June 2020 Announcements

June 10, 2020 Emily Packard 7-min. read

COVID-19 Information

Please see a new message from Chancellor Randy Woodson here. In the message, Chancellor Woodson shares more about how NC State is working to reactivate certain campus operations and planning to safely bring people back to campus throughout the summer and into the fall.
NC State has announced 2020 fall semester dates. The university will begin its 2020-21 academic year on August 10, nine days earlier than originally scheduled, and will forgo fall break in order to complete the semester before Thanksgiving, including finals. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving for the remainder of the calendar year. Winter commencement plans will be announced at a later date.
The university will be open on Labor Day (Sept. 7, 2020), and classes will be in session on that day. As a result of this change, the Labor Day holiday has been added to the 2020 winter break. The university’s winter break will be extended by one day, commencing Dec. 24, 2020, and ending Jan. 3, 2021. Employees will not be required to use any of their annual leave during the winter break due to this calendar change.
To help the campus community plan for and execute a safe return to on-site work, the university has created the NC State return-to-work guide. Please review these guidelines, which provide an overview of important health and safety information for the workplace and links to a variety of additional information and resources.
University Human Resources has created a reference chart to help employees understand the types of leave that are available related to COVID-19. UHR has also developed a website for COVID-19 employee benefits.
Vice Chancellor Mladen Vouk released a memo about the university’s phased-in research restart efforts that began May 18. Colleges will approve which projects are appropriate for restart. In the first phase of research restart, research spaces will not be allowed to be occupied beyond 35% of capacity, with a minimum of 250 square feet per occupant. The Office of Research and Innovation is providing guidance on how to manage disruptions to normal research operations resulting from the precautions (including recommended physical distancing and reduced facility access) taken to avoid widespread COVID-19 communal transmissions.
NC State Transportation will provide new parking options, streamlined transit service, and many alternative forms of transportation that will go into effect July 1. Employees will have multiple parking options available for purchase and effective July 1. See options here. Employees who wish to renew their annual permit may do so beginning June 16 at 10 a.m. Visit ncsu.aimsparking.com to renew. Learn here about Fall 2020 Transportation and Parking Updates.

From the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity

On June 8, Vice Provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity Sheri Schwab and Interim Vice Chancellor for the Division of Academic and Student Affairs Lisa Zapata issued a joint letter providing information on issues raised by the community about specific diversity and inclusion initiatives and pledging more opportunities and support moving forward. The letter also provides avenues for those seeking additional information and ways to get involved.
OIED has created an overview of on- and off-campus resources to improve our racial climate, which include a list of resources for fighting injustice, a list of resources for self-care and anti-racist book suggestions.
NC State’s NCBI campus affiliate team is offering a virtual listening space on Thursday, June 11, 1-3 p.m., to provide an opportunity for listening and connection. Online registration required. The National Coalition Building Institute is an international leadership organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion in community organizations, K-12 schools, college and university campuses, and beyond.
On May 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education released new regulations governing campus sexual assault under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in K-12 and higher education. These regulations are set to go into effect August 14, 2020. The regulations represent significant changes for how universities adjudicate claims of sexual misconduct. NC State is presently reviewing the new regulations and will be working diligently over the summer to consider their implications on our current policies and procedures. Learn more at https://diversity.ncsu.edu/title-ix-updates/.
Join the Women’s Center for the Summer 2020 book club featuring Little Fires Everywhere, the #1 New York Times bestseller written by Celeste Ng! (Now also a Hulu original series starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon). The book club will meet virtually via zoom for four weeks:
- Wednesday, June 24, 1-2 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 1, 1-2 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 8, 1-2 p.m.
- Wednesday, July 15, 1-2 p.m.

Zoom link will be sent after registration closes. Register at go.ncsu.edu/bookclub2020.

From the Office of Faculty Development:

Faculty with questions about remote instruction or other faculty work are invited to schedule an Office of Faculty Development Office hour. Diane Chapman, OFD executive director, will be available for OFD Office hours using this link: https://calendly.com/dianechapman. She has more than 20 years of online teaching experience and is an expert in instructional design and evaluation. Come with your questions and concerns about remote teaching, course design, assessment or any topic related to your faculty work. If you want to talk, but don’t have a specific need or if you just want a sounding board, that’s fine too. Meeting options are available for 15-minute, 30-minute, or 1-hour increments.
On a recent Faculty Forum, OFD’s blog, Maru Gonzalez, Kimberly Allen, Angela Smith, and Maria Gallardo-Williams wrote about the need to be more intentional about centering equity, diversity, and inclusion in our work with students. They compiled a list of best practices, resources, suggested readings, and email templates. You can read their full blog post here.
Faculty with questions about remote instruction or other faculty work are invited to schedule an Office of Faculty Development Office hour. Diane Chapman, OFD executive director ,will be available for OFD Office hours using this link: https://calendly.com/dianechapman. She has more than 20 years of online teaching experience and is an expert in instructional design and evaluation. Come with your questions and concerns about remote teaching, course design, assessment or any topic related to your faculty work. If you want to talk, but don’t have a specific need or if you just want a sounding board, that’s fine too. Meeting options are available for 15-minute, 30-minute, or 1-hour increments.

From NC State DELTA:

DELTA is offering weekly workshops throughout the summer to help you continue to navigate the shift to remote instruction. We’ll cover the tools, techniques and strategies you need to effectively teach online. See the list of offerings.
Interested in improving the quality of your online or blended course based on nationally recognized standards? Check out the Course Quality Program’s fall 2020 opportunities! Apply by June 30.
In need of assistance getting your online course together? Check out our step-by-step online course creation support website for instructional design best practices and resources to make your course more efficient and effective for you and your students. See DELTA’s step-by-step guide.
Throughout the summer, DELTA classrooms, studios and mini-studios are available for instructors to pre-record content for summer or fall classes. Our support staff will be available to assist faculty with recording. Request your spot.

From the Office of Global Engagement:

The University Global Partnership Network (UGPN) is pleased to announce the Research Collaboration Fund (RCF) 2020 call for proposals. The RCF supports international activities leading to high-quality research collaborations between UGPN partner institutions. For the RCF 2020 call, the network particularly welcomes proposals demonstrating:
- the potential for impact on one or more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and/or:
- a focus on the COVID-19 global pandemic and related impacts

Funding of up to $10,000 per participating institution in each successful proposal will be made available for travel, subsistence, consumables related to the project, and the dissemination of results. Projects run from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021. The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday July 6. For further information and to make an application, please visit the member’s area of the UGPN website. For queries, please contact David Dixon or email ugpn@surrey.ac.uk.

From the Office of Information Technology:

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) is moving all summer training events online! Click the workshop titles below for more details and to register. Visit REPORTER for a complete schedule and view the Calendar for monthly offerings.

From the Office of Research and Innovation:

The Office of Research and Innovation debuted a new research administration and compliance website earlier this month: https://research.ncsu.edu/administration/.This page combines the functionality of two research support units webpages, Sponsored Programs and Regulatory Compliance Services, and Contacts and Grants. The site was built in partnership with the Office of Finance and Administration with an eye to improving the user experience of research administrators.
Enterprise Research Administration (ERA) Project: The Conflict of Interest and Notice of Intent (COI/NOI) module is now live, launched for a limited audience on May 12. The COI/NOI module replaces the separate legacy COI and NOI online systems, with both forms now being housed in the Research Enterprise Data (RED) system.Now that the COI/NOI module is live, the legacy systems have been deprecated to prevent new-data entry. They will remain read-only accessible for reference, review and reporting until winter 2020. All new COI disclosures and NOI forms must now be submitted through RED. Read more on the Enterprise Research Administration (ERA) website.