March 30

Digital Accessibility Compliance Alert

By April 24, 2026, all public entities, including UNC Charlotte, must ensure their websites and mobile apps comply with a technical standard that requires websites and digital tools to be usable for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. This means all digital instructional materials, documents, forms, audio, video, and websites produced after April 24, 2026, on the University’s behalf, must comply with The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA, which is the technical standard required by the Department of Justice’s regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Campus Accessibility Awareness Month

With the launch of the University Policy 319: Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Applications, the campus is moving beyond compliance to a “culture of care.” Accessibility isn’t just a technical requirement, but a pedagogical commitment that ensures all learners have universal access to course content. 

Join the Campaign! 

Come together for Campus April Accessibility Month to connect policy to practice with practical, low-barrier supports that help faculty make meaningful, immediate improvements to teaching materials in their courses.

Join the Information Session – New Accessibility Policy: What it Means for Teaching

Register for the information session on April 1 from 11:30 – 12:30 pm to learn more about University Policy 319 and what it means for you and your students. 

Attend a Workshop on Digital Accessibility

Canvas Accessibility with UDOIT: Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool

Files and PDF Accessibility Checkers: Using Grackle, Adobe, and Microsoft Tools

Digital Accessibility “Fix-it Clinic” (bring one thing to fix)

Get Personalized Support

Policy Links

Need help on Accessibility?

Join Toye Watson, Director of Community and Strategic Partnerships at the Charlotte Urban Institute, on April 1 from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in Sycamore 306 for Strategies for Cultivating and Maintaining Reciprocal Partnerships. This session will explore practical approaches to building and sustaining authentic relationships with community organizations that support engaged research and teaching. Register.

The Office of Assessment and Accreditation has selected ten recipients to receive its Excellence Designation! This designation recognizes exemplary programs and units that successfully integrate assessment practices to improve student learning outcomes, program curriculum, and strategic planning. A recognition and plaque awarding ceremony will be held on Tuesday, April 21 starting at 12:00 pm in the Halton Reading Room, Atkins Library. Information about the recipients is available on the Office of Assessment and Accreditation website.

The schedule is now available for the 4th Annual Charlotte AI Summit for Smarter Learning! The summit is a free, full day event, open to all UNC Charlotte faculty and academic staff. 

Key features: 

  • Engagement Sponsorship by Adobe
  • AI Exploration Zone
  • Featured Student Panel
  • Featured Industry Panel
  • Featured Workshops
  • Use Case Stories
  • Lightning Talks by UNC Charlotte faculty, staff, students, and partners

Important Dates: 

  • Registration Closes: April 22
  • Event Date: May 13, Dubois Center

Nexus: Networking Across Disciplines fosters the emergence of interdisciplinary research teams by providing faculty with structured opportunities to learn about one another’s research and brainstorm areas of mutual interest. Through a series of summer workshops, Nexus supports the initial stages of project development as faculty formulate shared research questions, consider analytical strategies, and identify potential funding sources.

With a theme of “Making an Impact,” Nexus 2026 aims to foster interdisciplinary collaborations that amplify the real-world impact of academic research, creative work, and innovation. At a time when the value of higher education is under scrutiny, this theme invites scholars to work across disciplines to translate ideas and discoveries into meaningful societal benefits. For details about this year’s theme and application guidelines, see the Nexus website.

Nexus 2026 workshops will be held on May 14-15 and August 12, 2026, with working groups expected to develop ideas over the summer. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 6.

For more information, join us for a reception on Thursday, April 2, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. in the Lambla Gallery of the Storrs Building (RSVP). We will celebrate the successes of interdisciplinary working groups formed through past Nexus workshops and discuss target research areas for Nexus 2026.
Nexus is organized by the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences and the Division of Research with support from the Cato College of Education, the College of Health and Human Services, the College of Computing and Informatics, and the William States Lee College of Engineering. Questions can be directed to CHESS Associate Dean for Research and Interdisciplinary Collaboration Beth Whitaker.

Upcoming Change to Default Library Search

Beginning today, the default search will show Atkins library holdings first. Users can still search Atkins and additional libraries’ holdings by selecting “expand your search.” Materials available through Rapido and partner libraries can still be requested as usual. Starting with local holdings helps users identify immediately available materials more quickly. This adjustment simply layers the search experience so that local holdings appear first, while still allowing easy access to materials from partner libraries. We remain committed to ensuring quick and reliable access to materials from across our partner network. 

Digital Humanities Meetup: Collaborating Across Disciplines

Accomplishing digital humanities (DH) work often involves and requires collaborations across disciplines and even sometimes institutions. Finding those with complementary skill sets to join a DH project is not always easy, but it is possible when it presents learning and research growth opportunities for both. Hear about several DH collaborations from UNC Charlotte faculty (from History, Geography, Anthropology and Atkins Library), share your own, and hopefully get ideas for how you can approach a new project that could benefit from a collaboration with colleagues across campus. Open to UNC Charlotte Faculty, Staff and Students. Snacks will be provided.

  • Wednesday, April 1, 3:00 – 4:00 PM, VisLab – Area 49 (2nd Floor of Atkins Library) (Register)

Media Literacy Matters Conference

Join the Critical Media Literacy Collaborative, Niner Times, and Atkins Library for “Media Literacy Matters: Empowering Critical Thinkers in a Digital World” on Thursday, April 2. This half-day conference will bring faculty, students, and researchers across campus together to discuss issues related to media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to use critical thinking and rhetorical reasoning to find, evaluate, and create information in online environments. Media literacy guides people toward consuming digital media critically as engaged, well-informed citizens. Light breakfast refreshments will be provided. More information and registration.

For Current and Past New Faculty Mentees, Mentors, and Administrators

Spring Mentoring Reception

Please join us as we come together to celebrate our new faculty mentors and mentees who participated in the Center for ADVANCing Faculty Success New Faculty Mentoring Initiative. Having administrators present at the reception underscores the value you place on mentoring as a key component of professional development that will help new faculty thrive and be successful at UNC Charlotte. Let’s honor the meaningful relationships that inspire learning, foster belonging, and allow our new faculty to flourish. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be provided. Drop in and stay for a while!

  • Wednesday, April 1, 3:00 – 4:30 PM, Lambla Gallery, Storrs Building (Register

For Pre-Tenure Faculty 

Preparing for Reappointment Workshop

Please join us for a virtual workshop focused on preparing for reappointment. CAFS Interim Director Tehia Glass will give a brief overview of the policies around reappointment, then recently-appointed faculty members will talk about their experience with the process, and share strategies and tips they developed as they navigated their journey through reappointment.

  • Wednesday, April 15, 1:00 – 2:00 PM, via Zoom (Register)

For All New and Second Year Faculty

Mentoring Circles

Come join us to meet with groups of new and second year faculty, who will get together for a facilitated peer mentoring session. These sessions will provide information related to topics of interest to newer faculty at UNC Charlotte. In addition, they will provide opportunities to help you continue to build support networks with other new faculty and faculty at different ranks at UNC Charlotte. There are two opportunities to attend, April 20 and 21 – you only need to attend one session.

  • Monday, April 20, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, Cone Center 113 (Register
  • Tuesday, April 21, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, Cone Center 113 (Register

For All Faculty, Postdocs, Graduate Students, and Administrators

Presenting to Decision Makers: Melissa Marshall, Founder of Present Your Science 

This is a practical workshop designed to help faculty, post docs, graduate students, researchers, and academic leaders communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to university leadership and other stakeholders. Participants learn how to adapt material for audiences with diverse backgrounds, filter and focus key details that support strategic decisions, and transform slide design into clear, visually compelling slides. 

  • Wednesday, April 29, 9:00 – 11:00 AM OR 1:00 – 3:00 PM, Foundation Bldg Room 112, (Register)

Enhance Your Courses with Professional Media Production from the Center for Teaching and Learning

Bring your courses to life with high-quality, engaging instructional media! The Center for Teaching and Learning’s Media Production team partners with faculty to create dynamic, accessible, and professionally produced media that supports teaching goals and enhances student learning experiences.

Whether you’re developing a new course, refreshing existing content, or looking to increase student engagement, the Media Production team provides start-to-finish support, from initial consultation through final delivery. Services include studio-based recording in a fully equipped on-campus facility and field production for on or off-site demonstrations, interviews, labs, and simulations.

Faculty work directly with a dedicated project lead to plan, record, and produce media aligned with course objectives. Projects are delivered ready for integration into courses, designed for clarity, accessibility, and student learning success.
Getting started is easy: submit a Media Request form and collaborate with the team to plan your project for the upcoming semester. Let us help you transform your course content and enhance the learning experience for your students. Learn more.

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

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.

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

To have items included in the digest, complete the NEWS DIGEST REQUEST FORM

Deadline for submission is 11:00 a.m. every Friday.