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New DegreeWorks Reports to Reports Central

October 07, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

Two new reports from DegreeWorks are now available in Reports Central. Both can be found under the DegreeWorks tab:

DegreeWorks Progress Report – Snapshot of students in your program and their progress toward completion. It includes information such as credits completed, credits needed, length of time in the program, as well as program milestones. This report will continue to sent to those who subscribed, but can also be run on demand via Report Central.

Pre-Clearance Report – Outlines outstanding requirements for each student who has applied to graduate. Use this report to ensure that students who need to submit petitions to complete their DegreeWorks audits do so as soon as possible. Our office will continue to reach out regarding outstanding requirements. What’s nice is that you can run the report any time and see the current graduation status for your students. As we pre-clear students, their graduation status is updated to reflect this.

2018-19 Time-to-Degree Data Available

October 02, 2019 by White, Brian

Time-to-Degree Data for 2018-2019 (as well as the previous three academic years) is now available in the Graduate School Data section of GPDNet. The information is framed both by category (doc/masters/cert/pm cert) and program (degree/major).

The time required to complete a master’s degree for 2018-2019 completers decreased from prior years, while the time to complete a research or professional doctorate climbed slightly.

A copy of the data is available for download.

Please utilize this information as part of your standard practice in evaluating program performance, and email Johnna Watson (JohnnaWatson@uncc.edu) with any questions.

Call for Nominations for the Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award

September 27, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

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.

Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators are leadership positions for the University and play an important and pivotal role in the success of our graduate degrees. 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.

LAUNCH Recruiting Collaborative Planned

September 26, 2019 by White, Brian

Graduate Program Directors and Coordinators interested in exploring creative ways to recruit and enroll more, better and more diverse students will want to participate in the upcoming LAUNCH Recruitment Collaborative, a series of focused sessions beginning Oct. 2.

The LAUNCH sessions will provide an opportunity to brainstorm, explore and learn about creative and highly effective recruitment strategies.

The first LAUNCH Recruitment Collaborative will be Wednesday, Oct. 2 in Cato Hall, Rm. 242. For more information and schedule, visit GPDNet’s Recruitment site. Also keep an eye on the GPDNet Important Dates + Deadlines Calendar for more dates.

3MT Preliminary Round Oct. 28

September 25, 2019 by White, Brian

Graduate students competing in this year’s Three Minute Thesis will have their first round competition Oct. 28 beginning at 9 a.m. in the Halton Reading Room, main floor, J. Murrey Atkins Library.

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. The program offers cash prizes and winners may go on to present at national and international 3MT events.

Participants receive developmental feedback on their communication skills. Each participant in the preliminary round will receive feedback from competition judges as well as a video recording of his/her own presentation.

For more information, visit the Center for Graduate Life, the Your Grad Life Blog and the 3MT Event Registration site.

Graduate School Self Study, External Review Available

September 20, 2019 by White, Brian

Over the past months, the Graduate School conducted an extensive review of graduate education and graduate school administration in preparation for the 2020-25 Strategic Plan.

The review included the Graduate School Self Study and the Graduate School External Review by distinguished graduate educators from Virginia Tech, NC State and Miami University of Ohio.

Complete versions of both the Self Study and the External Review are available for download.

2020-21 AAUW Fellowships Available

September 20, 2019 by White, Brian

One of the world’s largest sources of funding for graduate women, AAUW is providing $4.3 million in funding for fellowships and grants to 270 outstanding women and nonprofit organizations in the 2019–20 academic year.

Applications for grants and fellowships for 2020-21 may be submitted now through November and December.

For more information and to apply, visit AAUW’s Educational Funding and Awards website.

Seeking Nominations for Harshini V. de Silva Mentoring Award

September 19, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

The Graduate School currently seeks nominations for the annual competition for the 2020 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. Recognizing the full-time member of the graduate faculty who evinces outstanding graduate mentoring, nominations should come from a chair of the academic department. This award was established in memory of Dr. Harshini de Silva, an associate professor of biology, who was noted for her dedication to the academic and professional development of graduate students.

The award, consisting of a crystal obelisk, a framed citation, and a cash prize, will be presented in the spring semester at a ceremony and reception presided over by the Chancellor, the Dean of the Graduate School and University officers.

Information on this year’s competition can be found in the Graduate School. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 pm November 1st, 2019.

New System Helps Make Student Funding Manageable

September 18, 2019 by White, Brian

A new system called eGPS promises to help Graduate Program Directors navigate student funding, providing an automated way to view student funding levels, track funding actions and nominate students for awards.

“Through eGPS, GPDs for the first time are able to view all funding information for a student, or look across their program at the funding levels of all students,” said Julie Goodliffe, Director of Funding and Fellowships. “Improving the management of the funding process is an important step in addressing the challenges that were identified by the Graduate Student Funding Task Force.”

The online resource was developed beginning in 2018 to allow GPDs to make funding offers to applicants and monitor offers and acceptance in real time. The new funding system is expected to improve timeliness of funding offers and make the process more transparent.

The eGPS dashboard highlights information GPDs need at their fingertips like the proportion of students with funding and status of student funding applications. Searches can be conducted by program or by student showing the level of funding students are receiving by source, including financial aid.

The system also shows financial certification form status for international students and identifies funding for which students are eligible. To nominate, the GPD simply clicks on an icon.

Access to eGPS is provided following completion of in-person training or an online training course. For access, contact Julie Goodliffe, jmgoodli@uncc.edu. In-person training sessions begin September 23. Sign up for the next online dates Nov. 7 and Nov. 8.

Application Statement of Purpose can be Customized

September 17, 2019 by White, Brian

Did you know you can customize the statement of purpose instructions for applicants?

Below is the default text. If you want to provide customized instructions, email your text and program name to Kathy Giddings at kathygiddings@uncc.edu.

Please write and upload a statement outlining your goals for pursuing graduate education. Specifically, describe your reasons for applying to the proposed program of study, your preparation for this field of study as well as any research experience in the discipline, future career plans, and any other aspects of your background or interests which may aid the Graduate Program Director and Admissions Committee in evaluating your motivation for graduate study. You may also discuss how the program at UNC Charlotte in which you want to enroll can help you achieve these goals.

Good Read on International Recruitment

September 17, 2019 by White, Brian

Education USA produces an annual Global Guide detailing successful recruitment trends, country highlights, government scholarships, virtual and social media usage, and more.

Visit Education USA for more information.

Support Graduate Education via #NinerNationGives

September 16, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

UNC Charlotte’s annual 49 hours of fundraising #NinerNationGives begins Wednesday, September 18th. This is your opportunity to directly support graduate students through the Graduate School’s two funds:

These two programs benefit our graduate students by providing them funding, professional development, career training, cross-disciplinary community development and more. The first 49 donors to a Graduate School fund, will be entered into a drawing to win a hand-made Niner quilt. The portal is open so give today at #NinerNationGives

Nominations Sought for Outstanding Master's Thesis

September 13, 2019 by White, Brian

Faculty may nominate students for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 18, 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.

Florence Martin Takes GPD Leadership Award

September 12, 2019 by White, Brian

Dr. Florence Martin, Education Leadership, is the recipient of the inaugural Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award for excellence in graduate program administration. She is a professor in Learning, Design and Technology, Graduate Program Director (GPD) of the Post-Master’s Certificate of University and College Teaching and Program Coordinator of the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Learning, Design and Technology.

For more information on Dr. Martin and the Graduate Program Leadership Award, please view Recent News on the Graduate School website.

Seeking Nominations for First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal

September 11, 2019 by Stanchina, Karla

The Graduate School currently seeks nominations for the 2020 First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal. Recognizing outstanding scholarship, creativity and/or research among senior full-time faculty members, nominations may come from any UNC Charlotte faculty member. The First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal has been awarded since 1988 with last year’s honoree being Dr. Steven Rogelberg, UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Professor, Psychological Science and Management, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

The award, consisting of a cash prize, framed citation, and a medal, will be presented in the spring semester at a ceremony and reception presided over by the Chancellor, officials of First Citizens Bank, the Dean of the Graduate School and University officers.

Information on this year’s competition can be found in the Graduate School. The deadline for nominations is 5:00 pm November 8th, 2019.

Single Summer Term Coming in 2020

September 05, 2019 by White, Brian

The University will consolidate the two separate summer terms used today into a single term beginning in Summer 2020.

The term codes xxxx50 (Summer I and Extended Summer) and xxxx70 (Summer II) will be replaced with 202060 for future summer terms. Separate sessions will be added the single summer term to represent the formerly identified summer sessions. The change will permit an expansion into other shorter or longer sessions during the summer.

For more information, please visit the Office of the Registrar.

Preferred First Name Now an Option for Campus Systems

September 05, 2019 by White, Brian

Students, faculty and staff now may add a preferred first name (PFN) in University information systems.

For more information, please visit the Auxiliary Services website.

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.