AUTHOR

Armelia Baldwin

2026 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award Nominations Are Now Open!

October 07, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

The Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award committee is soliciting nominations for the 2026 award. This award was established in memory of Dr. Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology. She was noted for her deep dedication to the academic and professional development of graduate students.

Each year, the Chancellor’s Office and the Graduate School present this award to a full-time member of the graduate faculty who evinces these qualities of outstanding graduate mentoring. The recipient will be
honored at a ceremony held on the UNC Charlotte campus in the spring with an award of a crystal obelisk, a framed citation, and a cash prize.

All UNC Charlotte regular graduate faculty members are eligible to receive this recognition. Nominees should be distinguished, active scholars in their appropriate fields and should have a proven record of continuing interest in the growth and success of their students. Evidence of an outstanding graduate mentor should include activities that demonstrate an apparent dedication to providing graduate students with the skills and resources that they need to succeed as scholars and a sincere and active interest in the well-being of their students. These efforts should be related to professional appointments and accomplishments of former students as scholars. Although graduate students, past or present, staff, and faculty members of the University may recommend graduate faculty members for this award, nominations should come from chairs of academic departments. If the nominee is a department chair, the nomination should be made by the college dean.

Nomination materials should include at least the following:

A letter of nomination clearly explaining the nominee’s qualifications. What sets this individual apart from the ordinary in their devotion to graduate students and to graduate education? Also, evidence should be presented that the nominee’s commitment to graduate student education goes significantly beyond that of the average, dedicated member of the graduate faculty.
A copy of the nominee’s curriculum vitae, highlighting activities conducted with graduate students.
Up to six letters of support from graduate students, faculty, alumni, and others.
A statement from the nominee discussing their perspective on the role of mentoring in graduate education.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, November 14, 2025. Visit the Graduate School’s website to submit your online nomination form.

Link to nomination form: https://forms.gle/PG233KJBdmtoi3Zj9

Link to webpage: https://sites.google.com/uncc.edu/gs-award-gateway/home/harshini-v-de-silva-graduate-mentor-award

Please contact Christi Skerlak at cskerlak@charlotte.edu with any questions.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to honor deserving candidates.

New Graduate Recruitment Newsletter

October 07, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

We are excited to share that we’ve published the first edition of our Graduate Recruitment Newsletter! This monthly newsletter is designed to be your go-to resource for everything recruitment-related — updates on enrollment, upcoming events, professional development opportunities, and tools to help your programs thrive.

Access the Newsletter here!

2026 Outstanding Master's Thesis Award Competition (Deadline: October 13, 2025)

October 01, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

Eligibility
Instructions for Nominations: To be considered, applicants must have completed their master’s degree
requirements and thesis during the period between Fall 2023 through Summer 2025, inclusive. The
Graduate School will verify eligibility.

2026 Award Categories
▪ Life Sciences (1 award): This includes, for example, biology; botany; zoology; ecology; developmental
biology; molecular biology; genetics; genomics; nutrition; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology;
pathology; pharmacology; physiology; cell biology; neurosciences; immunology; and related fields.

▪ Social Sciences, Business, and Education (1 award): This includes, for example, anthropology,
accountancy, business, communications, criminal justice, demography, economics, education, finance,
gender and sexual studies, geography, government, international relations, law, linguistics, management,
marketing, political science, psychology, public administration, public policy studies, sociology, social
work, urban studies, and research in closely related fields.

▪ Non-traditional Thesis/ Project Award (1 award): This category refers to both theses in any field that do not readily conform to the traditional model, such as those produced in MFA programs both for literature and the performing arts, as well as those that deviate from the typical disciplinary approaches. Furthermore, it also includes capstone/final research-oriented projects in non-thesis degree programs.

Evaluation Process
Each submission will be reviewed and evaluated on the basis of clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology, and contributions to the field or discipline.

Application Materials
▪ A synopsis of the thesis (500-word maximum) outlining its context within the broader field, as well as how the completed research contributes to the discipline, prepared by the nominee.
▪ An abbreviated resume or CV for the nominee (2 page maximum, prepared by the nominee);
▪ A web link to the thesis or an electronic copy submitted by email;
▪ A letter of support/endorsement from the major professor focused on the criteria by which the committee will evaluate the submitted theses. These consist of: clarity of style and presentation, scholarship, research methodology, and contributions to the field or discipline.
▪ The thesis was approved in partial fulfillment of requirements for the master’s degree and that the student completed the master’s degree within the past two academic years and/or summer sessions (Fall 2023 through Summer 2025).

Award: The winners will receive $500 and an engraved plaque.

Please Note: Materials must be compiled as a single PDF and named as follows: ThesisAward_Category_LastName_FirstName_Institution.pdf and emailed to jhgreen@charlotte.edu.

For more information, please contact jhgreen@charlotte.edu.

The winners will be submitted to the regional CSGS Master’s Thesis Award competition based on their
submission, where they are eligible to win an honorarium of $1,000 and an award plaque. The award
ceremony will take place at our annual meeting in Baton Rouge in 2026.

Student Temp Job Opening in the Graduate Recruitment Office

August 25, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

The Graduate Recruitment Office recently posted a position in Hire-a-Niner for a Graduate Admissions/Recruitment Student Temp worker to assist in recruitment and admissions efforts for the Graduate School.

Our student temp workers help with various recruitment initiatives, including calls to prospective students, information sessions, office hours, responding to inquiries, etc. This position will start in September, depending on student availability. We would prefer a student who has at least a year left in their program and availability to work 20 hours a week in person.

If there are any current students in your program who may be interested, we would appreciate it if you could share this opportunity with them. The posting will close on September 2nd. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Link to online application

**Current students will need to log in to Hire-A-Niner to access this link.

Fall 2026 International Recruitment Update – Strategic Insights & Collaborative Opportunities

August 12, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

As we prepare for the Fall 2026 recruitment cycle, I’m pleased to share an overview of our international recruitment efforts and strategic initiatives designed to enhance global engagement, enrollment outcomes, and student success across campus.

This update highlights key activities underway, including targeted marketing campaigns, counselor engagement strategies, and collaborative outreach with campus partners and external organizations. It also provides insight into the evolving global landscape, including visa policy changes and shifting student expectations, which are shaping the future of international enrollment.

Our efforts are aligned with institutional priorities and present meaningful opportunities for cross-unit collaboration. From expanding regional pipelines and leveraging digital engagement tools to refining messaging around career outcomes, we are positioning UNC Charlotte to remain competitive and responsive in a rapidly changing international education environment.

I invite you to review the full update and welcome your feedback, questions, or interest in partnering on any of these initiatives.

Potential Impacts of the Reconciliation Bill on Graduate Education

July 16, 2025 by Armelia Baldwin

Termination of the Grad PLUS Loan Program

Eliminates Grad PLUS Loans (starting July 2026 for new borrowers), which currently allows students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance

Annual Unsubsidized Loan Limits

Imposes borrowing caps up to $20,500/annually with a lifetime limit of $100,000
Borrowers enrolled less than full-time will have their loan amounts reduced proportionally based on their enrollment status, following a reduction schedule set by the Secretary of Education
All students will have a lifetime borrowing cap of $257,500 for federal student loans (excluding Parent PLUS loans)

IMPACTS: These shifts may force students to rely on private loans (with interest rates upwards of 16%) or self-financing, especially for higher-cost programs like the DNP in Nurse Anesthesia and the DBA in Business Administration, and may result in less access and opportunity for people to pursue and attain a graduate education.

3. Repayment and Forgiveness Overhaul

Replaces all current income-driven repayment plans with a Standard Plan and a Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP)
The Standard Plan has fixed monthly payments and terms, ranging from 10 to 25 years, depending on the loan amount.
The Repayment Assistance Plan establishes a new income-driven repayment option designed to adjust monthly payments based on a borrower’s income and offers forgiveness of the debt after a set amount of qualifying payments.

IMPACTS: These changes may result in increased lifetime repayment costs.

4. Creates Accountability Measures for Institutions

Graduate programs will lose eligibility for the Direct Loan Program if, for 2 out of 3 years, their former students earn less than the median bachelor’s degree recipient in the same field and state.

IMPACTS: This change may require significant institutional effort to manage program costs based on expected earnings.