College Update – October 2023

Awards and Honors | Faculty, Academic Affairs | New Initiatives

Dean’s Team Updates

Congratulations!

2023 Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Award Winners

The Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Awards honor faculty and staff employees of the College, as well as students’ achievements in teaching and research. Read who won this year’s awards!

Honors and Recognitions

• Dr. Robert S. Chapkin, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Nutrition, received the the Mary Swartz Rose Senior Investigator Award by the American Society for Nutrition.

• Dr. Jianbang Gan, professor, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, was appointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forestry Research Advisory Council.

• Dr. Brian King, professor and department head, Department of Hospitality, Hotel Management and Tourism, was appointed as a 2023-2024 Department Head Development Fellow.

• Two of our faculty members were appointed 2023 Montague-CTE Scholars, a distinction given each year to ten tenure-track assistant professors across Texas A&M University for excellence in teaching undergraduate students.
  • Dr. Jacquelyn K. Grace, assistant professor, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology.
  • Dr. Sushil Paudyal, assistant professor, Department of Animal Science.

Dean’s Open Office Hours

• Dr. Jeffrey Savell and Dr. Patricia Klein are hosting office hours in late October. Sign up by Friday, Oct. 20. Please contact Jill Lee if you have any questions regarding the Open Office Hours.

Upcoming Deadlines and Dates

• Due Friday, Oct. 27: Nominations for the 2023 Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence.
• Fall semester schedule.

Faculty Affairs

• Promotion and Tenure Weekly Zoom Hour with P&T Chairs and Staff takes place Wednesdays 2-3 p.m., via Zoom. 
• The Center for Teaching Excellence has a new formal Faculty Mentoring Academy to promote a culture of mentoring within and across Texas A&M University. For more information, visit the center’s page for the academy.

General Academic Affairs

• An Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching: The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning at Texas A&M University (CIRTL@TAMU) will be facilitating a weekly, Zoom-Local Learning Community for the National-Level Massive Open Online Course. Click here for more information. 

• A new university-wide initiative, the Aggie Way Engagement Program, makes it easier to recognize faculty and staff who lead by example by living our Aggie Core Values. Learn more and nominate colleagues online.

• Disability Services Testing Center: Instructors should complete the testing agreement for a student needing testing accommodations as soon as possible and send exams to the testing center at least three days before the exam. Learn more at Texas A&M Disability Resources.

• If you are a staff or faculty member working with graduate and professional students, stay informed by subscribing to the Graduate Advisors Listserv.

Student Success and Development

• Join us for a hybrid Career Development and Professional Preparation Workshop, Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. The in-person option will be available in AGLS 116. Our guest speakers, experts in their fields, will offer informative presentations and engage students in interactive activities. This workshop is designed to equip students with practical skills and guidance to boost their career journey. Register here. 

• Algebra Video Series now available: The Algebra Series is a resource for students to ensure they are prepared for their math and statistics courses at Texas A&M. You can explore the Algebra Series online.

• The Texas A&M Career Center has specialized career advisors for every college and school. Find the AGLS Career Services Team in AGLS 517. Career advisors work with students to develop career readiness through skills such as resume writing, job search strategies, networking, and interviewing.
  • For more information about Career Services resources, workshops and events, view the Career Center Events Calendar or email Caitlin Dartez, associate director for Career Services, at [email protected].

• Applications for the Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Internship Program, ANRP, are now open for 2024. Know a great candidate for the program? Please encourage them to visit anrp.tamu.edu to download the application and get started!

• The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has an embedded licensed professional counselor. Ms. Molly McCann’s office is at BCBP 103C. Contact her at [email protected] or 979.845.5032.

Resources for Graduate Students

• Graduate Student Professional Development in Teaching, GSPDT: Take advantage of resources from the Center for Teaching Excellence in collaboration with the Graduate and Professional School. Click here to learn more.

• Graduate student well-being
  • The TELUS Health Student Support app allows students to text, call and video chat with professional counselors 24/7 via the app.  
  • 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.

• Graduate student travel: Need additional funding support for travel for conferences or research? Check out the RAP Travel Award at Texas A&M.

• If you would like to have support for your writing, consider joining a POWER Writing Studio and/or a POWER Writing Group. Fill out a request form online.

• The Graduate and Professional Student Government is recruiting senators for the 2023-24 Graduate and Professional Senate. Please visit the GPSG website for more information.

• Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School resources:
  • The Graduate and Professional School Calendar.
  • The Graduate and Professional School’s Dates and Deadlines information page.
  • International student important dates.
  • Texas A&M University Academic Calendar.
  • List of contacts at the Graduate and Professional School.

• Center for Teaching Excellence English Language Proficiency, CTE-ELP, programs provide training and testing for international students. Current teaching assistants who are not language certified are required to participate with the CTE-ELP program. Click for more information.

• Responsible Conduct of Research, RCR, training: All graduate students participating in research must complete online CITI RCR Training.
  • Learn about your RCR responsibilities.
  • Learn about and link to TAMU CITI training.

• 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 Graduate Mentoring Academy 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 online.

• 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.

Student Recruitment

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

COALS Council

• Follow us on social media!
  • Facebook: Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council
  • Instagram: @coals_tamu
  • Website: www.tamucoalscouncil.com

Save the Dates!

Professional Services Updates

Professional Development

• AgriLife Aspire: From onboarding to continued professional development, the newly launched AgriLife Aspire platform integrates LinkedIn Learning and makes it easy for AgriLife members to access resources to learn and grow. Check out the course catalog and more on the AgriLife Intranet.

• LinkedIn Learning resources are free to all Texas A&M AgriLife employees. Some courses to check out this month:
  • Leadership Communication in the Flow of Work.
  • How to Find Fulfillment in Your Work with Job Crafting.
  • Excel: Introduction to Formatting.

• 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

• Through Friday, Oct. 27: The Benefits of Improving Your Credit. Lunch and Learn events, various locations on Texas A&M west campus. See the schedule and sign up online.

• Monday, Oct. 30 – Thursday, Nov. 2: Sign up for Your Kneaded Escape Mobile Massage events at various AgriLife College Station locations.

• Work/life solutions are available to Texas A&M AgriLife employees, including professional and personal training resources, through ComPsych GuidanceResources.
  • Website: http://www.guidanceresources.com.
  • WEBID: TAMUS.

Our Mission in Action

• Visit AgriLife Today to read about faculty, staff and student accomplishments in research, teaching and service!
  • Have a story idea for AgriLife Today? Reach out to Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications.

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