Graduate students will have an opportunity again this year to compact their thesis or dissertation into a powerful, three-minute presentation.
Through the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) program offered by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), contestants vie for the most compelling presentation of research to an audience that may not share the same expertise.
Ventureprise is seeking research ideas with potential commercial application from UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students. The program provides 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. Ventureprise® is UNC Charlotte’s innovation and entrepreneurship center serving the campus and Charlotte region as a center of excellence for evidence based entrepreneurship.
The next stage is a six month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant. The cohort will begin October 8 (rolling applications; last day to submit is October 2). A complete schedule and application form can be found on the NSF I-Corps webpage. Contact: Devin Collins or Laura Smailes.
ETS recently announced updates on GRE testing through the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition and GRE® General Test at home, and the expansion of in-person testing in China.
TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and the GRE General Test at home have been extended through October, possibly later. Home testing remains available even in areas where test centers have reopened so that students have a choice.
The Chinese government’s National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) expanded the number of test dates and test centers through the end of September for the in-person TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test.
TEDxUNCCharlotte will be held virtually Sept. 15, 16, and 17. Each night will feature 3-4 speakers.
Topics for the event include:
Sept. 15: Shifts in Paradigms
Sept. 16: Inclusion Drives Innovation
Sept. 17: Re-Imagining and Re-Examining
More information is available at TEDxUNCCharlotte.
A free webinar scheduled at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 will provide tips on how to cost-effectively target graduate and professional students using the GRE Search Service.
To attend, complete the GRE online registration.
The Graduate School is available to assist with GRE searches. Contact Maryanne Marie-Sams, MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu.
Register to participate at Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
A message informing new graduate students of the process to apply for North Carolina residency was sent recently, targeting those admitted for Fall 2020 who are classified as nonresidents.
Should your students have questions about residency, please direct them to the centralized Residency Determination Service (RDS):
Phone: 844-319-3640
Email: rdsinfo@ncresidency. org
Website: www.NCresidency.org
Faculty with questions may contact Brenda.Sawyer@uncc.edu, 704-687-5122.
For more information on residency, please visit https://ncresidency.uncc.edu/.
The International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) recently distributed guidelines for enrollment of international students. Newly admitted F-1 international students (excluding transfers from other U.S. institutions and those changing degree levels) will need to meet the following requirements to maintain legal status in the United States:
The ISSO is cross-referencing several data sets (including student self-reports) through Sept. 14 to identify potentially affected students. That information will be shared with the Chair of the appropriate department to assist them in their course registration. So far, the process has identified few students in this situation.
Instructors need to fulfill their in-person or hybrid components as planned starting Oct.1 unless the university moves to 100% online before that date.
If you have questions, please contact ISSO.
NC State’s second annual Extreme Makeover: PDF Edition will be held Monday, Sept. 21 to Friday, Oct. 16. This year, they are inviting other institutions of higher education to participate.
Sponsored by the NC State IT Accessibility Office, the event aims to make websites accessible by eliminating inaccessible portable document format (PDF) files, which can be a barrier to individuals with disabilities. Learn more and register by 9/14/2020 at NC State.
As a special exception due to COVID-19, the U.S. government is allowing international continuing students to pursue 100% of their coursework online for the fall 2020 semester. This exception has not been applied to newly admitted international students, who must register for and attend at least one class with an in-person component in order to maintain their legal status in the U.S.
The International Student Scholars Office is advising colleges and academic departments anticipating newly admitted international students, to consider ways to provide flexibility for these students to meet the in-person component requirement as soon after September 7th as possible. They recommend that academic departments consider the following strategies to incorporate an in-person component to a course:
For additional assistance, contact the staff at ISSO
Consulates in India are granting emergency visa appointments to some students to enroll at UNC Charlotte for the Fall 2020 semester. Because many of these students had already requested their fall admission be deferred to 2021, the ISSO and Graduate Admissions developed the following process for students to follow that includes having written support from Graduate Program Directors to (re)admit students to the Fall 2020 semester. The following information was shared with new international students at the ISSO Town Hall on Monday, August 17th, and via email as requested:
Dear Student,
Thanks for letting us know that you have secured an expedited visa appointment for Fall 2020. In order to be considered for admission to UNC Charlotte for Fall 2020, you must provide copies of the following items to the University:
To read more about this process, see the ISSO New Student Town Hall Presentation slides and Recording for an overview of the Fall 2020 readmission process:
The Graduate School will host the annual Grad Ed Summit — this year a virtual meeting — on Sept. 2.
Topics at last year’s Summit included discussions on the role of the Graduate School, resources to manage programs and promote student success, student funding and the new GPD Recognition Award was introduced.
An agenda for this year’s meeting is forthcoming.
Two online mentoring sessions set for August are already full.
Additional sessions have been scheduled for October 1 & 2 (9:30 – 12:30 each day) and January 13 & 14 (9:30 – 12:30 each day).
The Center for Graduate Life has introduced a New Graduate Student Onboarding Portal to help prepare incoming graduate students for their move to Charlotte and a successful transition to graduate school.
The site includes the basics they’ll need to get started, with information on everything from finding an apartment to parking passes to course selection. Additional information on academic tools and campus offices that support graduate student success will be added to the portal by mid-August.
Representatives from the UNC Charlotte Graduate School participate in several recruitment fairs each year. These fairs present great opportunities to connect with prospective students.
Graduate Admissions maintains a spreadsheet of current opportunities available to UNC Charlotte faculty and staff. Please contact MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu for more information.
Admitted students physically located in embargoed countries like Iran may not be allowed to take fall semester classes online, according to John Jacob, Facility Security Officer and Export Control Officer in Research and Economic Development.
“The Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) considers (online courses) a service to that country/individual that requires a export license from OFAC for a student to take an online class from an embargoed country,” Jacobs said.
Additional information on the policies guiding delivery of online coursework will be shared as it becomes available.
Newly admitted non-resident graduate students recently were sent information from Residency Compliance Manager Brenda Sawyer outlining steps needed to qualify as a resident for tuition purposes.
A sample of the Residency message is available for download.
Questions on residency should be directed to the Residency Determination Service (RDS) at 844-319-3640, rdsinfo@ncresidency.org or to Brenda Sawyer, Brenda.Sawyer@uncc.edu
