Greetings Colleagues,

 

As I look at the calendar I can't believe that it is already October! It seems that the fall semester just began. I hope that your fall is going well and that you had a productive  ( and hopefully restful) summer.  I have a few updates/requests that I would like to share.

 

Budget:

·         We are  still in the  process of finalizing the COEHD budget reduction proposal. We have identified  resources that will , we hope, have minimum impact on our operations. Once accepted, I will provide an update on how we  met this fiscal obligation. 

 

·         We are awaiting our final numbers in terms of one time funding and , as I shared at the College-wide meeting, I expect to be able to fund travel at the same level as last year as well as the research awards. Once that transfer has been made I will send an update on travel and research awards.

 

Martinello Endowment Award:

We will be sending an application for the Martinello Endowment award. One  application from each Department wil lbe selected for an award, as well as one at large  application. Details will be forthcoming. 

 

President Eighmy:

I have has a few meetings with President Eighmy, and he is very excited about the work that we are doing and the potential our College has for  research,  impact, engagement, and partnerships. It is an exciting time to be at UTSA and in the COEHD. 

 

Department Reports:

Department Chairs are engaged in completing Department reports,  capacity reports and strategic planning so we have a clear picture of  our operations and strategic goals,  and the data will help inform our decisions  as we move forward strategically. 

 

Associate Deans:

Associate Deans are going to be  working on a report related to how we are doing on  metrics that are being used to evaluate our performance, and they are as follows: 

  1. UG graduation and retention rates

  2. Graudate enrollment

  3. Research and scholarship

  4. Budget management

  5. Development

  6. Diversity of faculty

  7. Enhanced P12-Community partnerships

  8. UG research engagement

 

Plans for improvement in each of these areas will also be generated and some working groups may be convened to strategically plan for  improvement.

 

College Governance:

·         In terms of  College governance, I am reconstituting  some committees or developing new ones and I would ask that you let me know where you would like to serve ( identifying more than one will be fine as we can make decisions based on the numbers of  volunteers) .

 

·         We have already  convened the COEHD Technology Committee and as we  move forward, members  will be reaching out to  you for special projects, information, and participation . Dr. Langman has been working with our IT staff to reorganize and develop a comprehensive approach to instructional, information, and communications technology in the College. You will hear an update  at the December College wide meeting. 

 

·         The College Diversity Committee, as you know, was developed last year and they are meeting  and our COEHD representative  working with the Provost's Office and university. 

 

·         Dr. Rosalind Horowitz has agreed to  lead an initial investigation into research in the COEHD, with the goals of developing a white paper on the status of research, the space  that exists for different types of work within our diverse college, and finally, a  survey of peer and aspirant institutions in terms of the type of work that is being done elsewhere. This will complement the research report that you heard about at the September meeting, and aide in the development of our strategic research agenda. I will be asking for representation from each department on this committee.

 

·         I will be working with our research  team ( Dr. Nora, RSC, Monica Trevino) to develop a calendar of events , meetings, and other opportunities to provide support of the all of the research work that you are doing and to help with the grant  development process.

 

·         We are also developing  governance for CAPCC and DAPCC committees to ensure adherence to policy and that all proposals for any curriculum changes, regardless of type, have gone through approval and notification  processes and we have a record of all changes. 

 

·         Dr. Flores will be sending out invites to the Program Coordinators' Meetings. Those who should attend are graduate and under graduate program coordinators of courses that lead to licensure or certification or if the program is nationally accredited or seeking national accreditation.  Additionally, any faculty may attend as well. These meetings will focus on program and  unit level data, curriculum , clinical  practices, and using our assessment to make improvements that will enhance the outcomes for our students and  allow us to engage in collaborative partnerships across programs/departments. 

 

·         Conceptual framework/Proficiencies working group: I will be seeking participation in this group whose task will be to develop a draft of a conceptual framework for the COEHD, and a list of candidate proficiencies, building on our philosophies but also looking to the future . 

 

·         I am also developing an advisory council with representation from faculty as well as community partners. This group will meet twice yearly ( Fall and Spring) and other times as feedback is needed. 

 

·         Bylaws: Our COEHD Bylaws are  out of date. The Associate Deans and I are working on  a first draft of the TOC and  some boilerplate   sections, and each of the aforementioned standing committees will look a the  governance surrounding each and revise/update/change as needed, and this will feed into a full revision of the bylaws which will go out for  college wide comment period, a final revision based on feedback will occur, and then the document will be  ready for use. 

 

·         We are also working to  revise the COEHD website. Byron and JoAnn are  revamping, updating, and making the  site  user focused and friendly, developing intranet space for faculty and staff, and we are creating a  business services space that will have  links to  policy, procedure, and forms related to our operations, making for a user friendly, one stop format .

 

Development:

·         As you know, Raitza Garcia is now with the COEHD full time.

 

·         I will be  arranging meetings with Department Chairs and Raitza to discuss  development needs.

 

·         We will ask for you to filter needs through your Chair ( Raitza will provide a form) and then we will create a strategic development plan for the COEHD. 

 

Meetings with the Dean:

·         I would encourage the new faculty and staff to work through Melissa Lichtenberg at x2604 or melissa.lichtenberg@utsa.edu to schedule  a 30 minute meeting with me, either at the 1604 or DTC location, to allow us to informally chat and get to know each other. I also encourage anyone else who did not meet with me last year or who would like to continue the conversation to also schedule a meeting. 

 

·         In general, all schedule requests should go through Melissa as she maintains my calendar. 

 

 

Save the Dates:

 

November 13: UTSA DTC 20th Anniversary Celebration

 

December 11: COEHD College-wide meeting - Focus on Graduate Studies and Technology

 

December 17: Commencement 4 PM

 

 

Best wishes for a successful Fall 2017 semester. 

 

~Margo

 

--

Margo DelliCarpini, Ph.D.

Dean

College of Education and Human Development

The University of Texas at San Antonio

One UTSA Circle

San Antonio, TX 78249

T: 210.458.4370

F: 210.458.4487