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February 2021 Announcements

February 2021 Announcements

February 9, 2021 15-min. read
Memorial Belltower

COVID-19 Updates:

  • Community Standards Updates
    • The university’s COVID-19 community standards have been updated with some key changes around face covering requirements. NC State has also made adjustments to provide additional clarity to the rule about personal safety requirements related to COVID-19.
    • Face coverings are now required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors everywhere on campus, indoors and outdoors, even when alone, unless:
      • You are alone in a private, enclosed residence room, apartment or office with the door closed.
      • You are actively eating or drinking while maintaining physical distancing.
    • In addition to adhering to face covering requirements, all students, faculty, staff and visitors should adhere to the following community standards:
      • Practice good hand hygiene.
      • Maintain an appropriate physical distance from others (at least 6 feet).
      • When sick, stay home from work or class.
      • Follow all directions given by university officials and public health authorities.
      • Adhere to mass gathering limitations.
      • Comply with all local and state laws and ordinances.
  • Disciplinary and Administrative Actions for Violations
    • All students, faculty and staff are expected to follow these standards both on and off campus. Those found in violation of community standards may be subject to disciplinary or administrative action.
    • Students who violate community standards can face sanctions including disciplinary probation, suspension and/or loss of on-campus housing. For more information on sanctions for students violating community standards, please click here. Students have already faced disciplinary action this semester, including interim suspension, for hosting or attending large off-campus parties and for other community standards violations.
    • Supervisors of employees who violate community standards should work with them on corrective action plans.
  • Keeping Our Pack Healthy
    • The community standards and associated rule are just two of several measures in place to help keep every member of the Pack safe and healthy. Please stay up to date with important COVID-19 news, resources and related information on the Protect the Pack site.
  • Testing Is Available at No Cost; It’s Easy and Convenient
    • Testing is available to all students, faculty and staff who work on, live on or come regularly to campus, and is limited to one test weekly. 
    • Some members of the campus community are required to be tested weekly, including students living on campus and select employees working in face-to-face roles. 
    • The process itself can be completed in five minutes or less, which we hope helps participants incorporate testing into their weekly routine.
    • Regular testing is just one of the ways we help keep our community safe. It remains vital that everyone follow community standards, including wearing a face covering, practicing good hygiene and physical distancing, staying home when sick and following university, state and local guidelines related to COVID-19.
  • Student Health Services will continue to provide testing for symptomatic individuals throughout the semester. 
  • EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO ASSIST WITH SURVEILLANCE TESTING! As we continue surveillance testing, which is being coordinated through the Division of Academic and Student Affairs, we need additional assistance to help make this an efficient and successful process. We are counting on the Wolfpack community to step up and we encourage employees who have time to sign up for at least one 3-hour shift a week. You can also get tested during your shift. In general,  volunteers are needed 7:30am – 4:30pm, Monday – Friday, with multiple slots for tasks per shift per day.
    • Tasks Needed:
      • Onsite testing operations: facilitate contactless sample collection. This will be done in a variety of locations including Witherspoon, Greek Village, Centennial Campus, and Clark Dining Hall.
      • Processing: review labels, review paperwork, data entry.
    • Coordinator: Ben Strunk, bdstrunk@ncsu.edu, will be your point of contact in coordinating shifts and assignments.
    • Training: Each person that is assisting with our testing efforts needs to complete a brief online training. You will need to have it completed prior to your first shift and it should not take more than an hour. This is required of everyone providing assistance.
    • To get started, fill out this interest form and you will hear back with a link to the online training and the Signup Genius.
    • Scheduling Shifts:
      • Signup Genius is how we are managing the schedule and to communicate if there are schedule changes. You can swap shifts with each other as well.
      • After you select your shifts, you will receive confirmation of what you signed up for each day. Signup Genius also allows you to keep up with your shifts by adding it to your calendar and it will send you a reminder the day before.
      • You must use your NC State email address and it will require you to add your phone number for each shift. Phone number allows us to use the texting feature. It is free to create an account with Signup Genius if that is easier but it is not required.
    • Feel free to share this with others and THANK YOU in advance for your willingness to help and give back to the NC State community.

From the Speakers and Lectures Committee:

  • NC State’s University Speakers and Lectures Committee, with support from the Harrelson Fund and in conjunction with the Institute for Emerging Issues Forum, will host a speech from Rich Harwood on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 2:55 p.m. Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute, will speak on “A Call to Step Forward: Bridging Divides and and Healing Our Communities.”

Communities are facing unprecedented challenges from a global pandemic to economic upheaval to political turmoil to the injustices of systemic racism. We are seeing growing divisions and a deep lack of trust and belief in one another and our institutions. Harwood offers a new path forward. Drawing from more than three decades working in communities around the world, he challenges people to reimagine and recreate our communities, our lives, and  our nation. Join this dynamic session to hear Harwood share inspiring stories and practical guidance for how we can get our communities on a more just, fair, equitable, inclusive and hopeful path forward. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Administrator Updates:

  • Effective Feb. 1, Gavin Williams is the interim head of the Department of Chemistry in the College of Sciences, replacing Ed Bowden.
  • Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Search: The nomination committee met recently to identify candidates for first round interviews, which will take place between Feb. 17 and Feb. 22. Stay up to date on the search by visiting the search page on the Provost’s Office website or go.ncsu.edu/chass-search.
  • Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Services Search: A mid-search review meeting took place on Jan. 22. The nomination committee will meet next on Feb. 23 to identify candidates for first round interviews. Stay up to date on the search by visiting the search page on the Provost’s Office website or go.ncsu.edu/emas-search.

From DELTA:

From the Office of Faculty Affairs:

  • The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program’s 2022-2023 Competition is open and has released the new catalog of Fulbright opportunities. The catalog features many new and exciting opportunities including fellowships in the following areas:
    • Over 50 grants to research and study in Canada, as well as 40 grants for teaching and research in India
    • Journalism and Media/Information Literacy grants in Japan, Bulgaria, and Albania
    • Brazil has new Distinguished Scholar awards in STEM, public policy, and democracy studies

You can access the catalog here to see the full scope of exciting opportunities. If you have any questions about Fulbright or are interested in applying, please reach out to the Director of External Faculty Awards and Recognition, Maria Almanza at maria_almanza@ncsu.edu.

  • Faculty awards are beneficial at all stages of your career, increasing visibility for your work and providing deserving recognition for your achievements. “The Award Ready Series” is aimed at all faculty, who are interested in applying to external awards now or in the future. The series features four webinars focused on key areas of awards and will be led by Maria Almanza. You may direct questions to maria_almanza@ncsu.edu .
    • Part 1: Applying for Early Career Awards- March 5, 10-11
      • This webinar is aimed at offering advice and best practices for early career faculty, who are interested in applying for external awards. Discussion will include:  identifying awards that are a good fit, considering when to apply, and setting award goals. This webinar will also provide a broad overview of best practices for application materials. 
      • To register for this webinar, please use the reporter registration link.
    • Part 2: Writing Strong Letters of Support- March 26, 10-11
      • Whether you are writing a nomination letter, serving as a referee, or seeking out letters of reference, this webinar is for you. We will discuss best practices for letter writing, including: how to best support claims, strategies for letter organization, as well as the “do’s” and “don’ts” of letter writing.
        • To register for this webinar, please use the reporter registration link .  
    • Part 3: Preparing Your CV for Award Applications- April 23rd, 10-11
      • This webinar will help participants polish their CV so that they can best represent themselves when applying to awards. Discussion will include: how to tailor your CV to specific awards, organization, design, and how to highlight one’s accomplishments for a selection committee.
      • To register for this webinar, please use the reporter registration link. 
    • Part 4: Application Tips and Best Practices- May 27, 10-11
      • The culmination of the “Award Ready Series”, this webinar will provide an overview of best practices when approaching the awards process and application materials. Topics discussed will include: choosing referees and soliciting reference letters, tailoring materials, and advice on planning ahead. This webinar is geared towards faculty, who were unable to attend earlier webinars during the Spring semester. Content will be derived from earlier sessions.  
      • To register for this webinar, please use the reporter registration link. 

From the Office of Faculty Development:

  • Do you have a writing task that you’ve been putting off? The Office of Faculty Development offers virtual writing retreats, Writing Wednesdays, designed to support you in getting it done! Until we return to in-person meetings on campus, the OFD team has designed synchronous 2.5-hour mini-retreats using the Pomodoro method. These sessions are scheduled via Zoom on March 3, and April 7. During these sessions, faculty participants will:
    • Work toward a specific writing task in a structured and supportive environment;
    • Be able to access resources from campus experts such as the Libraries, and the IRB office; and
    • Discover tips for preparing for the retreat and getting your writing done.

Special bonus for Writing Wednesdays: we have pre-recorded child edutainment provided by Arts NC State for your Wolfpack pups ages 3 to 12 years. Register today and plan to dedicate uninterrupted time to writing your article, grant proposal, book chapter, or dossier materials.

  • Many faculty members have experienced the pandemic crisis mode for almost an entire year, yet their teaching obligations must be fulfilled. For this reason, OFD is continuing our Faculty Conversation Series for Spring 2021 as a three-part series held in Zoom. For each of the three sessions, faculty will read a relevant article/paper about the topic (optional), receive question prompts, engage in conversation around the topic with other faculty members, and reflect on how the conversation may have changed thinking on the topic. All conversations will be facilitated by Dr. Maria Gallardo Williams, OFD SoTL Faculty Fellow. Spring 2021 Sessions:
    • Faculty Well-Being for the Long Term (Wednesday, February 10, 2021, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.), Special Guest – Dr. Angie Smith, Teaching Associate Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development: Are you stressed? We know we are. Let’s come together to discuss best practices to survive and thrive in this difficult teaching and learning environment created by the aftermath of COVID-19.
    • Ungrading: What is it and how does it work? (Wednesday, March 10, 2021, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.), Special Guest – Clarissa Sorensen-Unruh, FT Chemistry Instructor, Central New Mexico Community College: Ungrading is the latest buzzword in academia. The focus of ungrading is to provide extensive feedback to students and then jointly (students and instructors) come to a consensus as to what the grade should be. Come learn more from an experienced practitioner and decide if it might work for you.
    • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as Part of your Teaching Practice. (Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.), Special Guest – Dr. Diane Chapman, Executive Director, Office of Faculty Development: How does your teaching inform your scholarship, and how do we turn that into published work? Join us for a session filled with tips, inspiration, and information.

To register for any or all sessions, visit REPORTER.

From Faculty Senate:

  • Are you interested in how the broader university works and joining fellow faculty in advising senior administration? Consider running for next year’s Faculty Senate; find out more about running at go.ncsu.edu/senate-recruitment. Interested candidates should indicate their desire to run for a Senate seat and send a brief bio to Joni Lancaster at faculty_senate@ncsu.edu by Friday, Feb. 26 at 5 p.m.

From the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity:

  • Please consider submitting a proposal for the 2021 Gender and Equity Research Symposium. The symposium will take place on April 14, and the submission deadline is Feb. 15. This year’s symposium theme is Becoming Change Agents in Our Theory, Inquiry and Practice. To learn more about GERS and this year’s theme, read the story in Diversity Digest.

From the NC State University Libraries:

  • The Libraries is excited to reopen the Makerspace on Monday, Feb. 1 with new safety protocols. The Hill Library’s Makerspace will be open from 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (hours may be subject to change). To ensure safety, occupancy is limited to just three users of the space plus our staff. Use will be first-come, first-served. In order to accommodate more use, we will offer 3D printing by service request only. In short, you have free use of any of the other equipment in the Makerspace, but if you are 3D printing, then you must submit a request in advance.

The VR Studio is also reopening by reservation only. Its use will be even more limited due to the nature of the equipment and the space. Reservations are limited to one group of no more than two people at a time. To reserve the space, contact cpkeena2@ncsu.edu or request a technology consultation.

From the Office of Global Engagement:

  • The Office of Global Engagement will host Global 3D: Discuss, Discover, Develop on Friday, Feb. 12 from 10-11 a.m. The event is designed to help you get your students excited about class online! Research shows that COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) gets students more deeply engaged in their online courses. What is it? How can I do it? Join us for “how-to” conversations with experienced faculty and staff–an opportunity to get questions answered in a casual format. Please register for this event.
  • NC State’s Global Training Initiative (GTI) offers a virtual cultural exchange experience to NC State students and students at global partner institutions. The Developing Cultural Competence (DCC) certificate program was first launched in 2018 with 49 students participating in at least three of the workshops and a total of nine students graduating from the program. Participation quickly increased as, by 2019, 72 students had already graduated, and just last year in 2020, an impressive 281 students from NC State, SKEMA, and 32 partner institutions completed the program.

From the Office of Outreach and Engagement:

  • The Office of Outreach and Engagement’s latest newsletter is now available. This newsletter includes information on the unit’s 2021 Civic Action Plan, a faculty profile, upcoming awards and more.
  • The Office of Outreach and Engagement, the Engagement Operations Council, and the Academy of Outstanding Faculty in Extension and Engagement are pleased to announce the annual call for nominations for the Opal Mann Green Engagement and Scholarship Award due March 1. This annual recognition is awarded to a team (or teams) of individuals whose significant contributions and accomplishments have demonstrated excellence as engaged scholars who practice collaborative democratic strategies reflected in the Kellogg Commission Seven Part Test. Please nominate worthy teams in your college and/or unit. Also, please share this call with your faculty and staff, so that deserving teams are nominated. Learn more.
  • The Office of Outreach and Engagement announces the request for proposals for the Outreach and Engagement Incentive Grants Program. Proposals may be submitted by any NC State faculty member or EHRA staff who is eligible to submit a proposal to an external funding agency. Awards can be up to $10,000 per project and will become available in May 2021. The maximum number of awards for the spring 2021 competition is three. The funds would be available for use until the end of June 2022. Proposals for funding should be submitted to Samantha Graham, Innovative Engagement Program Manager, by email, no later than 5 p.m., on March 12. Learn more.

Other Announcements:

  • Please take advantage of the many outstanding opportunities to participate in Black History Month throughout February. One highlight is Blacks in Wax Weekend on Feb. 13-14, a program by the African American Cultural Center, the GLBT Center and the Women’s Center that acknowledges and celebrates Black history at NC State and beyond. Also, don’t miss the Red, White and Black Virtual Tour with beloved former African American Cultural Center program director Toni Harris “Mama” Thorpe. This virtual tour will revisit campus locations that helped give voice to the Black experience at NC State.

See a listing of more Black History Month events being held across NC State on the University Calendar. Read about some of the many accomplishments and contributions of African Americans who are part of NC State’s history by exploring this archive from NC State University Libraries. Learn more about the valuable programs offered by the African American Cultural Center, and about all four NC State community centers and all they provide to our community. Subscribe to the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity’s Diversity Digest to keep up to date on year-round celebrations, learning opportunities and ways to connect.

  • The College of Sciences invites you to its 2021 Celebrating Diversity in STEM Event on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. The keynote speaker is Andrea Duhon, an NC State mathematics alumna who is currently an assistant professor of mathematics at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, and the financial controller for solar energy company Enlight.Energy. Her talk is entitled, “Decoding Failure: Math, Love and Overcoming Fear.” Online registration is required. Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link prior to the event.
  • Know a member of the Wolfpack who has improved sustainability? Nominations are being accepted through March 1 for the NC State Sustainability Awards in the following categories: student, staff member, faculty member, department or student organization, and innovation/impact. Learn more and make a nomination today.
  • Poole College has launched the new Master of Management in Marketing Analytics, which will welcome its first class of students in fall 2021. It will be the second graduate in marketing analytics degree offered in the southeast, and the second graduate degree program focused on marketing within the state.
  • The Pack Survivor Supporter Alliance, a pilot training program for NC State faculty and staff interested in learning more about interpersonal violence and how to support student survivors at NC State and beyond, has announced training opportunities. Topics include Interpersonal Violence (IPV) on a College Campus for Faculty and Staff, Supporting Student Survivors of IPV for Faculty and Staff, and Building a Trauma-Informed Practice for Faculty and Staff. Registration is required.
  • The Feed the Pack Food Pantry is in need of items to restock its shelves for the spring semester. Most-needed items include: snacks, grits, ramen, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, baking ingredients, coffee, menstrual pads, hygiene items and can openers. Be sure to check out Pack Essentials for a list of other Basic Needs Resources.
  • Are you being stalked in cyberspace?  When you use digital technologies — smartphones, computers, video streaming and conferencing, social media, email, and geo-mapping services — you leave digital snapshots of your online activities that can be harvested for good and bad intentions. If you are concerned about how much of your information is in cyberspace, who is tracking your data online and how they are collecting it, then join a seven-member panel of NC State faculty, staff and industry partners for “Are You Being Stalked in Cyberspace?” on Friday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. These panelists will examine the data tracking ecosystem and the growing concerns with privacy in cyberspace. Bring all of your questions. To register for this and other data privacy events, visit NC State’s Data Privacy Month website. All events are co-sponsored by the NC State Office of Information Technology, the NC State Department of Computer Science, ePartners Program, LabCorp, and MetLife.

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