August 2024 Announcements

Administrative Updates

• The Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity is now the Office of Equal Opportunity, which will be led by Sheri Schwab as vice provost for equal opportunity. This and other changes have been made to comply with the new UNC System policy, “Equality Within the University of North Carolina.”
• Eduardo Lorente has been named vice provost for budget and business Operations following a national search. His appointment becomes effective September 23.
• The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has announced that Sarah Kirby and David Monks will become the interim associate deans and directors of NC State Extension when Richard Bonanno departs at the end of August, with David Monks to serve as interim vice provost for outreach and engagement.
• Several new department head appointments became effective in August:
  • Audrey Barnes, Graphic Design and Industrial Design, College of Design
  • Jan Hawkins, Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
  • Gary Lackmann, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, College of Sciences
  • Michael Salazar, Military Science, Division of Academic and Student Affairs
  • Bruce Schulte, Biological Sciences, College of Sciences

From the Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative:

• The Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training (C-CRIT) Program, a collaboration between NC State’s Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative (CRSI) and Conservation Corps North Carolina, completed its inaugural year on July 19, 2024. Supported by NC State’s Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs and the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science, the program trains six AmeriCorps members annually to serve as Assessment Coordinators. Their mission is to create asset maps and vulnerability assessments for coastal communities in need.

During its first year, the C-CRIT team worked with Jones County, North Carolina, applying skills in geospatial analysis and GIS software to assess the county’s vulnerabilities and assets. Following the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program framework, the team engaged with local leaders and community members to map assets and analyze vulnerabilities, focusing on flooding.

Explore the deliverables from the 2024 C-CRIT Program:

• Online StoryMap, Jones County Resilience, which synthesizes the risk and vulnerability assessment
• Detailed Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Report and Appendices for Jones County, NC

Program members Lexy Boudreau, Sheridan Ely, Emma Hester, Roselyn Hopp, Mckinley Richardson, and Jack Voight gained significant insights and hands-on experience through the program. Led by Dr. Rebecca Ward and Dr. Georgina Sanchez, with support from Dr. Erin Seekamp and Amanda Mueller, the program has laid a strong foundation for future efforts. You can learn more about the C-CRIT program here. 

From Continuing and Lifelong Education

• NC State faculty and staff — we hope you’ll join us Aug. 27 for NC State Continuing and Lifelong Education’s 100-Year Celebration! Don’t miss a chance to engage in free professional development sessions and panel discussions. We’ll hear from keynote speaker Michelle Weise on “From the Future of Work to the Future of Workers.” Weise is a renowned thought leader and award-winning author of “Long-Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist Yet.” After the keynote, Provost Warwick Arden will facilitate a fireside chat with Weise.

From DELTA:

• The inaugural year of DELTA’s Course Accessibility Express Grant produced many successful projects. You can read more about how strategies were used to remove or significantly reduce barriers to access in online courses for NC State students.
• NC State just updated to Moodle 4.3 right in time for the fall semester! Assistant Director of Learning Technology Support Grace Hatterschide provides an overview of new features along with informative resources to help you navigate through this update.
• Instructors looking for a new way to engage their students this fall need look no further than the app store: DELTA is pleased to announce the launch of the new NC State Moodle app. You can use the app to gain a new perspective on making connections with your students.
• NC State instructors looking to address specific pedagogical challenges related to learning technology can apply for a semester-long DELTA Express Grant. Pairing DELTA learning technology expertise with faculty innovation, these grants foster greater student success in classes across the university through creative course improvement initiatives. 

DELTA offered two new express grant types last fall: Course Accessibility, which provides support to instructors working to remove barriers to equitable access in their courses, and Course Mapping. These highly versatile grant experiences pair DELTA experts with instructors to create a visual representation of how the course materials, activities and assessments align with its learning objectives.

• Congratulations to the 2024-2025 DELTA Grants Recipients! For 2024-2025, 38 recipients will receive a total of $256,000 in 34 new and continuing DELTA Grants. In collaboration with our faculty and campus partners, DELTA staff members look forward to creating innovative solutions to instructional challenges and increasing student success.
• NC State offers a robust selection of enterprise academic technologies and instructional tools to make course management easier for you. Learn about the latest improvements and offerings in DELTA’s Fall 2024 WolfWare News article.
• DELTA’s Accessibility Team is fast acquiring a reputation for exceptional leadership in fostering a culture of inclusion at NC State. Established in 2021, this interdisciplinary team works toward a strategic shared vision of educational equity for all students, regardless of ability or identity, through accessible digital practices.

As well as supporting NC State instructors in implementing accessibility tools and practices in online learning environments, the DELTA Accessibility Team was instrumental in creating the new DELTA Course Accessibility Express Grants. Learn more about how these grants help remove barriers to student success.

From the Office for Faculty Excellence:

• Mentoring Matters is a four-part professional development program designed in collaboration with NC State’s Graduate School to equip faculty with the tools and strategies to foster more productive and successful mentoring and advising relationships with graduate students. This new program consists of four 90-minute workshops every two weeks beginning on September 6. Learn more and sign up!
• Join Office for Faculty Excellence Faculty Fellow Stacy Supek and Assistant Provost for Faculty Engagement Melvin ‘Jai’ Jackson for “Back to Basics,” an interactive drop-in session designed to guide you through our mentor matching system. Whether you’re new to the process or just looking to refine your search, this session will provide personalized assistance to help you connect with the right mentor for your professional development goals.
• Faculty have two opportunities each semester to sign up for a writing retreat that supports faculty research, carves out supported writing time, and engages cross-disciplinary community. Each retreat will include up to 20 participants. Retreats are modeled around four-hour writing sprints. Learn more.
• Writing Wednesday’s will return this fall! These mini retreats in the Hunt Library Faculty Research Commons, will follow the Pomodoro technique in which participants write for 2-25 minute sessions with room for reflection and goal-setting in between. Click here for dates, times and location.
• Next up in the Faculty Conversation Series: Finding Mentors at NC State. Join us on Sept. 20 from 10-11 a.m. for an interactive drop-in session with Faculty Fellow Stacy Supak designed to guide you through our mentor matching system. Whether you’re new to the process or just looking to refine your search, this session will provide personalized assistance to help you connect with the right mentor for your professional development goals.
• The Campus Writing and Speaking Program is seeking applications for faculty participants for the upcoming semester-long Honing Oral and Written Communications (HOWL)Seminar. HOWL gives participating faculty the opportunity to workshop a course that is enriched by written, oral or digital student activities.
• Faculty On Track is a research-based and theory-driven six session workshop series designed to provide new and junior faculty with an organized and informed approach to understanding and engaging in ongoing preparation for evaluation in the Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure process. Registration is now open.

From the Global One Health Academy:

• The Global One Health Academy is proud to announce the Global One Health Scholars Program. This program will develop the next generation of leaders in One Health through interdisciplinary training, experiential learning and leadership development, centered on the One Health approach, which connects human, other animal, plant and environmental health. Applications are due September 15 at 11:59 p.m.
• The Global One Health Academy is proud to announce a new undergraduate club: Students for the Advancement of Global One Health! Led by a team of enthusiastic One Health-focused undergraduate students, this club will foster interdisciplinary education and action amongst students and the surrounding community aligning with Global One Health principles. 

From the Office of Information Technology:

• As of Aug. 12, access to student data in the online Campus Directory now requires authentication. By restricting access, we can safeguard student privacy and data from cyber threats.
• The Google Service Team is taking steps to reduce data storage to comply with Google’s quota requirement by Nov. 2024. Learn about upcoming changes to Google Photos, Shared Drive best practices and more.
• The beginning of the semester is a great time to update your Campus Directory listing. The online Campus Directory is a helpful tool for contacting members of our campus community. If you or your department have a new campus phone number, office location or preferred name, you should update your information now.
• Hear the latest campus IT news at the first IT Quick Halls of the fiscal year. On Sept. 10, CIO Marc Hoit will chat with Sally Rau and Laurel Krynock on Facilities Enterprise Geographic Information Systems. On Oct. 23, Amy Orders will join Hoit to discuss Emergency Preparedness and Strategic Initiatives. 
• When you create a to-do list for the fall semester, don’t forget that OIT offers various Google Workspace workshops to help you manage your time better and stay focused. Check out these and other upcoming workshops.
• Mark your calendars to help the Pack win the Cyber Bowl. To celebrate National Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, NC State will compete with UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke in a test of cyber skills. Play the Cyber Bowl for a chance to earn bragging rights and win awesome prizes.
• Many phishing scams impersonate people you know, like a colleague or even Chancellor Randy Woodson. These scams are becoming harder and harder to recognize — and falling for them puts the entire campus community at risk. In “A Message from the Chancellor about Phishing,” Woodson shares three simple steps to keep the Pack safe.

From Innovation and Entrepreneurship:

• Entrepalooza 2024 will take place at Stafford Commons on Thursday, Sept.12, from 5–7 p.m. Experience Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Entrepalooza — NC State’s annual festival for all things Innovation and Entrepreneurship! Free entry, food, alumni businesses, student pitch competition and much more awaits you at Entrepalooza. Festival components include:
  • Entrepreneurship Showcase – Experience entrepreneurship at NC State through interactive demos, activities and conversations hosted by student/alumni-lead ventures and partners. 
  • Minute to Pitch It Competition – Hear pitches from 10 NC State student entrepreneurs in the Minute to Pitch It competition; students have one minute to convince either the audience or the judges that their idea is worthy of the $2,500 audience choice or judges’ choice award! Cash prizes provided by the NC State University Foundation. Apply to pitch at Minute to Pitch It here!
• Andrew’s Launch Accelerator Demo Day: Join us in sharing, and celebrating, the strides that this year’s Andrews Launch Accelerator cohort companies have made during the program. The event will be held on Aug. 27 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Raleigh Founded North Street. Throughout the summer, the Andrews Launch Accelerator companies have been hard at work on their ventures. Through support such as funding, mentorship, educational modules, and more, the teams have all made progress toward their biggest milestones. Demo Day is their opportunity to share their progress with the Entrepreneurship Clinic’s key stakeholders, community members and investors. We hope that you’ll join us as they share the progress they’ve made and their goals after the program. Food and drinks will be provided.
• NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship Open House: NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship is hosting an open house on Aug. 22 from 2:30-4 p.m.in Partners I, Suite 1650 on Centennial Campus. Curious about entrepreneurship? Thinking about what opportunities and community awaits you at NC State? Want to grab some tasty snacks? Interested in checking out our prototyping lab? This open house is for you! You can enjoy yourself as you:
  • Check out the Entrepreneurship Garage and our partnered co-working and prototyping space within Raleigh Founded.
  • Chat with staff and students about what entrepreneurship is all about at NC State.
• Encourage your students to sign up today for NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s New York Fall Break Trip, where 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 New York City. This trip will occur during Fall Break, dates are Oct. 11-15, 2024. 

The cost per student is anticipated at $200 which must be paid after acceptance. All meals, boarding and transportation are subsidized by NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship and thus included in the student fee. The specific places we will be visiting will be announced to accepted students closer to the trip, but expect a variety of industries and company sizes/stages, with a focus on things like tech, software, finance and more! Trips are open to degree-seeking NC State students only. This application is due Monday, Aug. 26 at 11:59 p.m EST.

From the Institute for Emerging Issues:

• According to a 2023 survey by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, 40 percent of American households reported they would be unable to cover more than a month’s expenses if they lost their main source of income. To respond to this critical issue, the Institute for Emerging Issues has released the Roadmap to Financial Resilience, a framework of strategies and tactics to boost the financial resilience of households in North Carolina.
• IEI is excited to welcome Jessica Solis Aguilar as its new policy and program manager. In this role, she will lead research efforts and stakeholder engagement to define key issues for programmatic themes, including developing meeting agendas to recommend best practices and implement strategies to drive collaborative action with stakeholders and internal teams.
• IEI is pleased to announce that Sharon Adams is returning to the organization in the position of business services specialist. She will play a key role in training, leading various business and financial services, ensuring seamless operations and contributing to the overall success of the organization. 
• The Institute for Emerging Issues has released its FY 2023-24 annual report. This year, IEI continued to bring experts and community leaders together across sectors, perspectives and backgrounds to collaborate on the emerging issues facing our state including financial resilience, digital inclusion, workforce development and more.

From the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science

• The Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science (KIETS) Climate Leaders Program is hosting their annual fall symposium, “Think and Do: Climate Challenges and Solutions” September 19-20 in Duke Energy Hall, at Hunt Library on Centennial Campus. Join us for speakers, panel discussions, a poster session and an innovation showcase. All are welcome and registration is free. Learn more about the session themes and register at https://climateleaders.kenan.ncsu.edu/symposium/. 

From the Office of Research and Innovation:

• Genevieve Garland has been promoted to senior associate vice chancellor for research development and operation for ORI, where she also remains chief of staff. Garland served as associate vice chancellor for research operations for the past three years. 

In her new role, Garland now leads the Proposal Development Unit and the university’s Shared Core Research Facilities; administers seed funding and manages research infrastructure; and has oversight of centers and institutes. Additionally, she will continue to oversee strategic planning, operations and interdisciplinary research services for faculty teams, as well as the development of research-focused education and training programs. Garland also retains the responsibility of promoting NC State’s activity and reputation in research and innovation.

• Kultaran Chohan has been promoted to assistant vice chancellor of technology licensing for the Office of Research Commercialization (ORC). Chohan will lead ORC’s newly created technology licensing division, as the team continues to facilitate the commercialization of NC State’s research discovery and intellectual property (IP) portfolio.

Chohan has worked with the Office of Research and Innovation as a technology licensing leader since 2012. He has extensive experience and expertise in the cradle-to-grave approach for technology commercialization and developing licensing and patenting strategies.

• From checking spelling to driving a car, artificial intelligence (AI) has become commonplace. AI systems are trained to understand natural language, perceive stimuli, recognize patterns, solve problems, and make decisions. They can learn and adapt from data, improving their performance over time. At NC State, interdisciplinary teams are leveraging AI to revolutionize research. Read more about several examples of how NC State researchers — across colleges and departments — are applying AI to agriculture, chemical engineering, education and more.

From the Shelton Leadership Center:

• The Shelton Leadership Forum is a nationally-recognized event heading into its 23rd successful year. The event welcomes participants from all over North Carolina and around the world for a day focused on practical lessons in values-based leadership. This year’s forum, Multigenerational Teams: Building a Collaborative Culture, will take place Friday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m.-noon. 

Registration is now open! The Shelton Leadership Center is proud to announce that registration for the 2024 Shelton Leadership Forum is free to all attendees due to the generous support of our partners. If you are unable to attend the full Forum livestream, a recording of the Forum will be sent to the email address you used to register and will be available for 30 days.