Dear Colleagues,

Improving the on-campus experience for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors is a key part of UTRGV’s strategic planning efforts. However, achieving this vision requires our physical and human infrastructures to meet the needs and expectations of our campus community for years to come.

That’s why I am pleased to share some details about investments UTRGV is making as part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing campus facilities, accountability, research, and success.

Committed to Infrastructure

UTRGV is investing approximately $55 million to deferred maintenance to address the University’s aging infrastructure. This sum is more than we have ever committed to such projects and is made possible by our recent enrollment growth, resulting in a positive 2021 legislative session for UTRGV. Strong enrollment totals lead to significant increases in our state funding, which better positions us to handle these deferred maintenance issues:

• New Chiller for Brownsville Campus
  • This is the single largest investment we are currently making to improve our physical infrastructure. UTRGV currently shares a chiller with TSC. This new chiller will provide UTRGV with an independent energy plan that will allow for future growth on the Brownsville campus without stressing the current aging and shared infrastructure.
• Adding and Repurposing Spaces to Support Academics
  • Throughout the pandemic, we have been identifying back-office functions that can be performed off campus or remotely. This frees up much needed student-facing spaces. We will be using vacated spaces and repurposing underutilized rooms to create new offices for faculty and academic support staff. This project will allow for many more faculty and staff members to have offices on campus, fostering the potential for greater collaboration and community.

While these are just a few of the immediate items we are addressing, please know that all top priorities related to deferred maintenance will be set in consultation with institutional leadership, college leadership, and the university’s space governance committee.

In addition, we continue to identify ways to fund new buildings through PUF and our own debt financing to address space needs to support our academic program growth and research space needs. Just last week, the Board of Regents approved a 16,754 sq. ft. building in Brownsville which will provide much needed space for Health Professions.

Committed to Leadership Accountability

As you know, peer review plays a critical role in our profession, and it is essential to the success of our students, faculty, and staff. That said, I am happy to announce that we are implementing two evaluation processes for academic leadership this year.

First, thanks to a collaboration between the Council of Chairs, Faculty Senate, and Women’s Faculty Network, we will launch a new evaluation process for department chairs this spring. Be on the lookout for an email from my office next week explaining the process and how you can participate.

Additionally, we will launch annual evaluations of our academic administrators this fall semester. This process will be guided by HOP ADM 06-301, which among other things, states that an appointed committee shall conduct the review in the fall semester. We will share more information on this process as we approach the fall semester.

Committed to Research

Over the past few months, the Provost’s office and the Division of Research in collaboration with the Faculty Success and Diversity Council, the Faculty Senate Research Policy Committee and numerous other stakeholders across the university community have been building a faculty-first environment supportive of faculty research goals. Efforts are underway for cleaning up the Division of Research website and revamping several policies and processes for greater efficiency and effectiveness and ensuring all efforts align with the UTRGV Research Opportunity and Infrastructure Assessment conducted by Huron Consulting Group. Additionally, the Division of Research has also renewed its commitment to transparency and availability, as leaders extend office hours to accommodate faculty, providing all with even more opportunities to communicate. All these updates seek to advance our goal of becoming an R1 classified research institution.

Below are programs that I strongly encourage every research-minded faculty member to consider utilizing:

• Keys to Research Program
  • A nine-month program for faculty featuring workshops (one per month) that focus on building skills and capacities in areas such as professional grant writing and developing high-impact research projects, among others.
  • This academic year (2021-2022), more than 100 faculty — 58 tenure track, 34 tenured, and 14 non-tenure-track — are participating in the program’s hybrid workshops (in-person and online).
  • Participants will receive a certificate and a $500 stipend (unrestricted funds) upon completing the program.
  • Information about the 2022-2023 program will be announced in July, with registration opening in late August.
• Mid-Career Faculty Research Development Program
  • The Mid-Career Faculty Research Development Program, designed by the Faculty Success and Diversity Council sub-committee on research, supports the research/creative activities of Associate Professors. This program will provide three professional development workshops aimed at addressing the various challenges mid-career faculty face in advancing their research agenda and achieving their professional goals.
  • Upon completion of the professional development workshops, participants will be asked to submit a one-year research/action plan, and will receive a $500 stipend toward their research/creative activity needs.
  • The application deadline for the Mid-Career Faculty Research Development Program was February 25, 2022. Application evaluation is currently underway by the Faculty Development Council with applicants intended to be notified of their status mid-March.
• Faculty Seed Research Grants
  • Faculty Seed Research Grants, an opportunity designed by the Faculty Success and Diversity Council’s research sub-committee, are intended to provide funding for new research and scholarly projects anticipated for publication, presentation, and/or data gathering needed to strengthen external funding proposals.
  • PIs/Co-PIs may request up to $5,000 for individual proposals or $10,000 for multi-disciplinary proposals. Funds allocated must be used or encumbered by the end of the fiscal year.
  • The call for proposals went out today and the submission deadline is March 31, 2022. For more information on this opportunity, including the proposal content, eligible costs, and award conditions please visit the Faculty Seed Research Grant webpage.

Celebrating Success

These investments in infrastructure and support systems are instrumental to ensuring that all who contribute to our mission can grow, succeed, and be recognized within the institution. And while promoting a culture of excellence is a year-round commitment, two examples of that are the upcoming UTRGV Service Awards and Faculty Excellence Awards. While the nomination period for the Team Excellence Award has closed, there is still time to recognize, celebrate, and honor the exceptional accomplishments of UTRGV faculty with a submission to the Faculty Excellence Awards.

• All nominations must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Friday, March 4, 2022.
• For timelines, eligibility requirements, and guidelines, visit the Faculty Excellence Awards page.

Leading by Example

"Higher education would do well to follow UTRGV’s example." This line was the conclusion of a recent article in Washington Monthly that highlighted a few of the things our institution has been doing to promote exceptional student outcomes. While the piece mentioned some of UTRGV’s defining accomplishments, like our Tuition Advantage program and high retention rate for first-year students, the most satisfying acknowledgment pertained to the opportunities for economic mobility we offer students. According to an analysis by Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, UTRGV ranks among the nation’s top five schools for promoting economic mobility. What does this mean? It means that few institutions are better at providing students from low-income households with a path to improving their prospects by obtaining a world-class education and four-year degree.

To quote President Bailey, "American higher education needs to restructure itself, understanding that its past is not going to be its future." Though this refers to the entire educational ecosystem, that same mindset is inspiring these and other developments taking form across our campuses and communities.

As always, thank you for your continued trust, strength, and resilience as we progress on this transformational journey.

Sincerely,

Janna Arney, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President and Provost