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Support Graduate Students through #NinerNationGives

September 26, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Please give today to make a difference in supporting the graduate students at UNC Charlotte. This year’s campaign benefits the Center for Graduate Life and the Reynolds Graduate Student Research Awards. Plus, all donations made to the Graduate School will be entered into a drawing to win the UNC Charlotte themed quilt, created by Claudia Reynolds.

Make Big Things Happen for Graduate Students http://ninernationgives.uncc.edu/GraduateSchool

49er Proud

Approximately 82” X 82”; machine pieced and machine quilted.

CGL Offers 3MT Communication Skill Enhancement

September 26, 2018 by White, Brian

Graduate students will have an opportunity again this year to compact their thesis or dissertation into a powerful, three-minute presentation for a chance to win cash prizes and a trip to the Conference of Southern Graduate School’s annual meeting.

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 3MT competition originated at the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008 and has expanded worldwide.

Encourage students to register for the competition through Oct. 8 at the Center for Graduate Life.

Bill Due Date, Payment Plan Changes Coming

September 26, 2018 by White, Brian

Beginning November 12, students will begin receiving their spring bills. Please review the below information carefully as there are some significant changes that you should be aware of when talking to students.

Reason for the changes

For the past year, a committee from Academic Affairs and Business Affairs has reviewed barriers to student success and progression related to registration holds, cancellation processes, and payment plans.

On average, every semester, 845 students have their courses cancelled for non-payment during the first cancellation process, and only 56.8% of the students cancelled re-register for that term.

Based on survey results, data studies, comparison to other UNC system schools, and student feedback, the below changes will be made for the spring billing cycle in order to improve student retention.

Students will be notified of these changes in October. It is important for you to understand these changes to discuss with students if need be.

New spring bill due date: December 5

In past years, the bills for spring were due in the first week of January.
Beginning this year, the new spring bill due date is December 5.
We realize that moving the due date a few weeks earlier is a significant change, so we are providing students with advance notice of this change and giving them more time to make payments.

New payment plan splits amount due into 5 payments

Beginning with their spring bill, the optional payment plan divides their account balance into 5 payments.
This 5-payment plan allows students to pay smaller payments each month!
If students choose to sign up for the plan instead of paying their bill in full, they must do so by December 5 to avoid cancellation of classes.
A $55 setup fee is required when they opt-in to the plan.

This new 5-payment plan does NOT require a 10% down payment like the old plan.
The first payment for this plan is due December 31. The remaining payments are due Jan 31, Feb 28, Mar 31, and Apr 30.

Action date: December 5

By December 5, students need to either pay their balance in full or sign up for the payment plan.
At 11:59 p.m. on December 5, their classes will be cancelled if they haven’t paid their balance in full or signed up for a payment plan.

Graduate Education Summit Rescheduled for Oct. 11

September 21, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

The Graduate School is pleased to announce the Agenda for their upcoming Graduate Education Summit being held October 11 from 9:00 – 10:30 am in the Popp Martin Student Union 340.

Topics covered include,

Program “fitness” report availability
Connect Advising tool
Funding system update
New GPD Recognition Award

and much more. Download a copy of the planned Agenda, and be sure to RSVP via your Google Calendar invite. For questions please contact Christi Skerlak, Executive Assistant to the Dean.

Nominate Your Best Master's Students

September 18, 2018 by White, Brian

Faculty nominations of student candidates for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award will be accepted through Oct. 19.

The Master’s Thesis Award is presented annually to a student whose thesis makes an “unusually significant contribution” to their discipline. The award focuses on students who completed their master’s degree requirements and thesis between Fall 2016 and Summer 2018.

More information is on the Center for Graduate Life’s Graduate Student Competitions site.

Syllabus Advice

September 17, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Dr. Katherine Hall-Hertel ran across this informative article from the Chronicle of Higher Education. How to Create a Syllabus. From the Chronicle of Higher Education, this recent advice guide helps faculty create a syllabus worth reading.

Faculty Award Nominations Sought

September 17, 2018 by White, Brian

Nominations for the prestigious First Citizens Bank Scholars Medal and Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor faculty awards are being accepted until November.

Nominations for the de Silva award come from departmental chairs; nominations for the First Citizens Bank award may come from any UNC Charlotte faculty member.

Details on these faculty awards are located on the Graduate School’s Faculty Awards page.

Program Pays Students to Apply for Fellowships

September 07, 2018 by White, Brian

Doctoral students can get $500 for applying for qualified fellowships this year.

The payment is part of the Graduate School’s Fellowship Application Incentive Program (FAIP) to encourage more students to apply for fellowships in the 2018-19 academic year. Through FAIP, an incentive program launched last year, doctoral students can get $500 each for applying for up to two qualified fellowships. An additional $1,500 incentive payment is available for the first successful fellowship application.

To apply, doctoral students complete the FAIP application prior to applying for fellowships. Application deadline is Feb. 1. An application form and more details are located on the Graduate School’s Funding webpage.

Workshops are available to help locate fellowship opportunities. The Graduate School’s Center for Graduate Life will host the workshop, “Money for your Graduate Education: How to Find Fellowships” on Sept. 17 and again on Sept. 28. Visit the Center for Graduate Life’s event calendar for more details.

Download a printable version of the FAIP guidelines.

Ventureprise Launch NSF I-Corps Seeking Research Ideas

September 05, 2018 by White, Brian

Ventureprise is seeking particpants for its fall 2018 Ventureprise Launch National Science Foundation I-Corps cohort. The six-week program provides UNC Charlotte faculty, staff and students with commercialization training and an initial $3,000 in NSF funding.

The goal of the program is to identify potential commercial uses and prepare for more substantial commercialization funding opportunities, including a six-month $50,000 NSF I-Corps Teams grant.

Applications are due September 14 and the cohort begins September 21.

For a complete schedule and application, please visit the Ventureprise Launch site. For more information, contact PI Devin Collins at devin.collins@uncc.edu or 704-687-8058.

Student Blue for DE, CoOp, Interns and GTAs

August 29, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Distance Education, Co-op, Student Interns, and Student Teaching students are eligible to enroll in Student Blue health insurance

Distance Education, Co-op, Student Interns & Student Teaching students can now enroll in Student Blue. Special Instructions on how to enroll for this group of student, are on the Student Health Center’s insurance website under the link Distant Education & Co-op Students. The deadline to enroll in Student Blue is September 10, 2018 for the fall semester and January 31, 2019 for the spring semester. If you have students who fall into these categories, please let them know of this opportunity.

Graduate Student Orientation Connects Communities

August 23, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Last Saturday, the Graduate School and the Center for Graduate Life at UNC Charlotte welcomed over 700 incoming graduate students at Graduate Student Orientation. Associate Dean Katherine Hall-Hertel launched this year’s Orientation by providing impactful advice for thriving in, rather than merely surviving graduate school. Incoming students also learned about opportunities in the Center for Graduate Life where they can build vital skills in professional development, leadership, communication, and collaboration. Panels composed of UNC Charlotte faculty, students and Graduate School staff followed with discussions and insightful information critical to academic success.

Following the Orientation, the incoming class experienced first-hand, the ease of transportation to UNC Charlotte’s Center City campus and the uptown Charlotte area, via the new light rail service where they attended a welcome reception. Students had the opportunity to meet Provost Joan Lorden, and a host of campus offices and staff were on hand to provide information about their services and support. These included the University Career Center, the Office of Identity, Equity, and Engagement, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the Jamil Niner Student Pantry. Student enjoyed good music, food, games and the opportunity to connect with each other. Afterwards, many went to a handful of designated restaurants, parks, and coffee shops to explore uptown Charlotte, meet with current graduate students, and begin their graduate journeys.

Student outreach, engagement and development offered through the Graduate School’s Center for Graduate Life, provides the support and sense of community students need to meet the challenges they will face throughout their graduate experience. Through the Center for Graduate Life, well-educated students become well-rounded graduates with the leadership, cultural and communication skills to enable them to quickly assume productive roles on the job, whether their career sights are set on business or academia.

Review Your Program Dashboard

August 21, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

As we begin a new semester, it’s a good time to review the information on your Program Dashboard. Many of you experienced a website migration over the summer, which caused your program’s web link to change. You can also update contact information or your program description. Here are some helpful instructions. Note: Because it can be confusing to the reader, it’s best not to use your Graduate Catalog page feed for this particular purpose, but instead direct students to a page within your program/department/college website. From those pages you can link to the Catalog.

Remember, the information found on your Program Dashboard, is pushed to the Graduate Admissions website for prospective student use. Should you have any questions, please use the Comment box below, or contact us in Graduate School Communications.

Misconduct Case Takes Toll on Research Program

August 14, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

Earlier this year, important cancer research findings were retracted and the lead researcher was forced out of his job at Ohio State University after an investigation discovered evidence of falsified data in eight papers spanning as many years.*

At UNC Charlotte we have solid policies governing the conduct of researchers and an educational program to ensure research teams understand those policies. We also have instituted a Research Integrity Office to coordinate investigations into cases of possible research misconduct.

Headed by Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Tom Reynolds, the Office is responsible for investigating allegations of plagiarism, falsification, and fabrication of research materials.

“Fortunately, we see few cases of suspected misconduct,” Reynolds said. “And the ones we investigate we often can resolve without damaging the reputation of our researchers or hampering progress of the research. Still, we must be vigilant to avoid even the appearance of misconduct.”

Information on how to safely and confidentially raise questions or report possible research misconduct is located on the Graduate School’s website.

* https://news.osu.edu/news/2018/03/30/misconduct-investigation/

Assessments Needed for International TAs

August 09, 2018 by Stanchina, Karla

The Office of International Programs recently sent a reminder to international teaching assistants calling attention to the requirement to attend an English language assessment and to complete an I-9 form that is available from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

This reminder went out to those whose assistantships are already listed in Banner. Please share this information with any newly hired ITAs in your department whose names are not yet in Banner in order for them to set up their assessment. OIP will also continue to send out notices directly to ITAs as their names appear in Banner.

Your past help with ITA compliance has been extremely valuable, and OIP thanks you in advance for your help with Fall’s efforts. Please contact ITASupport@uncc.edu for a list of available dates and times.

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.

Team Up with the Graduate Admissions Staff at Popular Recruiting Events

July 18, 2018 by White, Brian

The Graduate Admissions team is holding seats at two popular recruiting events, but they will go fast.

Tables are reserved for the already sold out Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Indianapolis Nov. 14-17 and for the annual conference of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) set for Oct. 11-13 in San Antonio.

Events such as these provide an excellent opportunity for program directors to recruit bright, motivated, and academically excellent students to graduate programs at UNC Charlotte. Participants are typically from underrepresented minorities with strong academic potential. The SACNAS conference typically draws over 4,000 participants pursuing careers in STEM fields. ABRCMS is one of the largest communities of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

More details on these recruitment events and other local and out-of-state opportunities are included in the Fall 2018 Recruitment Events list, which is updated regularly. Graduate Admissions sends a representative to a select number of recruitment events, and will provide recruitment materials to faculty, staff and students to support recruiting efforts at the program level.

To reserve your spot for ABRCMS or SACNAS, or to request materials to support your recruitment, contact Maryanne Maree-Sams, MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu or 704-687-7243. The Graduate School provides

Dávalos, Phippen Take Dissertation Awards

July 05, 2018 by White, Brian

Dr. Eleonora Dávalos, Public Policy, and Dr. Britney Phippen, Biological Sciences, are recipients of the 2018 Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award.

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

For details, check out the Recent News on the Graduate School home page.

Access to McNair Scholars Available

July 03, 2018 by White, Brian

Graduate Admissions can provide access to the McNair Scholars program, an excellent source of exemplary students for graduate recruitment.

The Ronald E McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program helps prepare eligible participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and scholarly projects. Participants are typically from a disadvantaged background, generally from underrepresented segments of society, and have strong academic potential.

Graduate Admissions actively recruits at the McNair regional conference each summer, and routinely waives application fees. If you are interested in recruiting McNair participants for your program, contact Maryanne Maree-Sams, MaryanneMaree-Sams@uncc.edu or 704-687-7243. Maryanne maintains access to a database of McNair Scholars.

Please note: The fee waiver must be requested by the applicant prior to submitting the application for admission. To request a waiver, applicants should contact Maryanne directly, and forward their letter of participation in the McNair Scholars program.

For more information on McNair Scholars and other recruiting tips, visit GPD News & Info and select the Recruitment link on the left panel.

Student Orientation Set Aug.18

July 02, 2018 by White, Brian

Graduate Student Orientation will be held in Cone University Center 1-3 p.m. Aug. 18, followed by a reception 4-6 p.m. at UNC Charlotte Center City, 320 E 9th St.

Student Orientation, which is provided by the Center for Graduate Life (CGL), provides new students with an introduction to the University, the graduate community and the broad range of services available.

Graduate students may use Lightrail (LYNX) service from the main campus to Center City free of charge. For more information, visit the CGL or contact gradlifecenter@uncc.edu.

Higher Ed Reacts to Travel Ban Decision

June 28, 2018 by White, Brian

The travel ban to the U.S. placed on seven countries is responsible for a steep decline in the number of international students and visiting scholars at U.S. universities, according to an article in Inside Higher Ed.

The article says a high level of opposition to the ban exists among academic institutions that consider the move discriminatory and detrimental to higher education.

Justice Sotomayor, in her published dissenting view, “cited difficulties in recruiting and retaining students and faculty members as being one among a number of irreparable harms caused by the travel restrictions.” the publication said.

Share your thoughts on the issue in the space below. To view the original article in its entirety, please visit Inside Higher Ed.