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GRE Changes Testing for China, Iran

October 01, 2021 by White, Brian

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) made a recent, and sudden, decision to suspend the computer-based GRE and reintroduce the paper-based version of the exam in China, effective Oct. 1.

The test administration change is apparently in response to security breaches in China. According to a press release by ETS, an investigation uncovered numerous websites offering questions and answers from live versions of the computer-based GRE.

Also, according to the ETS website, although the GRE General Test at home is not available to test takers in Iran, it is available at testing centers in country.

At Home Testing

The GRE® General Test at home is a safe and convenient option for test takers who prefer to take their test at home rather than at a test center. It’s offered everywhere that the test is normally available, based on the country of your account address, except Mainland China and Iran.

Testing Locations

The GRE® General Test is a computer-delivered test that is offered both at test centers and at home.

Test Center Testing

The GRE General Test is administered in a secure testing environment at more than 1,000 ETS-authorized test centers in 160-plus countries.

In most regions of the world, the test is available on a continuous basis throughout the year.
In Mainland China; Hong Kong, China; Taiwan, China; and Korea, the test is available up to three times per month.

New University Policy on Authorship

September 28, 2021 by White, Brian

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?v=OvbGL9pyoHY

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

Hanover Research Materials Available to Support Graduate Student Recruitment and Program Management

September 27, 2021 by White, Brian

The following four documents by Hanover Research are now available in the Graduate School Data section of GPDNet:

Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment
Effective Strategies for Recruiting and Engaging Adult Learners
Program Capacity Management Strategies
Top 10 Degrees on the Rise in 2021

Help Available for Prepping for 3MT

September 27, 2021 by White, Brian

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!

CGLL Hosts Weekly Writing Q&A

September 27, 2021 by White, Brian

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.

Reminder Issued for Doctoral Candidates

September 27, 2021 by White, Brian

All doctoral candidates must submit their dissertation to iThenticate and share the resulting similarity report with their entire committee prior to the final defense. Please remind your candidates that all of the Graduate School’s requirements for defense and submission can be found in the Doctoral Checklist (master’s requirements can be found in the Master’s Thesis Checklist).

Please send questions to Aura Young, aura.young@uncc.edu.

Reynolds Leadership Award Nominations Accepted Through Jan. 28

September 27, 2021 by White, Brian

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.

GradSchoolMatch Aims to Improve Prospect Targeting

September 23, 2021 by White, Brian

GradSchoolMatch from ETS is an online platform to help prospective students find the best fit for a graduate school and help recruiters stand out among top prospects.

For a $195 registration fee, GradSchoolMatch allows programs to create a profile to showcase unique strengths, then sends notifications when prospects express interest and provides a site to cultivate personal connections.

For more information and to register, please visit GradSchoolMatch and select For Recruiters.

CGLL to Host JELD-WEN on Professional Communications

September 20, 2021 by White, Brian

Students can learn how to develop and improve effective communication in the workplace from a JELD-WEN subject matter expert Oct. 1. The session, part of the Accelerate to Industry (A2I) series, runs from 11-12:30 via Zoom.

As part of the session, participants can practice skills in breakout rooms with a JELD-WEN representative.

The Center for Graduate Life and Learning will provide JELD-WEN with a resume book of those in attendance.

More information and a link to apply is available from the Center for Graduate Life and Learning.

Nominations Open for Outstanding Master's Thesis

September 16, 2021 by White, Brian

Faculty may nominate students for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 8, 2021.

The Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award is a part of the Graduate School’s focus on enhancing research skills.

Nomination information, fields of competition and more is available from the Graduate School.

If you have questions, please contact Julie Green, jhgreen@uncc.edu, Graduate Student Services and Fellowship Specialist.

ETS Webinar: Recruitment Strategies for a Reopening World

September 15, 2021 by White, Brian

As we begin to move past the global pandemic, “returning to normal” doesn’t necessarily mean returning to pre-COVID conditions. In this session, we’ll share the latest graduate enrollment and student flow trends, lessons learned during the last 18 months and tools for finding and connecting with prospective candidates.

Join recruitment expert Ayo Strange Wednesday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. ET for this informative, complimentary webinar where we’ll explore:

The current state of college enrollment
Trends in international student flows
Changes made due to COVID–19 that are worth keeping
Tools, including the GRE® Search Service and the GradSchoolMatch™ platform, that can help programs find and build relationships with prospective candidates

For more information and to register, please visit the ETS Registration site.

CGLL Offers Support for Dissertation Work

September 13, 2021 by White, Brian

The Center for Graduate Life and Learning (CGLL) offers dissertation support to UNC Charlotte students at all stages of the dissertation process.

Through the CGLL, writers can learn tailored strategies for managing the dissertation process, as well as how to:

Plan, draft, revise, and edit their dissertation writing
Work more effectively with dissertation chairs and committee members
Create strong writing habits and set reasonable writing goals
Manage their time and be more productive
Deal with barriers to writing, such as writer’s block and procrastination

Students may email Dr. Lisa Russell-Pinson, lpinson@uncc.edu, Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing in the Graduate School, to schedule an appointment.

Dissertation Writing Group
Wednesdays 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

The Dissertation Writing Group (DWG) meets Wednesdays, 10-12:30 p.m. and provides a supportive, virtual forum to help dissertation writers:

Form or refine productive writing and work habits
Break isolation and build community
Take advantage of structured writing time

The first DWG session begins Wednesday, Sept. 29. The group is facilitated by Dr. Lisa Russell-Pinson, Assistant Teaching Professor of Writing in the Graduate School.

To be eligible to participate in this group, writers must be doctoral students who are actively working on their dissertation and able to commit to attending each 2.5-hour session for eight weeks.

Please visit the DWG registration site to join this group.

Research & Econ. Dev. Announces Change in F&A Distribution

September 13, 2021 by White, Brian

New F&A distribution guidelines announced recently by Research and Economic Development include funds for colleges and centers to help support strategic research initiatives.

Starting with FY2022 (July 1 2021-June 30, 2022) receipts, 4% of the generated F&A will be returned to the investigator’s college. If the project is also affiliated with a center or institute, these funds will be split evenly (50/50) between the college and the center/institute. Over time, the plan is to increase the allocation to faculty/staff and departments.

The original announcement from Dr. Rick Tankersley, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, is available for download. Also available for download is the full policy statement.

Ventureprise Launches Student-Focused Campaign

September 13, 2021 by White, Brian

With a goal to engage many students across all colleges, Ventureprise is looking to work with faculty, staff and campus organizations to highlight student opportunities, ideas and research. This semester’s 49er Impact will include panels, workshops, mentoring and conclude with a pitch competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week, November 8-12. We aim to provide students with experiences, professional development and co-curricular activities in a variety of forms. We are looking for faculty and campus support in a few ways; check out the ways you can be involved and have students sign up through September 23. Email Laura Smailes, lsmailes@uncc.edu, with any questions or recommendations.

New Grade Mode Introduced for Doctoral Dissertation and Master’s Thesis Research

September 10, 2021 by White, Brian

Last Spring the Faculty Council approved a new grade mode option for graduate research credit. Beginning Fall 2021 the default grade mode for Doctoral Dissertation Research and Master’s Thesis Research will be Satisfactory Progress /Unsatisfactory Progress (SP/UP).

Programs that offer a MASTER’ S THESIS option may request that a Standard Letter grade (A, B, C, U) be assigned instead of SP/UP grades by contacting the Graduate School no later than October 1, 2021.

You will find the Grade of SP/UP (Satisfactory Progress/ Unsatisfactory Progress) Option in the 2021-22 Graduate Catalog under Degree Requirements and Academic Policies/ Grading and Related Policies.

You will find more information specific to Master’s Thesis Research under Degree Requirements and Academic Policies/ Master’s Degree Requirements.

If you have questions, please contact Sandra.Krause@uncc.edu

GPD Summit Recording Available

September 10, 2021 by White, Brian

The GPD Summit on Sept. 10 covered a range of topics from policy updates to research authorship, funding and fall enrollment.

A full recording of the event is available and the PowerPoint presentation is available for download.

Tips for Successful Recruitment

September 10, 2021 by White, Brian

GPDNet has Tips for Successful Graduate Recruitment and associated resources that can help you jumpstart your recruitment plan. Here’s a quick overview:

Maintain an up-to-date website
Communicate regularly with prospective students and applicants
Host an information session
Participate in a graduate recruitment fair
Buy GRE Search and/or TOEFL Search records
Recruit your undergraduates and alumni
Network with other institutions and faculty
Leverage academic events
Advertise in professional journals and conferences
Develop promotional materials

Check out the Graduate School’s recruitment event listings for 2021-22, as well as archived workshops and training materials for:

Graduate School Recruitment
Recruiting Students from Feeder Schools
Early Entry: Recruiting the Best from UNC Charlotte
Establishing Prospective Student Pipelines at HBCUs
Social Media Recruitment 101

For more information, please contact Maryanne Maree-Sams, MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu, Director of Graduate Recruitment.

Graduate School Offers Expert Assistance for NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program

September 09, 2021 by White, Brian

Graduate School Director of Funding and Fellowships Julie Goodliffe is conducting an outreach to potentially eligible candidates to apply for an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.

Dr. Goodliffe, an experienced NSF reviewer at the national level, offers live information sessions and assistance in completing the Fellowship application.

For more information, contact Julie Goodliffe, jmgoodli@uncc.edu.

Graduate Admissions System Migration Delayed

September 09, 2021 by White, Brian

Important Information – Graduate Admissions System Migration Status

Due to an unforeseen technical issue, the UNC Charlotte Graduate School is delaying migration to a new graduate admissions system. Once the new platform is ready to launch, additional information will be provided to prospective students, recommenders, graduate program directors and affiliated administrators, and the University community. Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve the user experience.

3-Minute Thesis Competition Open for Registration

September 07, 2021 by White, Brian

The Center for Graduate Life and Learning (CGLL) is now accepting registrations for this year’s 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

3MT provides an opportunity for researchers to sharpen public speaking skills and practice sharing research to outside audiences. The top winner this year will receive a cash award of $750 and a trip to represent the University at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ (CSGS) Annual Meeting in Raleigh.

To register, please visit the CGLL’s Registration site. More details are available from the CGLL.