October 2021 Announcements

• Stay up-to-date on all university COVID-19 updates and reminders. Read the latest message to the NC State community and review the Protect the Pack website regularly.
• NC State’s Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost will be undergoing several organizational changes soon as the office works to further the university’s mission. Two new positions will be created: Senior Vice Provost for Instructional Programs and Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs. The Senior Vice Provost for Instructional Programs will oversee the McKimmon Center for Extension and Continuing Education, Digital Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA), the Office of Assessment and Accreditation, academic program planning including new degree programs and dual degree programs, and other select universitywide academic programs. The Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs will oversee the new Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, a central office to direct interdisciplinary work at NC State.
• All members of the NC State community are being asked to review and provide feedback on the Post COVID-19 Innovation Task Force executive summary and individual task force reports (Instruction and Student Support, Research, How We Work, and Digital Transformation). This feedback will be valuable in determining what changes to implement and best practices for doing so. Further information on the task forces and the four reports can be found on the 2021 Post COVID-19 Innovation Task Force website. Please provide responses by Friday, October 29. 

Administrator Updates

• Senior Vice Provost for Academic Strategy and Resource Management and Provost’s Office Chief of Staff Duane Larick will retire effective January 1, 2022, after 37 years of service to NC State. 
• Senior Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship Tom Miller will retire effective July 1, 2022, after 40 years of service to NC State. Miller previously stepped down as Senior Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Entrepreneurship in 2021 to focus on leading NC State Entrepreneurship.
• Debbie Acker, interim director of NC State’s Shelton Leadership Center (SLC), has been named permanent director of the center, effective October 1. 
• An open search for the dean of the College of Education is ongoing. Dean Mary Ann Danowitz returned to the college’s faculty in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy and Human Development on October 5. Paola Sztajn, a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences who recently served as interim associate vice provost for academic personnel and policy, is serving as interim dean.

From the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative:

• The newly established annual KIETS Climate Leaders Program (CLP) is designed to empower, educate and inspire the next generation to embark on careers and become innovative leaders in addressing climate change. KIETS CLP will select NC State students as KIETS Climate Leadership Scholars annually, who will be supported to work with our world’s best leaders and organizations working on climate change solutions. 2022 program components include: a one-year commitment, internship, Climate Leadership Academy, and Climate Leadership Symposium, with funding provided for Scholars and their faculty mentors.

A NC State faculty or professional staff member who is interested in mentoring a candidate must nominate a full-time undergraduate or graduate student who will not graduate prior to Spring 2023. More details about the program and the nomination/application process can be found at https://climateleaders.kenan.ncsu.edu/. Nomination and application forms must be submitted online by 11:59 pm, October 31, 2021. Contact Amanda Mueller (919.515.4265 or ammuell2@ncsu.edu) with any questions.

• NC State’s Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative has several upcoming talks. In-person attendance is welcomed or virtual attendance is available at https://go.ncsu.edu/coastalresilience. 
  • October 27 – Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion: Community engagement and co-production of research with KC Busch, Jean Goodwin, Susan White and Leslie Boney.
  • November 10 – Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion: Coupled human and natural systems with Gavin Smith, Dave Eggleston and Casey Dietrich.

From DELTA:

• DELTA is now accepting applications for both the Quality Matters Essential Standards Program (QMESP) and the Online Course Improvement Program (OCIP). Application deadline for both programs is Nov. 5, 2021.
• DELTA announces 13 Express Grant recipients for the 2021-2022 academic year, including virtual tools, instructional tools and rapid design grants.
• DELTA’s 30-minute workshop series, Encouraging Engagement in Your Course, are designed to give you a high-level overview of new products and share updates, tips and tricks for your favorite existing tech. Register now!
• DELTA Faculty Fellow Elaine Bohórquez discusses how she chooses instructional tools for her courses and suggests how best to approach choosing technology tools to fit your pedagogical and logistical needs.
• Learn more about how the 2021 DELTA Summer Shorts support faculty exploring instructional technologies and the ways faculty at NC State are using what they learned to improve their courses with instructional technologies.
• There are multiple ways to take attendance in a course using digital tools, but now with the need for contact tracing, there are more factors to consider. We provide several options to help you with this process with a focus on enterprise tools available here at NC State.
• There is a big difference between preparing an effective online course and simply recording lectures and putting them in Moodle. Kimberly Allen, the new associate director of academic programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, shares some insight on how this semester is going from her conversations with students and faculty.

From the Office for Faculty Excellence:

• Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden is pleased to invite nominations for the Provost’s Faculty Fellows Program for Fall 2022. The program is designed for current NC State faculty who are interested in learning more about academic affairs administration at the university, in developing their skills as faculty leaders, and in working closely with Provost’s Office staff on projects that are meaningful to them and to the university. Up to six (6) faculty fellows will be selected and their departments will be provided with 25% salary release funds to cover the time commitment required for participation. Fellowships are for two semesters: Fall 2022 and Spring 2023. Applications are due via email to Jonathan Holloway, OFE Program Coordinator, by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17.

From the Office of Global Engagement:

• The annual Global Engagement Institute (GEI) provides professional development opportunities for faculty and staff interested in developing research, scholarship or academic programs that strengthen and enhance NC State’s collaboration with global partners. Each year, a GEI cohort of up to 12 faculty and/or staff members is selected to participate in a variety of activities focusing on a world region or topical orientation. For the 2021-2022 academic year, the emphasis will be on developing academic and research collaboration through the Global Learning for All initiative. Learn more. 
• As part of NC State Global’s Global Learning for All Initiative, NC State Global has officially launched a new networking platform (AIRTABLE), which provides an interactive way to connect across campus and beyond. Sign up today. 
• This month’s global alumni spotlight highlights Dr. Brian Waters, who was born to and raised by an American dad and Japanese mom, sparking his interest in Japanese culture at an early age. Inspired by his study abroad semester, he has now been living in Japan for the past 10+ years. 
• NC State Global has a YouTube Channel which hosts recent event recordings. View it here. 
• Nominations for our Distinguished Global Alumni Awards opened on September 25. The awards ceremony will be held on April 20, 2022. Learn more. 

Other Announcements:

• Thursday October 14, 2021 marked the fourth annual Ombuds Day. This is a program established by the American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section Ombuds Committee and further supported by the International Ombuds Association. The Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office is open to help employees navigate workplace issues. Meetings by phone and by virtual format are available. Learn more.
• Ready to gain practical skills to shift prejudicial attitudes and practice allyship for one another? Take advantage of these opportunities to attend upcoming open enrollment workshops facilitated by NC State’s National Coalition Building Institute team. These workshops are open to all members of the NC State community. 

The Building Bridges workshop focuses on better understanding our own identities and strengthening our understanding of each other in diverse communities. Participants will: celebrate their similarities and differences; identify the misinformation that they have learned about other groups; identify and heal from internalized oppression; claim pride in their own group identities; and gain empowerment by learning concrete tools for changing prejudicial comments and actions.

The Finding Common Ground session trains leaders to deal constructively with tough conflicts, enabling them to move disputing parties toward future cooperation. Participants learn to reframe controversial issues into a context where all parties are able to work toward a common solution. The skills taught in this workshop can be used by anyone in any conflict situation from simple misunderstanding to heated debate.

Learn more about this fall’s open enrollment opportunities.