Academic Affairs

The Center for Teaching and Learning has launched a new professional learning community for adjunct instructors at the University. Its goal is to build community among the participants and provide pedagogical support, which will benefit the faculty members as well as their students.

World religions take various approaches to answer the question “Is There Life after Death?” Representatives from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths will share their perspectives on the afterlife in a panel discussion at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 19, in the Student Union Theater. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life is sponsoring this event.

Speakers for the Oct. 19 discussion are:

Robin Coger, dean of the College of Engineering at N.C. A&T State University and former UNC Charlotte faculty member, will present “Advancing Your Professional Career” at 10 a.m., Friday, Oct. 30, in EPIC, Room 1249. She also will discuss “Mentoring: Key to Your Success” at noon; graduate students are invited to this presentation, and RSVPs are required for lunch.

The University Career Center will hold Majors Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Cone University Center, Lucas Room.

Majors Day is an annual event that helps UNC Charlotte students explore many of the 80-plus undergraduate majors and minors that the University offers, said Career Center officials.  Faculty, advisors and current students representing all of the University’s academic colleges will be on hand to discuss programs.

Joël Gallegos, assistant provost for international programs, and Christina Sanchez, associate director of international programs, will appear on the Oct. 15 edition of “The Live Wire,” Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast. Starting at 2 p.m., they will discuss UNC Charlotte’s 40th annual International Festival, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17.

City Startup Labs (CSL) is establishing a Center of Excellence for Entrepreneurial Competency, Innovation and Leadership (CoE) at UNC Charlotte, in association with Ventureprise, a campus-based venture development organization.

The center will operate from Ventureprise offices in PORTAL. Ventureprise Inc. is a nonprofit corporation affiliated with UNC Charlotte that serves as a venture development organization for the University and the Charlotte region.

The selection committee for the 2016 Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence is soliciting nominees. This award is one of the most important and prestigious presented by the University, as it honors outstanding teachers on campus and provides an example of UNC Charlotte’s commitment to teaching excellence.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 5, the portal “My UNC Charlotte” will debut; it will eventually replace 49er Express on Nov. 16. As vendor support for 49er Express is ending, ITS has worked with faculty, staff and students to re-examine and optimize the University’s gateway to a myriad of systems and services that include Banner Self Service, Academic Advising and 49er Mart.

UNC Charlotte’s retention rates for first-year students have steadily increased during the past five years, and now University leaders look to build upon that success through a special grant from EDUCAUSE.

The University is one of 24 recipients of a three-year, $225,000 Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (IPASS) grant funded by the Gates Foundation and the Helmsley Charitable Trust. EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association comprised of IT leaders and professionals who are committed to advancing higher education.

Kimberly Marlowe Hartnett, author of “Carolina Israelite: How Harry Golden Made Us Care About Jews, the South and Civil Rights,” will speak at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the Atkins Library Halton Reading Room.