[VPAAEtal] Provost Update - 10/15/2024

[Academic Affairs]

[cid:image001.png at 01DB1EF0.6CD67560]

Good morning, Lions!


We are already over a third of the way into the semester and as we make our way through October, I'm sure many are enjoying the cooler weather. I just have a few short, but important, updates for you:

  *   I'm happy to share that the Refreshed Strategic Plan can be found in both English and Spanish on our website at https://www.tamuc.edu/strategic-plan/. Thank you to all the committees that worked on this. Discussions are currently underway with the Executive Team on the next steps for the university, with general instruction for each division. As I know more, I will be working with the Deans Council, as well as the Faculty Senate and the Department Head Council, to identify the next steps for the Division of Academic Affairs. As always, if this is an area of high interest for you, please feel free to reach out directly to your dean, department head, and/or the Senate. We are always looking for those who would like to join working committees.

  *   As many of you know, the Student Success Center opened its doors this semester, serving as a centralized location for students to receive guidance in areas such as advising, financial literacy, and career planning. I'm happy to share that the website for these services is now live at https://www.tamuc.edu/student-success-center/. Also, attached to this email is a flyer outlining the services or areas in the Student Success Center. I encourage you all to share with your students.

  *   After considerable exploration, the Deans Council has decided that we will be using D2L as a digitized process for tenure and promotion review, starting in Fall 2025. Details are currently being worked out, but the plan is to provide access for tenure-track faculty members early in their careers so they have the support needed for the tenure and promotion process. More information will be forthcoming. Thanks to CHSSA and HHP in COEHS for serving as the pilot programs! I am sure many will appreciate this process as we become more efficient in using time, reducing paper waste, and improving accessibility.

  *   We are excited to launch the Investing in You: Junior Faculty Career Development and Support Initiative, centered around three core competencies: enhancing performance, optimizing talent, and fostering collaborative relationships. Aligned with Texas A&M University-Commerce's mission of developing and supporting faculty, this initiative aims to advance the careers of junior faculty by focusing on the following key objectives:

*        Support the career development of junior faculty members

*        Enhance junior faculty retention by deepening their understanding of teaching, research, and service

*        Build future TAMUC academic leadership capacity by facilitating collaboration and networking

The inaugural Investing in You event, Networking at Noon: Navigating Grants, will take place on November 19, 2024, in BA 343 from 12:00 to 1:15 PM. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required. Please register using the following link: https://forms.gle/HmDFvfFvcnsULZYK8. A boxed lunch will be provided.

In the coming weeks, Investing in You will also seek input from junior faculty through a needs assessment survey. Please keep an eye out for this opportunity to share your insights!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Dr. Sharonda Pruitt, Junior Provost Fellow, who is leading this initiative.

  *   Your voice matters and I am continually interested in hearing from you. Please take this as a reminder that you are always welcome in the Provost's Office! I have office hours available on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm; but also by appointment for other days and times. This semester I am continuing to host Listening Lunches for faculty. This is a very informal meeting over the lunch hour, where my office provides lunch, and we have time to talk about what is on faculty members' minds- positives, concerns, questions about the future, etc. We tend to invite about 6-7 faculty members for each Listening Lunch so there is time for meaningful discussion and all to share. Please feel free to send me an email directly if you are interested in joining several of your colleagues and me for lunch. For my office hours, to sign up for a Listening Lunch, or to schedule a meeting with Dr. Ricky Dobbs or me, please reach out to Cynthia at Cynthia.Rhodes at tamuc.edu<mailto:Cynthia.Rhodes at tamuc.edu>.


As always, thank you for all your hard work and continued dedication to our institution and students!


tvh
Tammi Vacha-Haase, PhD

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs









Texas A&M University-Commerce<https://www.tamuc.edu/>



[cid:image002.png at 01DB1EF0.6CD67560]

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20241015/7b20fc7f/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 173028 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20241015/7b20fc7f/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 6448 bytes
Desc: image002.png
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20241015/7b20fc7f/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Student Success Center.pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 5082233 bytes
Desc: Student Success Center.pdf
URL: <http://mailman.tamuc.edu/pipermail/vpaaetal/attachments/20241015/7b20fc7f/attachment-0001.pdf>