College Update – January 2026

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Congratulations! | Academic Affairs

Dean’s Team Updates

Congratulations!

  • College of Agriculture and Life Sciences faculty and staff earned awards at AgriLife Connect on Jan. 7. Find photos at Texas A&M AgriLife Photoshelter.
  • Congratulations to the winners of the Texas A&M 3 Minute Thesis competition! In the Master student competition, Prajina Neupane, SCSC, won with her presentation, “Chicken Manure Incorporation and Biochar Co-Application Mitigate Nitrous Oxide Emissions.” Abigail Dwelle, RWFM, placed second in the master’s student competition with her presentation, “From Helicopters to Habitat: Mapping Javelina across Southern Texas.”
  • Congratulations to Arpit Shah, HMGT, who was awarded a 2025-2026 Texas A&M University Dissertation Fellowship.ty, BAEN, as a Fellow.

Dean’s Open Office Hours

  • Dr. Savell and Dr. Klein are holding Dean’s Open Office Hours. Please contact Jill Lee for scheduling.

Upcoming Deadlines and Dates

  • Thursday, Jan. 15. Activity Input Period in Interfolio F180 closes.
  • Wednesday, Jan. 21. Registration closes for the Spring 2026 Teaching Assistant Institute.
  • Thursday, Jan. 29. Spring 2026 AGLS Career Fair.
  • Sunday, Feb. 1. Deadline for Texas A&M University graduate student travel awards.
  • Friday, Feb. 6. Life Sciences Graduate Recruitment Symposium.
  • Full spring semester schedule.

Faculty Affairs

  • The annual Activity Input Period in Interfolio F180 for AgriLife faculty will close Thursday, Jan. 15.
  • Registration for the Spring 2026 Teaching Assistant Institute is open until Wednesday, Jan. 21. The session will be held in the Blocker Building at 155 Ireland St, College Station, TX 77844, on Saturday, Jan. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 
  • Use of Open Access Education Resources reduces the cost of education for students. To learn more about resources available to Texas A&M University faculty on developing and using Open Education Resources, please see Understanding OER. Learn more about the University Libraries OpenEd Department.
  • The Faculty Advisory Council University Rule was approved and University Rule 12.04.99.M1 was finalized. This action codifies the importance of faculty engagement and affirms the essential role that a faculty-only representative body plays in the fulfillment of the institutional mission. Consistent with state law and System Policy 12.04, the Faculty Advisory Council, FAC, is intended to provide direct input to leadership in a manner that is transparent, forward-looking and aligned with the priorities and mission of Texas A&M University. The university will seat the FAC with a goal of having the committee seated and active by February. In the meantime, three committees continue to support the necessary academic reviews and processes that require faculty input. We will continue to share information about the election and appointment process through the FAC website and via email directly to faculty.
  • The System has made enhancements to the Ethics Point portal for students to report concerns about course content. Faculty should be aware of the various resources available for supporting productive classroom discussion when difficult situations arise.
  • The Research Excellence Fund was established December 1 to elevate research capacity, competitiveness and impact across The Texas A&M University System. It will operate as a competitive, merit-based program, placing priority on collaboration among A&M System members.
  • Friday, Feb. 6: Save the date for the Life Sciences Graduate Recruitment Symposium.
  • Successful Conflict Conversations – this learning experience, presented by Faculty Affairs, provides an opportunity to reflect on your role in a successful conflict conversation, while also practicing and connecting with other academics. Both faculty and academic staff are welcome to attend these workshops. Learn more here.
  • From the Texas A&M Center for Teaching Excellence:
    • The Center for Teaching Excellence has a formal Faculty Mentoring Academy to promote a culture of mentoring across Texas A&M University. For more information, visit the center’s page for the faculty mentoring academy.
    • The Texas A&M Center for Teaching Excellence offers a series of dynamic workshops tailored to empower faculty instruction and to create a more enriching classroom learning environment. Explore a diverse range of topics, including peer feedback and collaboration, engagement during lectures, and ethical behavior in mentoring. 
  • Texas A&M encourages faculty to elevate the impact of their work by joining colleagues in publishing articles in The Conversation. The format is opinion pieces and requires the expert to have recent, peer-reviewed published research. Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications is happy to work with you to get you connected with the right editors at the right times. Please reach out to AgriLife Marketing and Communications for an introductory and exploratory call to discuss ideas, opportunities and more! Email Laura Muntean if interested.

General Academic Affairs

  • New Undergraduate Student Math Placement Exam (MPE) process. Starting in April, there will be a single Math Placement Exam (MPE) for students who are required to demonstrate readiness to enroll in MATH 147/151/171. The passing score is 22. The MPE is optional for all other students
  • Prerequisites for CHEM 119. The prerequisites for CHEM 119, effective fall 2026, are completion of at least 90% of the ALEKS chemistry predatory module; or grade of C or better in MATH 140, MATH 150, or equivalent; or score of 22 or higher on Texas A&M math placement exam. 
  • Graduate employee travel. If traveling to a country designated as a foreign adversary (see list of countries – 15 C.F.R. Section 791.4) for personal reasons, they are required to submit the Certification of Personal Travel to a Foreign-Adversary in Workday. They are required to complete the pre- and post-travel notification process and should not engage in any university business while traveling in foreign-adversary nations for personal reasons, including accessing university systems or meeting with collaborators for work-related purposes. These requirements are based on institutional compliance protocols and applies to all personal travel to such countries according to GA-48. Additional information regarding these requirements can be found on the Division of Risk, Ethics and Compliance dedicated webpage. 
  • All Texas A&M AgriLife employees now have access to the TAMUS AI Framework — a secure platform hosted by The Texas A&M University System. It is designed to support research, teaching and administrative tasks with advanced AI tools. Access it at tamus.ai, where you can log in with your AgriLife AgNet ID and explore AI-powered capabilities in a compliant environment. Within the framework, TAMUS AI Chat offers an easy-to-use interface for faculty, staff, researchers and students — including AgriLife — to interact with AI securely. All conversations remain within the TAMUS environment and comply with university data protection standards — your data is never shared externally or used to train outside models. For more details, visit https://docs.tamus.ai/docs/prod/.
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training is required for lab personnel, including UGs, GR and postdocs within 6 months of joining a research group. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences now requires CITI training + 4 hours of VPR RCR training for all master’s and doctoral students, regardless of funding source. All lab researchers (postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate students) who have not taken CITI training or CITI training + 4 hours of VPR RCR training should complete the training before February.
  • Digital accessibility makes sure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and use online content. The University has consolidated many Digital Accessibility Resources at https://lms.tamu.edu/digital-accessibility.
  • From the University Staff Council:
  • The Educational Development and Engagement Instructional Design Consultant team provides comprehensive support for College of Agriculture and Life Sciences courses. Services include full-service accessibility renovation to redesign courses for optimal accessibility, video captioning in partnership with the Disability Resources Office, Canvas troubleshooting assistance and Universal Design for Learning consultation. These efforts have made College courses, including the 12 largest in the University’s Core Curriculum, fully accessible, benefiting over 15,900 students. For more information and resources, please visit the team’s intranet site for the College. If you have a problem accessing the intranet site, please use online instructions to gain access.
  • Advancing learning through evidence-based undergraduate teaching: The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning at Texas A&M University (CIRTL@TAMU) is facilitating a weekly, Zoom-Local Learning Community for the National-Level Massive Open Online Course. Visit the CIRTL site to learn more. 
  • Libraries Workshops: Various workshops supporting curriculum and research by the University Libraries.
  • Disability Resources 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.
  • Subscribe to the Graduate Advisors Listserv if you are a staff or faculty member working with graduate and professional students, and stay informed.

Student Success and Development

  • Students can obtain professional attire for interviews and career preparation by scheduling an appointment at the AGLS Career Closet. Students may be able to keep their professional items, depending on availability.
  • AGLS Pocket Pantry. College students experience food insecurity at a higher rate than the general adult population in the U.S. Anyone aware of a student, staff or faculty member in need of food resources can recommend the AGLS Pocket Pantry located on west campus in the Kleberg building, suite 109. The pantry is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays when the university is closed.
    • Ongoing support is provided by the Texas A&M Foundation and a generous donation from Lennox International Inc. The pantry is available for students, faculty and staff in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences who are experiencing food insecurity.
    • Visitors interested in using this resource can scan the QR code posted on the entrance and check in with the reception desk. Those with questions, or those needing additional support, please email [email protected]. 
  • Pregnancy and related conditions. The Texas A&M University Title IX Office assists students with accommodations for pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions. More information is available on the Title IX website and here.
  • Mental health support for all students:
    • Aggie Peer Connect is an in-person community space housed in the Student Services Building.
    • For free after-hours support, students can professional counselors at TELUS Health at 1.866.743.7732. 
    • Around the clock and regardless of location, the TELUS Health Student Support app provides 24/7 access to professional counseling in multiple languages via app, telephone and web, in addition to mental health assessments, a mental health content library and access to virtual fitness sessions — all free and confidential.
    • College employees and partners concerned about a student can refer them to Ms. Molly McCann, an embedded mental health professional in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students can make an appointment to visit Molly or to connect with the broader team of mental health professionals on campus. They can also contact Molly at [email protected] or 979.458.4584.
  • Prospective Student Information Sessions occur weekly on Fridays – students can register for a visit with a recruiter at https://recruiter.tamu.edu/.

Information and Resources for Graduate Students

  • Thesis and Dissertation PDF Accessibility – new for spring 2026. The Thesis and Dissertation office will require an accessibility report for the submission of dissertations, theses and records of study. Beginning spring 2026, graduate students must submit their thesis, dissertation or record of study with five new formatting requirements. These five new requirements help ensure your manuscript is accessible to a wider audience when published in OakTrust. Click here for an Accessibility Guide. Templates are available at Thesis/Dissertation Formatting and Accessibility Word Resources.
  • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training is required for lab personnel, including UGs, GR and postdocs within 6 months of joining a research group. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences now requires CITI training + 4 hours of VPR RCR training for all master’s and doctoral students, regardless of funding source. All lab researchers (postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate students) who have not taken CITI training or CITI training + 4 hours of VPR RCR training should complete the training before February.
  • Graduate and Professional Student Wine Tasting: Join the Graduate and Professional School on Thursday, Feb. 12, for the much-anticipated Grad School Wine Tasting! Learn about wines and enjoy light hors d’oeuvres with your fellow grad students. Look for an email invitation to register!
  • The University Writing Center has several programs for graduate students.
    • Writing Retreats, virtual graduate writing groups that meet Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., three times a year, during the interims. Facilitators start each day with a writing tip. Participants set daily goals in the morning, share their accomplishments in the afternoon, and meet with writing coaches to work through issues and stay motivated. The Dissertation and Thesis Office will present and answer questions on the third day. Registration is required and opens a month before each interim. 
    • Graduate Student Workshops, online workshops on writing and presenting at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays several times a year. Register for them.
    • Writing Cafe for graduate students on the first Friday of every month in the Evans Library Grad Lounge, Room 611. Coffee, tea and snacks are provided. If you need a block of time to complete writing to start the month off strong, this program is for you. Registration is not required.
    • English conversation appointments can help with speaking needs. You can book a conversation appointment for up to 45 minutes at the writing center. You can bring topics of discussion or they will provide some. Learn more or book an appointment.
  • Emergency aid: Graduate students experiencing unexpected, unforeseen and urgent financial hardships can receive emergency aid. Information on the emergency aid application process is available on the Aggie One Stop Emergency Aid webpage. To access the application, students must first speak with an enrollment services advisor. International students must contact International Student and Scholar Services at [email protected].
  • From International Student and Scholar Services, ISSS.
  • From the Center for Teaching Excellence:
    • 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 in the CTE-ELP program.
    • 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. Visit GSPDT to learn more.
  • Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School resources:

Student Recruitment

  • National FFA Convention: The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences hosted a student recruitment booth at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, in Oct. 28-Nov. 1. 3,000-plus students provided contact information via the QR code and over 5,000 recruitment items were distributed. Convention attendance ranged from 66,000 to 75,000 per day for the 4-day event. The state-winning Texas FFA teams competing at national contests along with the 79-member Texas FFA State and Area officer voting delegation were in attendance. Robert Studivant coordinated the event, John Chivvis set up the booth, and Drs. Savell, Skaggs and Kurten attended. National FFA Central Region Vice President for 2024-2025, Mary Schrieber, from Wisconsin will enroll in Texas A&M for spring 2026. Newly elected National FFA Eastern Region Vice President Joey Nowotny from Delaware visited Texas A&M on a recruitment trip just prior to the convention.  
  • Prospective Student Information Sessions occur weekly on Fridays. Students can register for a visit with a recruiter at https://recruiter.tamu.edu/.

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council

Save the Date!

Darwin Day

  • Friday, Feb. 27
  • 5-8 p.m.
  • The Gardens at Texas A&M University

Darwin Day is an annual celebration of all things biology hosted by the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program to honor Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary biology. Come and explore the event to see how Texas A&M researchers and their science are illuminating fundamental aspects of biology and making a difference in the real world.

This free, family-friendly event makes science accessible to the public through hands-on demonstrations, games, live animal interactions, microscope observations, museum specimens, and arts and crafts. Additional attractions include a kids’ scavenger hunt with prizes, food trucks and local artists.

This event is open to all ages, with free parking in lots 97 and 100 after 5 p.m.

Professional Services Updates

AgriLife Administrative Services

Employee Wellness

  • Walk Across Texas will take place Saturday, Jan. 24, through Friday, March 20. The registration deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 11:59 p.m. Learn more about registring at the Administrative Services intranet site.

Professional Development

Visit AgriLife Administrative Services

AgriLife Educational Development and Engagement

Accessibility of digital content

In accordance with the Department of Justice’s final rule, all digital content — including instructional materials in Canvas or shared electronically — must be accessible by Friday, April 24.

Per university guidelines, all faculty are expected to achieve a minimum accessibility score of 67% in Ally Report or 80% in Yuja Panorama for their courses within Canvas. Once this threshold is met, faculty are strongly encouraged to continue improving course content accessibility to achieve the final goal of a 100% score. Since Ally Report and Yuja Panorama identify different types of accessibility issues, it is recommended to select one tool and maintain consistency throughout the course. EDE recommends using Ally, as we found it to be the more reliable tool for evaluating accessibility. 

As a reminder, you are not alone! The following resources are available to you: 

AGLS Instructional Design Team 

Note: please use your AgNet credentials (@ag.tamu.edu) to access resources with an asterisk (*) at the end. Should you need guidance, please refer to the instructions at tx.ag/IntranetAccess.

Additionally, the university will hold drop-in office hours for any faculty or staff who has individual questions about accessibility. The office hours will have a representative from the Center for Teaching Excellence, Digital Learning, IT Accessibility & Technology Services, and the Math Learning Center. 

Texas A&M University’s Drop-In Office Hours:

Note: please use your TAMU credentials (@tamu.edu) to access the ADA Title II Digtial Accessibility Drop In Office Hours Website. 

Thanks and Gig’em as we Accelerate to Accessibility! 

Visit AgriLife EDE

AgriLife Information Technology

Upcoming Changes to Email Access

Microsoft will retire basic authentication in Exchange Online, impacting how some email applications connect to Microsoft 365. This change is designed to improve security and reliability for all users. AgriLife IT recommends using Microsoft Outlook for accessing your AgriLife email, as it is the only officially supported client and provides secure integration with Microsoft 365 apps. Learn more here.

Explore Artificial Intelligence Courses

Interested in learning more about AI? AgriLife Aspire offers a range of courses on Artificial Intelligence for employees. Browse available courses here.

Stay Updated on the NEW Outlook for Windows

Keep an eye on the AIT SharePoint site throughout January for helpful weekly posts about the NEW Outlook for Windows! Visit tx.ag/agit.

Visit AgriLife IT

News: Our Mission in Action

  • Read the latest news of our faculty, staff and student accomplishments in research, teaching and service at AgriLife Today, the home for Texas A&M AgriLife news and feature stories.
Visit AgriLife Today

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