Texas A&M University-Victoria faculty members and others pose for a photo during the 5C2 Faculty Development Conference.

During the summer, as Texas A&M University-Victoria prepared for the transition into the Texas A&M University System, 20 faculty members received a personal welcome into the system during the second annual faculty retreat.

The 5C2 Faculty Development Conference was held Aug. 17-20 at three campuses in Bryan/College Station: the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Blinn College and the Texas A&M University System RELLIS campus in Bryan. Funded by a Title III Grant that the university received before COVID-19, the conference provided engaging faculty and staff development that was designed to Cultivate Campus Culture with Creative Collaboration. This is the second year that the university was approved to use the funds to organize a faculty retreat exclusively for members of Victoria’s institution.

Daniel White

“The 5C Faculty Retreat has been a tremendous success over the past two years, and we look forward to continuing this tradition in the future,” said Daniel White, interim associate provost of curriculum and student success. “One of its most valuable outcomes has been the opportunity for faculty and staff to connect with experts from a wide range of disciplines while gaining access to innovative teaching strategies. This year, participants also had the chance to explore Texas A&M College Station and the RELLIS Campus. Initiatives like this ensure that our faculty and staff remain at the forefront of educational excellence.”

As part of the retreat, the grant enabled the organizers to invite guest speakers to share their expertise with the attendees. Last year’s event featured two speakers. However, because this year’s retreat was hosted in Bryan/College Station near the main Texas A&M University campus, the organizers were able to invite 10 speakers to come and share their knowledge of the system and its resources with the attendees.

Two of the most prominent speakers were Shonda Gibson, Texas A&M University System senior vice associate chancellor for academic affairs, who challenged faculty to visibly show their relevancy, and Sharmila Pathikonda, the system’s associate vice chancellor for research and director of research development, who hosted Monday’s speakers at the Texas A&M Memorial Student Center and highlighted opportunities for matchmaking, inter-system collaboration and robust grant proposal support.

For Jesica McCue, clinical associate professor of biology and proud Aggie alumna, the conference wasn’t just a trip to College Station. It was the moment Texas A&M University-Victoria stepped fully into the Aggie family.

Jesica McCue

“We didn’t just attend a conference; we came home with partnerships, purpose and proof that the A&M System is invested in our success,” McCue said. “Our job now is to make sure every faculty member and student feels that momentum.”

Throughout the four days at the conference, faculty members took the time to look at the university’s needs and how the faculty could specifically target their efforts to better serve the needs of students. For example, one of the exercises had the faculty examine their courses through the lens of a small business pitch and redesign the course content with a focus on improving effectiveness.

In addition, the faculty came away with five clear imperatives for future success:

1. Galvanize our relevancy by bringing employer and stakeholder voices into every classroom.
2. Elevate equitable honors and recognition opportunities that build student’s professional presence as career- and promotion-ready.
3. Sustain intellectual rigor, character and student connection modelled in the Aggie Corps Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership and other system resources.
4. Expand excellence in both face-to-face and online learning by ensuring consistency, quality, choice, and flexible access across both formats.
5. Advance as a distinguished research institution by leveraging A&M System research development support to pursue meaningful grant funding as well as student and faculty scholarship.

The learning and work done through the conference was especially impactful for the A&M-Victoria faculty because campus leadership also attended the conference and partnered with faculty on their efforts, McCue said. The university’s interim provost, the dean for the College of Business and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence leader attended all four days. Their presence greatly increased the impact of the experience. That kind of collaboration lifts the entire institution, she said.

Woodrow Wagner

“Over the past six years, the Title III Grant has empirically demonstrated what many of us have already known: Our faculty and staff are crucial catalysts in promoting student success,” said Woodrow Wagner, director of institutional strategies. “As a result of the 5C Conferences, our faculty and staff have created brilliant new course revisions, co-curricular activities, civic and community engagements, and experiential learning opportunities that have met students where they were to get them to where they want to be. Indeed, lessons learned from the 5C2 Conference will help us continue to move the needle for student success by improving retention/graduation rates, increasing the number of averaged registered credits, and augmenting GPAs and pass rates for our at-risk students.”

Now, as A&M-Victoria has become the 12th university in The Texas A&M University System, we have a solid connection to a system with positive leadership that is dedicated to supporting excellence with the faculty. The 5C2 Conference marked more than professional development. It was the first step in showing faculty, students, and the community what Texas A&M University-Victoria will stand for in the years ahead, McCue said.

“Respect, loyalty, leadership, service, integrity and excellence – those aren’t just Aggie values. They’re Victoria values,” McCue said. “We’ve been living them here for generations. Now we get to live them out as part of a system that embodies them, too. In Aggieland, the 12th Man means being ready to serve when called. That’s exactly where we stand. It’s a partnership – us and the Aggies – both stepping onto the field for our students and our community.”