Provost's Newsletter - June 2022

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce faculty promotions for the 2021-22 academic year. I am grateful for the commitment of these faculty to our students, as well as for their scholarly contributions that enable us to understand God’s creation better and know how we can serve one another in ways that bring glory to God. These promotions are given to individuals working at the highest levels of excellence in the arts, science, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. Congratulations to all! 

We continue to improve our promotion and tenure processes. Academic departments have been working with the Office of the Provost to revise or create expectations for promotion to full professor. In all, over forty departments have completed this task and have new provost-approved documents posted on the Provost's Office website. You may recall that one of the findings of the COACHE faculty survey was concern from mid-career faculty regarding their progression at Baylor. These guidelines for promotion add clarity and consistency regarding expectations. I hope you find them helpful. 

Having promotion and tenure guidelines is important, but only the beginning of the work we need to do. We must continue to hire great people and provide them with support and feedback along the way. This will be a topic at the Academic Leadership Seminar this summer, attended by deans, associate deans, and chairs. Ongoing professional development of faculty is also a significant component of the new Chair Leadership Retreat that will launch this August for all chairs and continue for new chairs throughout the academic year. Special thanks to Emily Hunter (Chair, Management) and Chuck Weaver (Chair, Psychology and Neuroscience) for developing this program. I appreciate DeAnna Toten Beard (Chair, Theatre Arts) stepping into Dr. Weaver’s leadership role as he transitions into a new position as Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Finally, it is vital to provide opportunities for growth for all our faculty. Our lecturers are essential to providing a transformational undergraduate education. Many of them have expressed a desire for a third tier of advancement. The Office of the Provost will be working with the Faculty Senate and other campus leaders to develop a plan for implementing a third rank along with a new series of titles. 

In the meantime, I hope you take these summer months to focus on what is important to you—whether that means a study abroad opportunity, research, teaching, or spending time with your family. Taking the time to rest and recharge is an important way we can be ready for the fall semester. 

Kindly,

Nancy Brickhouse

Vice Provosts' Corner

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Institutional Effectiveness

• Reporting Line Changes and Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success Position Posted
  With Dr. Sinda Vanderpool’s departure for St. Mary’s University, I (Wes Null) am making reporting line changes for several departments within the Paul L. Foster Success Center. Effective May 30, 2022, the Office of Access and Learning Accommodations (OALA) and the University Advisement (UA) office now report to Dr. Chad Eggleston, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Operations and Advising. The two other units within the Success Center, the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) and the Student Opportunity and Accessibility Resources (SOAR) offices, will report to Dr. Vanderpool’s previous position, now titled Assistant Vice Provost for Student Success. These changes better balance the reporting lines for those two AVP roles and better position the Success Center to serve our students in the future. We are conducting a national search for Dr. Vanderpool’s replacement, and the position is posted. Please share the position opening with anyone who may be interested in the role. Thanks very much.

Vice Provost for Research

• Additional Support for Fulbright Grants
  Looking for additional support for your Fulbright grant application? Our team at OVPR has a toolkit that is available to guide your application process. Baylor faculty, staff, and students can access the toolkit via Box. Should you have questions, please contact Dr. Virginia Kearney, Proposal Development Specialist.

Important Academic Deadlines

Additional deadlines are available on the Academic Units Deadlines calendar.

• June 20- Juneteenth (University holiday).
• June 23 & August 4- Academic Leadership Seminars (by invitation only to deans, chairs/directors, graduate program directors; please choose one date).
• July 4- Independence Day (University holiday).
• July 22- Dean O’Neal’s Retirement Reception.
• August 12- Chair Leadership Retreat (all chairs).
• August 13- Commencement.
• August 15-16- New Faculty Orientation.
• August 22- First Day of Class.

Spotlight On The Academy

Office of the Register

• Baylor is transitioning to a new exclusively online catalog this summer, with the Undergraduate catalog available now and the Graduate, Law, Seminary, and Social Work catalogs coming over the next few months. We look forward to partnering with our colleagues in the Schools and Colleges to improve the catalog user experience in the future. 

College of Arts & Sciences

• New MS in Journalism -- PR and Advertising
  The College is pleased to announce the launch of its online Master of Arts in Journalism with a concentration in public relations and advertising. This program will equip graduates with leadership, research, and creative skills that are mandatory to succeed in the fields of advertising and public relations. To learn more about this new degree, please visit the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media’s website.