The Academic Affairs portfolio is broad, but focuses on strategic planning, instructional budget, and promotion and tenure. Our goal is to provide timely input on these issues to the academic units of the college, to facilitate the evolution of their instructional and research agendas, and to foster their efficient and effective operation.

Strategic Planning

• Performance-based Instructional System (PBIS)
  • Solicit and audit departmental proposals for instructional needs.
    In collaboration with the Dean, approve implementation of proposed plan. Plans are due annually in mid-December.
  • Curriculum development leaves
    Solicit and compile reports from faculty members upon completion of leave.
• Faculty hiring. Solicit biennial updates of departmental strategic plans for faculty hiring, construct College-wide faculty hiring strategy and plan, and transmit results to central administration.
• External reviews. In consultation with the Dean, establish the review committees and implement external reviews of academic units in the College.

Instructional Budget

• Funding and cost projections for faculty, assistant instructors, and teaching assistants. Solicit and analyze financial requirements for academic instructional programs. Departmental submissions for the long-term semesters are due annually in mid-March and are updated approximately six weeks prior to the start of each semester. Submissions for the summer session are typically due by late February of the academic year.
• Allocations. In consultation with the Dean, establish allocations for instructional budget of academic units, including TA/AI support; authorize supplemental funding as needed
• Assistant instructors and teaching assistants. In consultation with the Dean and department or section chairs, set salary levels for these classifications.

Departmental Governance

• Terms of Department Chairs and Section Heads. Assist Dean in conducting the quadrennial reviews of Department and Section Chairpersons. These reviews are initiated 3-6 months before the end of an appointee's term.
• Budget Councils. Assist Dean in obtaining authorization for the creation and/or continuation of non-standard Budget Councils. Reauthorization is required every three years.

Faculty Activities

• Faculty recruitment. Track faculty recruiting efforts as a function of strategic plan for hiring and monitor Prior Approval Requests for proposed hires
• Faculty Reviews
• Third-year reviews. Solicit third-year reviews of assistant professors and compile results of the reviews. In the fall of each year, departments are provided with the names of faculty subject to such reviews. May 1 is the deadline for submitting the reports to the Dean's Office.
• Promotion and tenure. Oversee the submission of files for promotion and tenure and ensure their completeness. Coordinate the activities of the ad hoc Committee for Promotion and Tenure in the College.
• Post-tenure reviews. Annually solicit post-tenure reviews for tenured faculty subject to review. On or about May 1 of each year, departments are provided with the names of faculty subject to such reviews. A further reminder is sent in October of the same year. The results of the reviews are due in the Dean's Office by February 1.
  Post-Tenure Review

Graduate Student Activities

• Dean's Excellence Funds. In consultation with the Dean, establish annual departmental allocations for assistance in the recruitment of graduate students and administer disbursement of these funds.
• CNS Special Fellowships
  
  • Award CNS Special Fellowships in the amount of $1000 for graduate students in the College who lack support as a TA/AI or GRA and have special circumstances that merit an award, e.g., are in their final year of graduate studies or are in difficult financial circumstances. Recipients are eligible for a tuition waiver.
  • Nominations for these fellowships are made by Department Chairpersons. The deadlines for nominations are July 15 and November 15, for Fall and Spring awards, respectively.
• Tuition waivers
  
  • Allocate tuition waivers to departments each semester on the basis of need and availability. Waivers enable eligible students to pay tuition at in-state rather than out-of-state rates.
  • Eligibility for a tuition waiver is determined by the nature and amount of the fellowship awarded to the student. Texas residents must be eligible for the competition, the selection of awardees must be made by a UT-Austin committee, and the monies must donated to UT-Austin prior to the competition itself. The award must be for at least $1,000 to make its recipient eligible for a tuition waiver.
  • A tuition waiver is provided for each semester during which the fellowship award is active. For example, an award covering the entire academic year would make the recipient eligible for a tuition waiver for the fall, spring, and summer terms.
• Graduate student recruitment. Track predicted departmental recruitment levels and the success rate for recruiting
• Serve as liaison between College of Natural Sciences and the Graduate School.

Miscellany

• Approval of Professional Services. Review and approve or reimbursement to individuals providing professional services. Forms are due in the Office of the Dean at least two weeks prior to the date of service.

Academic Affairs Contacts