February 2023 Announcements

• The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost will offer a general information session on the Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure process. The session will be offered on two different dates. The session will include information about the process, an overview of the website and a question and answer period. New faculty with professorial rank in all tracks (tenure track, teaching, research, etc.), those who will soon be entering the RPT cycle, and anyone involved in reviewing candidates in the 2023-2024 RPT process are encouraged to attend. One session will be offered in person on Main Campus and the other session will be offered remotely via Zoom Webinar. No registration or RSVP is needed to attend these sessions.
  • Wednesday, March 8, 3-4:30 p.m. Cox Hall, Room 206    
  • Friday, March 24, 10-11:30 a.m. via Zoom Webinar, which will be accessible on March 24 at https://go.ncsu.edu/rptmeetings

Please familiarize yourself with the Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure website prior to participation. If you have questions please contact arjinnet@ncsu.edu.

• Review final proposals for NC State’s Next QEP: All NC State students, faculty and staff are encouraged to review the two final 2024-2029 Quality Enhancement Plan proposals, PackWays for All: Learn by Doing and Transfer Student Success Center, and supporting videos and provide input at go.ncsu.edu/qepselection by Monday, February 20.
• The second NC State Equity Research Symposium on March 8 seeks to address how equity informs research and highlight research that is being conducted on equity. The symposium is also interested in interdisciplinary equity-focused questions in need of sustained future research in all disciplines. The keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Shaun Harper, who is an expert on racial equity and conducts research that examines race, gender, and other aspects of equity in different organizational contexts including higher education. Please register here to attend the symposium.

• Nominations are now open for the NC State Staff Senate. The NC State Staff Senate represents over 6,000 NC State employees including all SHRA and EHRA professional and support staff, both on and off campus. Staff Senate is an advisory body to the chancellor; it provides feedback regarding concerns that affect staff, makes recommendations on policies and regulations that affect staff, and encourages a sense of community and engagement among all staff members. Each year the Staff Senate accepts nominations for open district seats. The online nomination process for Staff Senate is available now through noon on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at go.ncsu.edu/staff.senate.nominations.

Duties of senators include attending a one-day retreat in July, participating in all scheduled general meetings (first Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m.-noon), participating in a committee and attending committee meetings (one per month), communicating and disseminating information to constituents, and working to build a sense of community on campus.

• NC State is calling on graduate students, undergraduate students, postdocs, faculty and staff to take part in Envisioning Research, the university’s annual research image contest. Help us highlight the beauty and importance of the work being done at the bench and in the field, both on campus and around the world. (And, yes, there are cash prizes.) Submission forms and more information are available at: https://envisioning.research.ncsu.edu/. Submissions are due no later than June 19, 2023.
• University Communications is working with University Human Resources to redesign their central website and is looking for faculty and staff to provide feedback to make the website (hr.ncsu.edu) more useful and user-friendly. The anonymous survey should take at most 10 minutes and will help show when and why faculty and staff visit the website, what challenges they encounter, and how we can improve the experience for the wider university community.

Administrator and Search Updates

• Dean of the College of Engineering search: Four finalists for dean have been selected for on-campus interviews, which will begin next week. The finalists and their interview dates are:
  • Eileen Van Aken, Virginia Tech University: February 21-22
  • Robert Bishop, University of South Florida: February 23-24
  • Julie Swann, NC State University: February 28-March 1
  • Jim Pfaendtner, University of Washington: March 2-3

The candidates’ CVs and interview schedules, as well as Go links for the Zoom webinar open forums, are available on the search page on the Provost’s Office website or go.ncsu.edu/coe-search.

• Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences search: First round interviews were held the week of February 6 and finalists will be brought to campus in March. More information on the search is available at go.ncsu.edu/cals-search.
• Dean of the College of Sciences search: First round interviews are being held the week of February 13 and finalists will be brought to campus in March or early April. More information on the search is available at go.ncsu.edu/cos-search.
• Jory Weintraub was named director of science engagement in the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, effective January 3. 
• Steve McDonald was named interim head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, effective January 1.

From the Data Science Academy:

• The DSA is pleased to announce its 2023 Seed Grant program. This program, developed in collaboration with the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI), aims to increase interdisciplinary data science research at NC State by building and strengthening interdisciplinary networks among NC State researchers with shared interests in data science. The DSA anticipates making awards ranging from $20,000 – $50,000 each. Funds can support a range of activities that support interdisciplinary data science research, including but not limited to:
  • Hiring a common graduate or undergraduate student
  • Research-focused workshops or seminar series
  • Proposal ideation workshops
  • Travel in support of research or proposal writing
  • Speaker honoraria and travel expenses 

Successful proposals will demonstrate how the project aims to advance data science research, builds interdisciplinarity, and promotes accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion. The Seed Grant application window will open on February 13. Proposals must be submitted as one PDF via InfoReady. Review by March 13. Successful applicants will receive a notice of award in April 2023. For more information, please review our Seed Grant FAQ or send an email to dsaseedgrants@ncsu.edu.

• ASA DataFest™ at NC State is open to all undergraduate students at NC State. Graduate students may not compete in the event, but are encouraged to sign up as a mentor if interested. Mentors are welcome! There is no fee to participate. Students compete in teams of three to five. You may form your own team prior to the event, or you may ask to be placed on a team. We encourage you to create teams of individuals from different disciplines because you will benefit from having team members of diverse backgrounds and skills. Final projects are limited to three slides, so make your content count.

From DELTA:

• Start brainstorming your 2023-2024 DELTA Grants project proposals.
  • March 6: Group consultation sign-ups begin
  • March 20-April 21: Group Consultations
  • April 3-May 1: Submission system open

More info will be in the March DELTA Connections newsletter.

• Assistant Teaching Professor and Faculty Scholar Carrol Warren is committed to using instructional technology to create an inclusive online classroom space for her students. As a DELTA Faculty Fellow, she shares her knowledge of the learning technologies and teaching methods.
• Join us for the NC State Conference on Faculty Excellence set for March 9. This brand-new event replaces OFE’s long-running Teaching and Learning Symposium and DELTA’s Summer Shorts, and brings together campus partners with an investment in faculty excellence. Leading experts from NC State’s Office for Faculty Excellence, DELTA and University Libraries will offer workshops throughout the day. Get more details on the event webpage.
• Since Spring 2018 more than 400 faculty and staff have completed Quality Matters (QM) training. There are 61 QM-certified courses at NC State with more than 10,000 students enrolled annually. Email Bethanne Winzeler to learn more. See the QM-certified courses: https://go.ncsu.edu/qmcourses:2023-02-provost.  
• DELTA’s department of Planning and Assessment updated its name to Research and Analysis in July of 2022. The team discusses the reason and impact of the name change in a candid fashion. In addition, they spoke about their working relationships, future plans and current projects.
• What’s New in Zoom for Spring 2023? It’s hard to believe that three years ago, many of us at NC State had never participated in a Zoom meeting — much less hosted one. Then, suddenly in March 2020, we did everything via Zoom that we used to do in person. Read DELTA Instructional Technologist Jill Anderson’s tips on what’s new!

From the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity:

• The Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity will host the annual Recognizing Excellence in Diversity (RED) Event, presenting the Chancellor’s Creating Community Awards in six categories on Monday, April 17. The awards recognize outstanding faculty, staff, colleges, students, student organizations and alumni that have made exceptional efforts and contributions in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion during the course of the academic year. 
• Nominate a colleague, friend, student organization or on-campus unit for the Chancellor’s Creating Community Awards, which recognize outstanding faculty, staff, colleges, students, student organizations and alumni that have made exceptional efforts and contributions in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion during the course of the academic year. Please make a nomination via the nomination form by March 6.
• The African American Cultural Center and NC State University Libraries invite our NC State campus and surrounding community to our first annual Black Research Symposium. We center the theme “The Power of Community: Afro-Diasporic Worldbuilding and a Sustainable Futurity.”  As the first of its kind on NC State’s campus, the Black Research Symposium will feature Black diasporic learning, scholarship, and epistemologies via cutting-edge research, storytelling, creative works, discussion circles, community-based projects, and industry initiatives from the NC State campus and surrounding community. The symposium is a three-day event that will take place on March 23 – 25.
• The 2023 Sisterhood Dinner theme is Re-envisioning an Equitable Workplace. Sixty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, true equity in the workplace remains elusive. Women continue to make less than their male counterparts, in general, while disparities in pay disproportionately impact women of color. At the same time, women – particularly women of color – have been expected to take on the invisible labor of mentorship, volunteer work, and other uncompensated roles within the academy. As we celebrate the 38th anniversary of the Sisterhood Dinner, our theme, “Re-envisioning an Equitable Workplace,” seeks to redefine how the University bridges the pay gap among its employees, equitably compensates for “invisible” labor, and honors and values the unique contributions of women across NC State University.   

From the NC State University Libraries:

• The NC State University Libraries is now accepting nominations for its annual Libraries Faculty Award. First given in 1989, this award recognizes NC State faculty contributions to the Libraries’ mission, vision, and strategic initiatives. Providing services and resources that promote open, reproducible, and public scholarship is a strategic priority for the Libraries. This year’s award will be given to an NC State faculty member whose work consistently and notably supports the Libraries commitment to open and public scholarship. Visit the Libraries Faculty Award page for more information and to nominate a faculty member. The deadline for nominations is April 14.

From the Office of Research and Innovation:

• Envisioning a future without the need for donor organs, an NC State researcher is laying the foundation to grow stem cells into replacement organ tissue. Learn more.