College Update – July 2023

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Awards Deadlines | Academic Affairs | Embedded AGLS Counselor

College Update

Dean’s Team Updates

Congratulations!

  • Dr. Reinaldo Cooke, the holder of the Burkhart Endowed Professorship for Beef Cattle Research.
  • Dr. Audrey McElroy, the holder of the Barbara J. and William M. “Bill” Huffman ’53 Chair in Poultry Science.
  • Dr. Bhimanagouda Patil, the holder of the Love, Tito’s Endowed Professorship in Responsive Agriculture, American Chemical Society Fellow, and the recipient of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences Outstanding Researcher Award.
  • Dr. M. Edward Rister, the holder of the Dianne and M. Edward Rister ’74 Endowed Chair in Agribusiness Entrepreneurship.

Upcoming Deadlines

Promotion and Tenure

Academic Affairs Highlights

  • New Faculty Orientations
    • The Texas A&M University New Faculty Orientation will take place Tuesday through Friday, Aug. 8-11. See the Texas A&M Events calendar for each day’s agenda and more information.
    • The Texas A&M AgriLife New Faculty Orientation will take place 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, in AGLS 129 or via Teams. For those attending in person, a light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Additional registration details will be distributed in the coming weeks.
  • New Academic Leader Orientation
    • The Texas A&M University orientation for new leaders of faculty will take place 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 11, in MSC 2406. See the Texas A&M Events calendar for more information.
  • Attend the Summer 2023 Graduate Advisor Workshop on Monday, July 17, at 9 a.m., Room 2400 Memorial Student Center, to learn about the Academic Requirements Completion System launching for all academic units in fall 2023. RSVP here.
  • Fall 2023 course shells are available in Canvas in an unpublished state. Merge course sections through the self-service feature in ORCA by Wednesday, Aug. 16, 11:59 p.m.
  • Faculty Development Leave
    • If you are planning to submit a Faculty Development Leave application, please make sure to submit by your departmental deadline — these vary but are usually before mid-September.
    • Dr. Linglin Xie is our College representative on the university’s Faculty Development Leave Committee. Feel free to reach out to Dr. Xie at [email protected] if you have any questions about the application. 
  • Texas A&M University Libraries are holding workshops supporting curriculum and research. Go to the libraries’ events page for the full schedule.
  • Faculty and staff: If you work in a support role for graduate and professional students, stay informed by subscribing to the Graduate Advisors Listserv. 

Open Office Hours

Dr. Jeffrey Savell and Dr. Patricia Klein will resume hosting Open Office Hours after the summer. In the meantime, please contact Jill Lee with any questions regarding Open Office Hours.

Student Success and Development

New AGLS Counselor

  • Through a partnership with CAPS, we are excited to announce that the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will have an embedded licensed professional counselor joining us this summer. 
    • Ms. Molly McCann will dedicate her time to the wellness of students in AGLS, with an office physically located in the Biochemistry and Biophysics Building, room 103C. Our students will now have this dedicated support in addition to all the resources and support that CAPS has to offer.
    • If you have a student in need of these services, please direct them to their student portal where they will be able to schedule an appointment with Ms. McCann. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to her at [email protected] or 979.845.5032.

Graduate Programs

  • New graduate student orientation dates for fall 2023: Monday, Aug. 14 and Friday, Aug. 18.
  • The summer 2023 graduate student professional development in teaching workshop series is a collection of professional development opportunities from the Center for Teaching Excellence, CTE, in collaboration with the Graduate and Professional School.
  • The fall 2023 Teaching Assistant Institute will be held in BLOC 102 on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Wednesday, Aug. 16, Thursday, Aug. 17, and Saturday, Sept. 9. Click here for the schedule.
  • Graduate Resources and Development for Aggies, G.R.A.D. Aggies, offers professional development programming. For more information, visit the G.R.A.D. Aggies webpage.
  • Graduate Mentoring Academy: See the Texas A&M GradConnect page for session schedules and to register.
  • CIRTL@TAMU is a thriving community dedicated to developing the next generation of teachers, instructors and faculty. We hope you become involved! For information, email [email protected] or visit http://cirtl.tamu.edu.
  • Texas A&M’s International Student and Scholar Services is updating its immigration case management system. Visit https://global.tamu.edu/sunapsis for more information.
  • Graduate student travel: Need additional funding support for travel for conferences or research? Check out the RAP Travel Award at Texas A&M.
  • Graduate student well-being
    • The MySSP student support app allows students to text, call, and video chat with professional counselors.
    • Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS, is offering events focused on mental health for graduate and professional students. Click here for the schedule. 
    • Dr. Esther Wright at CAPS is trained in graduate student issues and concerns. Graduate and professional students may make appointments with Dr. Wright via the CAPS appointment portal system.

Undergraduate Programs

  • Prospective students can register for an information session and a tour of west campus at visit.tamu.edu.

COALS Council

  • AGLS Open House / College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council Ice Cream Social will take place Thursday, Aug. 17. This is a great way to meet students and learn about the various agriculture and life science organizations on west campus.
  • COALS FX is a new freshman organization that will launch this fall! The mission of this organization is to cultivate future leaders within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences by providing comprehensive professional development, meaningful service opportunities and social interaction.
  • 2023-2024 officers of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council:
    • President: Miles Huffhines
    • Vice President of Finance: Cooper Ford
    • Vice President of Leadership: Brittley Bowers
    • Vice President of Service: Zachary Hoelscher
    • Vice President of Programs: Caden Carver
    • Vice President of Public Relations: Anna Hiser

Save the Date

Sun Safety Webinar
Wednesday, July 21, 2 p.m.

The sun’s ultraviolet rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. A free webinar will address the health risks associated with UV rays from sunlight, benefits of moderate sun exposure and the value of self-examination for skin cancer. Presented by Cindy Quinn, BCBSTX A&M wellness coordinator.

Register online.

Administrative Services

Professional Development

  • Online courses on communication, customer service, performance management, safety and technology are available from the Texas A&M University Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness.

AgriLife Employee Wellness

Visit the Administrative Services Intranet

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