- The Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost invites you to submit nominations for the 2024 Provost’s Unit Awards for Excellence. Nomination deadlines and procedures including the Human Resources’ submission link are included in this document or read them on the Provost’s Office website. Provost’s Office units include Assessment and Accreditation, Continuing and Lifelong Education, DELTA, Enrollment Management and Services, Faculty Excellence, Global Engagement, the Graduate School, the Institute for Emerging Issues, Institutional Equity and Diversity, Institutional Strategy and Analysis, Instructional Programs, University Interdisciplinary Programs, NC State University Libraries, and Outreach and Engagement. If you have questions about the nomination procedures, submission processes or the timeline, please contact Sherry Bailey at sbbailey@ncsu.edu.
- NC State lowers building temperatures and utility costs in unoccupied campus buildings during winter holiday as part of the university’s Holiday Energy Savings Initiative (HESI). Since 2005, HESI has safely lowered building temperatures and utility costs in unoccupied campus buildings during the winter holiday period when the university is closed for about 10 consecutive days. Learn more about the program and impacted campus buildings at go.ncsu.edu/HESI.
- Poe Hall Updates: To help ensure the community can quickly access important information and resources related to the Poe Hall closure and environmental testing, the university has launched a website that will serve as a source for updates as NC State moves forward. The university will also continue providing updates via email to campus and those impacted by the closure.
From the Data Science Academy:
- North Carolina is leading K-12 in the data revolution. Read our recap of the first statewide NC Data Science Education Summit hosted by the DSA, Data Science 4 Everyone, Friday Institute, The Science House and NC School of Science and Mathematicsand learn how educators are “fostering data-literate youth equipped to lead NC forward.”
From DELTA:
- For the 2024 spring semester, Wicked Problems, Wolfpack Solutions (WPWS) kicks off on December 8 and runs through Jan. 5. WPWS is a special multidisciplinary, online experience created for all incoming first-year and transfer students. It is a no-cost, two-credit course that covers topics designed to encourage students to explore different disciplines, connect with their professors and peers, and apply the topics they are learning to the world around them. The focus of the current WPWS session is (Y)Our Health, which was also the focus for WPWS in summer 2023. Led by Associate Teaching Professors Melissa Ramirez and Jason Flores, each unit is designed to pique student interest by featuring a real-life situation, story or hook. It then offers a wide range of multidisciplinary perspectives on the topic. The underlying themes include:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Social justice
- Agency
- Academic, scholarly and community solutions, innovations, and opportunities
- Assistant Teaching Professors Ignacio Dominguez and Alexander Card are quite familiar with the practical examples and active learning activities typically employed in a highly interactive game design course. Both teach in the Department of Computer Science (CSC) at NC State University. When working with CSC students for the required CSC 281: Foundations of Interactive Game Design course, however, they discerned a need for more class time to allow for deeper discussions, more nuanced analysis of existing games and iterations of game design choices. Learn how they utilized a DELTA Course Design Grant to redesign a course to a flipped classroom model.
- As the semester winds down, it is time again to sunset our current courses and prepare for the next semester. This transitional period offers an opportunity for reflection on the challenges and accomplishments of the past few months. Taking stock of lessons learned and identifying areas for improvement can contribute to a more focused and productive approach in the upcoming term. DELTA Faculty Fellow Megan Lupek shares her thoughts on seamless semester transitions and effective course preparation in her article, “End of Semester Tips and Tricks”. This article will provide tips and tricks to smoothly wrap up the current semester, including effective time management strategies and methods to consolidate and organize course materials. These practices aim to facilitate a seamless transition and set the stage for a successful launch into the new semester.
- DELTA has modified hours for its LearnTech Help Desk over winter break. The help desk will be closed starting Thursday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. and will reopen Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024 at 8 a.m. For LearnTech help, email learntech@ncsu.edu or visit https://delta.ncsu.edu/get-help/.
From the Office for Faculty Excellence:
- The 2024-25 Provost’s Faculty Fellows Program is now accepting applications. The Provost’s Faculty Fellows Program allows talented faculty to explore academic leadership roles at the university’s highest levels. Current NC State faculty interested in learning more about academic affairs administration can hone their skills as faculty leaders through working closely with Provost’s Office staff on projects that are meaningful to them and the university. Applications are open now through Jan. 12, 2024.
- We know that you, as faculty, are often the first to learn about challenges to your students’ wellbeing. We are interested in knowing more about your experiences and about how the Office of Faculty Excellence and other campus units can support you and your students. Please read this article, Professors Struggle With Demands to Tend to Students’ Mental Health, in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Learn more.
From the Office of Information Technology:
- The Office of Information Technology (OIT) announces its quarterly extended maintenance schedule for next year. OIT applies critical updates and security patches during extended maintenance and performs hardware and equipment maintenance to support campus IT services and infrastructure. Many IT services will be unavailable during this time. OIT will perform extended maintenance:
- Feb. 3-4, 2024
- April 6-7, 2024
- July 13-14, 2024
- Nov. 2-3, 2024
If you have any questions regarding these maintenance windows, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal at https://help.ncsu.edu or call 919.515.HELP (4357).
- With so many cyber threats lurking in the shadows of the digital world, cybersecurity can be a scary — and overwhelming — topic. NC State’s best defense against both cyberattacks and apprehension is awareness, and that awareness starts with employees. All university employees, including student employees, are required to complete the annual Data Security Training before Wednesday, Jan. 31. The online training module covers cybersecurity best practices to help identify possible attacks and protect NC State and personal data. If you have questions about the Data Security Training, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal at https://help.ncsu.edu or call 919.515.4357 (HELP).
- If you have used the REPORTER non-credit course registration system recently, you might have noticed some design and navigational changes. Earlier this month, OIT Enterprise Application Services made two significant updates to the system that added tile-based navigation and a new course catalog and simplified search.
From Innovation and Entrepreneurship:
- Interested in learning more about NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s biggest startup competition, VenturePack Challenge? These virtual info sessions will provide an overview of the competition, how the judging rounds work leading up to the awards show, who qualifies, where to look for assistance, and more.
Please RSVP in advance for your info session of choice. There are multiple sessions leading up to the application deadline on Sunday, Feb. 18th at 11:59 p.m. Sessions will be brief and allow for any questions needed. Please note these below to find a time that works for you:
- Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024 at 5 p.m.
- Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024 at 2 p.m.
- Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 at 11 a.m.
- Sessions will be held at the Albright Entrepreneurship Garage at Partners I. RSVP at https://entrepreneurship.ncsu.edu/events/.
From the Institute for Emerging Issues:
- IEI has welcomed Samantha Graham as the new Director of Community Initiatives. In this role, Graham will work across IEI and externally with key partners and stakeholders to identify issues critical to North Carolina’s future economic competitiveness, civic health and community vibrancy, and create solutions to addressing these issues.
- The Institute for Emerging Issues is pleased to announce the appointment of Ashley Ruffin and Jess George to its National Advisory Board. Ruffin serves as chief impact officer at both Civic and Local Government Federal Credit Unions. George is the head of digital equity and community impact (U.S.) and the head of government and community affairs (East Region) for Google Fiber in Charlotte.
- The latest episode of the IEI Connector Podcast provides tips for navigating conflict during the holidays. IEI Director Sarah Hall speaks with MDC Vice President of Partnerships and Programs Calvin Allen and MDC Program Director Kathryn Gaasch about navigating conflict during the holidays.
From the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity:
- Join Multicultural Student Affairs and the NC State community Jan. 15-19 as we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and explore the topic of Persistence: A Roadmap to Equity, Freedom, and Justice. Through this interactive, intergenerational dialogue, we will discuss how our panelists have embodied the spirit of persistence in their personal, civic and professional lives and engaged people in the work of equity, freedom and justice. The panelist will offer their perspective on what persistence should look like as we move toward the future. Our 2024 MLK commemoration panelists are:
- Jason Miller, professor of English in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
- Keon McGuire associate professor of higher education opportunity, equity and justice in the College of Education.
- DeLeon Gray, associate professor of educational psychology and equity in the College of Education.
- Chazzlyn Jackson, a Ph.D. student in sociology in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
There will be a special reception following the keynote at 5:30 p.m. Register here.
From Institutional Strategy and Analysis:
- Implementation Insights: Last month’s article on strategic plan implementation focused on shared positions – how they can benefit the university and lessons learned by units who have them. This month, we dig deeper into that same topic and examine how shared positions are established and managed. Read more here.
From the Office of Research and Innovation:
- Hundreds of NC State faculty are among the world’s top-cited researchers, according to data compiled by Stanford University. The Elsevier Data Repository published the annual report in October, identifying the world’s top 100,000 research scientists — which included nearly 300 current or former faculty at NC State. These 100,000 scientists represent the top 2% of researchers around the globe, according to the data.
