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Graduate School News

Veterans’ Fellowship Named for Donor, Rules Changed

November 15, 2018 by White, Brian

The Graduate School’s Veterans Scholarship, an $18,000 GPD-nominated grant, was recently named in honor of Commander F.M. (Mike) Reynolds, a Graduate School donor and brother of Associate Provost and Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds.

Commander Reynolds retired from the U.S. Navy after more than 30 years of service. During the Vietnam War, he served as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Impervious, a minesweeper operating along the coast of South Vietnam and later in the Gulf of Tonkin. During his tour as C.O., Reynolds earned the nickname “Iron Mike” for his steadfast service, fearless dedication to duty, and unwavering leadership under the most arduous conditions of war.

“The University of North Carolina at Charlotte recognizes the many sacrifices our veterans made while serving our country,” Dean Reynolds said. “This scholarship was established to provide the opportunity for veterans to continue their higher education to become the next generation of public and private sector leaders committed to the service of others.”

The Reynolds Veteran’s Scholarship is open to military veterans from any branch of service and admitted to any master’s or doctoral degree program at UNC Charlotte.

In addition to the name change, the first year of this scholarship is service-free. In the second year, the student has the option to hold an assistantship (TA or RA) or continue with the service-free award.

Details on this and all other fellowship opportunities are available on the Graduate School’s Fellowships page.

New Additions, New Roles for Graduate School Staff

July 31, 2018 by White, Brian

Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean, Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, today announced staff changes and realigned duties in the Graduate Academic and Student Affairs work groups.

Sandy Krause joins the Graduate Academic Affairs group as Assistant Dean, Academic Services. She will oversee the graduation process and will manage policy exceptions, including those submitted through petitions. Sandy joins the Graduate School from the College of Computing and Informatics where she was Program Coordinator.

Janet Morse, formerly Project Manager-DegreeWorks, has an expanded role that includes day-to-day responsibility for graduation clearance in addition to her existing role supporting DegreeWorks. Janet assumes the position of Associate Director previously held by James Birkett, who now is pursuing his Ph.D. at N.C. State University.

Portions of Birkett’s former role will be distributed among other staff members:

Aura Young and Julie Green now share formatting responsibilities; Julie Green will work with master’s thesis students, while Aura Young will coordinate doctoral student services, as well as post-doctoral programs. Julie will continue to manage the Graduate School’s annual Fellowship competitions.
Michelle Hypki, who joined the Graduate Academic Affairs team several months ago, will manage petitions and student records.

On the Student Affairs side of the house, Dr. Jill Huerta became director for the Center for Graduate Life (CGL) early in July. Jill is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day management of the CGL. Coren O’Hara continues as Associate Director and Dan Jones recently joined the team as Events and External Relations Associate, managing both areas for the Graduate School.

For more information, contact the Graduate School at 704-687-5503.

2018 Grad Ed Summit Planned

June 20, 2018 by White, Brian

Mark your calendar for the GPD Graduate Education Summit, Sept. 14, 9-12 in the Lucas room, Cone University Center.This year’s summit will focus on plans to improve graduate education in the coming year and provide an opportunity to raise questions and issues for discussion.

Grad Programs Make National Rankings

March 29, 2018 by White, Brian

Several UNC Charlotte graduate programs received high rankings in the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate School report out this week.

Read more on the Graduate School website.

Graduate School Hosts Funding Webinar

March 20, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Members of the Graduate School’s funding department hosted an online webinar March 1^st, to discuss the array of graduate student funding opportunities and use of the eGA, the Electronic Graduate Assistantship Application portal. Funding Director Julie Goodliffe, and Specialists Tequilla Bennett and Melissa Peterson, walked the over 20 attendees through the online portal, clarifying each step required to hire a teaching or research assistant, and nominate them for funding.

”We understand that most users of eGA use it once or twice per year, which makes it difficult to remember where to find things and how to use each box and button, explains the Graduate School’s Director of Funding Dr. Julie Goodliffe. “Due to periodic enhancements, the system and funding details change year to year, so the screens and information that the user is accustomed to, are often different from the last time they logged in.”

Graduate program directors, business officers, and departmental administrators, benefited by viewing the interactive workshop going through each step of eGA. The system uses a variety of screens to communicate with an integrated audience to ultimately ensure a graduate assistant is paid in a timely manner. With easy “drop-down” menu tabs, and step-by-step processes, eGA users can efficiently get this task done.

The Graduate School continues to add modifications to the current system, and many of the day’s participants suggested ideas. Additionally, the Graduate School will hold these webinars on a quarterly basis so informal feedback can be collected and shared.

For a copy of the recorded webinar, visit GPDNet or contact Julie Goodliffe.

eGA information, along with 2018-2019 funding programs, can be found on the Graduate School’s website, or for specific questions email gradassist@uncc.edu.

Veteran Education Events Coming Up

March 05, 2018 by White, Brian

Education fairs are planned at North Carolina military installations in which colleges and departments may wish to participate. Camp Lejeune (on the coast near Jacksonville, NC) will host its Spring National Education Expo Apr. 18. Fort Bragg’s Training and Education Center (near Fayetteville, NC) hosts its Education Expo on May 15.

There is no cost for the Camp Lejeune event, but the Fort Bragg event has a $100 participation fee. Contact Dr. Alan Freitag in the Graduate School (arfreita@uncc.edu, x77312) for details.

Use your Employee Benefits for a Graduate Education

February 22, 2018 by White, Brian

The Graduate School will conduct an information session Mar. 28 from 12-1 for University employees who hold a baccalaureate degree and wish to pursue their graduate education. Enrollment counselors will explain the easy application process, answer program questions and distribute HR information for the tuition waiver and free textbook rental programs. The session will be held in Cato 248.

Full-time employees can take three classes per year, tuition free. Additionally, employees can apply easily for admission as a graduate certificate or post-baccalaureate (non-degree) student without standardized tests, transcripts or recommendation requirements. To reserve your seat, complete the registration.

Graduate Admissions Application Portal Gets a Makeover

January 26, 2018 by White, Brian

Beginning Monday, Jan. 29, visitors to the Graduate School’s student application portal will find a redesigned site with simpler navigation that is more mobile-friendly.

The change also replaces the unique user name with the applicant’s email address and sends a confirmation message to that address for validation as part of the registration process. Note: Existing users will need to use their old user name the first time they sign on to the new system.

The application portal allows prospects and applicants to:

Submit information
RSVP to an event
Ask questions
View emails
Apply for admission or re-admission
Monitor application status
View the decision letter
Confirm intent to enroll

For more information on Admissions, visit the Graduate School’s Recruitment and Admissions page.

UNC Charlotte to Host NC STRIVE

January 23, 2018 by White, Brian

UNC Charlotte hosts more than 800 veteran students on campus, and our university’s origin was as an institution serving returning World War II veterans. So outreach to and support for veterans and their family members is a significant component of our identity. That’s why we’re proud to be hosting the April 18 regional conference of NC STRIVE – the Governor’s agency promoting veteran support among our state’s 2- and 4-year institutions.

The all-day conference (8 a.m.-4 p.m.) is aimed at regional college and university administrators, faculty and staff as well as veteran service providers, behavioral health advocates and government agencies. The event is free, including lunch sponsored by Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, but registration is required. Here’s where you can register: NC STRIVE REGISTRATION.

Slated for McKnight Hall in the Cone Conference Center as well as break-out rooms on the second floor of Cone, the event begins with a keynote address by Bruce Capehart, MD, a psychiatrist and Medical Director for the OEF/OIF Program at the VA Medical Center at Durham. OEF and OIF refer to military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Dr. Capehart is an Army veteran of both those conflicts.

There will be individual panel presentations by Charlotte region business leaders, current veteran students and college/university administrators. Break-out sessions will address topics such as “Green Zone” training, suicide prevention, military transfer credit, mentoring the non-traditional student and additional topics designed to equip administrators, faculty and staff in higher education with information, resources, and networking that will enhance the experience and success of student veterans in their pursuit of certificates and degrees.

Registration is capped at 150, and all area colleges and universities are invited, so please register soon. Contact Dr. Alan Freitag in the Graduate School (x77312, arfreita@uncc.edu) for more information.

Looking for Alumni Successes

November 16, 2017 by White, Brian

GPD’s and Chairs, please provide the Graduate School with names, contact info and brief descriptions of your successful graduate alumni. We plan to showcase the quality of our graduate programs through the success of our alums. We’ll prepare brief vignettes of those alums – a photo and a paragraph about their graduate experience and career trajectory since earning the advanced degree. Just tell us who they are, and we’ll connect and gather the information. Your program graduates will be featured in web content and in collateral material. Let’s start with just one or two standout alums from each graduate program. The aim is to convey the quality, value and impact of UNC Charlotte graduate education and research. Send the name, contact info and a brief description of your alum’s professional status to our Graduate School communications team, grad-comm@uncc.edu.

80+ Attend Grad Ed Summit

September 13, 2017 by White, Brian

More than 80 members of UNC Charlotte’s Graduate Education community participated in the September 8 Grad Ed Summit. Program Directors, Department Chairs and other administrators heard from Graduate School staff and shared ideas and questions in the Halton Reading Room of the Atkins Library.

Following introductory remarks by Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds and Graduate Council Chair Christine Haynes, Graduate School staff formally introduced GPDNet, the new on-line portal for Graduate Program Directors. Katherine Hall-Hertel then updated attendees on DegreeWorks and CGL activities. Johnna Watson discussed admissions developments, and Alan Freitag explained the Graduate School’s restructured approach to strategic communication in support of graduate education and outreach efforts to the military/veteran population.

Open discussion followed, covering topics from recruiting to student funding processes. The Summit concluded with the announcement that beginning in May 2018, doctoral students will be recognized in a separate hooding ceremony apart from the traditional commencement exercises.

If you attended the event, the Graduate School staff would very much appreciate your assessment to help us make future events even better. Please use the comment section below to share your insights.

GRE® Test Takers Snapshot Available

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

Interest in physical sciences, engineering and life sciences all are up 2-3% among test takers this year compared to last, and interest in business grew by five percent. This and much more useful information is available in the recently released GRE Program’s Snapshot of Individuals Who Took the GRE® General Test.

The latest version includes volume data on the GRE test-taker population for the past three testing years (July 2013 through June 2016).

The comprehensive information in the Snapshot report can be helpful in creating targeted recruitment campaigns….

Dissertation and Thesis Committees Now Available in DegreeWorks

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

Dissertation and thesis committees can now be viewed in DegreeWorks. When a committee is established, a new block of data will appear below the general student information on the audit. Information includes committee chair, graduate faculty representative and committee members.

Another recent change includes moving the program GPA from the degree block to the major block. This change, which does not alter its operation, accommodates the expansion of DegreeWorks to undergraduate students this year.

PLEASE NOTE: To view these changes, you will need to clear your browser…

Half-time Enrollment Definition changing for Fall Semester

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

UNC Charlotte’s definition of graduate school half time enrollment is changing beginning in Fall 2017. To be considered enrolled half time, graduate students must take at least 4.5 credit hours, which essentially means 5 or more credit hours for UNC Charlotte. For more information, please visit the Office of the Provost website.