ACADEMIC YEAR KICK-OFF RECAP |
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Colleagues,
I was happy to meet with new and established faculty members at the Academic Year Kick-Off faculty event on Sept. 19. To recap for everyone, great things are happening in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences!
A major upcoming goal for the College is student recruitment. Not simply more students, but more of the best and brightest students. We want to welcome them, always show them our best and actively engage with them before, during and after their time in Aggieland. We will be announcing some specific recruitment goals soon. In the meantime, we celebrate and welcome 6,271 undergraduates and 1,138 graduate students, for a total of 7,409 students enrolled in College programs this fall.
Another goal for our College is to be the most trusted brand in The Texas A&M University System and at Texas A&M University. That means being reliable and consistently delivering on our mission through teaching, research and service. It also means retaining and recruiting talented faculty and staff. Our people matter greatly, and I want us to have a sense of trust among ourselves. Building trust takes time, consistency and living out what we value. In a nutshell, we should exhibit the core values of Texas A&M University in everything we do.
As we reach new heights in excellence, I’m proud to say that Texas A&M AgriLife has recently received our largest single competitive grant, $65 million from the USDA, for a five-year project to help Texas expand climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices. Also, our College is the primary academic partner of the soon-to-be-built Aplin Center. Former student Arch “Beaver” Aplin III, one of the university’s most successful entrepreneurs, is contributing $50 million toward establishing an academic center that will serve as an immersive learning laboratory for students.
The Dean’s Team offered some timely updates during our event. Department head searches are going full speed in the Departments of Animal Science, Ecology and Conservation Biology, Plant Pathology and Microbiology, and Poultry Science.
We are receiving strong support from both President Banks and Chancellor Sharp. Each has invested greatly in our success and sees the value we bring as Texas A&M AgriLife.
Please mark your calendars with our upcoming events, including:
- The Dean’s Outstanding Achievement Awards, on Thursday, Oct. 13.
- The annual College tailgate, on Saturday, Nov. 5.
- The Texas A&M AgriLife Connect conference, on Jan. 12-13, 2023.
At the faculty kick-off event, I also highlighted engagement opportunities with Dr. Klein and myself. I very much want to get to know you, the things you are accomplishing at our College, and how we can help you. Please don’t hesitate to sign up for our office hours at tx.ag/VCDeanOfficeHours to meet with us.
Thanks, and Gig ’em,
Jeffrey W. Savell
Vice Chancellor and Dean, Agriculture and Life Sciences
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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND AWARDS |
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A Big Congratulations!
Dr. Dorothy Shippen, University Distinguished Professor and Regents Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, was recently chosen by Aggie Women Network as the recipient of this year's Eminent Scholar Award. This award honors extraordinary women faculty who serve as role models for all Aggie students and recognizes outstanding research, scholarship and service.
Dr. Robert Hardin, assistant professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, is among 10 Texas A&M University faculty members selected for the 32nd Annual Montague–Center for Teaching Excellence Scholars Award. The award is given to tenure-track assistant professors for early success in teaching undergraduate students.
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Dr. Jeff Savell and Dr. Patricia Klein are hosting October Dean's Open Office Hours. Sign up for a time and day, and contact Kelsey Agnew if you have any questions.
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Upcoming Dates and Awards Deadlines |
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- Dr. Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Economics (Aug. 1).
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Friday, Sept. 23, 10-11 a.m., Tenure Zoom Hour for Committee Chairs and Staff: Committee chairs and staff involved in the promotion and tenure process are invited to visit the come-and-go Zoom hour to ask questions and join the discussion.
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Faculty Development Leave |
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Planning to submit a Faculty Development Leave application? Make sure to submit by your departmental deadline — these are usually before mid-September.
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Dr. Linglin Xie, in the Department of Nutrition, is our College representative on the university’s Faculty Development Leave Committee. Feel free to reach out to Dr. Xie at linglin.xie@ag.tamu.edu if you have any questions about the application.
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The university has a new Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School, Dr. Fuhui Tong.
- Graduate Student Well-Being
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Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS, is offering graduate and professional students Wellness Wednesday events focused on mental health on the first and third Wednesday of the month during the fall semester. Find the Wellness Wednesday schedule online.
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Dr. Esther Wright, a CAPS counselor, is trained in graduate student issues and concerns. Graduate and professional students may make appointments with Dr. Wright via the CAPS appointment portal system.
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English Language Proficiency workshops are available for fall 2022 on topics relevant to teaching assistants. For more information, email cte-elp@tamu.edu.
- Consider joining a POWER Writing Studio (POWER, Promoting Outstanding Writing for Excellence in Research). Learn more and register online.
- 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.
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- Friday, Sept. 23, 11:59 p.m., central time: Applications are due to join the International Agricultural Education Fellowship Program, IAEFP, in Guatemala in 2023. If you or someone you know is interested in making a difference through agriculture, check out the IAEFP fellowship program.
- International Program Deadlines
- Saturday, Oct. 1: Proposals are due for International Field Trips for winter break, spring and Spring Break 2023. The Faculty Field Trip form, fully signed and routed by the college liaison, must be submitted every time the field trip is offered. If the college/department will charge program expenses to student accounts, the assigned business coordinator will submit the fee request in the Provost Fee Portal before Oct. 1. Contact Corinne Beverly at cbeverly@tamu.edu or Pascale Parker at pparker@tamu.edu with questions.
- Saturday, Oct. 1: Proposal forms are due for Unit-Led Programs for winter break, spring and Spring Break 2023. Unit-led groups are being grouped under international non-academic groups offering experiences that are similar to field trips. See more information and access the proposal form online.
- As of Sept. 19, the College has a new international program coordinator: Daniel Putnam. Prior to joining the College team, he served as study abroad coordinator at Truman State University.
- The West Campus Math Learning Center is providing tutoring services for MATH 140 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4–8 p.m., at Kleberg 117. See the full schedule at mlc.tamu.edu/By-Course/140.
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STUDENT DEVELOPMENT UPDATES |
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- Do you know an underrepresented minority undergraduate student in a STEM major that is interested in research? The LSAMP Scholar (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) program is accepting students by application.
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Student Success and Development |
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Prospective student information sessions occur weekly on Fridays. Students can register for a visit with a recruiter.
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College virtual sessions will be held 6-7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month for students to learn how our degrees help them achieve their personal goals. If you would like to join these sessions to represent your department, please contact Ahmir Nichols.
- A College networking event will be held in person Oct. 17 and virtually Nov. 1 for all first-year students enrolled in AGLS 125, the first-year experience course for the College. If you would like to help our freshmen establish their Aggie network or would like more details, please contact Danielle Harris or Courtney King.
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Aggieland Hunger Summit is a contest hosted on campus on Nov. 4 for Texas high school students interested in food security, hunger and poverty. If you would like to host an activity or serve as a judge, please contact Danielle Harris or Ahmir Nichols.
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College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Student Council |
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AGLS Career Fair: Thursday, Sept. 22, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in MSC 2300
- All students, graduate and undergraduate, can register and attend the fair for FREE. Internship, full time and graduate/professional school opportunities will be represented.
- Registration for employers is FULL at 91 companies/representatives.
- The executive officers selected the general membership for the 2022-2023 COALS Council, which will work closely with the Dean’s Office. These members were selected through an application and interview process during the week of Sept. 5, 2022.
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Save the date: The Gardens will host its annual Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 22! Stay tuned for more information on planned activities and opportunities for family fun! |
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A reminder that LinkedIn Learning is available for free to all Texas A&M AgriLife employees. This month, a popular course is:
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The Six Morning Habits of High Performers (23 minutes)
- Learn the six habits of the most successful people in history. Hal Elrod describes how they changed his life in this course adapted from the podcast How to Be Awesome at Your Job. Elrod is a highly rated keynote speaker, creator of a quickly growing online community and author of the bestselling book The Miracle Morning. Here, he describes approaches for silence that generate new ideas, explains how NOT to do affirmations and reveals the impact of tiny amounts of exercise.
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Texas A&M Division of Human Resources and Organizational Development |
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The Division of Human Resources and Organizational Development is now providing Texas A&M University-specific, on-demand online courses on professional communication, recruitment, hiring, diversity and inclusion, and other topics. |
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Onsite flu clinics are available through Wednesday, Sept. 28. Click below to schedule an appointment at the corresponding location:
Varied work/life solutions are available to Texas A&M AgriLife employees, including professional and personal training resources, through ComPsych GuidanceResources.
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Each month, we highlight faculty and staff who have embodied the Aggie Core Values and demonstrated their immense dedication to advancing the mission of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in teaching, research and service. |
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Teaching
Caleb Boardman, lecturer and Texas A&M Livestock Judging Team coach in the Department of Animal Science, initiated his coaching position in 2020 by recruiting exceptional students from various backgrounds. The students participate in multiple contests in both the fall and spring semesters. The Livestock Judging Team has competed against all the premier judging teams in the country and has won numerous contests thanks to Boardman's leadership.
Research
Dr. Yong Liu, agricultural economist and assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, recently published a study in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the top journal in his field, titled “Incorporating Historical Weather Information in Crop Insurance Rating ." In this paper, Yong and his co-author developed a methodology that incorporates seemingly redundant historical weather information into crop insurance rating using a Bayesian forecasting framework. The work opens a new path for crop insurance rating and delivers more accurate premium rates.
Service
Dr. Jamie Rae Walker, associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, has been re-elected to the Council of Principal Investigators, CPI, as the newest representative for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Dr. Walker and her AgriLife Extension team are also in the fourth year of their Working on Wellness Environments (WOW-E) programs. This year, the team has already hosted multiple events, with the main focus being to engage leaders in the Rio Grande Valley to utilize public policy, environmental changes, access to healthier foods and promotion of increased physical activity levels for youth. These programs are providing incredible opportunities for these communities and giving them a path to grow and expand their potential in these areas.
Have a colleague in mind we should feature?
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