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22nd Edition Faculty Affairs Spotlight

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Happening in Faculty Affairs

With just a couple weeks remaining in the spring semester, this is the time of year we recognize the strength of this university and the contributions of our campus community. As we strive for a strong and successful finish to the semester, we encourage you to participate in the celebrations of faculty, staff and student excellence across the university and in your colleges, schools and departments. Also, make sure you take advantage of development opportunities as the semester comes to a close.

Texas A&M University faculty are encouraged to attend the 2024 Transformational Teaching and Learning Conference, hosted on the College Station campus, May 1-2. Themed “ENGAGE: Core Values and Innovation,” the conference includes plenary presentations, an awards showcase and sessions that explore compelling learning experiences and leading-edge, evidence-based teaching. Register today!

Applications are open for the 2024-25 Faculty Aspiring Leadership Program cohort and are due by April 24 to Faculty Affairs. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in an administrative role, engage in professional development and build a leadership network across the university. The program is open to all full-time faculty.

After moving faculty evaluations to Interfolio a year ago, faculty are reaping the benefits, including: 

  • A singular system for compiling faculty achievements, fed by university databases,
  • Compiled college/school and unit evaluation guidelines, and
  • Formatted reports for creating National Institutes of Health biosketches, National Science Foundation information and curricula vitae.

Additional resources and frequently asked questions for Interfolio are available on the Faculty Affairs website.

Interfolio F180 Office Hours: In preparation for the next evaluation period, Faculty Affairs’ office hours for Interfolio F180 and promotion and tenure sessions are held via Zoom every other Wednesday. The next session date is April 24. Registration is required. Registrants will receive an email confirmation and Zoom link.

University Rule Under Review and Open for Comments: SAP 33.06.01.M0.02 is being modified to reflect updates on alternate work locations and is open for comment on the Faculty Affairs intranet.

Ongoing Executive Searches

  • Dean, School of Architecture: Semifinalist interviews have been completed and campus interview dates are set for the weeks of April 15 and 22. Search Advisory Chair: Dr. Jeffrey Savell, vice chancellor and dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
  • Dean, Bush School of Government and Public Service: Semifinalist interviews were completed on April 12 and campus interview dates are set for April 24-30. Search Advisory Chair: Dr. Nate Sharp, dean of Mays Business School.
  • Associate Provost and Dean, Graduate and Professional School: The call for nominations has been sent; the position closed on April 8 and candidates are under review. Campus interview dates are set for April 25-May 3. Search Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Mark Zoran, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Dean, School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts: First round of interviews has been completed and campus interview dates are set for April 15-19. Search Advisory Chair: Robert Ahdieh, dean of the School of Law.
  • Associate Provost for Academic Enhancement (leads LAUNCH, the Center for Teaching Excellence, Interdisciplinary Programs and the Public Policy Internship Programs, among other areas): Campus interviews are set for the week of April 15. Search Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Timothy Scott, vice provost for Academic Affairs and interim vice president for Enrollment Management.
  • Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Chief Enrollment Officer: The search is ongoing, and candidates will be presented on April 26. Semifinalist interviews are scheduled for May 6-8, and finalist interviews are set for the week of May 20. Search Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Alicia Dorsey, executive vice president for Academic Effectiveness and Planning.
  • Associate Provost for Faculty Advocacy: The position has closed, and campus interviews will be scheduled for April 29-May 3. Search Advisory Committee Co-Chairs: Dr. Heather Lench, senior associate provost for Faculty Affairs, and Dr. Angie Hill Price, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs and Engineering Academic and Student Affairs.
  • Assistant Provost, Higher Education Center at McAllen: The Search Advisory Committee will conduct semifinalist interviews this month, with campus interviews set for the weeks of April 8 and April 15. Search Advisory Committee Co-Chairs: Dr. Michael Johnson, interim associate provost, and Manny Vela, associate vice president and chief operating officer, Higher Education Center at McAllen.
  • Assistant Provost for Strategic Educational Partnerships (partnerships including American Talent Initiative, EMERGE, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Research Universities and Texas Leadership Scholars): One on-campus interview has concluded, and the search is ongoing. Search Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. C.J. Woods, associate vice president and chief of staff, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs.

 

Faculty Development and Funding Opportunities

Add professional development opportunities to your calendar and pre-register for events to minimize the number of automated invitation emails you receive by visiting the Faculty Affairs Events Calendar.

The University Libraries have updated their research impact metrics guide and invite the Texas A&M community to attend the virtual "Demonstrating Research Impact: Metrics and Responsible Use" workshop series on April 17. Registration is required.

The Texas A&M Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) sponsored Science of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Certificate Program is now accepting applications for the Fall 2024 Scholarship of Teaching Yields Learning Excellence (STYLE) scholarship program. Program participants will learn foundational knowledge supporting the research of effective teaching and learning strategies as they are mentored in designing SoTL studies related to courses they teach. CTE will host a virtual Q&A session for interested faculty on April 22, and applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on May 6.

Applications for 2024-25 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Travel Grants to enhance faculty collaboration among SEC universities are now being accepted. Please submit your application materials to the Faculty Affairs Awards Program by 5 p.m. on May 14.

The National Academy of Medicine is accepting nominations for the 2024 Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care, the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health, and the David and Beatrix Hamburg Award for Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine. Nominations close May 15.

Want to grade some amazing final exam papers, projects and tests? Send your students to the University Libraries, where they have access to the University Writing Center, Academic Success Center and Math Learning Center in one central location. Students can also book an appointment with the on-site embedded counselor.

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

 

Faculty Focus

Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students have selected 25 faculty and staff members to receive the 2024 Distinguished Achievement Awards. These awards are granted to individuals who exhibit the highest standards of excellence in teaching, research, individual student engagement, graduate mentoring, administration, staff and extension/outreach/continuing education/professional development.

Dr. Benika Dixon (Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health) was named a Kavli Fellow by the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Dixon also spoke at the 2024 Kavli Frontiers of Science (U.S.) Symposium with Dr. Jessica Fitzsimmons (Department of Oceanography, College of Arts and Sciences).

Dr. Krystal Flores-Chavez (Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health) received a 2024-25 MCH Faculty Development Fellowship from the National Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development Center.

Hannah Bloch-Wehba (Texas A&M School of Law) was selected as a member of the 2024-25 School of Social Science by Princeton University’s Institute for Advanced Study.

Evan Loomis (Adam C. Sinn ’00 Department of Finance, Mays Business School) and Dr. Nancy Currie-Gregg (Wm Michael Barnes ’64 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, College of Engineering) were appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to the Texas Space Commission Board of Directors.

Upon the recommendation of John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, Dr. Robert Ambrose (J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering) was appointed to the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium Executive Committee at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

Dr. Michael Buser (Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) was recently appointed the Endowed Chair in Cotton Engineering, Ginning and Mechanization.

Jennifer Wyle (Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) coached the Texas A&M Meat Judging Team to an undefeated championship season across four spring semester intercollegiate judging contests.

Dr. Robert S. Chapkin (Department of Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) was inducted as a fellow by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the ASN Foundation.

Dr. Seth Murray (Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) is part of the team bringing the third annual Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture and Natural Resources Conference to College Station.

Benjamin Ennemoser (Department of Architecture, School of Architecture) was honored with the Architizer’s inaugural series of Vision Awards for his “Painterly” model project funded by the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and the Texas A&M Department of Architecture.

Dr. Wencai Liu (Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences) has received a 2024 Simons Fellowship in Mathematics.

Dr. Tanmay Lele (Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering) and Dr. Taylor Ware (Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering) were inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering College of Fellows.

Dr. Xin Chen (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering) and his team were recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Transactions on Smart Grid journal for their top-three-ranked paper on using reinforcement learning in smart grid applications.

Dr. Hannah Rochford (Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health) has received the National Violent Death Reporting System New Investigator Award from the American Public Health Association.

Dr. Nicholas Jeffery (Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) received the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s 2024 Bourgelat Award.

 

Campus News

In his March 2024 President’s Brief, President Welsh provided an update on the university’s process of ceasing operations at the Qatar campus. In addition to his words of support for our students on the Qatar campus, President Welsh reiterated the university’s support of the Qatar faculty, their research and the staff. Faculty Affairs echoes this support and is actively working to support these faculty members throughout the transition.

Texas A&M hosted a "space and time" exploration symposium along with the National Academy of Engineering’s Regional Meeting. View the event photo gallery.

Over the next four years, the Texas A&M System is partnering with The Jed Foundation — joining the JED Campus program and Healthy Minds Study — to enhance programming and policy to develop existing student mental health, substance use and suicide prevention efforts. As part of the Healthy Minds Study, Texas A&M will also survey campus community members to better understand attitudes, awareness, experiences and opportunities related to mental health on campus. Note that this study was reviewed and approved by Advarra IRB. The TAMU HRPP/IRB gave this study a human subjects research not engaged determination under IRB2023-0904.

The Texas A&M School of Nursing and School of Public Health are working with other health care partners to develop a community-based program titled “Community Hands Advancing Maternal Health Promotions” (CHAMPions). The U.S. Health and Human Services Department awarded a five-year, $2.28 million grant to address maternal health disparities in Southeast Texas through the provision of intensive in-home care.

The Division of Research’s Research Identity Committee invites you to attend an Update and Listening Session to gain feedback on the progress and developments made to define Texas A&M’s research identity. Register for the final virtual session hosted on Friday, April 19 from 8:30-10 a.m. Registration is required to join.

The Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications will host its annual 15-workshop Summer Ag Academy for high school agriculture teachers from June 9-21 on the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus.

The Texas A&M School of Law and the American Society of Comparative Law (ASCL) are accepting proposals for the 2024 ASCL Annual Meeting, Oct. 18-19.

 

Mark Your Calendars

 

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Originally Released Tuesday, April 16th, 2024