Happening in Faculty Affairs
We’re excited to bring you summer updates from across the campus community in this issue of The Spotlight. Summer provides each of us the opportunities to recharge and refocus, and we encourage you to prioritize yourselves and the personal passion projects that tend to fall victim to our procrastinations during the busier parts of the year. Along those lines, consider strengthening communities amongst colleagues through the formation of book clubs, collaborative writing groups or communities for individuals pursuing like endeavors. Though we aren’t rushing you back just yet, we invite you to share in our excitement about the coming fall semester.
Congratulations to the group of new executive-level leaders that will be stepping in to the following positions:
- Elsa M. Gonzalez was named assistant provost for strategic educational partnerships and director of Hispanic-Serving Institution initiatives effective Aug. 15.
- Sandra Hansmann was named assistant provost for the Higher Education Center at McAllen effective Aug. 1.
- Michael Johnson has been appointed associate provost for academic enhancement effective July 1.
- Claire Katz has been named associate provost for faculty advocacy effective Oct. 1.
- Peter Lange was appointed the university’s permanent chief operating officer and senior vice president effective July 8.
- Tim McLaughlin ’90 was appointed permanent dean of the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
- Chris Reed has been appointed associate vice president for enrollment management and chief enrollment officer for the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President effective July 15.
In the recently published Partner Hire Scorecard, Texas A&M’s Dual Career Program has earned a #13 ranking among national R1 categorized academic institutions based upon its support of academic couples and available resources for dual-career academic jobseekers.
Ongoing Executive Searches
Associate Provost and Dean, Graduate and Professional School: The Search Advisory Committee has made recommendations for hire to President Welsh and Provost Sams, and an update is imminent. Search Advisory Committee Chair: Dr. Mark Zoran, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
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.
In partnership with The Texas A&M University System and the Association of Colleges and Schools, the Center for Teaching Excellence invites all faculty to apply for the 2024-2025 Effective Teaching Practices cohort. Applications for this virtual, largely asynchronous professional development opportunity are being accepted through July 26. Click here to apply for the cohort.
The Center for Teaching Excellence invites you to participate in the 2024 Digital Learning (DL) Expo. This event will feature a series of engaging workshops designed to address the latest trends and innovations in Texas A&M’s Digital Learning Environment:
- Accessibility
- Frequently requested Canvas topics
- Generative AI
- New analytics
- Third-party tools
Don't miss this opportunity to advance your knowledge, receive resources and transform your practical teaching strategies in the digital age:
- Hybrid: Monday, Aug. 12, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Blocker Building, Room 113.
- Virtual: Friday, Aug. 16, Time TBD, Via Zoom.
Texas A&M encourages faculty to elevate the impact of their work by joining colleagues in publishing articles in The Conversation.
Faculty Focus
Dr. Gregory Berkolaiko (Department of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences) has been selected a 2024-25 fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study.
Dr. Robert Chapkin (Department of Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition.
Dr. Marlene Dixon (Department of Kinesiology and Sport Management, School of Education and Human Development) led a group of sport management students to accompany the Texas A&M Women’s Basketball team on their 10-day summer tour of Italy.
Dr. Nancy Downing (School of Nursing) was selected an ambassador of the Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research.
Dr. Marc Goodrich (Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, School of Education and Human Development) has partnered with multiple universities across the country to launch the Workshops on Reading Development Strategies Project.
Dr. Galen Newman (Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture) received the Environmental Design Research Association’s Great Places Book Award for his book “Landscape Architecture for Sea Level Rise: Innovative Global Solutions.”
Dr. Humberto Perotto (Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) was awarded the Joan Negley Kelleher Endowed Professorship in Ranch Management.
Dr. Roderic Pettigrew (School of Engineering Medicine) was elected to a three-year term on the National Academy of Engineering Council.
Dr. Karen Rambo-Hernandez’s (Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, School of Education and Human Development) research on determining children’s eligibility for gifted services garnered Paper of the Year honors from the Journal for the Education of the Gifted.
Dr. Keerti Rathore (Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) has received the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s 2024 Researcher of the Year Award.
Dr. Indra Reddy (Texas A&M Health) was named Founding Dean Emeritus of the Irma Lerma Rangel School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Oscar Riera-Lizarazu (Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) has been named the Robert E. Basye Endowed Chair in Rose Genetics.
The Journal of Nutrition has honored Dr. Catharine Ross (Department of Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences) with the establishment of the A. Catharine Ross Award in Experimental Nutrition.
Dr. Krista Lynne Smith (Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences) has been selected to serve on the joint European Space Agency-National Aeronautics and Space Administration Science Team for their forthcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna mission.
Dr. Yang Song (Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, School of Architecture) received the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Merit Award in Research for his project “Why Do We Love the High Line Park? A Lesson from Big Data.”
Dr. Jan Suchodolski (Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences) has received the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2024 Career Achievement in Canine Research Award.
The Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy at The Bush School of Government and Public Service has named three new fellows to continue the work of closing the gaps between public policy and science and technology research:
- Natalie Johnson (Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health)
- Felix Mormann (School of Law)
- Renyi Zhang (Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences)
Faculty and students of the Wm. Michael Barnes ’64 Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering garnered a host of recognitions at the 2024 Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers Annual Conference and Expo:
- Lewis Ntaimo – Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
- Farzan Sasangohar – Award for Technical Innovation in Industrial Engineering
- Maryam Zahabi – Dr. Hamed K. Eldin Outstanding Early Career Industrial Engineering in Academia Award
Campus News
The Texas A&M University System has announced the selection of 11 impact-making faculty members from across the university to participate in the 2024 EDGES Fellowship.
Texas A&M Atmospheric Sciences partnered with climate-tech company Climavision to install a new weather radar system atop the David G. Eller Oceanography and Meteorology Building.
Beginning fall 2024, the School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts will add a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre degree.
Student cadets participating in the Texas A&M Maritime Academy’s summer sea semester rescued a group of boaters after being stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for 15 days.
Interfolio F180 Office Hours: In preparation for the next evaluation period, the next Faculty Affairs’ office hours session for Interfolio F180 and promotion and tenure is Aug. 14. Registration is required and registrants will receive an email confirmation including the session Zoom link.
Mark Your Calendars
New Faculty Orientation – Aug. 13-15
New Academic Leader Orientation – Aug. 16
Questions or Comments for Faculty Affairs?
Submit confidential questions, concerns or general feedback to Faculty Affairs.
Originally Released Thursday, July 16th, 2024