Skip To Main Content

18th Edition Faculty Affairs Spotlight

Faculty Affairs Spotlight Header

Happening in Faculty Affairs

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and our final opportunity to extend our sincere appreciation for your commitment to our students, community and university before the year comes to a close. Thank you for helping to make Texas A&M University, our community and world a better place. Happy holidays, and we look forward to seeing you in 2024!

Reminder: Faculty with nine-month appointments may take time off during scheduled university holidays and student recesses (including reading days, Spring Break and inter-semester days when the university is open but classes do not meet). See System Regulation 31.03.01. Specific requirements vary by department and college/school. Please check with your unit about any additional guidelines or if you have more than a nine-month appointment.

Congratulations to Dr. Mark J. Zoran, who has been appointed dean of the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences, effective Jan. 1, 2024.

Ongoing Executive Searches - Permanent dean searches are underway and moving full steam ahead:

  • College of Engineering: On-campus interviews for the search finalists were completed on December 7. Feedback from stakeholders who engaged with the finalists was due on December 15 at 5 p.m. It is being reviewed now. Dean and vice chancellor announcement expected in early spring 2024.
  • School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts: Members of the search advisory committee have been named, with Robert Ahdieh, dean of the School of Law, serving as chair. The committee had its initial meeting and received its charge from the provost on Dec. 18.
  • School of Architecture: Members of the search advisory committee have been named, with Jeffrey Savell, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, serving as chair. The committee had its initial meeting and received its charge from the Provost.
  • Bush School of Government and Public Service: Members of the search advisory committee have been named, with Nate Sharp, dean of Mays Business School, serving as chair. Efforts to schedule the initial charge meeting are ongoing.

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.

Visit the Office of the Vice President for Research’s professional development calendar to navigate resources geared toward successful grant application submission and workshops for mandated research training.

Be sure to take advantage of the workshops provided by the Center for Teaching Excellence to enhance your classroom management and design, acclimate to new technologies, discover innovative teaching strategies and more.

The University Libraries calendar details events and workshops for ongoing professional development and technical skill enhancement.

The Libraries’ Tech Bar offers a wide array of equipment available for checkout, including cameras, lenses, tripods, recording equipment, laptops, projectors and phone chargers. Tech Bar equipment can be used anywhere and recently was taken to Antarctica to document a student’s experiences.

The Council on Academic Technology and Innovative Education, in partnership with The Texas A&M University System Office of Academic Affairs, is delighted to offer Teaching with Artificial Intelligence, a Canvas course developed at Auburn University for faculty to expand their skills in artificial intelligence literacy and implementation. Texas A&M registration is limited to 400 participants.

Northwestern University invites the nomination of scholars of outstanding career achievement, demonstrated contributions of new knowledge and/or development of new methods of analysis, for the Nemmers Prizes in Economics, Earth Sciences and Mathematics. Nominations are due Dec. 31.

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.

Early-career faculty and researchers are invited to apply for the Alzheimer’s Association’s week-long Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute to further their knowledge and accelerate breakthroughs in the field of dementia science. Applications are due March 11.

Texas A&M encourages faculty to elevate the impact of their work by joining colleagues in publishing articles in The Conversation.

 

Faculty Focus

Faculty Affairs has developed a three-point strategy to elevate and amplify the impacts of Texas A&M faculty. Faculty can learn about competitive awards, get assistance in developing award plans over the course of a career and receive direct assistance in the preparation and compilation of nomination materials.

Dr. Mark Benden (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health) was elected a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.

Dr. George Ligler (Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, College of Engineering) has been named to the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences Committee, which oversees 11 boards of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

Dr. Olga Kocharovskaya (Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences) has been selected as the first female to earn Optica and the German Physical Society’s 2024 Herbert Walther Award, recognizing distinguished contributions in quantum optics and atomic physics, as well as leadership in the international scientific community.

 

Campus News

General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III was named the 27th president of Texas A&M University on Dec. 12, after serving as interim president since July.

In his Nov. 29 State of the University address, then Interim President Welsh announced the launch of a student experience study and outlined institutional priorities setting the foundations for the university’s next 10-year strategic plan.

During the Spring 2024 Teaching Excellence Sessions, faculty relatively new to teaching at Texas A&M will learn about resources and gain the skills and knowledge needed to create engaging and effective learning environments. These virtual sessions will be offered Jan. 10 and 11.

Inspiring the Spirit of Aggieland — The 41 Award annually honors and celebrates one Texas A&M faculty member or administrator for their demonstrated leadership, example, character and promotion of the Aggie Core Values. Nominations are open through Jan. 12.

Aggie Dining: Free Weekly Meal with Spring 2024 Plans — Take advantage of Aggie Dining’s FREE Meal Deal for the spring semester. Purchase a meal plan for spring 2024 and receive one free meal every week. Aggie Dining offers a wide range of meal plan options for faculty and staff at Texas A&M University. Meal plans are designed to help employees budget and save money while dining on campus.

 

Mark Your Calendars


Questions or Comments for Faculty Affairs?

Submit confidential questions, concerns or general feedback to Faculty Affairs.

Contact Us

Originally Released Tuesday, December 19th, 2023