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SEA Spring 2021 Deadline is Jan. 7

October 27, 2020 by White, Brian

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

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.
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.)
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.
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

October 23, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

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

October 22, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

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

October 12, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

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

October 09, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

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

October 08, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

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 DocuSign, effective 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

October 05, 2020 by White, Brian

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

October 05, 2020 by White, Brian

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.

Global Panel To Address International Graduate School

October 05, 2020 by White, Brian

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.

Assessing Election News Topic of Atkins Webinar

September 30, 2020 by White, Brian

BuzzFeed News Editor Craig Silverman addresses “Election 2020: How to Verify What You Read, See and Hear Online,” in a Zoom conference Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. hosted by J. Murray Atkins Library.

For more information and to register, please visit Atkins Library.

Webinar Addresses Recruiting Best Practices

September 30, 2020 by White, Brian

Graduate Admissions will host a webinar Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. to share best practices for recruiting graduate students. Admissions staff continually monitor nationwide recruiting trends in graduate education and will share effective strategies for recruiting the most diverse and best qualified applicants.

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://uncc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMoce-trD8uHNQo5SpVGMAyW7p6b89GVCJU

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

International Student Impact of Chancellor's 9/22/2020 Announcement

September 29, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

The ISSO has fielded several inquiries related to the Chancellor’s recent announcement and its impact on international student enrollment. They offer some clarifications as follows:

Per Tarek Elshayeb, ISSO Director, “Based on our standing interpretation of the Fall 2020 SEVP-issued immigration guidance, newly admitted international students (excluding transfers and change of education level) who entered the U.S. before the Chancellor’s September 22nd announcement, and who meet both requirements below, remain in valid F-1 status.”

The requirements are:

Pursuing a full course load (12 credits for undergrad and 9 credits for graduate) or have been approved for a Reduced Course Load; and
Are enrolled in at least 1 course classified in Banner as either hybrid or completely in-person.

“As long as these students meet the criteria above, their immigration status will not be adversely affected if their courses classified as either “in-person” or “hybrid” remain fully online from October 1st to December 23rd in light of UNC Charlotte’s September 22nd announcement, adds Elshayeb. “These students will be able to fulfill the U.S. government’s Fall 2020 COVID-19 enrollment requirements and maintain their F-1 status.”

Additional questions can be sent to ISSO or found on their FAQs.

3MT Competition Planned

September 29, 2020 by White, Brian

Graduate students will have an opportunity again this year to compact their thesis or dissertation into a powerful, three-minute presentation.

Through the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) program offered by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), contestants vie for the most compelling presentation of research to an audience that may not share the same expertise.

More information is available from the Center for Graduate Life.

Fall Ventureprise Research Projects Sought

September 29, 2020 by White, Brian

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.

Graduate School Virtually Honors its Fellowship Recipients

September 28, 2020 by Stanchina, Karla

Congratulations to the 2020 Graduate School Fellowship Award Recipients! We are so proud of you, your academic accomplishments, as well as your dedication and commitment in attaining your advanced degrees. We also want to say thank you to the generous donors who have the vision and foresight to give selflessly of their time and treasure in order to help our graduate students be successful. Your gifts also help support research that cannot be found anywhere else in the region and bring internationally recognized faculty to instruct our students on cutting edge issues. We couldn’t do this without you. Thank You!

Dean Tom Reynolds

Students Encouraged to Apply for NSF Grant

September 16, 2020 by White, Brian

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.

ETS Expands GRE Testing Options

September 14, 2020 by White, Brian

ETS recently announced updates on GRE testing through the TOEFL iBT® Special Home Edition and GRE® General Test at home, and the expansion of in-person testing in China.

TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition and the GRE General Test at home have been extended through October, possibly later. Home testing remains available even in areas where test centers have reopened so that students have a choice.

The Chinese government’s National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA) expanded the number of test dates and test centers through the end of September for the in-person TOEFL iBT test and GRE General Test.

The TOEFL iBT test will be offered on eight test dates at over 30 test centers, with more centers being added during the month. Prospective candidates can learn more at https://toefl.neea.cn/. Those unable to take the in-person test at this time due to limited availability are encouraged to register for the TOEFL ITP® Plus for China solution. Visit www.ets.org/toefl/itp-plus for details on the solution, setting score requirements and receiving scores, FAQs, and for the updated list of accepting institutions, now 565 worldwide.

The GRE General Test will be offered on five test dates at 25 test centers, with more centers being added during the month. Prospective candidates can learn more at https://gre.neea.cn/.

TEDxUNC Charlotte Events Set Sept. 15, 16, 17

September 14, 2020 by White, Brian

TEDxUNCCharlotte will be held virtually Sept. 15, 16, and 17. Each night will feature 3-4 speakers.

Topics for the event include:

Sept. 15: Shifts in Paradigms

Sept. 16: Inclusion Drives Innovation

Sept. 17: Re-Imagining and Re-Examining

More information is available at TEDxUNCCharlotte.

$3,000 Stipend Offered STEM Fellows

September 14, 2020 by White, Brian

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.

Webinar Focus: Student Prospect Targeting

September 10, 2020 by White, Brian

A free webinar scheduled at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16 will provide tips on how to cost-effectively target graduate and professional students using the GRE Search Service.

To attend, complete the GRE online registration.

The Graduate School is available to assist with GRE searches. Contact Maryanne Marie-Sams, MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu.