Featured

Social Media for Recruiting Nov. 11

Social media is a powerful tool for awareness and recruiting — and it’s free!   In this session we will reveal best practices that are proven to get results.  We will also share how the Graduate School is using social media to recruit students and build awareness of everything UNC Charlotte has to offer.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://uncc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYof-ihqDsoE9WJMt5FfkWx7ZuThhKBfMpN

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Enrollment Projections Manager Now Available

Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations on achieving another record graduate enrollment this semester! Despite unusual and challenging circumstances, your dedication to enroll the new class while simultaneously supporting continuing students is both admirable and appreciated.

Annually, we open the Projections Manager for Graduate Program Directors to submit graduation and enrollment projections for future years. The effort was delayed a bit this semester given the September start of classes, but the system is now available for your submissions. Fall 2021, 2022, and 2023 enrollment and graduation projections are due by Sunday, November 15th.  The information is used to help guide your efforts to effectively manage your graduate program enrollment; it’s also vital from a University perspective to understand program capacity, future enrollments, and resources required to support graduate education. Similarly, affirming UNC Charlotte’s commitment to foster diversity and inclusion in graduate education, I encourage you to 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.

Official enrollment and graduation data by degree and major is available via the institutional research interactive Fact Book at https://ir-analytics.uncc.edu/fact-book. To access projections and plans, log into GPDNet (https://egem.charlotte.edu), select PROGRAM DASHBOARD, select PROJECTIONS, click on your program, click on the plus sign (+) next to the 2021 projection year, and then enter data/information in the form. If you need access to the system, or if your program is not listed or needs to be modified, please email Amy Palmer at aagardi@uncc.edu.

To support your efforts to establish projections, and to answer any general questions related to managing graduate programs, two (identical) workshops will be held: one on Wednesday, October 21st, at 11 am, and another on Thursday, October 29th, at 2:30 pm (ZOOM link).  I invite you to participate as needed whether you’re new to the role of Graduate Program Director or simply need a refresher on understanding program capacity and developing projections.  Similarly, if you prefer a one-on-one meeting to support your efforts or a department-specific session, please email my assistant, Mrs. Amy Palmer, directly to schedule a mutually convenient time.

Additionally, the corresponding graduate enrollment management (GEM) plan that serves as a road map to achieve the projections should be developed in concert with your program’s projections and align to your college’s strategic plan. The plan is an iterative work-in-progress and should be updated regularly throughout the academic year. While it is certainly helpful to have a GEM plan in place by November 15th to support your projections, the November 15th deadline is only for the graduation and enrollment projections.

Warm regards,

Johnna (JohnnaWatson@uncc.edu)

 

Graduate School Forms Now Digital

The Graduate School is happy to announce the end of yet another paper-based system.  Also known as the Doctoral Form Series, all Exam Reports, Committee Appointment, Proposal/Final Defense, ETD and Embargo forms will be transitioning to DocuSigneffective October 14. DocuSign, a University-supported digital system, allows for the secure collection of signatures and proper electronic routing. These forms can be accessed on the Graduate School Forms website. Scanned paper forms will still be accepted throughout the Spring 2021 semester however.

Important: In order to ensure proper routing, please make sure to only use the Graduate School’s Form Series and NOT a Form previously developed by an academic unit or otherwise. In addition, DocuSign’s routing system only recognizes UNC Charlotte NinerNet username email addresses and NOT alias email addresses (use format:  jdoe@uncc.edu, NOT jane.doe@uncc.edu).

Please refer to the university’s FAQ website for more information about DocuSign.

Global Panel To Address International Graduate School

The Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte (YPWACC) and the Office of International Programs will host a panel discussion on graduate school via Zoom Oct. 15 at 3 p.m.  Panelists will address how to select an internationally-focused program, prepare a competitive application.

For more information and to register, please visit the YPWACC registration page.

 

Fall Ventureprise Research Projects Sought

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.

Students Encouraged to Apply for NSF Grant

Eligible candidates recently received an email from the Graduate School encouraging them to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.
The message, sent by Director of Funding and Fellowships Julie Goodliffe, also offers assistance in completing application. Dr. Goodliffe also serves as a reviewer for NSF on a national level.
For more information, contact Julie Goodliffe, jmgoodli@uncc.edu.

$3,000 Stipend Offered STEM Fellows

The Center for Graduate Life is accepting applications for the 2020-2021 STEM Communication Fellows Program aimed at improving communications skills among STEM scholars.
Through the program, eight doctoral and postdoctoral scholars will be selected to receive intense communication training and experiential learning opportunities, plus a $3000 stipend.
For information and to apply, please visit the Center for Graduate Life.
Questions may be directed to Dr. Jill Huerta and Dr. Aura Young of the CGL.

GPD Recruiting Training Session Planned

A recruiting orientation for new Graduate Program Directors is planned Sept. 29 at 2 p.m.
The Zoom event is entitled Recruitment 101 an Orientation for New Graduate Program Directors.  Tips for successful recruitment.

Register to participate at Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Call for Nominations Issued for Faculty Awards

The call for nominations has been issued for three distinguished faculty awards: The Harshini V. De Silva Graduate Mentor Award, the First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal and the Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award.

For more information and to nominate, please follow the links below to each program’s nomination page:

Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award – Nominations accepted through Dec. 11

Harshini V. De Silva Graduate Mentor Award – Nominations accepted through Nov. 6

First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal, Nominations accepted through Nov. 13.

ISSO Reviews International Student Enrollment Requirements

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:

  1. Pursue a full course load (12 credits for undergrad and 9 credits for graduate)
  2. Register for at least ONE hybrid course that counts towards the full time enrollment.

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.

Sept. 2 GPD Summit Recording Available

Approximately 140 faculty and staff participated in the Graduate School’s annual GPD Summit Sept. 2.

A recording of the online presentation is available at https://uncc.zoom.us/rec/share/RL5GvY6ICTHuNNNz_JeDwZb2T8Cbau7XVx5FM4WH-DsD2flCw2gwY0_APZUMQR7V.pd98UFdpQOXE3Ek_

PLEASE NOTE: This password is required to access the recording: +p%P0PD!

UNC Charlotte Makes OPT Top 100

UNC Charlotte was included in the Top 100 Schools with Optional Practical Training (OPT), according to 2019 data recently released by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) of the Department of Homeland Security

The top employers for OPT participants and other data is available on the SEVP website.

Provost Approval Required for Student Employment

Because of the current UNC system-wide hiring freeze, all TA and RA positions must be approved by the Provost before Human Resources will approve.  Please obtain approval from the Provost’s office, and enter the date of the approval in eGA in the Notes section.  If we don’t see an approval note in eGA, we or HR will send the eGA back to the initiator.  The start date of the eGA must not be before the date of the Provost’s approval.
Please send questions to Julie Goodliffe, jmgoodli@uncc.edu, Director of Funding and Fellowships.

GradEd Summit - September 2nd, 1-2 pm

Dean Tom Reynolds invites you to the 2020 Graduate Education Summit being held virtually September 2, 2020 at 1:00-2:00 pm. We hope you will join us as we prepare for the start of the academic year.  Download Agenda.

Zoom link

Meeting ID: 999 5495 2753
Passcode: 963888
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,99954952753#,,,,,,0#,,963888# US (New York)

Dial by your location +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

University Scholarship Office - Award Deadlines for Graduate Awards

Recently the University Scholarship Office announced that the award deadline for scholarships will be February 15th.  Please note that this is the deadline for undergraduate awards. The Graduate School awards will have a later application deadline of March 30th. The few awards that require a nomination in order for a student to apply will have a nomination deadline of March 15th.  All graduate awards will be offered before April 15th, which is National Signing Day. We will remind you of these deadlines when we begin promoting the awards this spring.  For award information visit the Graduate School’s website.

NEW Process to Readmit Students to Fall 2020 after Last Minute Visa Issuance

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:

  1. A copy of your F-1 visa
  2. Written support from your academic program director confirming that they support your readmission for Fall 2020 (see our suggested suggested email template for initiating your request)
  3. Additional proof of funding equal to the UNC Charlotte estimated cost of attendance if your original University funding is no longer available
  4. Documentation showing that you can arrive on-campus by September 10th

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:

  • slide 12 – Last minute visa issuance AFTER withdrawing Fall 2020 admission
  • slide 13 – What if you obtain a visa but can’t arrive for Fall 2020?

NCCGS Extends Invite to Annual Meeting

The North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools will be holding their Annual Meeting virtually October 22-23, 2020 and invites all Graduate Program Directors/Coordinators to attend.  The sessions are free and hosted virtually on Zoom.  Download the Agenda and register to attend via Western Carolina’s Graduate School.

Annual Report from the Graduate Ombudsman - Areas of Concern

Dr. Bruce Taylor serves as the Ombudsman for graduate students. This year he met with 57 graduate students about a variety of concerns.  We wanted to give you a sense of what Bruce hears from students and which students seek out his services.

Approximately a third of consultations (32%) were with students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 20% in the College of Computing and Informatics, 18% in the William States Lee College of Engineering, and 9% in the Cato College of Education. The remaining colleges represented fewer than 7% of consultations each. A fairly equal number of international and domestic students scheduled consultations with the Ombuds in 2019-20.

By far students expressed concerns about their relationships with advisors.  Evaluative Relationships represented 44% of consultations with the Ombuds. Typically, these are issues between a student and faculty such as a concern with treatment by an advisor, course instructor or program coordinator where there is a power differential between the student and faculty or staff. These also included concerns brought by students about their work on a grant or in a lab, for example. Services and Administrative issues (22%) are those concerns dealing with the application of policies or timeliness of services. Examples include graduate appeals, withdrawal options, and rules regarding changing programs or committees.

These concerns were echoed by the Counseling and Psychological Services office.  Counselors reported hearing from graduate students about unrealistic work demands, faculty delaying students from graduating, and advisors texting students at all hours about work.  International students reported the most concerns.

No doubt such issues have at least two sides, but these concerns are prevalent enough to warrant attention.  The Graduate School is continuing to offer Mentor Training to graduate faculty and Mentee Training for doctoral students is being developed by the CGL.  Please encourage faculty to make time for these trainings.  In addition, the Graduate School recommends that programs adopt the use of Individual Development Plans (IDP) for doctoral and master’s students.  A sample IDP is available on the Graduate School website.

Funding Team Hosts Webinar

Over 50 faculty and staff members attending the Graduate School’s Funding/Assistantship webinar where they reviewed several systems including GPDNet, eGA, eGPS.  Director of Funding, Dr. Julie Goodliffe, walked the audience through these online systems used to facilitate graduate student enrollment management.  Also covered were recent federal guidelines pertaining to student employment.  An online chat session handled specific issues.

View the recorded webinar.  Password:  .0EL=Nq*

Important Admission Deadlines

Categories: AdmissionsFeatured
Take note of these important deadlines for graduate admission:
  • August 15 – Last day certificate and degree applications can be submitted for 2020 fall.  Note: Only for domestic students and internationals residing in the US who already have a visa.
  • August 28 – Last day GPDs can recommend to admit applicants to 2020 fall.
  • September 1 – Last day post-baccalaureate applicants can be submitted for 2020 fall.