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6th Edition Faculty Affairs Spotlight

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Happening in Faculty Affairs

End of Semester Reminders -

Believe it or not, the fall 2022 Academic Semester ends this week. We must take this opportunity to extend our sincerest appreciation for your continued diligent commitment to our students, dynamic contributions to our working and learning environment, and for the innovative research you conduct for the advancement of our local and global communities.

That being said, here are a few things to remain cognizant of as we close out this semester and in preparation for the next:

  • Any faculty member with less than a 12-month appointment may take time off during scheduled university holidays or on days when no classes are meeting at the university (including reading days, spring break and inter-semester days when the university is open but classes do not meet), without an obligation to request or report the leave. See System Regulation 31.03.01
  • End of semester grading windows:
    • Degree candidate grading - Dec. 8 (8 a.m.) - Dec. 15th (6 p.m.)
    • Final, end of term grading (non-degree candidates) - Dec. 8 (8 a.m.) - Dec. 19th (noon)
    • Late grading - Jan. 13 (8 a.m.) - Jan. 20th (noon)
  • Fall 2022 commencement ceremony schedule:
    • Bachelor's degree commencements - Friday, December 16 (Reed Arena)
      • 9 a.m. - undergraduates in Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture, Mays Business School, Nursing and Public Health
      • 2 p.m. - undergraduates in Bush School of Government and Public Service along with Engineering
      • 7 p.m. - undergraduates in Arts & Sciences, Education & Human Development as well as Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts
    • Master's and doctoral degree commencement and hooding ceremony - Saturday, December 17 (Reed Arena)
      • 9 a.m. - Graduate and Professional School

Faculty Evaluation Reminder -

Once the spring semester begins, all faculty evaluations will officially begin being managed through Interfolio. This allows faculty to:

  • Enter all professional achievements into one system capable of sourcing information from your respective units' evaluation, activity reports and across the university 
  • Create NIH biosketches
  • Compile NSF information
  • Compose an updated vita. 

To best prepare for this change in evaluation procedures:

  • Talk to your department or college/school about support, their implementation timeline, and any academic unit-specific information they may require
  • Attend the trainings in your college/school, use the training quick guides, or view the Faculty180 training video in the Faculty Affairs intranet
  • Start updating your personal "profile" and "activities" - this information will feed directly into your evaluation document.

Through collaboration with the Libraries, this new guide explains how Interfolio F180 users can trigger Scholars@TAMU's publicly available data to auto-populate their publications into their F180 profiles. So, take a little time to create your profiles with the understanding that these systems will manage their data collection going forward.

Faculty Focus

Exemplifying the Aggie Core Values -

On Sunday, November 20, an SUV collided with a shuttle bus transporting passengers from Santa’s Wonderland to Post Oak Mall on Highway 6 in College Station causing both vehicles to catch on fire. Among the very first responders to render aid was Dr. John Haglund (College of Engineering). Stating that he was "compelled to stop," Dr. Haglund demonstrated a level of unhesitant selfless service that not only saved a life that evening but exemplifies the real-life heroes that share our working and learning environment everyday.

Gig 'Em, Dr. Haglund!

Read More about Dr. Haglund

Prestigious Award Winners -

Dr. Olga Kocharovskaya (College of Arts & Sciences) has received the Norman F. Ramsey Prize in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, and in Precision Tests of Fundamental Laws and Symmetrics. The American Physical Society (APS) awards the Norman F. Ramsey Prize for precision measurements of fundamental constants and tests of fundamental laws and symmetries in atomic, molecular and optical physics. Dr. Kocharovskaya is a pioneering researcher in the fields of quantum coherence and x-ray quantum optics.

Dr. Heather Lench (Department of Psychological & Brain Science, College of Arts & Sciences) and Dr. Jeffrey Liew (Department of Educational Psychology, School of Education & Human Development) have earned election as 2022 Initial Fellows of the American Psychological Association (APA) within the organizational Society for Personality and Social Psychology and Development Psychology divisions respectively.

The honor of fellow status is bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology.

Pathways Award Winner -

Faculty Affairs recently launched the Amplifying External Awards program to recognize faculty for the impact of their work and excellence in their field. This program provides a financial incentive in collaboration with colleges/schools, and faculty recognized through the program are celebrated at an annual event. The program’s “Pathways Awards” are those classified by the AAU/NRC as prestigious, bringing international recognition to the faculty member and the university, and that position faculty to be competitive for highly prestigious awards.

Dr. Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr. (College of Agriculture & Life Sciences) was elected an Agricultural & Applied Economics Association Fellow. Consideration for the AAEA's most prestigious honor is based upon a candidate's continuous research, teaching, extension, administration, and/or other contributions to public or private sector decision-making for the advancement of agricultural or applied economics as defined by the association vision statement. Dr. Nayga's research interests include the economics of food valuation, consumption, policy, and health. 

Mark Your Calendars

  • Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards - Nominations due to Faculty Affairs by Thursday, January 5

Amplify Your Impact

Texas A&M Statement of HSI Priorities - An Update from the Office for Diversity -

In support of Texas A&M University - College Station's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), the Office for Diversity has released a statement highlighting the university's priorities for maximizing the student-serving opportunities presented by the HSI designation as well as the steps that have been take for the strategic execution and development of these priorities:

  • Collaborative engagements with other HSI's across the country
  • Hiring of an Assistant Provost for HSI Initiatives and an HSI Director
  • Collaborating with the Office of the Vice President for Research to identify strategies for aligning HSI Initiatives with the priorities of the University
  • Most importantly, improving "servingness" on our campus (as defined by the American Council on Education)

While the HSI designation provides schools with access to additional funding to promote student success, many of the initiatives being undertaken could be implemented using currently existing university resources.

Plan Your New Year -

As you continue to plan and prepare for the spring 2023 semester, here are several of faculty development opportunities available to you:

Faculty Affairs

  • Faculty Development Leave Informational & Fulbright Scholars Program Application Workshop - Fulbright fellows program awareness (March)
  • Promotion & Tenure Workshops - promotion & tenure processes and criteria (March)
  • Faculty Retirement Workshop - Texas A&M's retirement process and considerations (April)
  • Transformational Teaching & Learning Conference - combining faculty proposal presentations and engagements with recognized experts (April)
  • "Generate Professional Success" Workshop - APT faculty maximizing impact and networking opportunities (April)
  • "Roadmap for a Successful Tenure-Track Academic Career" Workshop - early career faculty focused on introducing the promotion & tenure process, goal setting and choosing mentors (May)
  • "Got Tenure? Now What?" Workshop - focused on tenured faculty impact maximization and networking (May)

Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR)

Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) - a wide variety of workshops covering topics from classroom management and course design to instructional technology and inclusive teaching

  • Using Game-Based Learning to Develop Students' 21st Century Skills (spring seminar dates TBD)
  • Supporting Students Mental Health to Improve Academic Success (spring seminar dates TBD)
  • Maintaining Effective Communication in Mentoring (spring seminar dates TBD)
  • Teaching Controversial Topics and Managing Challenging Situations in the Classroom (spring seminar dates TBD)
  • How to Respond to Students in Distress (spring seminar dates TBD)
  • Cultural Diversity, Identity-based Concerns and Mental Health (spring seminar dates TBD)

University Libraries

Workshop Calendar

  • Video Production Bootcamp - hands-on video production (winter break, December 14th - Jan. 10)
  • Introduction to Copyright - introducing the basics of copyright; coverage, rights, and duration (Jan. 24)
  • Managing Research Data: A Guide to Good Practice - interactive workshop teaching how to think about and manage data for easier access throughout your research process (Feb. 14 - 15)
  • Intro to Zotero - introducing research tool Zotero and its basic features (Jan. 24, Feb. 15 and March 23)
  • Publishing Data in the Texas Data Repository - introducing FAIR Data Principles, how to select a data repository and demonstrates how to publish data in the Texas Data Repository (February 21)
  • Managing Sensitive Data - examing common sensitive data types, how Texas A&M’s Research Compliance and Biosafety program expects you to protect that data and the resources available to you for sensitive data storage and analysis, data de-identification, and data archiving and sharing (Feb. 23 and March 3)
  • Research Integrity and Data - case study analysis for accurate definitions of research data integrity and identification of specific data fabrication and falsification issues (March 8)

Library Events

Division of Student Affairs

  • Aggies Against Violence Events - trainings hosted in recognition of the forthcoming Human Trafficking and Dating Violence Awareness months
    • Human Trafficking Awareness Month (January)
    • Dating Violence Awareness Month (February)

Division of Student Life

  • Aggie Ally Workshops - workshop for individuals who are willing to provide a safe haven, a listening ear, and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people or anyone dealing with sexual orientation issues (spring workshop dates TBD)
  • Step In Stand Up Training - workshop teaching how to become an active bystander when acts of sexual and power-based personal violence are witnessed (Jan. 10 and March 13)

ADVANCE

  • Faculty Hiring Training (formerly STRIDE) - designed to provide strategies and tactics to maximize the likelihood that well-qualified and diverse candidates will be identified and recruited for faculty positions at the university (January - May)
  • Promotion & Tenure Evaluation Training (formerly STRIPE) - designed to assist faculty members serving on promotion and tenure committees with the process of reviewing candidates for promotion in a fair and equitable manner (January - March)
  • ADVANCE Administrative Fellows Program - opportunity for mid-to-late career faculty to take on a temporary/part-time administrative role in an administrative unit at the college or university level (2023/2024 application opening)
  • ADVANCE NCFDD Faculty Success Program - professional development program opportunity for early career faculty with a research focus to increase productivity and maintain work-life balance (2023 summer program application deadline - March 3)

Campus News

President Banks' Town Hall Tour Update -

On the heels of her State of the University address, President Banks has scheduled smaller town hall meetings with each college, school, and division with the intention of engaging in meaningful dialogue with the campus communities. This month's visits include:

  • The Bush School (Dec. 1)
  • Mays School of Business (Dec. 1)
  • School of Medicine (Dec. 2)
  • College of Dentistry (Dec. 5)
  • School of Nursing (Dec. 5)
  • School of Engineering Medicine (EnMed) (Dec. 8)
View the full schedule here.

 

Originally Released Friday, December 9th, 2022