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National Postdoctoral Appreciation Week Events Include Career Consultant Presentation

September 04, 2019 by White, Brian

Dr. Karen Kelsky, Ph.D., will address Hacking the Academic Job Market in a Sept. 19 webinar as part UNC Charlotte’s celebration of National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Appreciation Week.

Kelsky is a former tenured faculty member and department head who now delivers career advice through her business, The Professor Is In. She has a reputation for telling the truth about grad school, the job market, and tenure. She and her team have a particular commitment to supporting black women in the academy, as well as other scholars of color.

This hour-long career webinar and Q&A, funded through the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund, will examine all aspects of the job search, including:

The real conditions of the job market
What search committees look for
How to build a competitive record
How to articulate that record in job documents and interviews
The post ac job market

The webinar is available to all postdocs and graduate students.

September 16-20 marks the 10^th annual NPA Appreciation Week. This year, the Graduate School and the Center for Graduate Life (CGL) plan several events to recognize the contributions of postdocs.

Other NPA Appreciation Week events include:

Writing Competitive Grant Proposals with Dr. Michael Dulin, Director of the Academy for Population Health Innovation in the College of Health and Human Services at UNC Charlotte
Making the Most of Google Slides with Season Jamison, Instructional Designer & Training Coordinator for IT Services
Communicating Your Research to a Non-expert Audience with Dr. Elise Demeter, Senior Assessment Research Analyst, Office of Assessment and Accreditation

For more information on any of these events, visit the CGL Event Calendar.

Claudia M. Reynolds Graduate Fellowship Announced

September 04, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

The Graduate School is pleased to announce a new donor funded fellowship, the Claudia M. Reynolds Graduate Fellowship. It was established through a generous gift to support and encourage high quality graduate students at UNC Charlotte to continue their higher education and become leaders in their professional career.

A native of northern California, Claudia Reynolds moved to Charlotte with her husband, Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds, in 1982 and has been a dedicated and loyal supporter of UNC Charlotte ever since. Over the years, she has generously volunteered countless hours of her time and energy to the University. An internationally recognized quilter, she has donated her quilts to local hospitals, women shelters, the USO and to UNC Charlotte. An educator in her own right, Claudia has mentored students in fabric arts and taught quilting at Central Piedmont Community College for more than 25 years.

The Claudia M. Reynolds Graduate Fellowship will be a part of this year’s NinerNationGives campaign, allowing faculty, staff, students and all donors the opportunity to contribute to this exceptional fund. The first 49 donors to the Graduate School will be entered into a drawing to win one of Mrs. Reynolds quilts. NinerNationGives begins September 18 and runs for 49 hours. Visit #NinerNationGives to help support this Fellowship.

Venturprise Launch

September 03, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Have an idea or research finding that the National Science Foundation may be interested in Funding? Want to receive up to $5000 for your research or business idea?

Apply to participate in the fall 2019 Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps cohort. The program provides UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students with 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. The next stage is a 6 month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant.

The cohort will begin October 11th. A complete schedule and application form can be found on the entrepreneurship website. To learn more please contact Principle Investigator Devin Collins at devin.collins@uncc.edu or 704-687-8058.

Graduate Admissions Now Accepts Electronic IELTS Scores

September 03, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Starting Sepember 2019, applicants can now save valuable time and have their IELTS scores, an English language proficiency test, electronically sent to UNC Charlotte Graduate Admissions. Learn more about English language proficiency on the Graduate Admissions website.

Post-Bac Application Fee Reduced

August 18, 2019 by White, Brian

The fee to apply for a post-baccalaureate or non-degree graduate course at UNC Charlotte will be reduced from $75 to $25 effective spring 2020. Admission is limited to one term.

The change makes it easier for prospective students to try out one of UNC Charlotte’s many graduate program options without having to take an admissions test, complete prerequisites, or commit to a specific program.

The regular graduate application fee for domestic students is $75 and the fee for international students is $85.

For more information, visit Graduate Admissions.

2019 Graduate Education Summit Announced

August 14, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Hosted by the Graduate School
Friday, September 13, 2019 – 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Halton Reading Room, Atkins Library

Join senior leadership of the Graduate School for discussion topics including:

GPD Recognition Award
The Graduate School’s role, new staff, structure
Resources to manage programs and promote student success
New policies and procedures
Funding Task Force Report and Funding Committee.

Please RSVP to attend. Download the Agenda. Light refreshments will be served. Please contact Christi Skerlak, Executive Assistant to the Dean at cskerlak@uncc.edu if you have any questions.

Graduate School Continues Summer Support of Exceptional Docs

August 08, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

In its second summer, the Graduate School Summer Fellowship (GSSF) supported over 50 students with a three-month stipend of $6,000 allowing select doctoral students to dedicate significant effort toward their research project. The GSSF is designed to replace a teaching assistantship or other summer job, which may take a UNC Charlotte doctoral student away from their research.

Students have thanked the Graduate School on numerous occasions for giving them this opportunity. One such student, Michael Desjardins from the Department of Geography, CLAS, used his funding to travel to Cali, Colombia performing field research at health clinics, hospitals and neighborhoods, ultimately using his survey and collected statistical data in his dissertation research “Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika in Cali and Medellín, Colombia”

“The GSSF funding provided by the Graduate School also allowed me to focus on the second chapter of my dissertation,” says Desjardins. “Without the support of the GSSF, I would have made far less progress over the summer because I would have had to work to support myself. Being able to work full-time on my dissertation research brings me closer to my planned defense date in the spring of 2020.”

Dr. Julie Goodliffe, Director of Funding for the Graduate School explains, “Giving these students the opportunity to continue their research in the summer months through financial support, allows them to make progress toward a timely degree.”

Funding for the GSSF program was provided for summer 2019 from one-time money; therefore, there is no commitment or expectation that additional funding will be available in subsequent years. Contact Dr. Julie Goodliffe if you have questions regarding the Fellowship or a candidate for future years.

TA Training Now Available

August 06, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

The Graduate School’s Canvas TA Training course for the Fall semester is now available to all new TA’s. If any of your TA’s have not received an invitation to the course, if they’ve missed the course in the past, or if their assistantship contracts were processed later than August 5, please contact Dr. Aura Young so that they can be added to this required course. Questions regarding the training should also be directed to Dr. Young.

Orientation Set Aug. 17 for Graduate Students

August 01, 2019 by White, Brian

Graduate student orientation is planned for Aug. 17, with separate sessions planned for doctoral and master’s/certs/postbac students.

Orientation for doctoral students will be 11-3 p.m. in the Lucas Room and master’s, certificate, and post-baccalaureate students will run from 1-3 p.m. in McKnight Auditorium. The sessions were separated to better meet each group’s unique needs.

Both groups will travel to Uptown Charlotte at 3 p.m. via light rail for a reception at UNC Charlotte Center City.

For more information on graduate student orientation, please visit the Center for Graduate Life.

Center for Graduate Life Hosts Writing Retreat

August 01, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Graduate students and community members gathered recently for the 2019 Summer Graduate Writing Retreat sponsored by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL) at the UNC Center City campus in Charlotte.

Facilitated by Dr. Jill Huerta, CGL Director, and Dr. Aura Young, Doctoral Services Specialist & Postdoctoral Support, the group worked on writing projects throughout the July 26-28 weekend.

“I got an incredible amount of work done, more than I had expected,” said Pam Turner, Senior Library Assistant, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. Pam focused the weekend’s work on sorting and editing a collection of poems into a manuscript.

Rosalba Scott, Ph.D., Educational Leadership, said her goal was to make progress on her dissertation. “I reviewed and improved the entire draft,” she said. “My expectations for what I could accomplish were met.”

The Graduate Writing Retreat provides a multi-day opportunity for graduate students, faculty, staff, and members of the community who want to make progress on a large writing project. The writing retreat offers a quiet space to work, structured writing time, and writing-related resources and support because all participants are actively engaged in their writing.

Continuing writing support is available through the CGL’s Write Time & Place series. Learn more by visiting the CGL’s Communications Skills website.

Graduate Academic Policies Updated

July 23, 2019 by White, Brian

Several graduate academic polices were recently updated. A downloadable summary of changes is available. Changes to policy text are noted in red.

To view a complete list of policies, please visit the 2019-20 Graduate Catalog.

411 of Graduate Faculty Appointments

July 19, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Graduate faculty appointments are easily explained in this info sheet or on the Policies and Appointments resource page.

SEA Priority Deadline Aug. 19

July 18, 2019 by White, Brian

Student Educational Award (SEA) forms have a priority deadline of August 19. The deadline was set to counter the adverse effects of late submissions and to provide sufficient time to process awards to student accounts prior to the first cancellation for nonpayment on Aug. 7.

Please communicate this deadline broadly to all in your department 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 fall term.

If you have questions, contact Bruce Blackmon, Director of Financial Aid, Bruce.Blackmon@uncc.edu; Valerie Crickard, Executive Director of Grants & Contracts Administration, vcrickar@uncc.edu; Johnna Watson, Associate Dean and Associate Graduate Faculty, JohnnaWatson@uncc.edu; or Laura Williams, Controller, LauraWilliams@uncc.edu.

Dean Reynolds Featured in CGS Research Integrity Webcast

July 15, 2019 by White, Brian

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) will host a webcast Aug. 7 on emerging best practices for improving institutional culture and research integrity. The webcast highlights information from three graduate deans, including Tom Reynolds, Associate Provost and Dean of The Graduate School at UNC Charlotte.

Reynolds joins John Klingensmith, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Duke University Graduate School and Judith Stoddart, Senior Associate Dean at Michigan State’s Graduate School to share strategies under way to strengthen research culture on campus. Their comments were recorded at a recent CGS conference.

The webcast will air Aug. 7, 2-3 p.m. EDT. Visit CGS to register.

NPA Offers Free Postdoc Job Postings

July 09, 2019 by White, Brian

The National Postdoctoral Association’s (NPA) Career Center is offering free job postings to Sustaining Members.

Faculty who are not a sustaining member of the NPA and would like to post open postdoc employment opportunities, please contact Aura Young, ayoun106@uncc.edu, the Graduate School’s NPA sustaining member. Each sustaining member can post up to 10 postdoc job opportunities for free. (You can also contact Aura if you’d like to become an Affiliate Member of the NPA free of charge).

Postings remain on the website for 60 days.

If you are a sustaining member and would like to help out other faculty, please reply to this post with your contact information.

Austin, Burmeister Dissertations Awarded

July 09, 2019 by White, Brian

The 2019 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award goes to Lauren Austin, Public Policy and Amanda Burmeister, Biological Sciences.

This award is presented each year by the Graduate School to recognize outstanding research and scholarship by a doctoral student at UNC Charlotte.

For more information, check out the News on the Graduate School’s website.

Free Webcast Offered on International Recruiting

July 03, 2019 by White, Brian

Inside Higher Ed is offering a free webcast, “Recruiting International Students in a Challenging Environment,” July 18 at 2 p.m.

The webcast addresses the changing geopolitical environment and other factors driving recent declines in international graduate applications.

A free booklet is offered to accompany the webcast. Download a copy by completing a brief Inside Higher Ed survey.

For more information and to register, visit Inside Higher Ed’s Event Registration website.

Hiring Process Changed for Foreign National Students

July 01, 2019 by White, Brian

Human Resources recently published a change in the hiring process for Foreign National Students. Information about the change is available from Human Resources and from the International Student and Scholar Office.

Study in the US Pavilions Offer Effective International Recruiting

July 01, 2019 by White, Brian

FPP EDU Media’s Study in the USA Pavilions in Latin America, Europe and India this fall provide an effective way to meet high-quality, pre-screened students from these regions.

Study in the USA Pavilions will be located at FPP EDU Media’s Student Fairs September-October 2019. The Pavilions will include US-branded exhibitor booths and tables.

For complete information on these recruiting opportunities, visit FPP 2019 STUDENT RECRUITMENT FAIRS sponsored by FPP EDU Media.

DOE Rescinds Gainful Employment Regulations

July 01, 2019 by White, Brian

On June 28, the Federal Student Aid office of the U.S. Depart of Education (DOE), issued a notification that a “rule rescinding the Department’s gainful employment regulations” would be published in the Federal Register.

The new rule includes instructions for how institutions can do should they choose early implementation.

Institutions that do not early implement the rule are expected to comply with the 2014 rule until the rescission becomes effective on July 1, 2020.

To read the entire memo, please visit the Federal Student Aid website.