Finalists selected for the 2021 Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) final competition Nov. came from a wide range of programs.
The 3-Minute Thesis (3MT), hosted by the Center for Graduate Life and Learning (CGLL), is an international academic competition that challenges graduate students to describe their research in three minutes or less, using only one static slide. 3MT allows our graduate students to practice communicating the importance of their work to policy makers, potential funders, and the media.
For more information, please visit the Center for Graduate Life and Learning.
Dear Colleagues,
The Projections Manager, located in GPDNet, is now open for enrollment and graduation projection submissions. The information you provide is used to help guide efforts to effectively manage your graduate program enrollment; it’s also vital from a University perspective to better understand program capacity/delivery, future enrollments/graduations, and resources required to support graduate education.
Based on information provided last year, the Graduate School made a request for resources to help two programs grow enrollments, which Academic Affairs provided beginning fall 2021. Additionally, resources and training were strategically provided to support students and programs and aid work to increase recruitment and retention. Given the University’s strategic plan to enroll 7,613 graduate students by 2031, careful planning to achieve the goal is more important now than ever.
Similarly, affirming UNC Charlotte’s commitment to foster access, diversity, equity and inclusion in graduate education, please pay particular attention to ways your program enrollments might reflect a breadth of gender identities, races and ethnicities, nationalities, faith traditions, and other social categories and backgrounds. A new question has been added to better understand program efforts in this regard.
Four open swims are planned to help program directors establish projections and answer any questions related to program capacity and effective enrollment management. For details on the workshops as well as the projections process, please see the attached document. In advance, thank you for your strong support of graduate education and your participation in this year’s cycle to better understand opportunities and challenges in building and retaining the graduate class next year.
Warm regards,
Johnna Watson
P.S. – More details are available for download.
Nationwide, graduate enrollment is projected to grow by less than 1% from 2021-2029.
The Education Advisory Board (EAB) compiled a downloadable white paper to help institutions better understand the future needs of adult learners and develop strategies to recruit, enroll and retain them. Charlotte’s graduate enrollment is projected to grow 20% over the next ten years, so the work to strategically serve this unique audience must begin now.
We’ve all heard the expression, “feedback is a gift,” but it’s a gift that can be difficult to give and difficult to receive. When we receive feedback, it’s easy to become defensive and stubborn or insecure. When we need to give feedback, we may feel hesitant to criticize a team member who has worked hard on a deliverable. Yet, figuring out how to use feedback to improve ourselves and our teams is one of the most important keys to professional success. This Accelerate to Industry(A2i) session, run by our industry partner, Tresata will be a 90-minute interactive workshop, in which participants will learn how to have honest discussions about improvement without damaging important relationships.
There will be a presentation and then practice in small-group breakout rooms where participants will receive (you guessed it) feedback from Tresata leaders. We will provide Tresata with a resume book of attendees after the event. Space is limited and an application with a resume upload is required. Applications are due by October 19.
The job search is tricky for everyone, but even more so for international students. This session offers specific insights and tips on how to approach and navigate the job search. Food will be served!
To register, please visit the Center for Graduate Life and Learning.
The full conference agenda with links to each session is available for download. For more information, please visit the NCCGS conference site.
The following is a message from Tom Reynolds, Dean of Graduate School, to University leadership:
Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing to share information with you about a Graduate School initiative to support a culture of research integrity through good authorship practices at UNC Charlotte.
When we surveyed UNC Charlotte faculty and graduate student researchers, we found a number of issues related to authorship in collaborative research. For example, faculty and student respondents reported issues with ghost and gift authorship, and fewer than 50% of respondents reported that authorship was discussed at the beginning of projects. Responses also indicated a desire for additional authorship guidance from the University.
One result of this work is University Policy 318, “Authorship Policy and Resolution Procedures,” approved in May 2021 by the University Faculty Council and the Provost.
The policy’s purpose is not to require a single set of authorship practices. Instead, it highlights significant areas of consensus, advances healthy authorship practices, and sets out institutional policies should disputes arise.
I invite you to watch Provost Joan Lorden’s introduction to the policy below for more information, or read the policy here. More information about authorship can also be found on the Graduate School’s Responsible Research page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Graduate Program Directors, please forward this email to your graduate students.
Sincerely,
Tom
Thomas L. Reynolds, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Graduate Programs
Dean of the Graduate School
Preparing for Your 3MT Presentation + Prize Drawing October 5, 3:30-4:30. Elise Demeter, Senior Assessment Research Analyst and SciComm will help students prepare to explain their research to a lay audience in 3 minutes or less using only one static slide. Anyone registered to compete in 3MT by this date will be entered into a raffle to win several great prizes including yoga mats, water bottles, and more!
Swipe Write: Commit to Better Writing is a weekly Q&A session about academic writing with the CGLL’s Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing, Dr. Lisa Russell-Pinson held virtually, Mondays 12:30-1:30. She’ll offer a weekly writing tip and information about upcoming writing events, and then open the floor to graduate students questions about writing such as how to write a good literature review, how to write more efficiently, managing procrastination, and responding to feedback.
Honoring excellence in graduate program administration, the Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award recognizes excellent leadership and outstanding service by a Graduate Program Director or Coordinator. Nominations for 2021-22 will be accepted through 5 p.m., Jan. 28.
Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators are leadership positions for the University and play an important and pivotal role in the success of our graduate students. Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators must not only manage and shape the direction of their programs to ensure the academic success of their students, but must also serve as advocates for graduate education at all levels. Doing this well, deserves recognition and praise.
The recipient receives a cash award, an engraved plaque, and their name engraved on a perpetual trophy. For additional information and to submit a nomination visit the Reynolds Leadership Award web page.
