Updates for the Week of: July 13, 2026
What's New
- Launching Your Course with Canvas, Monday, August 17, 12:00-1:00 p.m. via Zoom
- Launching Your Course with Canvas, Wednesday, August 19, 9:30-10:30 a.m. via Zoom
Upcoming Deadlines
- Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs position closes July 23.
Upcoming Opportunities
- Leadership Fellowship Open Applications:
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- The Academic Leader Development Fellow (ALDF) applications due August 21, 2026
- Department Head Development Fellow (DHDF) applications due August 21, 2026
- Mentored Opportunities to Develop Experience in Leadership (MODEL) applications due September 14, 2026
Faculty & Leadership Development Opportunities
Faculty Affairs
- New Faculty Orientation, Monday and Tuesday, August 11th to Thursday, August 13, ILCB 113
- New Academic Leader Orientation, Monday, August 17, 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Tuesday, August 18, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Rudder 301
- Leadership Fellowship Open Applications:
- The Academic Leader Development Fellow (ALDF) applications due August 21, 2026
- Department Head Development Fellow (DHDF) applications due August 21, 2026
- Mentored Opportunities to Develop Experience in Leadership (MODEL) applications due September 14, 2026
Center for Teaching Excellence
- Purposeful Personalized Learning with Generative AI, Tuesday, July 14, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. via Zoom
- Digital Accessibility: Checking Accessibility in Word and PowerPoint Files, Wednesday, July 15, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. via Zoom
- Digital Accessibility: Checking for Content Accessibility in Canvas, Wednesday, July 22, 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. via Zoom
- Introduction to Canvas, Tuesday, August 4, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. via Zoom
- NEW! Launching Your Course with Canvas, Monday, August 17, 12:00-1:00 p.m. via Zoom
- NEW! Launching Your Course with Canvas, Wednesday, August 19, 9:30-10:30 a.m. via Zoom
Award Opportunity Information & Deadlines
To support your unit in developing a culture of recognition or to get tips on applying for award, view the Awards 101 Faculty Development Series recording
- UPDATED! Fulbright US Scholar Program Fellowship - Application deadline to the organization is September 15, 2026. See the call for applications for more information, including a slide deck from Texas A&M’s Global Engagement informational sessions.
- NOTE: Guidance on open awards, searchable by discipline, country/region, etc, is available at the Open Awards in the 2027-28 Competition.
- FY 2027-2028 Faculty Development Leave (FDL) - Call for applications distributed to Deans and the Council for Faculty Affairs Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Dean-approved applications are due to Faculty Affairs FDL portal October 1, 12:00 p.m. Please encourage your eligible faculty to apply and ensure they are aware of your college/department specific due dates. The FDL function within the Faculty Affairs portal is expected to open no later than July 1, 2026.
- University Distinguished Professor – Call for nominations distributed May 21, 2026. Nominations due to InfoReady by 5 p.m., November 18, 2026.
Announcements & Reminders
Faculty Hiring and Evaluation
UPDATED! Required H-1B contingency language:
This message provides an update to the guidance shared on February 10, 2026, regarding updates to the H-1B fee contingency language included in faculty appointment letters.
Effective immediately, please update the H-1B fee contingency language included in the Employment Eligibility and Contingencies section of (1) faculty appointment letters for new hires and (2) faculty appointment letters associated with reclassification.
Action Required:
Please begin using the updated language below. This language replaces any prior H-1B fee contingency language provided by Faculty Affairs.
Updated Required H-1B Contingency Language (Effective Immediately)
Your employment at Texas A&M University may require nonimmigrant sponsorship. A Presidential proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025. Texas A&M University will NOT pay this fee. If the fee is imposed on your petition, this offer of employment will be revoked. If actions taken during your employment result in the imposition of this fee, your employment will be terminated. To the extent that this statement conflicts with any applicable System or member Policy, Regulation, or Rule, this statement will control. We recommend that you consult with your private immigration counsel at your own expense regarding potential implications.
All faculty appointment letters submitted for Faculty Affairs approval after April 17, 2026, must include the updated statement above.
Please remember that offer letters must be reviewed by Faculty Affairs before being presented to candidates. Not doing so results in significant delays in the hire and increases the administrative load on all involved.
Administrative
There are several opportunities for faculty to learn accessibility best practices including through the Center for Teaching Excellence, the Accessibility Innovator Network and Level Access, which provides statewide accessibility training covered by the State of Texas. The Level Access Academy account is free and can be requested through the statewide digital accessibility officer by emailing statewideaccessibility@dir.texas.gov. Academy on-demand trainings can be searched by role, by topic, and by duration, and any training completion details can be added to a TrainTraq transcript for verification. It is also recommended that faculty take System Course 2114218: Digital Accessibility Awareness within TrainTraq.
SAPs & University Rules Open for Comment
None currently.