Fellowship program, the University, and American society.
• Demonstrates willingness to accept the lifetime commitment and obligations of the Fellowship, as well as its rewards.

“As a faculty Noble fellow, I will serve with honor and dedication, and look forward to fostering a fellowship of student and faculty scholars at Queens. I will mentor student fellows, seeking ways to present experiences that will challenge and prepare them for the future, in a manner reminiscent of how Noble Hines encouraged and inspired Drs. Jerry H. and Kathryn W. Greenhoot. I will commit myself to scholarship on creative literacy and its educational impact in crafting noble citizens for this world.”

Professor Siu Challons-Lipton

Noble Fellows at Queens

Justin Smith, D.M.A., Faculty Fellow

Dr. Justin Smith is an Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Queens University of Charlotte, where he conducts two choirs, directs the opera program, and teaches courses in music history, conducting, and film music. In 2020, he founded the Royal Voices of Charlotte. He holds a DMA in Choral Conducting from the University of Houston with additional degrees from Wesleyan University and the University of Oregon. Dr. Smith’s Noble Fellowship project involves reconstructing, orchestrating, and publishing American composer Margaret Bonds’ unfinished musical Bitter Laurel, based on the life of Elizabeth Keckly. Once published, the work will be given its first performances on the Queens campus and professionally recorded.

Greg Berka, Ph.D., Faculty Fellow

Dr. Greg Berka is in his 11th year in the McColl School of Business as an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and serves as the Program Director of the MS in Talent & Organization Development program. He has taught 15 different courses at Queens across undergraduate and graduate programs. His research focuses on the scholarship of teaching and learning, business case studies, and HR-related topics (like organizational inclusion and attraction). Dr. Berka and other students (including Noble Fellowship recipient Daphne Mendoza Tristan) are developing a three-part Inclusion in Organizations (In@Work) assessment which supports individuals understanding their: (1) Experience and importance of inclusion across 12 dimensions, (2) Influences and motivators of the inclusion experience, and (3) Inclusion mindset and behaviors (to guide a path forward).

Daphne Mendoza Tristan ’26

Daphne Mendoza Tristan is a senior double majoring in finance, mathematics, and computing & data analytics. She is the treasurer of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and a collaborator in the Inclusion at Work (In@Work) research project. The project, which began in the Summer 2023 by Dr. Greg Berka and Queens students, has evolved into the Inclusion at Work (In@Work) Assessment, an assessment that will help capture an individual’s inclusion experience at work. It will be composed of three separate surveys; Part I will have the individual consider their inclusion experience across twelve dimensions, and Part II will have them consider their potential influences and motivators, tied to their experience at their organization. Part III will have the individual consider their approach to inclusion and desired path forward with those they interact with at work.

Omari Emmanuel ’26

Omari Emmanuel ’26 is a senior majoring in data analytics and math. Active on campus, Omari serves as a Presidential Fellow, an international representative on the Student Government Association, the Co-Lead of iBelong Mentorship Program, a member of the Student Alumni Council, and a Royal Ambassador. He is also a Presidential Scholar. Emmanuel’s proposed project will be his Data Analytics Capstone Seminar, which will focus on analyzing the demographic distribution of public health resources in his native country of Ghana.

Noble Fellows Newsletter

Learn More

To inquire and learn more about the Noble Fellowship, please contact Ginger Marr (marrg@queens.edu, 704-337-2444).