Dear faculty colleagues,
Welcome back to campus from what I hope was a restful spring break. Below are several upcoming opportunities, events, and reminders for the remaining few weeks of the spring term.
Included in this week’s update:
- Reminder: 2023 UT Austin Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
- Promotion (& Tenure) Information Sessions – Spring 2023
- Course Evaluations – Optional Question Selection Window
- Accepting Nominations: OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship
- Longhorn Textbook Access (LTA) program – Deadline for Summer & Fall Courses
- New East Mall Project Exhibit: March 20-31
- Graduate Teaching Showcase: Friday, March 31
- CTL Grant Opportunities
- Deadline Extended: Mezes Award
Participation Requested: UT Austin Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey
The current response rate for the Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey is 39.7%. Our goal is to reach at least a 50% response rate by the time the survey closes on April 10th.
Please check your inbox and spam folder for the survey invites from coachefaculty@abtsurvey.com. If you started the survey but have not completed it, remember that faculty who complete the survey can submit a screenshot of the survey’s final screen (that informs you that you completed the survey) to be entered into a drawing to win gift cards ranging in price from $125 to $450 (see directions for participation in the incentive program here). We will be selecting our second incentive winner next week!
COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey Response Rates
- UT Austin Response Rate: 39.7%
- Response Rate Average for all universities: 41.8%
- UT Austin Completion Rate: 29.6%
- Completion Rate Average for all universities: 33.0%
UT Austin Response Rate by CSU (bolded have the highest and lowest rates)
Architecture – 30.8%
Business – 38.7%
Communication – 41.0%
Education – 40.5%
Engineering – 49.5%
Fine Arts – 38.5%
Geosciences – 39.0%
Information and Undergraduate Studies* – 60.9%
Law – 20.2%
Public Affairs – 37.1%
Liberal Arts – 40.1%
Natural Sciences – 34.3%
Nursing – 44.8%
Pharmacy – 63.3%
Social Work – 37.5%
*The dashboard combines response rates for CSUs with low faculty numbers. Therefore, the School of Information and UGS are listed together.
Promotion (& Tenure) Information Sessions – Spring 2023
The Faculty Affairs team will be hosting promotion (& tenure) information sessions over the spring. These sessions include a representative from the President’s Promotion (& Tenure) committee and offer the opportunity to share advice and answer questions focused on the relevant promotion(s).
Wednesday, April 5, 3 – 4pm
Tenured Associate Professor Information Session with Vice President for Research Dan Jaffe
https://utexas.zoom.us/j/97182974454
Monday, April 10, 2:30 – 3:30pm
Professional-track Faculty Information Session with Deputy to the President Richard Flores
https://utexas.zoom.us/j/93327743985
Tuesday, April 11, 2 – 3pm
Tenure-track Faculty Information Session with Vice President for Research Dan Jaffe
https://utexas.zoom.us/j/93143342219
Course Evaluation Survey – Optional Question Selection
From March 27 to April 6, instructors can add up to three optional questions to their course evaluation survey. Instructors will also have the option to preview their questionnaires and course evaluation survey schedule and access tools to help improve and monitor response rates. Detailed guidance for these processes, including dates for open office hours, is available in the Course Evaluation Features Guide.
Accepting Nominations: OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship
The Board of The OpEd Project Public Voices Fellowship at UT invites nominations for the eighth cohort of the Public Voices Fellows. This fellowship was created by the OpEd project to help accelerate the dissemination of ideas and public impact of under-represented thought leaders through enhanced radio, television, and print media publications and appearances. Here is an impact report with testimonials and results from last year’s participants.
The deadline for submitting nominations – for yourself and others – is Friday, April 7, 2023. You can learn more about the program here.
Longhorn Textbook Access (LTA) program – Deadline for 2023 Summer & Fall Courses
Longhorn Textbook Access (LTA) was created in partnership with the University Co-op to reduce the cost of digital textbooks and other digital course materials for students. LTA guarantees students the lowest price on new digital course materials and gives students automatic, free, no-commitment access for the first twelve class days. Faculty can assume this access in their teaching, even if students ultimately obtain their materials elsewhere.
If you are interested in using the LTA program for your digital course materials, adoptions are due on Monday, May 1 for Summer and Saturday, July 1 for Fall.
More information on LTA can be found here. For questions or to add your digital course materials, please contact Michael Kiely at mkiely@universitycoop.com.
New East Mall Project Exhibit: March 20-31
Led by UT’s Contextualization and Commemoration Initiative (CCI) and in partnership with the globally renowned non-profit firm MASS Design Group, the East Mall project honors those who opened doors for future generations and educates our community about the Precursors’ historical significance and the public history narratives that have defined our past. The first site activation is on display now on the East Mall lawns adjacent to Speedway from March 20 to March 31. There are 118, 6-8 feet tall interactive markers with the names and photos of Precursors who enrolled in 1956 and those who have been interviewed in the University’s Precursors Oral Histories Project.
You can learn more about CCI and their ongoing speaker series here.
Graduate Teaching Showcase: Friday, March 31
9am – 12pm | PCL Learning Lab 1
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is partnering with the Graduate School and UT Libraries to host our 7th Graduate Teaching Showcase which highlights excellent graduate student teaching at UT Austin. The centerpiece of the Showcase is a series of personal narratives about teaching presented by students from across campus. Join us to celebrate and learn from these students over breakfast tacos and coffee at the PCL Library.
Center for Teaching and Learning Grant Opportunities Teaching Innovation Grants
Instructor Learning Community Grants Block Party: April 6
1 – 3pm | PCL Plaza (21st St and Speedway)
This event will celebrate our instructors, showcasing the 2022-23 cohort of ILC Grant recipients. This group works tirelessly to create communities exploring pedagogical practices that cultivate a distinctive UT culture of excellence and innovation. Join us to find out more information about the ILC Grant or get to know and celebrate other instructors dedicated to similar goals. The event will be held outdoors at the PCL Plaza (21st and Speedway).
Instructor Learning Community Grant Proposals Due: Thursday, April 13
Instructor Learning Community Grants, open to all instructors (graduate student instructors, lecturers, tenure-track, clinical, tenured), will be awarded for projects that assemble small groups of instructors to discuss and learn together.
Students as Partners Grants
Proposals Due: Monday, April 24
The CTL is pleased to offer five grants for “Students as Partners” work for the upcoming academic year. Explore co-designing and co-creating with students!
Deadline Extended: UT Austin Sidney E. Mezes Awards
Each year, the Sidney E. Mezes Faculty Donation Committee recommends monetary awards to provide financial support for faculty members who may be in need of assistance due to unexpected circumstances, such as an illness, accident or other calamity. To find out more about the award, apply for yourself, nominate a colleague experiencing hardship, please visit the faculty awards website or email facultyawards@utexas.edu. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Thursday, April 6, 2023 and can be submitted here.
If you have any faculty-related questions, concerns, or solutions, please feel free to contact the Faculty Affairs team. We’re here to support you in any way we can.
Stay well,
Tasha Beretvas