Dear faculty colleagues,
As we near the end of February, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather and that your spring term is going well.
This newsletter starts below by sharing some faculty-related Stories and News and then the Updates section includes some information and important reminders for faculty about the following:
- Faculty Responsibilities During April 8th Solar Eclipse
- Call for Nominations: Distinguished Leadership Service Academy
- 2024 Change Starts with Us Survey
- Accepting Nominations: UT Austin Sidney E. Mezes Award
- Applications Open: President’s Award for Global Learning
- Texas Global Returning to 24000 Nueces
- NSF CAREER “Ask Us Anything” Panel Discussion
- The Plan II Honors Program Proposals
- Open Education Week 2024: UT Libraries Virtual Panel
- UT Launching SERU Survey to Undergraduates
- CTL Updates: February 2024
- Download LiveSafe at UT Austin
- Help Your Students Avoid Internet Scams and Phishing
Please share what might be relevant with fellow colleagues and those you mentor. If you have any faculty-related questions, concerns, and 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
Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Featured News & Stories
Electrochemistry Pioneer and Texas Science Legend Allen Bard Dies
The UT Austin community is mourning the loss of Allen J. Bard, known around the world as the father of modern electrochemistry.
New Speakers Bureau Offers Access to Vast Community of UT Experts
UT Austin has launched its first University-wide speakers bureau, a new program. This program makes it easier for organizations to learn about and hire experts and leaders from across the UT community as their event and conference speakers.
Faculty Central is the new online hub for faculty resources. As you use the site, feel free to ask questions and offer suggestions through the site’s feedback form, located in the footer.
Faculty Updates
Faculty Responsibilities During April 8 Solar Eclipse
The University will be hosting a campus-wide experience to take advantage of the April 8 solar eclipse, and it is important that all students, faculty, and staff are able to participate. UT will be observing a community-wide opportunity for viewing from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, April 8. Provost Wood in her message to the community on Feb. 23 detailed the responsibilities for all faculty to ensure campus-wide consistency for students.
Call for Nominations: Distinguished Leadership Service Academy
The Provost’s Distinguished Leadership Service Academy (DLSA) provides a formal organization of distinguished senior professional-track and tenured faculty members with extraordinary contributions and accomplishments across their professional portfolios and particularly in terms of their excellence in leadership, mentoring, and service to their college or school, the university, the state, and the nation.
A description of the nomination and application process for the third cohort is now available at this website. The nomination portal will be open on Wednesday, February 28 with final candidate applications due at 9 a.m. CST on Monday, March 18.
Please join some current DLSA members for an information session about DLSA applications and membership from 1-2 p.m., Friday, March 1 via Zoom.
2024 Change Starts With Us Survey
The 2024 Change Starts With Us survey for faculty and staff is now open through March 8. Do not miss out on the opportunity to express your views on a variety of topics related to the work environment and your experiences in your role. The University and colleges, schools and units will use the data from the survey to inform action plans that will be put into place this next academic year.
Please complete the survey by March 8 by following the link below. Google Chrome is preferred. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and requires you to enter your UT EID. Visit the HR website for answers to common questions and troubleshoot common issues.
Accepting Nominations: UT Austin Sidney E. Mezes Award
Each year, the Sidney E. Mezes Faculty Donation Committee recommends monetary awards to support faculty members 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, or nominate a colleague experiencing hardship, please visit the faculty awards website or email facultyaffairs@utexas.edu. Nominations are due by March 22 and can be submitted here.
Applications Open: Presidents Award for Global Learning
Apply for the President’s Award for Global Learning! It offers faculty unparalleled opportunities to create teams of undergraduate students and collaborate with international partners to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Faculty teams receive $5,000 to support student projects and class activities as well as $10,000 to support a graduate assistant. Individual faculty members each receive a $14,000 honorarium. Faculty, graduate assistants, and students also receive fully-funded travel as part of the award. We encourage you to attend a faculty information session and join the Canvas page to facilitate connections.
Email presidentsaward@austin.utexas.edu with any questions. The deadline to apply is May 1.
Texas Global Returning to 2400 Nueces
We are pleased to share that after our yearlong renovation and temporary relocation to the Main Building, Texas Global is returning to 2400 Nueces Street on February 26. International Student and Scholar Services, Education Abroad, and the English Language Center will continue to provide advising and administrative services in MAI 7 on the ground floor of the UT Tower through February 23. Passport Services will continue to provide appointments through the online scheduling system. More details available in the Texas Global Newsroom.
NSF CAREER “Ask Us Anything” Panel Discussion
The Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors is hosting an “Ask Us Anything” panel discussion on the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) with UT Austin awardees.
All assistant professors interested in applying for this award are invited to attend. The panel will be held on Wednesday, February 28, from 2–3 p.m. via Zoom.
The Plan II Honors Program Proposals
Plan II is conducting its an annual call for new course proposals from faculty interested in teaching for Plan II. If accepted, courses will be offered during the 2025 – 2026 academic year or a future year. The program is seeking faculty from all disciplines and all colleges to teach exceptionally bright and motivated students with a wide variety of interests. The proposal submission deadline is Monday, March 18. More information about the program can be found on the Plan II website.
Submit your course proposal for Plan II
Open Education Week 2024: UT Libraries Virtual Panel
The UT Libraries will host a virtual panel to celebrate Open Education Week 2024 on Friday, March 8, at 1 p.m. The discussion will feature campus faculty discussing the application of open education concepts to teaching and learning on campus. The panel will discuss their experiences finding, adopting, and even creating open educational resources (OER) and other no-cost course materials. Additionally, a student will offer insight into how open pedagogy can transform learning experiences using a current OER project as an example. This event is free and open to university faculty, graduate students, and staff.
UT Launching SERU Survey to Undergraduates
Starting February 26, undergraduate students will be invited via email to voice their opinions using the 2024 Student Experience in the Research University (SERU) Survey. The Survey is confidential and offers students the chance to share their opinion on critical issues. Insights gained from past surveys have helped shape student mental health support, campus security, and measures against food scarcity, as well as refine the University’s approach to calculating the Cost of Attendance (COA). Please encourage students to participate (students completing the survey are entered into a drawing for 1 of 10 Big Tickets from Texas Athletics). The survey closes April 30.
More Information on the SERU Survey
CTL Updates: February 2024
Please see below for several updates from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL):
Announcing the 2024 Provost’s Teaching Fellows Cohort
The Provost’s Teaching Fellows are excited to announce the members of the 2024 Cohort, the 11th cohort of Fellows, who were selected from a competitive group of applicants. This cohort is comprised of 11 Fellows from eight colleges and schools.
The PTF Program, operating in conjunction with and supported by CTL, empowers faculty to advance education in two ways: through individual initiatives that improve teaching and learning at UT, and through campus-wide events that promote the quality of education and its status in the campus culture.
Professional Storytelling for Graduate Students
Please share with UT graduate students in your networks. In this 90-minute session for graduate students, we will share strategies for using elements of storytelling to accessibly share the highlights of your current research and teaching practices with a broad audience. Learn how to set the scene, engage your audience, and provoke curiosity while discussing aspects of your professional life.
Join us on March 5 from 12-1:30 p.m.
Visit from Dr. Joshua Eyler
We are excited to announce an upcoming visit from a distinguished visiting scholar. Joshua Eyler is a leader in pedagogical research, author of How Humans Learn, and presenter at SXSW EDU 2024. He will be meeting with faculty to talk about alternative grading. Please see his education blog, “It Doesn’t Have to Be this Way” and podcast specifically about grading.
Join us on March 6 from 11-11:50 a.m. in PCL Learning Lab 4.
Teaching Innovation Grants
Innovations mean very different things depending on the course and the instructor, and we encourage you to pursue something new. These grants provide instructors time over the summer to develop something new in a course to be taught either Fall 2024 or Spring 2025. Grantees will be awarded $3,000. Innovations that can be utilized by other instructors are especially welcomed.
Proposals for this grant are due on March 18.
Download LiveSafe at UT Austin
LiveSafe at UT Austin is a free mobile app that allows the University community to connect with the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD) and access safety information on their cell phones. Through the app, users can report an incident or suspicious activity through text, photo, video and audio. There is even an option to remain anonymous. Users may also request help through the app, which connects people directly with 9-1-1 dispatchers and provides for two-way chatting. Other functions of the app include emergency notifications, access to safety resources such as call box and celebrated entrance locations, and the ability to share your location with friends and family through the Virtual Walk feature. Learn more about the app and download it on the UTPD website. Make sure to register and complete your profile for ease of use.
Download LiveSafe at UT Austin
Help Your Students Avoid Internet Scams and Phishing
Your students could be contacted by individuals impersonating you or other instructors making unusual financial and research requests. These “phishing” attempts can be spotted early by your students if they are aware of the methods scammers often use. Please share these helpful guidelines with your students and inform them how they can expect to receive communications from you. In addition, please encourage your students to use their official utexas.edu email accounts to minimize the risk of receiving phishing emails.
Access past issues here.