The Center for Graduate Life is working to convert some workshops and all courses so that they can be delivered virtually. The CGL space is currently closed, but most services and all staff will be available via email, phone or WebEx, as appropriate. They have confirmed the following virtual services for UNC Charlotte graduate students with more to come:
Social distancing measures related to the Coronavirus may prevent a thesis or dissertation committee from meeting face-to-face. When illness or caution prevent someone on the committee from attending the defense, remote participation is appropriate.
The Graduate School will be very flexible regarding defenses. Committee chairs and students should agree on the best method for a given defense. ALL committee members must participate in the defense, whether in person or virtually. This flexibility extends to students who need to defend remotely.
It is the chair’s responsibility to ensure that all committee members sign-off on the final defense form. Scanned signatures are allowed and additional time will be extended so that a form can be signed by all members. When this is not possible, we will accept the defense form with the chair’s signature, accompanied by emails from each committee member stating their approval.
Please remember that milestone forms are needed in order for the Graduate School to clear students for graduation. Please do your best to send the forms electronically as soon as possible following a defense.
Final and proposal defense thesis forms should be sent to Julie Green (jhgreen@uncc.edu) and final and proposal defense dissertation forms should be sent to Aura Young (Aura.Young@uncc.edu).
This flexible interpretation of our policy will remain in effect for the remainder of the Spring 2020 semester.
Existing contracts for GAs should not be shortened or reduced in hours except under the most extreme circumstances. If a program wishes to change a contract for any reason, they should contact the Graduate School at gradassist@uncc.edu first to discuss. As a reminder, under this special circumstance only, GAs are eligible for Paid Administrative Leave as long as they remain on their current contract. It is critical to keep a student’s contract in place to ensure no disruption in the students’ pay. The Graduate School monitors any change or cancellation of a graduate assistantship.
With closures to many testing centers around the world, particularly in China, we encourage holistic review of available application materials for 2020 summer and fall applicants. In light of required English language proficiency and testing center closures abroad, Graduate Admissions is investigating the possibility of using a Remote English Proficiency Assessment tool on an interim basis. Stay tuned on more information.
Of utmost importance is the timely review of application materials for applicants so they may be nominated for graduate assistantships and funding prior to the April 15th National Signing Day. If you need assistance with the review process, please contact Graduate Admissions.
With your help, we can enroll the 2020 fall class. If you don’t already, please consider the following:
In the coming days, the UNC System and our Chancellor will be issuing guidance as to how various units work through the coronavirus pandemic. We do plan to operate under the guidance provided.
Please know that GPDNet will be an active resource for the most up-to-date information regarding Graduate School process and policy. Our goal is to be as flexible as possible with graduate students and faculty when it comes to graduate enrollment management, graduate academic affairs and graduate student affairs. Next week we will launch an FAQ here on GPDNet as a new resource. We will also send out email blasts to our GPD/C audience as warranted by changes and updates. Once again, please bookmark GPDNet, and use the Comments box below if you have questions you’d like answered by Graduate School staff.
ETS GRE is keeping you up-to-date with the latest information and initiatives to aid prospective students impacted by test postponements in China and worldwide. Learn more.
This four-hour workshop gives students the opportunity to present solutions to campus, community or global problems. This is the first-stage of the annual Charlotte Venture Challenge. Teams will be given a list of problems and brainstorm on innovative ways to solve them.
ChangeMaker Kickoff: Breaking Ground
March 17, 202 4:00pm-9:00pm
Register to Attend
Graduate Admissions will be hosting two Early Entry student information sessions next month. If you know of outstanding and qualified UNC Charlotte undergraduate students interested in obtaining a graduate degree, please encourage them to attend through registering at the links below. For details on Early Entry criteria, visit the Graduate Admissions website.
Hosting information sessions or open houses are a great way to get your audience on campus, in your college, and in front of your faculty. Campus and faculty can be the best marketers for your program.
The University has event planning specialists to help you learn the basics. Additionally, Graduate Admissions can broadcast your information session to their prospective student data base. Follow our Tips to get started with your next event.
For decades, the color blue has been a significant focus of research into improvements in digital display technology. The images we see on our laptop, phone and flat-screen TV today come from light-emitting materials comprising three colors – red, green and blue.
“The colors red and green are very easy to obtain but the color blue has been the bane of display technology,” said Abhishek Shibu, Ph.D. in Nanoscale Science whose presentation, “Let There Be ‘BLUE’ Light!,” took both the 1st Place and People’s Choice awards in this year’s 3-Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. The issue, it appears, is that the material used to produce blue is not quite as cooperative as the others.
“My research is focused on creating a new class of blue-emitting materials to make these displays more energy efficient, cost effective and environmentally friendly,” he said.
The Walter Research Group in the Department of Chemistry has created a library of crystals in the quest to improve the blue which, Shibu believes, “will be paradigm shifting candidates in the world of display technology.”
3MT® is a key element in preparing graduate students to communicate for success in their chosen career pursuits. Students who take on 3MT® also have an opportunity to participate in personal coaching and instruction on public presentations through the Center for Graduate Life. The CGL course, Communicating Your Research to a Non-Expert Audience, is tailored to help students create a favorable first impression on the job.
Taking 2nd Place in this year’s 3MT® was Nicole Stott, Ph.D. in Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology for her presentation, “Lung Cancer Progression.”
Stott’s research assesses how the drug Metformin – commonly used to treat diabetes – can also reduce lung cancer tumor burden while maintaining skeletal muscle health. Stott’s work holds promise for improving the welfare and recovery time for lung cancer patients.
Mukulika Bose, Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, received the 3rd Place award for her presentation on “Targeting Pancreatic Cancer with a Specific Antibody.”
Current treatment for pancreatic cancer often kills normal cells as well as the tumor. Bose’ research focuses on identifying biomarkers of cancerous cells to better target treatment.
For more information on 3MT®, visit the Center for Graduate Life.
Nominate your graduate students today for these exceptional funding opportunities. Visit the Graduate School’s website for specific criteria on each award. Some fellowships can be directly applied to by the student, so please encourage them to do so.
For questions, please contact Julie Green, Fellowship Specialist for the Graduate School.
Almost 300 prospective graduate students attended this year’s Graduate School Recruiting Fair held at the SAC Salons in the Student Activity Center Oct. 10. Participants, including more than 60 from other colleges and universities, met with representatives of approximately 100 graduate programs.
Two new reports from DegreeWorks are now available in Reports Central. Both can be found under the DegreeWorks tab:
DegreeWorks Progress Report – Snapshot of students in your program and their progress toward completion. It includes information such as credits completed, credits needed, length of time in the program, as well as program milestones. This report will continue to sent to those who subscribed, but can also be run on demand via Report Central.
Pre-Clearance Report – Outlines outstanding requirements for each student who has applied to graduate. Use this report to ensure that students who need to submit petitions to complete their DegreeWorks audits do so as soon as possible. Our office will continue to reach out regarding outstanding requirements. What’s nice is that you can run the report any time and see the current graduation status for your students. As we pre-clear students, their graduation status is updated to reflect this.
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.
Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators are leadership positions for the University and play an important and pivotal role in the success of our graduate degrees. 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.
The Graduate School currently seeks nominations for the annual competition for the 2020 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. Recognizing the full-time member of the graduate faculty who evinces outstanding graduate mentoring, nominations should come from a chair of the academic department. This award was established in memory of Dr. Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology, who was noted for her dedication to the academic and professional development of graduate students.
The award, consisting of a crystal obelisk, a framed citation, and a cash prize, will be presented in the spring semester at a ceremony and reception presided over by the Chancellor, the Dean of the Graduate School and University officers.
Information on this year’s competition can be found in the Graduate School. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 pm November 1st, 2019.
UNC Charlotte’s annual 49 hours of fundraising #NinerNationGives begins Wednesday, September 18th. This is your opportunity to directly support graduate students through the Graduate School’s two funds:
These two programs benefit our graduate students by providing them funding, professional development, career training, cross-disciplinary community development and more. The first 49 donors to a Graduate School fund, will be entered into a drawing to win a hand-made Niner quilt. The portal is open so give today at #NinerNationGives
The Graduate School currently seeks nominations for the 2020 First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. Recognizing outstanding scholarship, creativity and/or research among senior full-time faculty members, nominations may come from any UNC Charlotte faculty member. The First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal has been awarded since 1988 with last year’s honoree being Dr. Steven Rogelberg, UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Professor, Psychological Science and Management, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
The award, consisting of a cash prize, framed citation, and a medal, will be presented in the spring semester at a ceremony and reception presided over by the Chancellor, officials of First Citizens Bank, the Dean of the Graduate School and University officers.
Information on this year’s competition can be found in the Graduate School. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 pm November 8th, 2019.
The Graduate School is pleased to announce a new donor funded fellowship, the Claudia M. Reynolds Graduate Fellowship. It was established through a generous gift to support and encourage high quality graduate students at UNC Charlotte to continue their higher education and become leaders in their professional career.
A native of northern California, Claudia Reynolds moved to Charlotte with her husband, Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds, in 1982 and has been a dedicated and loyal supporter of UNC Charlotte ever since. Over the years, she has generously volunteered countless hours of her time and energy to the University. An internationally recognized quilter, she has donated her quilts to local hospitals, women shelters, the USO and to UNC Charlotte. An educator in her own right, Claudia has mentored students in fabric arts and taught quilting at Central Piedmont Community College for more than 25 years.
The Claudia M. Reynolds Graduate Fellowship will be a part of this year’s NinerNationGives campaign, allowing faculty, staff, students and all donors the opportunity to contribute to this exceptional fund. The first 49 donors to the Graduate School will be entered into a drawing to win one of Mrs. Reynolds quilts. NinerNationGives begins September 18 and runs for 49 hours. Visit #NinerNationGives to help support this Fellowship.
Have an idea or research finding that the National Science Foundation may be interested in Funding? Want to receive up to $5000 for your research or business idea?
Apply to participate in the fall 2019 Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps cohort. The program provides UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students with commercialization training and up to an initial $5000 in NSF funding. The goal of the program is to identify potential commercial uses and prepare for more substantial commercialization funding opportunities. The next stage is a 6 month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant.
The cohort will begin October 11th. A complete schedule and application form can be found on the entrepreneurship website. To learn more please contact Principle Investigator Devin Collins at devin.collins@uncc.edu or 704-687-8058.
