An Update from Chancellor Gaber and Provost Troyer, Submit Your Holiday Recipes, Spooky Season Events and more

October 23, 2025
Categories: Niner Insider
Holiday meal stock image

Celebrate the Season of Giving, Share Your Favorite Holiday Recipe

Do you have a cherished holiday side dish or dessert that brings your family and friends together? We want to hear about it! Submit your favorite recipe and the story behind it for a chance to attend a special holiday dinner with Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber and Chartwells on Monday, Nov. 17. Selected dishes will be featured at the dinner. If your recipe is chosen, you must be available from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17, and be willing to be filmed and photographed. We’ll provide the turkey — you bring the sides! 

Recipes submitted will be compiled into a UNC Charlotte digital community cookbook and distributed to Niner Nation. The deadline to submit recipes is Monday, Nov. 3. Celebrate the season of giving and share a taste of your tradition.

what you need to know: faculty and staff

what you need to know: students

the difference is charlotte

49er Rocketry Feature Image

After an uncharacteristic finish at last year’s NASA University Student Launch Initiative, the 49er Rocketry Team is crowdfunding for a comeback season as it takes on one of the most complex rocket designs in competition history.

upcoming events: students

Haunted Union

“Halloweek” is upon us! Visit the Haunted Union for a night of frights and fun from 7 to 10 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, in the Popp Martin Student Union. Plus, don’t miss these spooky campus events:

🎃 Pumpkin Carvings: Various student organizations are hosting pumpkin carvings from Oct. 23-31, across campus.
🎥 Scary Movies: The Union Theater is showing “Get Out” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” Oct. 23-26.
🎤 Trick or Treat Music Fest: Enjoy games, food and performances from students and clubs from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, at 49th Acre.
🍬 Halloween Crawl: Collect candy and connect with career resources from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Star Quad.

professional development: faculty and staff

  • Coursera Career Academy: UNC Charlotte is partnering with Coursera to provide students, faculty and staff members free access to Coursera Career Academy.
  • Career Strategy Workshop: Faculty at any career stage are invited to a workshop on career success and planning strategies from 12:30 to 2 p.m., Friday, Oct. 24, in Sycamore Hall, Room 306. 
  • Plan Highlights: Join human resources and CommPsych Guidance Resources from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 28, for a virtual informational session to highlight the new enhancements to your ComPsych benefits , which include expanded tools, resources and services to support your well-being; these confidential enhancements are provided at no cost to permanent faculty, staff and their departments.
  • Register Now, Space Limited: Spend an interactive afternoon at SAS X UNC Charlotte, from 12:45 to 4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the Popp Martin Student Union, highlighting how AI and analytics are shaping the future. Hear from Drew Burdick, founder of StealthX, and Kimberly Nevala, host of the Pondering AI podcast, on keeping the “human” in AI.
  • Answer Canvas Questions: Do you have questions about Canvas? Register to attend the virtual Canvas Open Swim from 1 to 2 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29.
  • AI in Library Research: Teaching faculty are invited to an event exploring how generative AI has been integrated into library resources from 10 to 11 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 30, in Atkins Library, Area 49.

to-do list: faculty and staff

  • Open Enrollment: Benefits-eligible employees have only one week left to make benefits elections during open enrollment, which ends Friday, Oct. 31. Make sure to make elections in both platforms and save a copy of your elections.
  • New Telework Requests: Employees who have active telework/remote work agreements that end on Oct. 31, 2025, will need to submit a new request, with the start date of Nov. 1, 2025, and an end date on or before Aug. 31, 2026. Review the telework policy, supplemental procedures , FAQs and employee job aid for  additional guidance on telework/remote work.
  • Flu Clinics: Fall brings the start of flu season, and student health is helping to limit the spread of influenza by offering a flu vaccine clinic for faculty and staff. Only two clinics remain in October; schedule your flu shot today.

to-do list: students

  • Register Now, Space Limited: Spend an interactive afternoon at SAS X UNC Charlotte, from 12:45 to 4:15 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the Popp Martin Student Union, highlighting how AI and analytics are shaping the future. Hear from Drew Burdick, founder of StealthX, and Kimberly Nevala, host of the Pondering AI podcast on keeping the “human” in AI. 
  • Flu Clinics: Fall brings the start of flu season and Student Health is helping to limit the spread of the virus by offering flu vaccines. Only two clinics remain in October; schedule your flu shot today.
  • Coursera Career Academy: UNC Charlotte is partnering with Coursera to provide students, faculty and staff members free access to Coursera Career Academy.