NC State’s student progress reporting system, available through MyPack Portal, has been centralized and improved for the 2023-24 academic year. Available for all instructors for all students, course progress reports are intended to be a timely intervention to identify and contact students who are having academic challenges, and provide successful subsequent interventions before these students withdraw or get too far behind in their coursework. Learn more about the system here.
A request has been sent out to instructors for student-athletes to submit progress reports by September 27. A progress reporting system training is available on Monday, September 25 at 2 p.m.; instructors can sign up for the training in Reporter. Questions about progress reporting should be directed to: course-progress-reports@ncsu.edu.
Bradley Davis has been named the new faculty and staff ombuds for NC State. His appointment was effective August 28. In his role, Davis will offer independent and confidential support for faculty and staff as they navigate workplace concerns or conflicts.
From DELTA:
The Faculty Fellows Grants program strives to promote excellence in teaching with technology by fostering the exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary partnerships. DELTA will have four continuing and three new Faculty Fellow grant recipients to collaborate with during the 2023-2024 academic year. The new Faculty Fellows are: Anna Gibson, assistant teaching professor, Department of English, College of Humanities and Social Sciences;Wendy Krause, associate professor, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science, Wilson College of Textiles; and Megan Lupek, assistant teaching professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, College of Natural Resources.
We all know that seafood is a protein option packed with nutrients — but preparing it at home can be intimidating. The folks at the North Carolina Sea Grant, an official NC State partner, work to promote healthy eating using local seafood caught off the coast of North Carolina. When they had the idea of a Cooking with North Carolina Seafood Video Series, they turned to DELTA for assistance. Learn more.
Immersive learning at its finest! A DELTA Exploratory Grant delivered an augmented reality app that projects a life-sized horse into your environment. It also updated a version of the “chat bot” branching dialog tool. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a horse available while learning how to care for it in the comfort of your dorm room or home? Well, now you can with the Trot to Trophy 2 TPR app developed through a partnership between College of Agriculture and Life Sciences , College of Veterinary Medicine and DELTA.
When NC State faculty find themselves looking to solve pedagogical challenges, they often turn to DELTA for solutions. Specifically, DELTA Express Grants offer help to explore specific innovative teaching methods or technologies. These grants usually involve focused but limited DELTA support, typically over the course of a single semester. A DELTA team recently shared the outcomes from two DELTA Express Grants for two courses within the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology that had overlapping objectives that included 3D object scanning. Learn more.
From the Office for Faculty Excellence:
Faculty LEAD applications are now open, and the application deadline has been extended to Sept. 22. The Faculty LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) Program, sponsored by NC State’s Learning and Organizational Development, Office for Faculty Excellence and Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity is intended for faculty members who want to become better leaders. This certificate is offered at no cost, but participation is capped at 30 faculty members. To apply for one of the 30 spots, fill out the application form by noon on Friday, Sept. 22. Acceptance notifications will be sent by Sept. 26.
In Fall 2023, Kirsti Cole (Department of English) and Roy Schwartzman (Department of Communication) became the new co-directors of Campus Writing and Speaking Program, working closely with Executive Director Dr. Chris Anson (English). We welcome department and unit heads to participate in this preliminary Campus Writing and Speaking Program survey. We are here to support you! Please contact us at writing_speaking@ncsu.edu to find out more.
From the Genetics and Genomics Academy:
Melissa Ramirez, Ph.D., has joined the Genetics and Genomics Academy as Director of Undergraduate Programs. She will be designing a series of undergraduate courses aimed at non-science majors to increase genetics and genomics literacy.
The Genetics and Genomics Academy is co-hosting a special two-day event on September 25-26 with Brian Donovan of BSCS Science Learning with the Genetic Engineering and Society Center, the College of Education, and the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership. Donovan’s research is concerned with the relationship between genetics education and social-cognitive biases.
From the Global One Health Academy:
Applications for the Global One Health Academy Graduate Travel Awards are now open. These awards support graduate students for international or domestic travel that advances their global One Health-related research. The deadline to apply is October 13.
From the Office of Information Technology:
During National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) in October, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) is partnering with the NC State Department of Computer Science, the ePartners Program, and CISCO to bring you “Tidy Up Your Digital Tracks” to encourage you to review and change how you use and store data at NC State and home. This year’s virtual keynote event will feature Cyber Strategic Advisor David Stone of Google Cloud who will present “Securing the Internet at the Speed and Scale of Google” on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. Additional events include: Be Wise With Your Data (Oct. 5 and 13), Data Security Training (mid-October), and Track Your Digital Footprints (Oct. 18 and 19). Attend these events for an opportunity to win great prizes, including a LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System set, a Fujifilm Instax Mini 40 Instant Film Camera with accessories bundle, and a Ring Video Doorbell 4. Register for each event at NC State’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month website at https://go.ncsu.edu/csam2023.
From Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
Shaun Deardorff, a senior in aerospace engineering, is the 2023 recipient of the John and Linda Leazar Award in Entrepreneurship. This award supports NC State students who have demonstrated initiative and a commitment to entrepreneurial excellence in support of their own personal ambitions as well as the support of NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Learn more.
This summer, NC State Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and 321 Coffee joined forces to pilot a new initiative called the “Changemaker Fellowship.” Audrey Westlund is the first Social Innovation Fellow to participate in the Changemaker Fellowship, a holistic learning experience that combines theoretical knowledge, practical skills and personal development. Learn more about Audrey and her experience.
Applications are live for the 2024 Spring Break trip to Silicon Valley. Applications are due by November 26. A student and faculty group will visit startups and companies to see the work being done by NC State alumni and other entrepreneurs in and around famous Silicon Valley.
The Campfire portal is a new student tool for mentorship, support and engagement. This tool is the hub for students to organize what they’re working on, find opportunities to get engaged with innovation and entrepreneurship, and to find support and mentorship for the projects they’re working on and for their own professional development.
From the Institute for Emerging Issues:
The Institute for Emerging Issues has released the biennial report for the Building a New Digital Economy in NC (BAND-NC) program. This report shares updates from the past two fiscal years of the BAND-NC program, which works to address the digital divide in North Carolina. Highlights include information on local-level digital inclusion planning in rural communities, funding updates, the latest on our work with statewide partners and the program’s plans for the future.
From Institutional Strategy and Analysis:
The Institutional Strategy and Analysis (ISA) Factbook Dashboards for Enrollment, Student Credit Hours, Graduation andRetention, and Degree and Certificate Completions now include fall 2023 census and/or summer II 2023 post-grade completion data.
ISA updates each Wolfpack 2030 metric once a year (except those based on bi/triennial surveys). Metric updates occur throughout the year to ensure the site information is as fresh and timely as possible. The following metric categories were updated at the end of August. Use each page’s left-side navigation to view all available metrics within a category.
Monthly Implementation Insights: Courtney Thornton, associate vice provost for strategy, implementation and communication, holds every-other-month calls with each FY22-24 implementation plan contact to learn about their latest progress and foreseeable challenges. Each month, she’ll be using this space to: raise awareness about completed or ongoing initiatives; help initiatives seek input or feedback from the university community; or share high-level, cross-cutting observations related to implementation and success. This inaugural Implementation Insights is focused on change management – developing and delivering strategies and processes to prepare and support individuals, teams or organizations in adopting a change.
Several of NC State’s implementation plan initiatives are intended to dramatically alter business practices or introduce new ways of working. Change management can help individuals feel more informed and involved in a change process. It can help mediate the risks that accompany change and allow teams to realize the benefits of change more quickly. Some peer universities employ trained staff to help units walk successfully through major change initiatives.
Additionally, ISA wants you to share your feedback. Have you ever felt well-prepared for a major change that affected how you perform your role at NC State? What actions or events helped you feel prepared? Tell us about it here.
From the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs:
The Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs (OUIP) is launching the Climate Solutions Collaborative this fall. The Climate Solutions Collaborative was identified as a key need during OUIP’s Climate Change Synergies Workshop in February 2023. This new convening focuses on linking programmatic leaders of centers, institutes, academies, initiatives and other substantial research, teaching and extension teams to leverage resources and strengths. The Climate Solutions Collaborative will operate in synergistic ways that advance our shared mission as it relates to climate change research, education and engagement. Ongoing coordination is being provided by the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative, Global One Health Academy, North Carolina State Climate Office, KIETS Climate Leaders Program and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. This fall the Collaborative will have a dedicated space on the OUIP webpage, which will be developed through a “Campus as a Classroom” project and will include a self-nominated faculty directory. For more information, please contact Kelsey Hart at khart2@ncsu.edu.
