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Legal Symposium Updates Government, UNC System Requirements

Academic Affairs and other UNC Charlotte leaders hosted a webinar addressing the interplay between SACSCOC, U.S. Department of Education and UNC System requirements and their impact upon the approval of new academic programs and changes to existing ones.

The session covered recent changes to the course and curriculum review process, the basics of “substantial change,” how “significant departure” is determined, and considerations for establishing new off-campus instructional sites.

The slide deck used in the presentation is available for download.

CTL Offers Tips to Help Students with Remote Learning

From the Center for Teaching and Learning: The two biggest learning challenges our students face this fall are managing their course workload and communicating with instructors about their courses. Here are some quick and easy ways to help you address these concerns with your students:

Managing Course Workload

Communication

 

Webinar Will Focus on Effective Prospect Information Sessions

An open house is a proven strategy for building relationships with prospective students.  This Nov. 23 session will help you sharpen your skill for promoting and hosting an information session. Included are real stories from real Program Managers and Directors from Education and Social Work graduate programs who are currently hosting sessions.

Register in advance for this meeting at Zoom.  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Official Transcripts Needed from Summer/Fall New Grad Students

2020 summer/fall semester new graduate students who haven’t submitted a final, official transcript with proof of batchelor’s degree will receive notification from Graduate Admissions in mid-November to meet the requirement by Nov. 29.

While some students may have submitted their transcript with their application, the university must receive an official copy directly from the student’s college. Instructions for submitting the transcript will be provided.

 

Please direct any questions to Kathy Giddings, Director of Graduate Admissions, KathyGiddings@uncc.edu.

 

UNC Charlotte Among Best of Military-Friendly Online

UNC Charlotte was selected among the top 100 most military-friendly colleges in the US by OnlineU, a firm that provides informational guides for students.

Colleges that made the rankings participate in the government Tuition Assistance program and were scored based on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs ratings for military culture, support, financial aid and flexibility. UNC Charlotte was ranked #33 nationally.

For more information and the full list, please visit OnlineU.

Join CGL for 3MT Finals

Finalists in this year’s 3MT competition will compete for your vote and prize money Nov. 13.

The 3-Minute Thesis (3MT), hosted by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), is an international academic competition that challenges graduate students to describe their research in three minutes or less, using only one static slide. 3MT allows our graduate students to practice communicating the importance of their work to policy makers, potential funders, and the media.

For more information or to register to attend, please visit the Center for Graduate Life.

Funding Webinar Recording Available

The Nov. 2 Zoom webinar, Funding Q&A Session for Faculty/Staff, is available to review.  Access the Zoom recording with the passcode @K!P0^3N.

Home TOEFL iBT and GRE General Testing to Continue

In response to the needs expressed by institutions and test takers, ETS is making the TOEFL iBT® test and GRE® General Test a continuing option.

At home testing appointments are currently available around the clock for both tests through the end of January, and future appointments will be available soon.

The home versions of the ETS tests were introduced earlier this year as a solution to students affected by COVID-19. More than 400,000 individuals have registered to take the at home tests for the TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test in 163 countries and territories since March.

For more information, please visit the TOEFL and GRE pages.

Graduate Admissions Presents on Web Page Best Practice

Graduate School Manager of Communications Karla Stanchina, presented on web page/site best practice during a recent lunch and learn for GPDs.  Stanchina, a specialist in digital communications and user experience design, discussed what should be on a graduate program web page, and how a GPD can easily manage their information using the University’s branded templates.  Review the presentation and download materials in the GPDNet Communications Toolkit.

Latest Grad Student Exit Surveys Published

The latest graduate student exit surveys have been updated on GPDNet under Assessments.  The results are published by college along with 2019 results for comparison.

Graduate students are asked to complete the exit survey prior to completing their application to graduate.

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)

 

SEA Spring 2021 Deadline is Jan. 7

As the due date for students’ spring term bills is January 13, the priority deadline to submit SEA (Student Educational Award) forms for Spring 2021 is January 7, 2021.

Why the deadline?

  • The earlier the SEA forms are processed, the better. Students start worrying about balances owed to the University when the first e-bills are issued (at the beginning of December).

  • This deadline allows Financial Aid staff sufficient time to process awards to students’ accounts prior to the first cancellation for nonpayment (Jan. 13), and for the Graduate School to reallocate Graduate Assistant Support Plan (GASP) funds to support additional students.

Deadline to submit forms is Jan. 7

  • All SEA forms for spring 2021 term awards should be submitted by Jan. 7. Please communicate this deadline broadly to all in your departments who are involved with issuing student educational awards, including grant-funded participant stipends.

  • If SEA forms are not processed by this date, students will be at risk of class cancellation for non-payment for the spring term.

Reminder of best practices

  1. Check the student’s registration in Banner before completing the SEA form to ensure you submit the correct payment amount for tuition and/or fees.

  2. The SEA report in Report Central is your best friend. This report gives you a clear picture of what grant(s) your student is already receiving. (Remember the data on the report is from the prior day.)

  3. After you submit a SEA form, review the SEA report regularly while the Spring registration period is open to monitor your students for any changes in their registered credit hours.

  4. On the SEA form, one input field indicates the minimum number of credit hours required for the award to disburse. If the student is registered for fewer credit hours than required, the award will remain as “memoed” on their financial aid record.

ISSO OPT Update

Categories: Admissions

The U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently conducted an audit of F-1 students working in the United States through the Optional Practice Training (OPT) program. OPT allows international students to work in their field of study after graduation for up to 12 months, with a possibility for a 24 month extension for those who earned STEM degrees.

ISSO reminds us of a few important points:

  • ISSO encourages any current F-1 student who is interested in doing OPT after graduation to apply to do so;
  • Any work opportunity undertaken while on OPT, must be related to a student’s field of study and for a bona fide employer;
  • The OPT program has a robust reporting system, whereby students must report employer, employment, and address updates to the U.S. government via SEVP Portal accounts within 10 days of a change occurring. (Note: STEM OPT has additional reporting requirements). Students who experience difficulties with the Portal should contact ISSO;
  • ISSO offers a number of opportunities for students to learn more about OPT, the application process, and responsibilities while on the program.

As a service, ISSO monitors all immigration-related announcements and proudly serves the UNC Charlotte international community with advising, programming, and referral services. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact them.

Dr. Lara Vetter Receives 2020 Reynolds Leadership Award

Categories: Student Affairs
Honoring her many contributions to student success and graduate program management, Lara Vetter was presented with the 2020 Reynolds Leadership Award in a ceremony last week.  Although they couldn’t attend, several of her English master’s students offered praise to her tireless efforts in support of graduate education.  Read more.

Updated Withdrawal Practices for Fall 2020

Categories: Academic Affairs

To provide accommodations during the fall 2020 semester, UNC Charlotte has expanded its withdrawal practices to allow students to withdraw with extenuating circumstances (WE) if they have  personal issues that have negatively impacted their studies as a result of COVID-19. Course withdrawals for this reason will not count against any institutional limits. Withdrawals prior to the deadline of November 3 are automatically converted to a WE. No additional documentation will be necessary. After November 3, students must submit a Graduate Academic Petition to the Graduate School.  Please note that graduate students are not held to a withdrawal cap.

Funding for New Students Spring 2021

Categories: Student Funding

The Graduate School continues to navigate rapidly evolving conditions, including COVID-related consulate/embassy closures affecting the issuance of new visas, travel restrictions, and economic volatility, but will continue to try and support funding for new students admitted to the Spring 2021 as budget becomes available. As necessary, students may be placed on a funding waitlist.

If you are uncertain if funding is secured for a new Spring 2021 student, please check eGPS for details. Please feel free to attend one of our bi-weekly Question/Answer Drop-in Session with the Graduate School’s Funding Team.  Visit the GPDNet Calendar for dates. And, as always, the Funding Team is available via email, virtual meet or phone.

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.

Oct. 15 Deadline for Master's Thesis Awards

Faculty may nominate students for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 15, 2019.

The Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award is a part of the Graduate School’s focus on enhancing research skills.  For more information, please visit the Center for Graduate Life’s Research Skills website.

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

If you have questions, please contact Julie Green, jhgreen@uncc.edu, Master’s Thesis Student Services and Fellowship Specialist.

Negotiations & Networking Session Planned

The Center for Graduate Life will host the session Negotiations & Networking Essentials
Oct. 9, 11-12:30 p.m.
The session will be facilitated by Amir Ismail, VP-Senior Financial Analyst at Bank of America and founder of AIC Mindsight, a career coaching and professional branding company.
For more information and to register, please visit AIC Mindset’s registration page.