April 1

In This Issue

49er Family Fund Allocations Form Now Open
Sign Up for Bangladesh Country-Culture Workshop
urbanCORE Hosts Half-Day Writing Retreat for Community-Engaged Faculty
2024 Faculty Showcase
Leadership and Mentoring Institute
2024 AI Institute for Smarter Learning at UNC Charlotte
J. Murrey Atkins Library News and Events
Center for Teaching and Learning Workshops
May 2024 Commencement Schedule
Faculty Council News
Dissertation Defense
Latest AA News

49er Family Fund Allocations Form Now Open

The 49er Family Fund annually allocates grants to campus initiatives related to student life at UNC Charlotte. These allocations help fund programming on campus that might otherwise be unable to be funded by a campus department, student organizations, etc. The 49er Family Fund seeks to serve as a funding catalyst for innovative, high-impact programs that benefit the larger campus community. The proposal form for the 2024-2025 academic year is available online; proposals should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1. For questions, contact family@uncc.edu.

Sign Up for Bangladesh Country-Culture Workshop

There’s still space available in the Bangladesh Country-Culture Workshop. The Office of International Programs invites faculty and staff to attend this year’s Country-Culture Workshop (CCW) focused on Bangladesh on Friday, April 5, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Halton Reading Room. By attending this workshop, faculty and staff may learn about the culture and educational system of one of our international student populations to assist with advising and instruction. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experts of Bangladeshi culture, history, and the educational system. In addition to the presentations, the event will include a panel discussion with Bangladeshi students who will address their adaptation to the U.S. educational system. Traditional Bangladeshi lunch will be provided. The deadline to submit your RSVP has been extended to April 2.

urbanCORE Hosts Half-Day Writing Retreat for Community-Engaged Faculty

Want to make progress on a writing project? urbanCORE invites community-engaged faculty and staff to a half-day structured writing retreat. Bring a writing project of any kind–teaching, research, service, or personal. Participants will set goals, discuss their projects, and write in community with others. Coffee and pastries start at 8:30.

  • Friday, April 5, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Sycamore 306 (Register)

2024 Faculty Showcase

Join us for this year’s Faculty Professional Development Showcase to learn how fellow faculty made improvements in their teaching as a result of their participation in professional development activities around campus. The purpose of this event is both to raise awareness, and celebrate faculty best practices at UNC Charlotte. It is hosted by the Office for Assessment and Accreditation, Center for Teaching and Learning, Atkins Library, Charlotte Core, and Communication Across the Curriculum. Register by April 3 to attend on April 10 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Halton Reading Room of Atkins Library. A light lunch will be served. Visit the Faculty Showcase webpage to learn more about the upcoming showcase and past events.

Leadership and Mentoring Institute

The Leadership and Mentoring Institute (LMI) was created by the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) in response to the decline in professional development workshops and the lack of professional development opportunities for African American faculty and staff. Today, LMI remains a vehicle for helping people of color navigate higher education to increase their chances of being considered for senior administrative positions, gain tenure, and progress through the academic ranks. 

This year, UNC Charlotte will be the campus partner in hosting this initiative, and we invite you to participate and share this information with your networks. For more information, visit diversity.charlotte.edu/lmi. The application deadline is April 10, 2024. 

Note: While this opportunity is open to faculty and staff of color, ALL are encouraged to apply. Furthermore, all application decisions and LMI content are AABHE’s sole responsibility.

2024 AI Institute for Smarter Learning at UNC Charlotte

FREE Registration Closes April 15

The 2nd Annual Charlotte AI Institute for Smarter Learning will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Dubois Center. This is a free event for all UNC Charlotte faculty and staff. Reserve your spot today! We are excited to engage with you as we explore a year’s worth of experience using generative AI in your classroom! Learn more about the 2024 AI Institute for Smarter Learning

Important Dates:
Registration Closes: April 15
Conference Day: May 15

J. Murrey Atkins Library News and Events

Atkins Digital Publishing Services Announces New Book

Atkins Library has published a new book, Subcritical: Third Culture Field Notes. Subcritical explores an innovative, interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists and artists. Based on a project funded by the National Science Foundation that studies how climate change influences the breakdown of rocks and the cracking of mountains, Subcritical integrates the arts with scientific research to communicate findings. Subcritical brings together scholarly and theoretical essays as well as richly illustrated artwork and case studies of design investigations. This novel work represents the type of multidisciplinary synergies possible when artists and scientists collaborate with each other. The volume is edited by Martha Cary (Missy) Eppes, Marek Ranis, and José L. S. Gámez. The book is now available open access as an ebook through the library’s catalog, and paperback copies can be purchased through UNC Press.

InnovateEd: Exploring Creative Classroom Solutions

Join us for a family friendly event to explore ways you can use Area 49 and Curriculum and Instruction Materials Center. We’ll have activities to help adults and kids explore these resources, library faculty and staff available to answer questions, and pizza to snack. Don’t miss this chance to learn about these great resources in a casual and fun environment. 

  • Saturday, April 13, 12:00 – 2:00 PM, Area 49, Atkins Library 2nd Floor

Join The Big Read in Charlotte

Join Atkins Library for a book discussion of “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi. “Homegoing” is a powerful novel that traces the lives of two half-sisters and their descendants, spanning over 300 years and multiple generations. Set in Ghana and America, the book explores the legacy of slavery and the impact it has on the lives of the characters. In collaboration with the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture and the National Endowment for the Humanities’ The Big Read.

  • Thursday, April 25, 6:00 – 7:00 PM, Halton Reading Room, Atkins Library (Register)

Center for Teaching and Learning Workshops

Part 3: Student Writing Skills with ChatGPT

In this session, you will learn how to integrate AI tools effectively in writing projects. We will demonstrate how to chunk and scaffold project tasks for peer review and instructor support, as well as how to prompt A.I. tools (like ChatGPT) to enhance the writing process at each stage. By the end of the hour, you will have a planning tool and strategies for integrating AI into writing projects.

  • Wednesday, April 3, 9:00 -10:00 AM (Register)

Enhancing Cultural Awareness

This course is facilitated by the Office of International Programs. The training will present an overview of the common definition and assessment of culture at UNC Charlotte and explore cultural dimensions based on theory and research. Participants will receive resources for sample assignments and a mapping exercise to enhance student cultural awareness. This workshop counts towards the Essentials of Teaching and Learning Certificate.

  • Wednesday, April 3, 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Register)

Part 2: Canvas Analytics to Improve Your Canvas Course Design

Looking to become a data-driven instructor/course designer? This interactive workshop builds on the Canvas Analytics for Early Intervention Workshop to incorporate what you learned into the design of your Canvas Course. We will use Canvas Analytics to identify course elements that need to be improved based on student data. We will also discuss how to (re)design your Canvas course to collect optimal student intervention data, and practice doing so on one of your current course designs! 

  • Thursday, April 4, 1:00 – 2:00 PM (Register)

May 2024 Commencement Schedule

The schedule for May 2024 commencement ceremonies has been set; all ceremonies will be held in Halton Arena.

Friday, May 10, 10:00 a.m.
Belk College of Business
College of Health and Human Services

Friday, May 10, 3:00 p.m.
College of Arts + Architecture
College of Computing and Informatics
Cato College of Education
The William States Lee College of Engineering

Saturday, May 11, 10:00 a.m.
College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences
College of Science

Saturday, May 11, 3:00 p.m.
The Graduate School (Doctoral, Master’s and Certificate Programs)

Faculty Council News

Please visit the Faculty Governance website for the latest news from the Faculty Council including: 

Dissertation Defense

The dissertation defense is one of the ways a new scholar demonstrates readiness to join the academy and is an opportunity to share their research widely. View All Dissertation Defense Announcements.

Latest AA News

For up-to-the-minute news from Academic Affairs (faculty awards, research, recognition, initiatives), visit the Academic Affairs Division News webpage.

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