Happening in Faculty Affairs
On Oct. 4, Interim President Welsh hosted an all-faculty, staff and student meeting to share his decisions in response to the quick-look assessment recommendations. There will be upcoming opportunities for faculty involvement in this process. We hope that everyone takes time to engage in shared governance to help shape the future of our university.
Work by the Task Force on Academic Freedom and Faculty Protection continues. Guidelines for faculty members who are targets of threats or harassment have been finalized and are available. The task force is currently reviewing university rules and procedures associated with responding to complaints from and about faculty to develop recommendations for changes. Regular updates and drafts available for comment and feedback are posted on the website.
Faculty Development and Funding Opportunities
Faculty Affairs provides ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty at every career stage. Faculty are encouraged to regularly seek new ways to enhance and advance their careers at Texas A&M.
The Fulbright Scholar Program application cycle opens in February, but there are other programs you may apply for now. Contact Traci Lacy to learn how you can participate in the Fulbright experience.
The Texas A&M Center for Teaching Excellence proudly offers a series of dynamic workshops tailored to empower faculty instruction and to create a more enriching classroom learning environment. Explore a diverse range of topics, including peer feedback and collaboration; engagement during lectures; and ethical behavior in mentoring. Register today!
Need to access hard-to-find research material? Use The Libraries’ inter-library loan “Get It For Me” service to have articles, books, sheet music, dissertations and more brought from anywhere in the world.
Texas A&M encourages faculty to elevate the impact of their work by joining colleagues in publishing articles in The Conversation.
Faculty Focus
Dr. Rebecca Anne Seguin-Fowler (Department of Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) has been elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Ali Erdemir (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering) was named an honorary member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Dr. Robert Ambrose (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering) was awarded the 2023 Charles Russ Richards Memorial Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Dr. Luis San Andrés (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering) received the 2023 Mayo D. Hersey Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
As part of a cooperative research team of industrial and academic laboratory scientists, Dr. Hung-Jue Sue (Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering) received the 2024 Cooperative Research Award presented by the American Chemical Society's Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering.
Each of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) institutions select four SEC Academic Leadership Development Program fellows annually to participate in a conference-wide development initiative for future academic leaders. Program participants travel to two institutions with Texas A&M hosting this fall. Texas A&M’s 2023-24 fellows are:
- Dr. Adam Barry (Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health)
- Dr. Ann McNamara (Department of Visualization, School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts)
- Srividhya Ragavan (School of Law)
- Dr. Lori Taylor (Department of Public Service and Administration, Bush School of Government and Public Service)
Campus News
Searches for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and the vice chancellor for engineering and dean of the College of Engineering are ongoing. Visit Executive Searches for more information.
Texas A&M transitioned to Adobe Sign as the enterprise solution to reduce cost and simplify the digital signing process for faculty, staff and students. Effective Nov. 1, DocuSign will no longer be available or accessible. The Technology Services project team will continue to support existing DocuSign account holders with migrating and backing up their existing files and workflows to the new Adobe Sign platform. Concurrently, Laserfiche, Aggiebuy and other custom applications will be integrated. To ensure you have access to files or workflows currently stored in DocuSign, please download and save these assets to a university-managed file storage system such as Microsoft OneDrive, Google or a local file server prior to Oct. 31. If you need assistance with downloading your DocuSign files for this migration, contact Technology Services at adobe@tamu.edu.
The Office of Sustainability is hosting Campus Sustainability Month activities throughout the month of October, highlighted by Campus Sustainability Day on Oct. 18, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in Rudder Plaza. Visit the information tables around the plaza to learn more about sustainability and earn prizes such as a Nintendo Switch, Yeti coolers, solar chargers and more.
The Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness is partnering with the Teacher Retirement System of Texas to present virtual and in-person information for faculty preparing for retirement.
Environmental Health and Safety's Fall 2023 Safety Dispatch is now available. Check out this semester's newsletter with timely health and safety topics for home, work and campus life. This issue highlights outdoor safety, preparing for a road trip, wildlife on campus, chemical storage and disposal, laser safety, slow-moving vehicles and more.
Some of Texas A&M’s newest faculty members were introduced to Aggie traditions at New Faculty Midnight Yell, hosted by the Student Government Association. See photos from the event.
Mark Your Calendars
- Faculty Conversation Cafe (Zoom) - Nov. 2
- Faculty Conversation Cafe (In-Person) - Nov. 3
- Faculty Development Series Session - Nov. 6
- Moving into Retirement Workshop - Nov. 14
- Board of Regents Approved FY24 Holiday Schedule
Questions or Comments for Faculty Affairs?
Submit confidential questions, concerns or general feedback to Faculty Affairs.
Originally Released Tuesday, October 17th, 2023