March News

March is an exciting month at UNCW and for Undergraduate Education and Faculty Affairs. We have many new initiatives, faculty accomplishments to celebrate, and events for you to mark in your calendar. We’re grateful for the dedication of our faculty and staff and look forward to the impactful work ahead as the semester continues.

Good news! We have identified a vendor to help us with the new System Office regulation to create a publicly searchable database for syllabi. We are in the very beginning stages, so much more information will be coming. How can you get started? Make sure your syllabus for each Fall 2026 course outlines the following information per Regulation 400.61.6:

• Course prefix and section number
• Course title
• Course description (from catalog)
• Goals, objectives, student learning outcomes, and/or student expectations for the course
• Assessment methods
• Grading scale
• Percentage breakdown of major assignments
• How attendance or participation will affect a student's final grade
• List of all course materials (physical and/or digital) required for purchase (with cost)
• Statement: "This course engages diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate and inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement."

• A system-wide initiative to further engage faculty and their students in disciplinary and interdisciplinary content to promote dialogue, discourse, and debate pedagogies.

• Yes! Stipends are available to full-time faculty members for course enhancements (up to $2500) and new course development ($5,000). Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged.

• On March 25, the SO will hold an online workshop Foundations in Constructive Dialogue.
• On May 14, UNC Charlotte will host the inaugural UNC System Common Ground Collaborative.
• Look for a call in Mid-March to attend or present.
• Overnight accommodations for up to 5 participants will be paid by SO.
• Neither event is required to apply for course stipends.

• Please consult this memo for all details.

• The Office of Faculty Affairs will coordinate next steps with the deans and interim provost. More information will be communicated as it becomes available.

Eight UNCW academic leaders attended the Academic Chairpersons Conference in Atlanta, February 4–6, gaining valuable insights on leading departments in today’s evolving higher education landscape. We’re proud of their commitment to strong leadership and continued academic excellence!

Help us celebrate our award-winning and retiring colleagues! Join us for food and beverages, a ceremony, and the Schoolboys Trio! All are welcomed!

Please submit your RSVP by April 17 for the event on April 28.

Are you a Senior Lecturer considering applying for promotion to Principal Lecturer? Join us for one of the information sessions on Tues., March 31, for practical guidance as you learn more about the application process and how to prepare your materials.

Come to our zoom session on March 27th at 11:00 am. We will present the results of a survey completed by over 900 students, staff, and faculty to tell us what they are thinking about AI, and what UNCW should be doing about it.

Register here or with the QR code above.

Zoom link will be provided in a calendar invitation upon registration.

Save the date: March 18 at 12:30! Presenters include Paige Denton (Benefits), Abbigail Germaine (Admissions), Katie South (Student Accounts), Freeman Whitney (Sr Assoc Registrar), Kimberly Harris (Graduate School), Shelby Carroll (Textbook Scholarships).

Zoom Link

Have you explored what HigherEd+ can do for your professional growth? Institutional access is free for UNCW users! Discover opportunities you might not want to miss!

📧 Questions about Faculty Development: Contact Director Susanna Lopez-Legentil

📧 Questions about Faculty Administration: Contact Director Susan Catapano

Engage UNCW, powered by GivePulse, is ready for you to explore! This platform provides access to community engagement and high impact practices. For more information about how Engage UNCW can work for your department or unit, contact Dr. Persuit.

📧 Questions about High Impact Practices: Director Jeanne Persuit

Congratulations to Dr. Meredith Hovis (EVS) and her team! They produced two publications with support from their 2025 Community Based Learning and Scholarship grant, “Co-producing Knowledge to Build Resilient Communities in the Face of Climate Change.”

Hovis, M., Polk, M., Bresnahan, P. J., Kasney, C., Davidson, J., Frensley, B. T., et al. (2026). Community voices in action: A framework for flood resilience workshops in a coastal community. Community Science, 5, e2025CSJ000161. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025CSJ000161

Bresnahan P.J., Hovis M., Frensley B.T., et al. (2026) Hydrological connectivity: improving coastal literacy and resilience in classrooms and communities in the City of Wilmington. Frontiers in Water 7:1719742. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/water/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1719742/full

Faculty award

$5000 for Summer 2026 undergraduate research projects

Applications due March 17, 2026

Faculty research mentors can find full details and the application here.

Please note updated budget guidelines.

Students can get up to $3,000 in tuition waivers for AY 26-27.

Applications are now open and due March 24, 2026, 5:00 pm.

Interviews will be the week of March 30.

Students can find full details (including new proposal directions) and the application here.

Still plenty of money available for students to present their research at conferences!!

Awards are up to $1,000.

Students can apply here.

📧 Questions about CSURF: Contact Associate Director Katherine Liu

We are holding a second call for individual and small team grants to support interdisciplinary courses taught in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027 semesters. To apply, upload your application to our SAIL Canvas site by March 20, 2026.

We are recruiting faculty to assess student work from Fall '25 and Spring '26 spring SAIL courses at a three-day scoring event at the UNCW Library on June 8-10, from 10 am- 3 pm (lunch provided). Whether you’re new to SAIL or already SAIL-affiliated, all faculty are welcome to apply. We anticipate that the total scoring will take ~30-40 hours (including the 15 hours we spend together at the library), and scorers will receive a $1500 stipend. A tentative schedule is posted on the SAIL Canvas site.

To apply, upload a CV and a one-page statement of interest to our SAIL Canvas site by March 31, 2026.

Questions about the QEP: Contact Director Beverly McGuire

On March 22 (6pm, Jengo’s Playhouse), Mouths of Babes Theatre will present a multimedia documentary play about Oak Grove Cemetery, the cemetery Wilmington built in 1870 for people who could not afford burial. The Honors College is organizing a talk back with community organizations who research local, historic cemeteries. Students and faculty are encouraged to attend.

The Honors College is excited to subsidize a trip to the Asheville area for Spring Break. As an Alternative Spring Break, part of the trip will be devoted to service. The trip includes working with park rangers at Chimney Rock on a variety of projects and being among the first visitors to the not-yet-open Pisgah View State Park. While in the Asheville area, Honors students will enjoy cultural outings including the arts, museums, and a historical tour, and will explore the natural beauty of the area through hikes and other outdoor activities including a zipline!

On March 12 (5-6pm, King Hall Honors Lounge) we will have a networking event for Honors students in the College of Science and Engineering. Faculty and staff from CSE will speak with our students about their interests and majors.

The Honors College is currently accepting proposals to teach an Honors class during the 26-27 school year. Proposals may be for an Honors section of a University Studies course (e.g., BIO 201, HST 103, PLS 101, etc.) or one of our "HON" courses, such as our 1-credit enrichment seminars or 3-credit interdisciplinary seminars. We also have opportunities to teach a unique/topical first-year seminar (HON 110, in the fall) or the thesis prep class (HON 399). Whether you are a returning instructor or new to Honors teaching, please consider submitting a proposal. While we accept proposals on a rolling basis, we encourage submission prior to the end of the Fall '25 semester.

For examples of the unique courses we offer Honors students, check out our coursebooks from Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. More information can be found HERE.

📧 Questions about Honors Courses: Contact Associate Director Aaron King

📧 Questions about Honors College: Contact Director Eva Mehl