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Update Enrollment Projections by Nov. 1

September 19, 2017 by White, Brian

Graduate projections for Fall 2018, 2019, and 2020 should be completed in GPDNet by Nov. 1, including the enrollment management plan to achieve those projections.

Base your enrollment and graduate projections and plans on your college’s strategic plan.

To access projections and plans in GPDNet, select PROGRAM DASHBOARD at the top of the page, click on your program, and select from the appropriate tabs to view and enter data, or you may download the spreadsheet Fall 2017 9-8-2017 Official Census Enrollment by Program.

Open Swims will be held in Cato 248 according to the schedule shown below to support planning and respond to questions. If you have questions or need individual assistance, please contact Johnna Watson. To register, please visit the Enrollment Management Planning registration page.

Open Swim Schedule
Graduate School Conference Room, Cato Hall, #248

Wednesday, September 27th, 1-2:30 pm

Friday, October 6th, 1:30 – 3 pm

Thursday, October 12th, 11:30 am-1 pm

Wednesday, October 18th, 10:30 am – noon

Raleigh Meteorologist Greg Fishel to Address Climate Change

September 15, 2017 by White, Brian

Greg Fishel, weather forecaster for Raleigh television station WRAL, will present “Climate Change: My Journey from Ideology to Science,” Nov. 11 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

The presentation, sponsored by the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, examines the scientific, political and religious sides of the climate change debate and explores why a divide exists between scientists and the public.

To register, please visit Sigma Xi.

Sigma Xi also will be sponsoring a Student Research Conference at the event, featuring a poster competition and career development sessions on science communication.

80+ Attend Grad Ed Summit

September 13, 2017 by White, Brian

More than 80 members of UNC Charlotte’s Graduate Education community participated in the September 8 Grad Ed Summit. Program Directors, Department Chairs and other administrators heard from Graduate School staff and shared ideas and questions in the Halton Reading Room of the Atkins Library.

Following introductory remarks by Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds and Graduate Council Chair Christine Haynes, Graduate School staff formally introduced GPDNet, the new on-line portal for Graduate Program Directors. Katherine Hall-Hertel then updated attendees on DegreeWorks and CGL activities. Johnna Watson discussed admissions developments, and Alan Freitag explained the Graduate School’s restructured approach to strategic communication in support of graduate education and outreach efforts to the military/veteran population.

Open discussion followed, covering topics from recruiting to student funding processes. The Summit concluded with the announcement that beginning in May 2018, doctoral students will be recognized in a separate hooding ceremony apart from the traditional commencement exercises.

If you attended the event, the Graduate School staff would very much appreciate your assessment to help us make future events even better. Please use the comment section below to share your insights.

Future Faculty Enrollment Open

September 11, 2017 by White, Brian

NC State’s Building Future Faculty (BFF) Program is accepting applications for the 2018 Program through Nov. 12, 2017.

The all-expenses paid workshop in Raleigh Mar. 14-16, 2018, is designed for diverse graduate students and post-doctoral students who are seeking a career as a faculty member. Workshop topics explore what to expect as a faculty member, a discussion of the wealth of resources available to faculty for teaching and expectations of productivity for faculty engaged in research. Participants will spend time with current faculty and department chairs in their discipline discussing effective strategies to prepare for an academic career.

For more information and to apply, please visit the Building Future Faculty website.

Assessment Needed for International TAs

September 06, 2017 by White, Brian

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.

For more information, visit the Center for Graduate Life Teaching Assistants.

Assistantships Now on Hire-A-Niner

August 29, 2017 by White, Brian

Hire-A-Ni ner, the online system that provides students easy access to jobs, internships, and co-ops now is a source for Graduate Assistantship opportunities too.

“A graduate assistant position has been added to the types of jobs listed on Hire-A-Niner,” said Julie Goodliffe, Director of Funding and Fellowships for the Graduate School. “Now, any department looking for a graduate assistant can easily create the position in Hire-A-Niner and view all the applications in one place.”

Goodliffe said the Hire-A-Niner portal permits greater control over when and how an opportunity is posted and on who can apply. The portal also archives job postings so re-posting a job is easy.

Students can search and save their searches and get updates by email. The system features a resume creator, resource library, hire reporting and online career tools.

For more information or to register and post a graduate assistantship opportunity, visit Hire-A-Niner and select the Employer option.

3MT® Competitions Slated for Nov. 3, Nov. 10

August 25, 2017 by White, Brian

After an excellent first event in spring 2017, 3MT® returns to UNC Charlotte this fall. Developed by The University of Queensland, the 3MT® exercise cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills.

Preliminary competition for the UNC Charlotte event is Nov. 3, with finals following on Nov. 10. Cash prizes are awarded for the first place, runner up, and People’s Choice presenters. The first place presenter will advance to the Regional Conference of Southern Graduate Schools 3MT® competition in February.

For more information, videos, and rules, visit the 3MT® Competition page at the Center for Graduate Life.

Nominate Your Best Master Student Thesis

August 25, 2017 by White, Brian

Oct. 9 is the deadline for nominating students for the Graduate School’s 2018 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award. Faculty may nominate a student whose thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of master’s degree requirements during the past two academic years and/or summer sessions.

Winners may also be considered for the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Master’s Thesis competition.

For more information, please visit Graduate Student Competitions at the Center for Graduate Life.

Graduate Council Launches 2017/18 Academic Year

August 22, 2017 by White, Brian

The Graduate Council’s first meeting of the 2017/18 academic year was held Aug. 22 in the Cato Building. Council Chair Christine Haynes, Department of History, thanked members for their willingness to serve and reviewed the Council’s roles and responsibilities. Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds stressed the importance of the Council’s advice and counsel in advancing graduate education. Both the Dean and the Chair discussed the importance of Faculty Governance in the successful function of the university. Chair Haynes also encouraged Council members to bring their college graduate faculty concerns and issues to Council meetings for discussion and to convey to faculty the Council’s activities.

Graduate Recruitment Cited in Best Practices Study

August 10, 2017 by White, Brian

UNC Charlotte’s graduate enrollment management strategy was highlighted as a best practice in a recently released national research report on enrollment trends.

The report, produced by Hanover Research, a firm that provides research and consulting services to corporate, education, and healthcare clients, is entitled “Best Practices in Graduate Student Recruitment.” The report suggests the most effective steps college deans nationwide are taking to ensure continued strong enrollment in the face of increasing tuition rates and student debt.

UNC Charlotte was acknowledged for “harnessing the power of technology and data” through its enrollment management strategy to recruit students who are a good fit with the university.

“Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) looks at the larger context for an institution (its mission, goals, and view on the emerging needs for skills and abilities in its students),” the report says, “and builds those considerations into the enrollment process, coordinating student recruitment, marketing, tuition and financial aid, academic portfolio offerings, and student support services.”

The report goes on to say, “UNC Charlotte’s Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) plan is designed as a collaborative process by an academically diverse group of representatives. Decisions are informed by data collection and analysis and aim to produce measurable improvements in recruitment, admissions, retention, funding, and graduation.”

Hanover’s research report can be downloaded here.

UNC Charlotte Ranks High for NSF Grants

August 08, 2017 by White, Brian

UNC Charlotte has ranked fourth in North Carolina for the number of NSF Graduate Research Fellows since 2010, behind Duke, UNC Chapel Hill, and NC State.

You can help continue this success by encouraging your best students to apply for the NSF GRFP, which provides a $34,000 annual stipend for three years, and pays tuition and fees.

Deadlines are October 24th – 28th, depending on field of study.

For more information on student funding, visit the Graduate School’s Student Funding site.

GA Contracts Must Be Approved by Aug. 16

July 21, 2017 by White, Brian

Students on TA/RA/AA from the first day of school must have their eGA contract approved by August 16 to be paid Aug. 31.

More information is available at the Recruitment and Hiring website. Questions may be directed to Teresa Shook, Student Employment, tshook4@uncc.edu, Tamika Coleman, Temporary Staff Employment, tcolem20@uncc.edu, or Herlicia Blakely, I-9 Compliance, hblakel2@uncc.edu.

Master's Thesis Award Nominations Sought

July 21, 2017 by White, Brian

The Graduate School is seeking nominations for the Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award through Oct. 9.

Faculty may nominate a student whose thesis has been accepted in partial fulfillment of master’s degree requirements during the past two academic and/or summer sessions.

For more information, fields of competition and criteria, download the Award leaflet here.

GPDs Suggest DegreeWorks Improvements

July 19, 2017 by White, Brian

With DegreeWorks poised for deployment throughout UNC Charlotte this year, key users in the Graduate School who got a head start using the system the past year recently shared their views and suggestions for enhancements.

Graduate Program Directors (GPDs) and staff were interviewed over the summer months to gain their thoughts on how to get more out of the audit and graduation clearance tool. In all, 65 faculty and staff participated in the interviews. The suggested improvements fall into five categories:

New reports on student progression, milestones and course demand to help in planning and keeping students on track
Enhancements to the system’s audit capabilities, such as time limits and ensuring C and I grades get noticed
Streamlining the petition process
DegreeWorks training
Improved search capabilities

Ideas for improvement will be prioritized based on greatest potential impact, and action plans will be built for the high priority needs. More information on those plans will be shared soon.

“DegreeWorks has proven to increase transparency for students and advisors, while bringing graduation clearance into the 21^st century,” said Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean for Graduate Student Affairs and the Center for Graduate Life. “We appreciate those who took the time to provide their feedback on the experience to help us continuously improve DegreeWorks as an advising tool.”

More information can be found on the DegreeWorks home page and FAQs. For other questions, please send them to degreeworks@uncc.edu .

GRE® Test Takers Snapshot Available

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

Interest in physical sciences, engineering and life sciences all are up 2-3% among test takers this year compared to last, and interest in business grew by five percent. This and much more useful information is available in the recently released GRE Program’s Snapshot of Individuals Who Took the GRE® General Test.

The latest version includes volume data on the GRE test-taker population for the past three testing years (July 2013 through June 2016).

The comprehensive information in the Snapshot report can be helpful in creating targeted recruitment campaigns….

Dissertation and Thesis Committees Now Available in DegreeWorks

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

Dissertation and thesis committees can now be viewed in DegreeWorks. When a committee is established, a new block of data will appear below the general student information on the audit. Information includes committee chair, graduate faculty representative and committee members.

Another recent change includes moving the program GPA from the degree block to the major block. This change, which does not alter its operation, accommodates the expansion of DegreeWorks to undergraduate students this year.

PLEASE NOTE: To view these changes, you will need to clear your browser…

Half-time Enrollment Definition changing for Fall Semester

July 12, 2017 by Aaron Forsyth

UNC Charlotte’s definition of graduate school half time enrollment is changing beginning in Fall 2017. To be considered enrolled half time, graduate students must take at least 4.5 credit hours, which essentially means 5 or more credit hours for UNC Charlotte. For more information, please visit the Office of the Provost website.

UNC Charlotte Honors Heather Smith with de Silva Award

July 10, 2017 by White, Brian

University leaders gathered Mar. 30 to congratulate Dr. Heather Smith, professor of geography and earth sciences and director of the doctorate in Geography and Urban Regional Analysis, who received the 2017 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award. For more information on the event, please visit the Graduate School’s website.

Showcasing Graduate Talent

July 10, 2017 by White, Brian

Two of UNC Charlotte’s outstanding graduate students represented the university at the 2017 Graduate Education Day at the General Assembly in Raleigh, sponsored by the North Carolina Council of Graduate Schools.

The students met with several elected officials, including Rep. Linda Hunt Williams of Wake County, left, to discuss the impacts of their research. Shown with UNC Graduate School Dean Tom Reynolds who hosted the visit, are from left: Rep. Williams, who also holds a Master’s of Public Administration degree from UNC Charlotte; Ben Gordon, doctoral student in Biological Sciences and Kinesiology whose research is focused on lowering blood pressure through isometric exercise; and Nathan Lambert, Master’s student in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science. Nathan’s research encompasses machine vision, optical design, control systems design, and nanoscale precision engineering used in material testing to help maintain the nation’s nuclear weapon stockpile.

3-Article Dissertation Option Available

July 10, 2017 by White, Brian

With the doctoral dissertation formatting deadline coming October 6, graduate students this fall have another formatting option to consider: The Three-Article dissertation.

While not a good fit for every situation, the three-article format may be of interest to graduate students whose field of study and research suggest the possibility of three, connected journal articles rather than the traditional dissertation.

“Students who choose the three-article approach have to pay particular attention to the formatting,” said Katherine Hall-Hertel, Associate Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, “The articles submitted must be coherent, with clear rationale for how the papers are grouped.”

Download the Three-Article-Dissertation-Guidelines.