Dear faculty colleagues,
I hope that you’ve had an opportunity to enjoy some time to unwind, relax and refresh with friends and family this summer. Classes will start on Monday, August 26 and I hope that you are excited to start the new academic year.
This newsletter starts by sharing information and important reminders for faculty and ends by sharing faculty-related Stories and News. The Updates section includes the following:
- Faculty Travel Grants
- Syllabus Requirements
- Required Use of Canvas
- Faculty Development Opportunities
- Postdoc Appreciation Week Research Symposium
- Open Source Research Resources
- CTL Updates: August 2024
- International Travel Process Reminders
- Longhorn Welcome Events
Please share what might be relevant with fellow colleagues and those you mentor and especially with faculty new to campus this fall. 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
Faculty Updates
Faculty Travel Grants
Eligible faculty may receive as much as $1,400 per academic year for travel expenses to present original papers at scholarly and professional meetings. This includes reimbursement for allowable travel-related expenses for the conference—lodging, meals, transportation, and registration, all of which are non-taxable reimbursements. Funds may be used for foreign and domestic travel. Faculty Travel Grant Applications are due no less than two weeks prior to the start of travel for processing and approval.
Learn More about Faculty Travel Grants
Syllabus Requirements
Pursuant to regulations in HB 2504, the General Information Catalog and the Texas Administrative Code, the following guidelines must be observed by any instructor teaching an organized course each term for each course:
- Provide Syllabus to Students by First Meeting Day
Please note that course syllabi and instructor-of-record CVs are due in departmental or dean’s office no later than August 26, 2024. - Public Access to Course Information
Documents should be uploaded to Access Syllabi and CVs system by departmental or dean’s office by: September 3, 2024.
Full details about HB2504 requirements
Required Use of Canvas
As a reminder, maintaining a minimum Canvas presence across all courses is a new policy that is critical for supporting student learning. The policy, announced last Fall, takes effect at the start of the Fall 2024 semester.A minimum Canvas presence is defined as:
- Attaching an official course syllabus in Canvas (on the official Canvas Syllabus page, with the word “syllabus” in the file name) OR by using the Simple Syllabus tool by the first day that a class meets.
- Publishing your Canvas course(s) by the first day your class(es) meet.
Learn More about the Canvas Adoption Policy
Faculty Development Opportunities
Please see below for several upcoming development opportunities for tenured, tenure-track and professional-track faculty.
Faculty Writing Communities
Faculty Writing Communities provides dedicated time and space to focus on the task of writing, as well as an opportunity to reinforce commitment and accountability throughout the writing process. There are six writing communities that will meet in-person, two hours each week in a reserved on-campus space throughout Fall 2024. Decisions about participation will be made on a first-come first-serve basis determined by scheduling availability.
Provost’s Mentored Faculty Scholars
This mentorship program offers a one-year, scholarship-focused 1:1 mentoring for tenured and tenure-track faculty, at any rank and from any discipline. Provost’s Mentored Faculty Scholars augments traditional, within-department faculty mentoring by facilitating mentor-mentee pairing across departments, or even across colleges.
Peer Networking Circles
This program allows professional-track faculty to connect and share experiences with peers from across the university. Each “circle” will promote discussion of best practices centered on a particular theme. Twice monthly discussions will be facilitated by a professional-track faculty colleague who will moderate participants’ mutual exploration of the circle’s theme.
Postdoc Appreciation Week Research Symposium
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will be hosting a Postdoc Appreciation Week Research Symposium on September 18, 2024. Postdoctoral Affairs invites postdocs to showcase their research, meet other postdoc scholars and faculty mentors and learn how to make the most of the postdoc experience.
Registration is open to all postdocs, PIs, University Deans and Department Chairs. Please register by August 30.
Open Source Research Resources
The University of Texas Open Source Program Office (UT-OSPO) is the center for open source activity, connection, training, and support to enable open source practices as a key part of the university mission. The UT-OSPO promotes more reproducible and open research through the development of an ecosystem of researchers engaging and growing open source software development skills and practice. Sign up for their listserv to get announcements and updates on their programs and trainings.
CTL Updates: August 2024
Please see below for several updates from the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL):
Longhorn Teaching Labs
The inaugural Longhorn Teaching Labs (LTL) is a week of events held from August 19 through 23 that is focused on teaching-related resource sharing and community building for faculty in their first five years of teaching at UT Austin. View the full schedule and register to attend by Wednesday, August 14. Faculty are welcome to attend as many sessions as their schedule allows.
Technology Enhanced-Learning Symposium
When we speak about technology, especially in an age of generative AI tools and their pervasive use, is it just technology or just technology (one that acknowledges its own implicit hypotheses)? Join us on August 15 from 9 a.m.-3 p.mm. to explore new and emerging contexts for teaching and learning with technology at UT Austin.
Crafting Syllabus Policies for Generative AI Tools & Usage
After a brief, preliminary discussion of existing UT recommendations, CTL will host a hands-on session designed to explore ways to craft syllabus recommendations or policies around academic honesty for your upcoming courses that focus on your evaluation of generative AI tools. Join us on August 16 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. After the session, participants will be offered the opportunity to receive optional feedback from session leaders.
ACUE Professional Development Course
The UT System is committed to helping faculty grow in their teaching. One tool they are making available to UT faculty are the Association of College and University Educators microcredential courses that can lead to the Effective Teaching Certification. The next course offering is Promoting Active Learning which lasts from September 9-October 27. RSVP by August 16.
International Travel Process Reminders
All UT Austin students and employees are required by the UT System International Travel Policy (UTS 190) to register their university-related international travel, regardless of destination, in order for the trip to be registered with On Call International. This requirement applies regardless of whether the traveler completes the RTA process. Personal travel does not need to be registered in the ITR.
If you are traveling to an area designated as a Restricted Region, you must request approval from the International Oversight Committee at least five weeks prior to departure.
Visit the Texas Global Risk and Safety webpage or attend a drop-in Q&A session on Zoom for additional support concerning international travel. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with a presentation by the GRS team, please complete this brief survey.
Learn More on the Texas Global Risk and Safety Website
Longhorn Welcome Events
The Fall term kicks off with Longhorn Welcome, a week full of events to welcome the campus community back to campus. Below are events faculty may be interested in attending.
Presidential Pop-Up Party on the Main Mall
On Monday, August 26, join the campus community for a welcome event to celebrate the first day of classes. There will be cold treats, photo ops, and a few other surprises. You are encouraged to wear burnt orange to show your Longhorn pride. The event is from 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
Longhorn Friday
On Friday, August 30, join the campus community for National College Colors Day. Join President Hartzell and friends as we rep burnt orange on the first Longhorn Friday of the semester. Enjoy free cold brew, burnt orange giveaways and more. The event is from 2:30- 3:30 p.m.
Learn More about Longhorn Welcome Events
Featured News & Stories
Peer mentorship: The walk and the talk to career success
The Provost’s Mentored Faculty Scholars (PMFS) program is a one-year, scholarship-focused mentoring program for tenured and tenure-track faculty at UT Austin.
50 Years on the Forty Acres
For 50 years, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has served The University of Texas at Austin by supporting and collaborating with instructors and staff to create engaging and inclusive learning experiences for students
CNS Faculty Receive NSF CAREER Awards
Scientists studying topics relevant to mitigating climate change, the loss of coral reefs, drug discovery, species conservation and improvements in data analysis are among recipients of the recent Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards from the National Science Foundation.
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