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CGLL and Writing Resources Center Introduce Doctoral Writing Fellows Program

Applications for Charlotte’s newest fellowship, the Doctoral Writing Fellows Program, will be accepted through May 10.

Co-sponsored by the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life and Learning and the Writing Resources Center, the Doctoral Writing Fellowship will include a 20-hour per week assistantship, doctoral in-state tuition, doctoral stipend (based on the student’s program), health insurance coverage, and shared office space.  The fellowships will be funded for the full academic year and begin in Fall 2023.

The inaugural cohort of Doctoral Writing Fellows has a unique opportunity to take a leadership role in the Charlotte graduate student community. Dr. Lisa Russell-Pinson, Associate Teaching Professor of Writing in the Graduate School, and Dr. Katie Garahan, the Writing Resources Center Director, will train and mentor Fellows in the development of graduate writing support programs, including one-to-one writing support sessions, writing groups, presentations, workshops, and retreats. Drs. Russell-Pinson and Garahan will also invite Fellows to engage in innovative writing research focused on graduate writer self-efficacy, international and multilingual student writing support, and writing program assessment.

Doctoral Writing Fellows will have an opportunity to: 

  • Refine writing and communication skills
  • Develop valuable professional writing experience
  • Participate in vital institutional research on writing and communication 
  • Collaborate with a committed, experienced, and engaged interdisciplinary team 
  • Take an important leadership role in the graduate student community

This opportunity will be of particular interest to students with career goals related to science writing, grant writing, non-profit communication, and academic and educational publishing.

To be considered for a Doctoral Writing Fellowship, doctoral students should submit to both Drs. Russell-Pinson and Garahan by May 10:

  • Cover letter stating your reason for interest in the program
  • CV
  • Original writing sample

Sarah Edwards to Address Changes in UNC System Policy on Political Activities

Sarah Edwards, Senior Associate General Counsel, will host a session Apr. 25 to provide information and address questions regarding recent changes to UNC Policy Manual 300.5.1 dealing with Political Activities of Employees.

The session is scheduled from 12:00-12:45 p.m. and participants may join live in Reese Building Rm. 524C or via Google Meet.

Please register to attend using the Graduate School’s registration form.

Following is information from a Sarah Edwards memo that is pertinent to the information session:

On March 8, 2023, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Integrity and General Counsel Jesh Humphrey issued a memorandum regarding the Board of Governors’ recent revisions to UNC Policy Manual 300.5.1 Political Activities of Employees. That memo is attached here for your reference.

Based on some questions and feedback from you all, I would like to provide some additional guidance specifically related to graduate admissions:

Solicited statements, including essay prompts and interview questions, should be centered on competencies rather than commitments, beliefs, or ideologies. For example, the following questions or prompts do not violate the new policy:

o   What is your experience and comfort level working or interacting with individuals of varying ages, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, identities, and abilities?

o   What tools would you use to engage with a classmate or prospective client whose background or experience differs significantly from yours?

o   Please share any experience that demonstrates you possess the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills necessary to engage and include individuals of varying ages, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, identities, and abilities.

o   UNC Charlotte is committed to engaging, including, and eliminating barriers for students, faculty, and staff of different ages, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, identities, and abilities. Provide an example of a barrier that you have overcome in your life or that you have assisted someone else in overcoming.

Utilizing an accrediting body’s standards to evaluate graduate students continues to be permissible.  To the extent possible, the accreditation standards should be expressed as competencies, not as commitments, beliefs, or advocacy efforts.

A graduate program may continue to express its own commitment to certain values on its website or other publicly facing media.

Graduate programs may continue to consider or evaluate unsolicited and voluntary statements made by applicants during the admissions process.

Graduate programs may continue to target their recruitment efforts to solicit applicants from a variety of backgrounds. 

 As a reminder, the U.S. Constitution continues to prohibit public universities from making admissions decisions based solely or primarily on an applicant’s protected status (e.g. race, gender, nationality, religion).  In addition to that, the U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether to prohibit any use of race, and possibly other protected statuses, in admissions decisions.  The Court’s decision is likely to be released in June 2023.

Feel free to reach out to Sarah Edwards (sarah.edwards@uncc.edu) from the Office of Legal Affairs if you have specific questions or concerns related to your graduate program, and/or Johnna Watson (jwwatson@uncc.edu) in the Graduate School.

NSF Seeking Proposals to Boost STEM Research Competencies

The NSF Centers for Research Excellence is calling for proposals from relevant faculty and graduate students that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers.

Each eligible institution may send two proposals for this 5-year funding that ranges from $2-3-Million as part of the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program.

The UNC Charlotte Division of Research urges interested faculty and students to submit proposals following the White Paper Submission Guidelines  by June 9, 2023 at 3:00 p.m.

ETS GRE Program Offers "A Guide to Holistic Admissions"

The GRE Program of ETS will present A Guide to Holistic Admissions Apr. 27, 3-4:30 p.m.  The event will feature presentations by former UNC-Greensboro Graduate Dean Terry Ackerman and Georgia State Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives John Augusto.

The session will address practices that promote fairness, processes that mitigate bias, and strategies that can help achieve your enrollment goals.

To register for the webinar, please visit the ETS Registration Page.

Enhancements Planned for TOEFL Tests

Changes are in the works that will streamline the TOEFL iBT test instructions and navigation, make registration more customer-friendly and make scores accessible via Slate. 

To learn more about these changes, attend the TOEFL iBT Enhancements webinar Apr. 19, 1pm ET or May 4, 3pm ET.   For more detailed information and to register, visit TOEFL iBT.

Student Needs Assessment Under Way

The Graduate School and the Center for Graduate Life and Learning are conducting a Graduate Needs Assessment Survey. 

The survey is anonymous and designed to help us better understand the needs and experiences of graduate students. Responses will be used to inform decisions about support and programming.

Students are encouraged to take 10 minutes to complete this survey.  

Register Now for May Mentor Training Session

The Graduate School will offer Mentor Training for graduate faculty May 16. 7, 9:30-4:00. The session will be held in the Student Union.

The curriculum comes from the Center for the Improvement of the Mentored Experience in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin. It is highly interactive and includes a variety of useful resources and tools.

Attendance is limited, so please sign-up early using this form.

Application Session Planned for Prospective Students

Graduate Admissions is hosting a virtual information session for prospective graduate students Apr. 19, 12:30-1:30. Participate and recruit students to your program.

Additional details and registration form for GPDs and Affiliates is available via the link below. Please RSVP as soon as possible if you plan to attend and let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeG1E7GJeT3nlwJqIAlMH1tUwRXPv6QS5WywcGdtXZh6EOS5Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

Audience-Specific Communication Campaign Launches

The following communication campaigns to support enrollment are live in Slate:

Thank you to the college and unit stakeholders who collaborated on the campaign review. We appreciate the time you dedicated to these efforts!

Questions? Reach the Marketing and Communications team via email at grad-comm@uncc.edu.

OIC Offers Country Culture Workshop on Nigeria

The Office of International Programs (OIP) at UNC Charlotte will host a Country Culture Workshop on Apr. 14 focusing on Nigeria, a country from which Charlotte is seeing increased enrollment.

The Country Culture Workshop will include presenters and student panelists to explore the language, etiquette, cultural norms, political history, and other key nuances unique to this country.  The event will include an opportunity to experience Nigerian food provided by a local restaurant.

GPDs are encouraged to participate in this workshop to learn more about Nigeria and the students who enroll from there.

For more information and to register, please visit the Office of International Programs.

Dean's Dissertation Award Deadline May 26

May 26 is the submission deadline for the 2023 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizing outstanding research and scholarship by a doctoral student.

The fields of competition are Biological Sciences/Life Sciences and Humanities and Fine Arts.

The nomination form for the award and more info can be found on the Graduate School’s Awards Gateway.

CGLL to Host Immigration Seminar

Helen Partlow Esq. and Raju Mahajan Esq. from Raju Law will present at the Spring Immigration Webinar via Zoom. Hear tips on successful EB2-NIW applications and H1BO1, Visa Bulletin and other immigration concerns. You will have an opportunity to ask questions.

Register at the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life and Learning.

May Session Set for Faculty Mentor Training

The Graduate School will offer Mentor Training for graduate faculty May 16, 9:00-4:00. The session will be held in the Haltom Reading Room.

The curriculum comes from the Center for the Improvement of the Mentored Experience in Research (CIMER) at the University of Wisconsin. It is highly interactive and includes a variety of useful resources and tools.

Attendance is limited, so please sign-up early using this form.

Application Session Planned for Prospective Students

Graduate Admissions is hosting another information session for prospective students on Apr. 19, 12:30-1:30 pm, and we invite you to participate and recruit students to your programs. Additional details about the information session as well as the RSVP for GPDs and Affiliates to participate is available from Graduate Admissions.

Best Practices in Graduate Recruiting Session Set Apr. 21

The Graduate School is hosting a virtual session on Apr. 21 at 10 am for Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators to participate in an update on best practices and a discussion with Graduate Admission Counselors focusing on strategies to feed the recruitment funnel.

The session also will include efforts Graduate Admissions is making to engage prospective students and applicants and share a few simple things programs can do to deepen that engagement.

Following a brief presentation by Graduate Admissions, Program Directors and Coordinators will be encouraged to share what they are doing to recruit and retain students.

To register, please complete the Graduate Admissions form.

Reynolds CGLL Enrolling Graduate Life Fellows

Each year the Thomas L. Reynolds Center for Graduate Life & Learning selects 7 grad students to serve as liaisons to their peers across campus. These Graduate Life Fellows act as informal mentors while also seeking new ways to support graduate student success and helping to create vital programming. Their input and unique ability to provide the graduate student perspective is invaluable.

Grad Life Fellows also promote CGLL workshops, programs, courses, and initiatives through word-of-mouth, social media, and visits to graduate classes and organizations. You can read about our current Grad Life Fellows here.

Graduate Life Fellows are University leaders with the opportunity to impact graduate education at Charlotte. For their efforts, they receive a $5,000 award (divided across two semesters).

Eligibility Requirements:

  • GLFs must be full-time students living in the Charlotte area during the academic year of their term
  • Have completed at least one year of graduate-level coursework at Charlotte
  • Have a GPA of at least 3.0 and be in good standing

International students and students with assistantships are encouraged to apply!

ETS Webinar Will Address English Proficiency Assessment

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) is hosting a live, 45-minute webinar called What to Know about English Proficiency Assessment Thursday, Mar. 16.  The purpose of this session is to demystify English proficiency – what is measured, how to measure it, and what scores mean.  Specifically, we’ll discuss:

  • The importance of English language proficiency.
  • What English proficiency assessments measure (and how).
  • What test scores mean.
  • Ideas to maximize your team’s use of English language assessments.

Register HERE today (by doing so, you’ll automatically receive a recording of this event). 

2024 Application System Opens April 15

Beginning April 15, 2023, prospective students can apply for 2024 spring, summer, and fall.  

GPDs who want to make changes to their application for 2024, should submit a Slate ticket.  Examples of changes that can be made are:

  • Resume – require it or make it optional
  • Writing Sample – require one
  • Statement of Purpose – provide custom test to applicant
  • GRE/GMAT/MAT – require or eliminate tests

Currently, these are the  programs that require a test:

Program NameGREGRE or GMATGRE or MATPAEP or GMATWaiver Criteria?
Accountancy (MACC)YY
Business Administration (MBA)YY
Business Administration (MBA) in MexicoYY
Business Administration: Finance (PHD)Y
Civil Engineering (MSCE)YY
Civil Engineering (MSE)YY
Civil Engineering (PHD)YY
Computer Engineering (MS)YY
Computer Science (MS)YY
Data Science and Business Analytics (MS)YY
Economics (MS)YY
Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (PHD)Y
Electrical Engineering (MSEE)YY
Electrical Engineering (PHD)YY
Fire Protection and Safety Management (MS)YY
Health Informatics and Analytics (MS)YY
Mathematical Finance (MS)YY
Nursing Practice (DNP) if concentration is Nurse AnesthesiaY
Optical Science and Engineering (MS)YY
Optical Science and Engineering (PHD)YY
Physics (MS)YY
Public Administration (MPAD)YY
Real Estate Finance and Development (MS)YY
Special Education and Child Development (MED)YY

Record Number of Visa Appointments Expected in India: Make Application Decisions ASAP

EducationUSA reports “From May to August 2023, consular offices in India expect a record number of U.S. visa applications from students looking for appointments in June and July.  Increased demand and staffing constraints will make it more difficult to obtain appointments than in the past two years.” 

For the latest information about wait times, see https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html.  

If possible, admission decisions on international applications should be made by March 15, 2023.

Education USA Offers Access to Student Prospects

Education USA connects students around the world with information about higher education institutions in the U.S. Additionally, they offer a number of opportunities for U.S institutions to connect with and recruit students. These resources include:virtual and face to face recruitment fairs, global education guides, webinars, and forums. A few opportunities highlighted this month are:

1. Call for Session Proposals:  EducationUSA China Request FormEducationUSA China is piloting a new Session Proposal Request Form to streamline virtual and in-person presentation and center visit requests from U.S. higher education institutions. Submit a proposal to present in person or virtually.

To submit a request for March, April, or May 2023, please carefully review the form, enter all required proposal or travel information, and submit.  The EducationUSA China team will respond to each submission directly within a few days for follow-up or confirmation.  For more information, contact the EducationUSA China team.
2. EducationUSA Bangalore:  Let’s Connect Program
Interested in enhancing your recruitment initiatives and virtual presence in India?  Have questions about the typical student profile, center services, and how we can work together, or just want to chat?  Sign up for a 60-minute virtual 1:1 consultation with our EducationUSA advisers.  

3. Find Institutional Partners in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP)!
Share your institutional partnership goals and search for prospective partners in the East Asia and Pacific region!  Launched during International Education Week 2022, the EducationUSA EAP Partnership Board is an easily searchable tool that higher education institutions from the United States and EAP can use to announce their partnership goals and make connections.  Visit this free resource to learn how to add your institution’s information.
For more information on these opportunities and to sign up to receive the monthly newsletter, visit https://educationusa.state.gov/