Staying current with UNCG? There’s an app for that.
Have an iPad or iPhone? Or a smartphone perhaps? UNCGmobile helps you stay connected to UNCG. This new, free app keeps you updated with UNCG news and events. Plus you have ready access to the library catalog, course content, campus maps, Spartan Alert, UNCG YouTube channels, Spartan sports, the university public calendar and more.
Todd Sutton in ITS partnered with Blackboard Mobile to create the app. It includes links to other mobile web sites created by other campus developers.
“The app was created to provide a central source for mobile device users to find UNCG resources and information,” explains Sutton, who is university webmaster for ITS.
Details about the UNCGmobile app – including where you can find and install it – are at http://its.uncg.edu/uncgmobile
- See more at: http://newsandfeatures.uncg.edu/new-uncg-app/#sthash.HQzkzQID.dpuf
UNCG wins federal grant to recruit, train culturally diverse librarians
A federal grant of almost $450,000 will support UNCG’s Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program as it continues to recruit and train culturally diverse librarians.
The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grant program, administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), will provide $442,063 to support the Academic and Cultural Enrichment (ACE) Scholars: New Americans for Community College Librarianship. ACE Scholars is designed to increase cultural diversity in UNCG’s program and in the library and information field as a whole.
Principal investigator Dr. Nora Bird, assistant professor of library and information studies, and co-principal investigator Michael Crumpton, assistant dean of UNCG University Libraries, say increasing diversity in the field is essential to keep up with the changing face of America and the Triad.
“New Americans are underrepresented in the library field and North Carolina has a growing diversity in its population,” Bird says. “The Triad is especially poised to help with this situation because the population not only reflects the diversity of many large U.S. cities but also has a growing population of ‘New Americans.’ The Center for New North Carolinians and the Newcomers School place UNCG in a good position to attract people from these underrepresented groups.”
IMLS received 84 applications requesting a total of $29,146,953. It awarded 21 grants totaling $6,100,806.
This award marks the third IMLS grant to fund ACE Scholars. The first grant of $862,000 supported the training of 14 ACE Scholars who completed their MLIS in spring 2011. The second grant of $889,401 supports 20 ACE Scholars, the majority who are expected to complete their MLIS this spring.
The third cohort will include 10 students who already have undergraduate degrees as MLIS-credentialed librarians. The goal is to place those librarians at community colleges in North Carolina and other states where the need is great.
“Many first-generation college-goers, people who are getting English language training and retraining in new skills, make up the community college student population,” Bird says. “Forty-nine percent of all undergraduates go to the community college first. Research has shown that people are more comfortable approaching a librarian who looks more like them. That is why diversity is so important for the community college library.”
ACE Scholars is a collaboration with UNCG Libraries, with support and internship opportunities from 10 academic libraries across North Carolina. Clara M. Chu, LIS department chair, and Gerald Holmes, reference librarian/diversity coordinator, are working with Bird and Crumpton to support ACE Scholars.
Applicants for ACE Scholars should have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, should take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), and should be interested in working in the community college environment. Community college experience is desirable.
For more details, contact Nora Bird directly at njbird@uncg.edu, or 336-334-3477.
2013 Graduate Research and Creativity Expo Winners Announced!
Creative Arts:
1st Place, Felicia Dean (Interior Architecture), “From Fashion to Furniture: The Formation of Three-Dimensional Upholstery”
Honorable Mention, Aaron Wilson (Music Performance), “Bridging the Virtual Gap in Internet-Based Music Instruction: A Feasibility Study in Trombone Performance Education”
Humanities:
1st Place, Amirah Lane (Interior Architecture), “Aladdin Kit Homes and the Fisher Park Neighborhood”
Honorable Mention, Brenta Blevins (English) and Stacy Wilder (English), “The UNCG Digital ACT Studio: Toward a Future of Multiliteracy”
Professional Programs:
1st Place, Megan Kemmery, Margo Appenzeller, and Stephanie Gardiner-Walsh (Specialized Education Services), “When Your Car is Your Classroom”
Honorable Mention, Minita Sanghvi (Consumer, Apparel, & Retail Studies), “The Role of Appearance Management in Political Marketing in Local Elections”
Health Sciences:
1st Place, Richard Vestal (Nanoscience), “Targeting the Atypical Chemokine Receptor CXCR7 for the Treatment of Glioblastoma”
Honorable Mention/Tied for 2nd place, Alexa Barwick (Communication Sciences & Disorders), “Can Telepractice Be Utilized Effectively to Treat Speech and Voice Disorders in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease?” and Ciara Floyd (Kinesiology), “The Relationship between a Gymnastics-Specific Fitness Test and Performance Scores”
Natural, Physical, & Mathematical Sciences:
1st Place, Jonathan Messer (Nutrition), “Effect of Antioxidant, Quercetin, on Bone Cell Function”
Honorable Mention, Stephen Glass (Kinesiology), “Noise-Enhanced Center of Pressure Complexity in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability”
Social Sciences:
1st Place, John Nowlin (Geography), “A Mesoscale Geophysical Capability/Suitability Model for Vitis Vinifera Vineyard Site Selection in the North Carolina Piedmont Triad Region: Case Study of Rockingham County, NC”
Honorable Mention, Lucy Lewis (Counseling & Educational Development), “‘I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends’: The Role of Facebook on the School Adjustment of Newcomer Refugee Students”
Please join The Graduate School and the Office of Research & Economic Development in congratulating these students, and we encourage you to attend the Honors Convocation on April 16th at 7:00 pm when they will receive their awards.
Graduate Student Opportunity – Preparing Future Leaders Programs
Dean Wiener speaking at the PFL Kickoff event.
post by William R. Wiener, Graduate Dean
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Britton
On February 15th, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and The North Carolina A & T State University launched an innovative student support program. The UNCG Graduate School and NC A&T Graduate Schools have recently joined forces to create a program that allows graduate students to better prepare themselves for the world of work after graduation. The employment picture is quite competitive and the two universities want to give their graduates experiences that will help them secure good positions. The program is called Preparing Future Leaders (PFL) and has two tracks: one to prepare future faculty (PFF) and one to prepare future professionals (PFP). There is some overlap between the two programs so that some of the program activities from one program will count in the other program. This will be helpful for those who are not sure of which type of employment they will be seeking. It will also be helpful for those graduates who work in academia or in business and industry and later switch to the other field.
Starting in 1993 the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) pioneered programs to prepare future faculty. The programs were started in response to the need for better preparation in methods of teaching. Most often graduates would start teaching without the benefit of such preparation and would have to learn on the job. Only recently have there been programs to prepare future professionals for work in business, industry, governmental, and non-governmental employment. The Council of Graduate schools has recently published a monograph recommending the development of programs that would create pathways into careers other than university teaching. The preparing Future Leaders Program here at UNCG/NCAT contains elements of both preparation for teaching and preparation for work as a professional in other fields.
Each track of the PFL program is meant to be completed within two years. It may be completed more quickly if students have already participated in workshops or courses that are in alignment with the requirements of the program. Of course Both PFP and PFF are designed to accompany a masters or PhD student’s traditional workload. This is not a for-credit program, but it is our goal to have students who complete the PFL receive a notation on their academic transcripts. Students are expected to attend workshops, individual and cohort meetings, along with mentor shadowing. This program will give participants an advantage over others when applying for a position because it will set these applicants apart from other job hopefuls. The Graduate Schools at UNCG and A&T hope to enroll about fifty students per year in PFL. We have already enrolled close to 40 students.
Our universities have been fortunate to receive a grant from the Council of Graduate Schools to incorporate assessment into our PFL program. The following announcement was made by CGS earlier this year:
Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today announced awards to seven universities to develop new approaches for enhancing graduate student skills and understanding in the assessment of undergraduate learning. Supported through grants to CGS from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Teagle Foundation, the awardees will integrate learning assessment into programs that prepare graduate students for faculty careers.
The institutions selected to receive funding from CGS are:
- Cornell University
- Harvard University
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
- North Carolina A&T State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- University of California, Merced
The assessment component of the PFF track of the UNCG/NCA&T program consists of four components: 1) a face-to-face workshop containing an overview of the assessment process and 2) a series of three online interactive modules addressing how to write student learning outcomes, the types of data that needs to be collected, the use of rubrics in documenting attainment of goals, and how to use the data to make improvements in instruction. The online modules will be available to students in other professional opportunity programs and the CGS Clearinghouse. The PFP program will also have its own component on assessment with an understanding of TQM and other measures of quality.
With funds from the CGS grant, a special incentive system has been developed to foster innovation within the PFL program. Students who are in the program will be able to apply for small grants of $500 to field test new approaches to assessment within their disciplines. A culminating award of $1000 will be given to two students at each university (one in PFF and one in PFP) who develop the best innovation in assessment as determined by our advisory committee.
The two programs are made up of a series of required workshops and meetings. In addition there are also electives available. The preparing future professionals program includes the following:
| Required Workshops & Meetings | Elective Workshops & Meetings† |
| › Conflict Resolution in the Workplace | › Work-Life Balance/Time Management |
| › Project Management | › Diversity in Workplace |
| › Leadership Training | › Professional Networks & Mentoring |
| › Written Communication Skills | › Professional Networks and Mentoring |
| › Mock Interview | › Creative Use of Technology for Presentations |
| › 2 Responsible Conduct of Research | › Develop a Professional Website/Online Presence |
| › Shadow a Professional | › Grant Funding |
| › Attend 2 Governance Meetings | › Develop Interview Questions |
| › Entrepreneurship and Developing Business Plans | › Complete RA or GA training |
| › 2 Professional Leadership, Management, and/or Teamwork Skills Workshops | › How to Run a Meeting |
| › Résumé Preparation | |
| › Applying and Interviewing for Jobs |
The Preparing future faculty program has the same structure and includes:
| Required Workshops & Meetings | Elective Workshops & Meetings† |
| › Models of Teaching/ Teaching Small & Large Classes | › Learning Styles/Teaching a Diverse Student Body |
| › Using Assessment to Designing Effective Courses & Syllabi | › Work-Life Balance/Time-Management |
| › Conflict Management in the Classroom | › Develop a Professional Website/Online Presence |
| › Observes 2 Undergraduate Courses | › Use of Blackboard |
| › Teaching Assistantship Training | › Creative Technology Use in the Classroom |
| › Shadow Faculty Member | › How to Run a Meeting |
| › 3 Student Learning Outcomes Online Modules | |
| › 2 Responsible Conduct of Research Workshops | |
| › 2 Governance Meetings | |
| › Mock Interview | |
| › Preparing Essential Job Documents | |
| › Applying & Interviewing for Jobs |
Program participants will create electronic portfolios through iWebfolio to document their progress and attainment of goals in the PFL program. The PFL program is made up of twelve folios. Students will upload examples of their work into each folio, as well as comments from faculty and mentors. Each student will also produce a summative electronic iWebfolio which will contain their finished products to be shared with potential employers.
Students who are interested in the program should contact Craig Morehead at crmorehe@uncg.edu
First Fridays resume February 1, March 1, and April 5, 2013!
Post and photograph by Denise Sherron, Graduate School, Enrolled Student Services
The UNCG Graduate School hosts a monthly open forum called “First Friday.” These informal gatherings of graduate students and the Graduate Deans are typically occur on the first Friday of the month. “First Friday” is an opportunity for graduate students, faculty, and staff to enjoy conversation and refreshments together. Ideas, questions or concerns are welcome in this casual environment, and visitors from various disciplines are in attendance. Students are able to speak one-on-one with Dean Wiener, who greets each person at the event. Discussion topics have included ideas to improve graduate education, creating school-work-life balance, or simply what to do for fun over the weekend. 
“First Friday” is open to all graduate students, and is usually held on the first Friday of the month from 2:00-4:00pm in 500 Forest Building (also known as The Graduate Welcome Center). The “First Friday” meetings are scheduled on February 1, March 1, and April 5 for spring 2013. Up-to-date information on Graduate School events is available on our website – http://grs.uncg.edu/
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award update + 2013 nomination guidelines
Post by Denise Sherron, Enrolled Student Services
Please join The Graduate School in congratulating Dr. Craig Cashwell (Professor, Counseling & Educational Development) as the winner of the 2013 Outstanding Mentor Award from the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools. As you may recall, Dr. Cashwell received UNCG’s inaugural Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award from The Graduate School in 2012, leading to his nomination to CSGS. Please assist us in sharing this good news with the graduate faculty. Read our earlier post on Dr. Cashwell here: http://gradschoolblog.uncg.edu/mentorship-and-the-outstanding-mentor-award/
Dr. Cashwell’s award of $1,000 will be presented in Greenville, SC on February 23 at the 2013 Conference of Southern Graduate Schools annual meeting.
We look forward to receiving this year’s nominations for UNCG’s Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award in The Graduate School by Monday, February 4, 2013 (guidelines below for your convenience).
Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
Due February 4, 2013
Purpose
This award acknowledges and honors a person who has enjoyed outstanding success in mentoring graduate students.
Award
$1,000
Eligibility
- Any full-time tenured faculty member of UNCG who has successfully mentored a cadre of graduate students at the master’s or doctoral level.
- Each nominee must have gained distinction as a mentor on the UNCG campus.
- Reputation for facilitating student learning by making complex ideas understandable and meaningful to students.
- Establishment and maintenance of high academic standards.
- Positive role modeling as a professional, with personal integrity, high ethical standards, and achievable standards for personal excellence.
- Consistent and ongoing guidance of students regarding resources within and outside the university, conflict resolution, and advocacy for completion of the program of study in a timely manner.
- Substantial influence on the academic and professional pursuits of students that may include funded research, co-authorship on publications, and co-presentations at national or international conferences.
- Each nominee must have demonstrated continuing success as a mentor over a significant portion of her/his career.
Nomination and Selection Process
Faculty members must be nominated by their institutional colleagues; they may not nominate themselves. Nominations should include the following materials and be submitted as a complete package:
- A summary of the nominee’s qualifications for the award.
- A letter of endorsement from the unit dean (or equivalent) of the nominee.
- Curriculum vitae of the nominee.
- A minimum of 3 letters of recommendation from former graduate students attesting to the mentoring provided by the nominee. The recommender must provide evidence of how the nominee contributed to the recommender’s success and achievements.
- A minimum of 1 letter of support from departmental colleagues.
- A single PDF, electronic copy of the complete original nomination package MUST be submitted to The Graduate School by Feb. 4. No incomplete packets will be considered. Materials should be directed to Jennifer Lester: jlleste2@uncg.edu
Career Services Center now offering evening appointment hours for graduate students
What’s your New Year’s resolution?
Maybe it is to find a new job or advance in your current organization. Or maybe it is to simply expand your network of professional contacts. Career Services for Graduate Students
Regardless of what your specific career goal is, now is the time to catch up with The Career Team to check in on your progress and set your objectives for 2013 and the coming Spring semester. Much like a yearly medical physical, our career advising staff would like to help you “checkup” on your career.
Your career team is on hand to help you develop specific goals for 2013 and begin to work towards meeting those intended goals. Come on into our office and meet with our team!
We are offering evening appointments to students who are not on campus during the day or cannot take advantage of our services and resources between normal business hours. If you would like to set up an evening appointment, please email Kala Taylor (kctaylo3@uncg.edu) directly to set up your appointment.
Evening Appointment Hours:
Tuesdays 4:00 – 7:00pm - or - Wednesdays 4:00 – 6:30pm
Useful Websites
Chronicle of Higher Education: Academic Job Listings
Quintessential Careers: Jobs for Job-Seekers with Graduate Degrees
Careers Beyond the Academy (UC Berkeley Career Center)
C.V. Doctor Returns – English
Listing of other C.V. Doctor articles
American Association of Community Colleges Job Bank
Is it Worth Borrowing for Graduate School?
Post by William R. Wiener, Graduate Dean
Is it Worth Borrowing for Graduate School?
It used to be taken for granted that graduate education was a good investment in one’s future. Today with high unemployment and mounting student debt, some are suggesting that a graduate degree may not be the good investment in one’s future that it once was. With this notion as a backdrop, I would like to reflect upon a recent study that has come to us from the NACE’s September 2012 Salary Survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers and taken from a compilation of data derived from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, and a master data set developed by Job Search Intelligence.
According to that survey, master’s degree holders in a large number of fields earn significantly higher starting salaries than those who have not gone beyond the bachelor’s degree. In many fields the difference in salaries between graduates with master’s degrees and bachelor’s degrees is at least 20 percent. In some fields that differential is even greater than 20 percent. For example the master’s degree entrance level in elementary education is $48,900 or 30 percent higher than the entrance for those in the same major at the bachelor’s degree. In a similar way the graduate with a master’s degree in computer science earns an average salary of $80,400 which is approximately 30% more than the salary for someone with the bachelor’s degree in the same field. For political science majors, we see an even higher differential. Holders of a master’s degree received an average of $57,700 or almost 43 percent more than those who hold the bachelor’s degree.
While it is true that student debt is mounting, it is also true that the investment in graduate education pays great dividends. Students however should become intelligent borrowers. They should be aware of their opportunities to borrow and the ultimate costs on their post graduate life style. Recently, The Graduate School sponsored a seminar entitled To Borrow or Not to Borrow. As part of this seminar, faculty and staff discussed the sources of funding and the percentages of debt typically incurred by graduate students. It was learned that 56 percent of those entering graduate school have already borrowed money to allow them to complete their bachelor’s degree. It was learned that 27 percent of master’s and 33 percent of doctoral students have no graduate borrowing debt but that 40% end up with a debt of $20,000 or more. The seminar discussed the various types of loans available, the amounts available, and the loan sources that are most and least desirable. There are various repayment options available and students must identify what repayment system is best for them. There are regulations that allow deferment of debt repayment under certain circumstances, but student debt cannot be dissolved and will certainly affect the graduate’s life style. The seminar presented a rough formula for determining how much a student should borrow based upon expected initial earning after graduation.
This seminar will be repeated in the next academic year. In the meantime, The Graduate School is working to put the PowerPoints and audio online for those who could not attend the seminar. One version is available for download from our website: http://grs.uncg.edu/life-dev/
Now is the perfect time for VISIONS of your future!
Telelearning between CARS students at UNCG and students in Thailand
Post and photograph by Denise Sherron, The Graduate School, Enrolled Student Services
For those considering a return to the classroom, the VISIONS program at UNCG is unique, giving easy access to an incredible variety of graduate courses. Here, you can boost your career, get ready for grad school, or just learn and explore. UNCG’s VISIONS program is designed to provide qualified individuals with the opportunity to enroll in graduate-level courses without having to apply and be admitted to a specific degree program. As a non-degree seeking or visiting student, you can explore a program or two, build personal confidence and academic skills, and refine your personal or professional interests, or renewal of teacher licensure. Credits earned at UNCG through VISIONS are recorded in the University Registrar’s Office on an official transcript.
Peruse our graduate programs here: http://grs.uncg.edu/programs/ UNCG also offers many online courses that can lead to a Master’s degree or a Graduate Certificate, you can explore those here: http://online.uncg.edu/programs_GRADUATE.php
For detailed information on the VISIONS program and the enrollment process, visit The Graduate School online at http://grs.uncg.edu/visions/ or email: inquiries@uncg.edu or call us at 336-334-5596.
The time to start is now! The Spring 2013 VISIONS application deadline is January 11, 2013. The application fee is only $25, and no GRE is required. Visions course registration for the Spring 2013 semester runs December 3, 2012 – January 18, 2013. The Spring semester begins January 14, 2013.
Visions Eligibility: To be eligible to enroll, you must:
- Have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited College or University.
- Not be currently enrolled as a degree student at UNCG.
- Do not have an application for admission to The Graduate School under review for the same semester.
- Check with the department of interest (e.g., Art, Business Administration) and meet special requirements that may exist for that department.
Advising: Students considering later enrollment in a degree program are strongly encouraged to contact their department to determine which Visions class will count toward your degree.
- No courses below the 500-level will count toward a graduate degree.
- A maximum of 9 hours in courses numbered 749 and below may be taken through Visions and applied to a graduate degree or 3 hours for a certificate.
- There are restrictions on which classes are available to Visions students. Contact the department of interest for more information.
This year join the true Giving Season! #GivingTuesday
Post and photographs by Denise Sherron, The Graduate School, Enrolled Student Services
PHILANTHROPY: altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.
You’ve heard of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, but what about #GivingTuesday? #GivingTuesday is a national movement to create a day of philanthropy at the beginning of the winter holiday season — on Tuesday, November 27, 2012. Learn more about the movement at this website: http://givingtuesday.org/
You’ve read the inspirational stories of our students on this blog. Additional information on our programs, support, and professional development opportunities is available here: http://grs.uncg.edu/ Help benefit our future leaders with your gift to The Graduate School. Here is an easy and secure way for the community to give back to UNCG: http://tinyurl.com/Give2UNCG Please designate your donation for The Graduate School to support the important programs we offer UNCG graduate students throughout the year.
Perhaps philanthropic donations made a big difference during your educational pursuits – why not pay it forward on Giving Tuesday? No amount is too small to count. Join the movement and “give as good as you get!”
Graduate students and volunteers participating in the 2012 Graduate Research and Creativity Expo.
