Dear faculty colleagues,
I hope that you are doing well and that your semester is winding down nicely as we get through these final weeks. Below are listed some opportunities, updates and reminders. Please share the relevant information with colleagues and those you mentor.
Accepting Nominations & Applications for Vice Provost for Academic, Curricular and Career Innovation
The Senior Vice Provost for Curriculum and Enrollment and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies is accepting applications and nominations for the Vice Provost for Academic, Curricular and Career Innovation. This position will be responsible for promoting and driving curricular innovation to advance student achievement and success. The search committee for this position will begin reviewing applications on May 31. If youâd like to learn more or apply and nominate someone, you can do so here.
Announcing Second Cohort joining the Distinguished Service Academy
Five UT Austin faculty members have been selected to join the Provostâs Distinguished Service Academy (DSA). The goal of the Provostâs Distinguished Service Academy is to recognize members’ excellence in service and mentorship and to provide an avenue for these exemplary faculty members to help fellow faculty, staff, and students learn how to balance contributions across research, teaching, and service.
Please join me in congratulating these faculty members! The newest cohort of Provostâs DSA members include:
- Diane Ginsburg, Clinical Professor, College of Pharmacy
- Lori Holleran-Steiker, Professor, School of Social Work
- Peniel Joseph, Professor, School of Public Affairs
- Brad Love, Associate Professor, College of Communication
- Pauline Strong, Professor, Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts
Call for Nominations – Faculty Teaching Awards
The call for nominations for 2022-23 faculty teaching awards is open and can be found here. Please note the deadlines for certain awards may be earlier than years prior due to the change in the academic calendar. We encourage use of these opportunities to recognize the teaching excellence and contributions of your professional-track, tenured and tenure-track faculty. To find out how you may be nominated by your college or school, please reach out to your teaching awards contact listed here or submit your questions to faculty awards staff using this email address.
Julie Schell to join the Office of Academic Technology
The Academic Affairs team in the Office of the Provost is pleased to announce that Julie Schell will start as Assistant Vice Provost of Academic Technology starting June 1. She will also continue her work in the College of Fine Arts serving as Executive Director for Instructional Continuity, Innovation, and Accreditation. Julie brings 11 years of experience at the University of Texas. This role will draw heavily on her expertise in design thinking, pedagogy, and technology to help the university coordinate decisions around hardware and software that will be used in our instructional mission. She will help to coordinate efforts around the evaluation of new technologies as well as decisions about the continued support of technologies already being used on campus. Please reach out and congratulate her on this new role.
Big XII Faculty Fellowship Program Opportunity
The University of Texas at Austin participates in the Big XII Faculty Fellowship Program to stimulate scholarly initiatives and collaborations among the universities of the Big XII Athletic Conference. Provided that travel restrictions related to COVID-19 are lifted during the 2022-23 academic year, the program will offer faculty the opportunity to travel to member institutions to exchange ideas and pursue collaborative research. Faculty visits will ordinarily be for one or two weeks, but shorter or longer visits are possible. The visitor’s home university provides financial support for the visit. Applications open on May 15 and are due June 30, 2022. For questions, contact Marvin Hackert. Apply here.
Apply to Texas Health Catalyst for Commercialization Support for your Product Idea/Invention
The Texas Health Catalyst at Dell Medical School is now accepting applications to receive consulting, commercialization support and seed funding for your health product idea or discovery. The areas of interest include: Therapeutics, Devices, Diagnostics/Research Tools and Digital Health/Software. Projects at any stage are welcome to apply by June 15, 2022.
Learn more and apply here.
National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity Resource
As a reminder, UT Austin has institutional membership in the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity. Any UT faculty member can create an account associated with the university’s membership. This grants access to many free webinars and resources. For example, the NCFDD offers a webinar on how to build a plan for writing over the summer and how to stick to that plan. Create a login and check out their âEventsâ tab.
New Course Instructor Survey (CIS) System
A recent message from Provost Wood shared updates about a new software system for Course Instructor Surveys (CIS). In preparation for a campus-wide rollout in fall 2022, the university will launch a pilot of the new course survey system with several departments this summer. The pilot will include a test of new survey questions, as well as a limited rollout of some of the platformâs key features. FAQs about the program will be published on the Provost Office website closer to fall launch. You can read the full message here.
New Options for Scanning Exams
Options to scan and grade multiple choice exams are changing effective September 1, 2022. The Scantron machines used to scan bubble sheets are being retired. Most options will be replaced by Gradescope, integrated with Canvas, which allows instructors to print and scan exams using department printers. The ITS Teaching, Learning and Collaboration team will provide training and support. An alternative solution is available for those who currently use the green (10-choice) answer sheets. Contact Thereisa Coleman, Director, Testing & Evaluation Services for more information.
If you have any faculty-related questions, concerns, and solutions please feel free to contact the Faculty Affairs team. Weâre here to support you in any way we can.
Stay well,
Tasha Beretvas