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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><img width="623" height="129" style="width:6.4916in;height:1.3416in" id="img854769" src="cid:image001.png@01DB82B8.E72BC3C0"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Good afternoon, Academic Affairs!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I hope this finds you well! I can’t believe that we are already a third of the way through the semester. And wow! A lot is going on. Here are just a few of the many important and exciting updates I would like to share with you.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l6 level1 lfo1">Great news! East Texas A&M University has been elevated to an R2 research university. This Carnegie classification of institutions of higher education through the American Council of Education gives this
 designation to universities that demonstrate a high level of research and identifies our commitment to doctoral education, external funding, and ongoing scholarship. Congratulations, Lions; well done!<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l5 level1 lfo2">Dr. Eric Branscome has recently moved into a new position on campus as the Special Assistant to the Provost Office. Now through the summer semester, he will focus on SACSCOC and compliance topics, policy
 review for academic affairs, and continue his work as director of the QEP. Dr. Branscome came to ETAMU in 2021. Both here and in his prior role at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, he has led various SACS-related committees and projects such as co-chair
 of the Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Committee (APSU), QEP Committee (APSU and ETAMU), and SACSCOC Assessment Subcommittees. At ETAMU, he led the team of music faculty to redesignate the Music Department as a School of Music, helped to start the new
 Mariachi program, and oversaw the development and implementation of our new QEP. Dr. Branscome shared that while he has deeply enjoyed his time in the School of Music, he is excited to branch out to be of service campus-wide for colleagues and broader initiatives. <o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l4 level1 lfo3">I am excited to share that we will be welcoming Dr. Sri Beldona to the Lion family in March as the new Chief Academic Officer for our Dallas campus and Special Assistant to the President. This is a new leadership
 position in which Dr. Beldona will build and nurture connections with Dallas metropolitan industry partners to support the university’s goals in academic offerings, philanthropy, and student career preparedness. In this role, he will work collaboratively with
 vice presidents, deans, and the Dallas Chief Operating Officer, as well as faculty, staff, and external partners to ensure the alignment of programs and initiatives with local market needs and institutional priorities. Dr. Beldona comes to us with an impressive
 background in both academic program and industry partnership building. I look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes as our institution continues to grow in the metropolitan area. To read more about Dr. Beldona and this role, please navigate to the
<a href="https://www.tamuc.edu/news/dr-sri-beldona-selected-as-chief-academic-officer-and-special-assistant-to-the-president-at-east-texas-am-university-dallas/">
posted news story</a>.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l2 level1 lfo4">Registration for the Spring 2025 Investing in You events is now open (see below). The Investing in You: Junior Faculty Career Development and Support Initiative is designed to advance the careers of junior
 faculty at East Texas and is centered around the core competencies of enhancing performance, optimizing talent, and fostering collaborative relationships. <o:p></o:p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo4"><b>The Faculty Compass: Aligning Your Time with Career Goals</b> – 3/4/2025 (via Zoom)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo4"><b>Charting Your Course: Building a Research Agenda for Impact</b> – 4/22/2025 (via Zoom)<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-list:l2 level2 lfo4"><b>Collaborate and Connect: Cross-Disciplinary Research Meet-Up</b> – 5/6/2025 <o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">Registration is open to all and can be made using the following:
<a href="https://forms.gle/eb5xN3MmBZzoreTN7">https://forms.gle/eb5xN3MmBZzoreTN7</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in">
For any questions see the attached flyer or contact Dr. Sharonda Pruitt at <a href="mailto:sharonda.pruitt@tamuc.edu">
sharonda.pruitt@tamuc.edu</a><b>. </b><o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level1 lfo5">Provost Fellows Dr. Brian Zator and Dr. Flavia Belpoliti have been working hard on the creation of the Faculty Success Center, aimed at providing resources for faculty in a centralized location. While building
 the website is underway, they have established an advisory board of the following members:<o:p></o:p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="circle">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">COB: Dr. Robert Rankin<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">CID: Dr. Jennifer Hudson<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">CASNR: Dr. Desire Djidonou<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">COSE: Dr. Ayman Elzohairy<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">COEHS: Dr. Vipa Bernhardt<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">CHSSA: Dr. Flavia Belpoliti and Dr. Brian Zator<o:p></o:p></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l7 level2 lfo5">Faculty Senate: Dr. Tami Morton<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
</li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:.5in">
A heartfelt thank you to those who agreed to serve! Drs. Zator and Belpoliti will provide informational presentations this semester to the Dean’s Council, Faculty Senate, and Department Head Council as they work on this exciting project for all faculty. Feel
 free to reach out directly to Brian or Flavia with any questions or if you would like to get involved in the early stages of developing the Faculty Success Center.<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;mso-list:l3 level1 lfo6">As you most likely know, the President and I have been committed to addressing concerns regarding faculty salaries. The first step was to collect and analyze the data. Thus, after hiring
 a third-party consultant who specializes in this type of work, I have now met with the Faculty Senate President, Dr. Yasmin Atinc, and Dr. Carrie Klypchak, the Budget Director for the Faculty Senate, along with our consultant, to review the initial results.
 Given that the survey looks at both aggregated and individual data, we are working closely with HR at our institution. I anticipate that we will have the consultant on campus in March or April to meet with the Faculty Senate, and possibly, offer open meetings
 for faculty. There is no doubt that there is a critical need to engage in thoughtful discussion, and I have asked the Faculty Senate to provide overall recommendations on how to best distribute the funds based on the current faculty data in relation to CUPA
 and available permanent funding set aside for faculty salaries. Please make sure to stay in touch with your faculty senators! <o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo7">I am excited to share with you that Dr. Flavia Belpoliti will chair the new committee on open educational resources (OER) at our institution. Other members include Dr. Willie Edwards, Sarah Northam, Dr.
 Beth Bailey, and George Swindell. Thanks to those who volunteered! This committee will work closely with all stakeholders, including students and faculty, to set goals for implementing OER and support increased use. Please reach out directly to the chair at
<a href="mailto:Flavia.Belpoliti@tamuc.edu">Flavia.Belpoliti@tamuc.edu</a> with any questions or if you would like to join this team.<o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list:l1 level1 lfo8">In the next several weeks, a new position in our division will be posted: Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. We’ll be doing a national search, with the plan to have the selected candidate start
 no later than July 1. This is a full-time position that will report to the Senior Vice Provost (Dr. Ricky Dobbs) and will be responsible for providing the vision and implementation of a comprehensive approach to student success at East Texas A&M University.
 This position will provide leadership for the Student Success Center and supervise academic coaching, college advising, career preparedness, tutoring, and other key activities centered on cultivating student success. The Assistant Vice Provost will also oversee
 the work of identified retention-related task forces and committees, develop and facilitate training to help other constituents support students, and work across institutional divisions to improve student outcomes. The Assistant Vice Provost will need to effectively
 navigate and communicate processes and expectations through programming and coordinate communication and responses to student needs across academic affairs, student affairs, athletics, and other stakeholders. If you are interested in student success, I hope
 you take a moment to review! Please reach out directly to Dr. Dobbs with any questions at
<a href="mailto:Ricky.Dobbs@tamuc.edu">Ricky.Dobbs@tamuc.edu</a>. <o:p></o:p></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On a final note, I want to remind everyone that I always like to hear from you and learn about your thoughts, concerns, and wins. To schedule a time to chat, please email
<a href="mailto:Cynthia.Rhodes@tamuc.edu">Cynthia.Rhodes@tamuc.edu</a>. As always, thank you for all that you do for our students, each other, and our institution.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">tvh<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><img border="0" width="623" height="129" style="width:6.4916in;height:1.3416in" id="img522693" src="cid:image002.png@01DB82B8.E72BC3C0"></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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