Faculty and Staff News

UNC Charlotte welcomed the following new staff and faculty members during the Oct. 1 New Employee Orientation session:Academic AffairsGreta Steber, instructional designer AthleticsLeah Cunningham, administrative support associate Atkins LibraryKristen Banaszak, university library technician Belk College of BusinessMelody Steigerwalt, admin support associate Center for Counseling and Psychological Services Paula Keeton, director

The Division of Institutional Integrity will hold its annual legal symposium on Thursday, Oct. 24, in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center Salons.The symposium, scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will begin with “Inside the Chancellor Search Process.”Breakout sessions will be held throughout the remainder of the symposium on a variety of topics including copyright on campus, public records, Title IX and controversial speakers.

The UNC Charlotte Staff Council’s annual Fall Festival will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center.The festival is a free event; however, staff members should bring their UNC Charlotte ID for the luncheon.Register by Oct. 4 to participate in the photography, baking or craft competitions. Prizes will be awarded with winners announced during the festival.

The 2019 Vendor Showcase is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon, Monday, Oct. 7, in the Cone University Center, Lucas Room. Open to faculty and staff members, this year’s showcase will feature numerous campus vendors who will demonstrate and discuss their various products and services. Attendees can learn more about the products and services they already use, as well as others they may want to explore.

Mary Alexander Road will be closed to through traffic south of CAB Lane and north of the pedestrian stairs beside Hickory Hall from Friday, Oct. 4, to Tuesday, Oct. 8. This closure is related to construction of the new science building.Barricades will be built to restrict traffic, and the sidewalk will be closed between the barricades.

Open Enrollment for the State Health Plan and NC Flex options for the 2020 plan year is Nov. 2-19, a period later and shorter than in previous years. The UNC Charlotte Benefits Office will host an Open Enrollment preview and wellness event from 9 to 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 3, in the Cone University Center Lucas Room. Light refreshments will be served. 

The Teaching Excellence Selection Committee for the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence and the UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence is accepting nominations through Thursday, Nov. 21. These awards are two of the most important and prestigious awards at UNC Charlotte as they honor outstanding professors and provide an example of the University’s commitment to excellence in teaching.The strongest nominations include specific examples from students; submit a nomination and the professor will be considered for the award for which they are eligible.

The Graduate School is seeking nominations for the 2020 Harshini V. de Silva Graduate Mentor Award.  Recognizing the full-time member of the graduate faculty who demonstrates outstanding graduate mentoring, nominations should come from a chair of the academic department.  

The UNC Board of Governors approved a Paid Parental Leave program during its meeting Friday, Sept. 20. This program will provide eight weeks of fully paid parental leave to eligible employees who have given birth to a child and four weeks of paid leave for non-birth parents in circumstances involving the birth of a child or the adoption, foster placement or other legal placement of a child with an eligible state employee.

Potential faculty nominees for the 2019-20 O. Max Gardner Award are being sought. This award is given annually by the UNC Board of Governors to “that member of the faculty of the University of North Carolina who, during the current scholastic year, has made the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race.”Nominees can be of any rank, “including instructors, engaged in teaching in any unit, institution or branch of service” in the UNC System. UNC Charlotte faculty members who have won the award include Pinku Mukherjee and Diane Browder.