Galveston Quick-Look Assessment Implementation

Stand up a College of Marine Science and Maritime Studies at Texas A&M at Galveston.

• Lead: Chief Academic Officer (CAO), in collaboration with the EVP and Provost of Texas A&M, and with necessary support from the VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Texas A&M at Galveston.
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Complete. Plans are in place to formally launch the new college on Aug. 15, 2024 with a campuswide, day-long celebration planned for Aug. 23.
  • May 10: The new college task force completed its work and held four campuswide Q&A sessions to communicate the implications, changes and impact of the new college. The Texas A&M University catalog has been updated to reflect the new college and course codes with all structures in place. Marketing and communications (MarComm) teams, both local and central, are implementing the web design and external branding/marketing strategies and the Chief Academic Officer continues to meet weekly with the central MarComm team championing this effort. Port call events for the summer sea term will engage the Aggie Network to celebrate and communicate the new college.
  • April 12: Official approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the creation of the new college was received on April 4, and the internal organizational structure plan is complete. Weekly meetings with the main campus Marketing and Communications project team continue to strategize and implement the branding and marketing efforts in support of the new college. The marketing vision is in place, along with a cost estimate to carry forward that vision. Planning internal communications and FAQs to campus stakeholders and communications for the New Student Conferences slated for this summer are underway.
  • March 8: Requests for approval have been routed to The Texas A&M University System and will then be sent to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Dr. Debbie Thomas, Galveston’s CAO, is engaged in weekly meetings with the central project team at the main campus to strategize and implement the branding and marketing of the new college. Bi-weekly meetings of the college leadership team began Feb. 27 and the campuswide new college committee on Feb. 29. The leadership team will continue to serve Academic Affairs at the Galveston campus and discrete college functions consisting of the Dean, Executive Associate Dean, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, fulfilled in the interim period by the CAO, Associate Vice President for Academic Operations and Chief Research Officer respectively. The finance and administration responsibilities for the college will remain under Galveston’s Associate Vice President for Finance and Compliance Officer. Meetings with the broader committee are focused on ensuring that the marine and maritime mission elevate the student experience and do not result in any siloing.

Establish a dotted-line reporting relationship from the Associate Dean for Engineering in Galveston to the VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Texas A&M at Galveston.

• Lead: EVP and Provost, in collaboration with Dean of Engineering, Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and Texas A&M VP for HROE
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: A dotted-line reporting relationship between Associate Dean for Engineering at Galveston, Jay Porter, and Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for TAMUG Col. (Ret.) Michael Fossum has been codified via a memo signed by all invested parties on April 17, 2024. This item is complete.
  • April 12: A draft memo has been created seeking feedback on how best to codify and formalize this relationship. Feedback from involved parties is being sought the week of April 15 for possible execution by May 1.
  • March 8: Discussions have started on how to set up this reporting relationship. Functionally, the individual in this position has been a critical team member for the Galveston campus’ VP and COO and CAO. Codifying and formalizing a dotted-line relationship still needs to be finalized.

Do not hire more Oceanography faculty for Galveston. The Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO) will work with the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Oceanography department head, and departments in Galveston to improve integration wherever possible between the departments.

• Lead: Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO), in collaboration with the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Oceanography department head and departments in Galveston
• Deadline: Changes that make courses in multiple departments available to provide more student flexibility in course selection should be in place for AY24/25.
• Status:
  • Complete

Create a task force to make recommendations for specific offices, such as the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) in College Station and the Center for Teaching Innovation in Galveston, to strengthen collaboration and to examine research development support for Galveston faculty.

• Lead: EVP and Provost
• Deadline: June 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. Enhancing research collaborations has been a steady and improving effort, independent of the Quick-Look Assessment. The task force has met and the Center for Teaching Excellence looks forward to providing a menu of in-person workshops around themes and areas of emphasis based on the need and broad instructor engagement.
  • April 12: The task force held their initial meeting during which Dr. Debra Fowler, executive director for the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and fellow CTE leadership expressed enthusiasm for providing in-person workshops in Galveston. Galveston team members have been tasked with identifying themes or emphasis areas that would engage a broad group of instructors to maximize the impact of CTE travel to Galveston. Discussions extended to involve the Galveston Faculty Advisory Committee and the Academic Leadership team. It was collectively agreed that summer is not the most opportune time due to the Summer Sea Term training cruise. The next focus for the task force is identifying the best time in the academic year for the workshops.
  • March 8: Drs. Debbie Thomas and Michael Johnson met in early March to kick off the task force, discussing the goals and nominating members to serve on the task force. The initial task force meeting has been scheduled for the week after Spring Break where a plan of action to complete the stated goals will be developed.

Submit a formal proposal for the use of Available University Funds (AUF) to address Galveston’s highest priority strategic needs. Proposal should include some provision to address faculty and staff salary equity concerns.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Deadline: June 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: The Galveston campus has remained in step with the main campus by implementing the living wage adjustments effective June 1, 2024, and a merit pool of 4% effective Sept. 1. The main campus has also conducted market assessments for specific job families on the Galveston campus. Upon receiving details of the recommendations and financial impact, leadership will prepare a formal proposal for the use of AUF funds to address these equity needs. A separate analysis was conducted regarding faculty equity, and it is complete. The Galveston campus CAO has responded with a plan to address this over time, which may include a formal proposal to utilize AUF funds.
  • May 10: The request to address faculty and staff equity concerns is on hold pending the completion of required equity studies led by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness.
  • March 8: A partial request has been submitted for immediate infrastructure needs. A complete request to address faculty and staff equity concerns will be submitted prior to June 1, 2024.

Reestablish a centralized enrollment services unit at Texas A&M at Galveston. Return personnel and/or positions to the new centralized enrollment services unit. Continue coordination and alignment with College Station recruitment and admissions services.

• Lead: Chief Academic Officer (CAO) in Galveston, in coordination with the Texas A&M Vice Provost for Academic Affairs
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Reporting lines for local recruiters and their director are being returned to Galveston.
  • May 10: Reporting lines of the recruiters and director shifting back to Galveston is still in progress. The Chief Academic Officer will meet with representatives from the Division of Finance and Business Services soon to finalize the scholarship management position plans.
  • April 12: The creation and posting of the new scholarship management position (with a dotted line reporting to the Galveston Campus Director of SES) is in progress. The timing of when the reporting lines of the recruiters and director will shift back to Galveston is also in progress. The Galveston campus financial aid team has been trained to certify Veterans with a process for handling all dimensions of Veteran financial aid. The recruiting team structure and engagement with Texas A&M’s main campus is complete.
  • March 8: Conversations with the Assistant Vice President of Scholarships and Financial Aid and the Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of Admissions at the main campus are informing how to restructure Galveston’s Student Enrollment Services (SES) to resemble the new unit at Texas A&M University’s main campus, Enrollment Management. Coordination is underway with the Texas A&M Vice Provost for Academic Affairs to shift the reporting lines of the recruiters and director back to Galveston. Financial Aid at Galveston will remain a solid line to the main campus and become a fully integrated dotted line to the Galveston campus. The director of SES and the new FTE to oversee campus scholarship management will also have a dotted to Galveston’s Director of SES. The prospective student center planned for Galveston is not moving forward as initially envisioned, but there is a desire to continue reimagining how to proceed. The recruiters coming back to Galveston will no longer have a split focus and will recruit exclusively for local campus programs; however, they will continue to attend recruiting team meetings with colleagues across the university and all Prospective Student Centers (PSCs) will continue to promote Galveston degree programs as part of their universitywide recruiting.

Establish a task force to integrate Galveston into the College Station term code to remove any barriers in the existing structure.

• Lead: Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, in coordination with VP for Technology Services and Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Process mapping will be complete by the end of June. One term may be possible for College Station and Galveston may be possible. However, a complete understanding of the processes required to accomplish this, the estimated hours required to complete the project, and a list of pros and cons will be created to determine if having the same term code is advisable or if keeping separate terms without barriers is a better option. Once this data is obtained, we will be meeting with Vice President Pettibon to determine next steps.
  • May 10: This analysis is ongoing. At the end of May, the task force will conduct a series of working sessions to map out all areas that will require modification fully allowing the task force to provide an overview of how the potential changes requested in the report will affect different intertwined business processes within student systems. This assessment will provide an overall approach so planning can begin to make changes to minimize the disruption of systems that rely on data from SIS and, more importantly, the services provided to students, faculty and staff in Galveston.
  • April 12: The task force was established, and meetings were held Feb. 27 and March 19. A team is mapping the business processes necessary to serve students that are registered in both College Station and Galveston in the same term. The mapping will be complete by the deadline; however, the implementation will take longer depending on the different services (Academic Analytics, Admissions, Registrar, Scholarships and Financial Aid, Student Billing Services, etc.) impacted and academic calendar. After business mapping is complete, the findings will be presented to the Vice President for Planning, Assessment and Strategy.
  • March 8: A task force has been established and the first meeting was held the week of Feb. 26.

Create a new position in Galveston to ensure access to all necessary accounting information that will also be involved in scholarship management and be able to certify veteran benefits.

• Lead: Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO), in coordination with AVP for Scholarships and Financial Aid, Texas A&M VP for HROE and VP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. No further action is required given the steps taken to develop this capacity with the existing student financial aid team.
  • March 8: The Galveston campus’ financial aid team is being trained to certify veteran benefits and now has a process for handling all dimensions of financial aid for veterans. Part of this process is ensuring a student veteran is not transferred to another office to receive assistance. An immediate line of communication is open for collaboration with colleagues to support a student veteran’s needs.

Examine transportability options and make recommendations for scholarships and financial aid programs between Texas A&M at Galveston and main campus.

• Lead: Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and AVP for Scholarships and Financial Aid
• Deadline: June 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Where possible, funding has been made equal (e.g., Aggie Assurance and First Scholars are now equal to the Regents’ Scholarship's dollar value). However, Galveston and College Station are two separate state agencies; therefore, available tuition set-asides differ in dollars available at each location. Different allocations from the state and various federal programs may make duplication of financial aid efforts at College Station and Galveston difficult. As with the registration codes, the committee will summarize the challenges and possible solutions for consideration in July.
  • May 10: Scholarships and Financial Aid have been focused on packaging aid for incoming students due to national FAFSA delay and software issues. The Vice Provost for Academic Affairs expects to have updates on resource needs for the Galveston campus in June.
  • April 12: The AVP for Scholarships and Financial Aid continues to work through scholarships at Galveston and College Station to ensure they are equitable. Different state appropriations for College Station and Galveston make this challenging, in addition to the differing costs of attendance.
  • March 8: This is in progress with efforts led by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Assistant Vice President for Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Pursue both a $1,000 threshold waiver and differential tuition waiver for license options for students. The latter will be addressed at the February 2024 Texas A&M University System Board of Regents meeting.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO), in coordination with Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and VP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: The Galveston Campus will pursue returning to a $1,000 tuition waiver for non-resident students awarded competitive scholarships beginning with the fall 2024 semester. A justification letter requesting this change is in development.
  • May 10: The team is moving in favor of implementation pending a final review of short-term impacts.
  • March 8: License options student tuition updates are complete. The Galveston Associate Vice President for Finance and Compliance Officer is working with student business services for proper coding in billing systems. A study of impact is also in progress for the $1,000 scholarship waiver.

Develop milestones and timeline for implementation of a direct admissions pathway to engineering majors offered on the Galveston campus.

• Lead: EVP and Provost, in coordination with the Dean of Engineering and Galveston CAO
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: This remains underway in partnership with the College of Engineering and will be established for the fall 2025 semester.
  • May 10: The College of Engineering is currently working on an implementation plan. Stakeholders, including the admissions office, have been consulted. The start date for this initiative has been set for fall 2025.
  • March 8: Beginning with applications for the fall 2025 semester, students admitted to engineering programs at Galveston will be admitted directly to a major as opposed to being placed in a general engineering designation as they are in College Station. This will provide both a smoother process for students and a potential recruiting advantage to support the programs on the Galveston campus. This plan has been developed with input from Galveston, College of Engineering, Admissions and Enrollment Management leadership.

Develop milestones and timeline for implementation of a pathway through Entry to a Major (ETAM) to the Marine Engineering Technology program for students in the Engineering at Galveston program.

• Lead: EVP and Provost, in coordination with Dean of Engineering and Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. Engineering will list Marine Engineering Technology as a potential pathway to provide crucial visibility of this program to the thousands of prospective students who visit the web pages and/or view the materials. This meets the spirit and objective of the recommendation without impacting the curricula. However, Marine Engineering Technology will not be a major in the ETAM pathway.
  • April 12: Discussions have started on how to set up and appropriately refer students to the Marine Engineering Technology program.
  • March 8: Discussions have started on how to set up and appropriately refer students to the Marine Engineering Technology program.

Create an arrangement that allows students to utilize recreation centers, parking, and dining service options on main campus or in Galveston without additional cost, which is already in the works and on track to be completed.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO), in coordination with Texas A&M SVP and COO
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. The Galveston AVP for Student Affairs and a Texas A&M AVP for Student Affairs and have developed a plan which will give access to recreation facilities on any campus effective fall 2024. The cross-campus utilization of parking and dining facilities were already in place, so this action is now complete.
  • March 8: Planning is underway for utilization of all recreation centers by students without additional cost. This has been completed for dining services and parking options.

Develop templates for enhanced and tailored communications (e.g., CODE MAROON announcements) that consider audiences on branch campuses, higher education centers and teaching sites.

• Lead: Texas A&M Marketing and Communications (MarComm), in coordination with Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Texas A&M SVP and COO
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: The central marketing and communications team is working on an extensive brand development project and comprehensive marketing campaign for Texas A&M University, launching in early 2025. Because this project is actively in development, combined with the recent restructuring within the division, this assignment remains on hold until the universitywide campaign is launched to ensure consistency with the branded templates. Further, technology must also be considered in the delivery of these messages along with the template development, both of which are significant factors. Until a universitywide campaign is launched, unit-level teams are expected to utilize existing templates and adhere to university branding to distribute communications for branch campuses, higher education centers and teaching sites.
  • March 8: On March 1, the Texas A&M Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer communicated broadly that the central MarComm team will empower unit marketing and communications teams to perform their duties successfully through collaboration. This will need to occur in two phases due to the complexity associated with current communication platforms. In phase one, the central MarComm team will collaborate with academic units, divisions and remote/branch campuses as collective platforms and systems are identified, including their use cases, by May 1. In addition, an interim solution and assets for local teams to communicate with their respective audiences will be delivered by May 1. In phase two, the necessary, corresponding templates and assets for enhanced and tailored communications will be developed and provided to enhance the local teams’ efforts in communicating with the various Texas A&M constituencies, internally and externally.

Maintain current Division of Student Affairs organizational structure. Enhance Galveston counseling services.

• Lead: Texas A&M at Galveston Associate VP for Student Affairs and Associate Vice President, University Health Services
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete.
  • April 12: The Galveston Associate VP for Student Affairs and Associate Vice President from University Health Services met on the possible collaboration to enhance counseling services at Galveston. The Galveston campus continues to see some of the highest usage rates of TELUS Health Student Support App, which enhances the locally provided counseling services. The process to develop a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Student Disability Services is in development to enhance Galveston’s counseling services by allowing current Galveston personnel to counsel students.
  • March 8: The maintenance of the current organizational structure is in place and enhancement of counseling services is in progress, with an expected completion date of Aug. 1.

Marine Biology and Marine Sciences will remain separate departments. Investigate ways to meet student desires to take courses from both departments. Conduct a review of all minors advertised at Texas A&M at Galveston to ensure they are available within existing processes and course offerings.

• Lead: Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and department heads for Marine Biology and Marine Sciences
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. The Marine and Coastal Environmental Science department head is collaborating closely with leadership in the Marine Biology department to ensure student access is as seamless as possible within the constraints of class sizes and the ability to deliver sections based on faculty numbers and teaching loads. This is not an issue unique to Galveston and options are continuously explored to expand accessibility. Additionally, all minors administered by departments on the Galveston campus have been assessed in conjunction with the EVP and Provost’s initiative to develop criteria and processes for enrollment metrics within minors and certificates. Through this process, the decision to sunset the Maritime Studies minor has been made. All other minors administered through Galveston departments remain viable and completely accessible to students. The Galveston campus also continues to work closely with counterparts on the main campus to meet student demand within the limits of our ability to teach the required courses locally.
  • April 12: The review of academic minors remains underway with the process for identifying and addressing low-enrolling programs nearly finalized.
  • March 8: The review of academic minors is underway, coinciding with the Executive Vice President (EVP) and Provost’s task force for minors and certificates. Any minors with enrollments/graduates falling below the threshold for low-performing programs will be evaluated for strategic need and value, and a plan will be developed to ensure enrollment growth.

Do not rename the Department of Liberal Studies.

• Status:
  • Complete

Decisions to not relocate the Department of Oceanography to Galveston, and to retain the GERG building, were made in fall 2023.

• Status:
  • Complete

No changes will be made to reporting structure within Facilities and Energy Services. Provide clear, routine visibility of long-term maintenance plans and planned improvements to existing facilities and enhance visibility/status of SSC work orders and projects.

• Lead: Texas A&M at Galveston Associate VP for Administration and Auxiliary Services
• Deadline: June 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: New university positions have been posted and it is anticipated the positions will be filled by Aug. 1, in line with the now new start of the facilities services agreement. The new access control shop build out has been approved and work began June 17.
  • May 10: The proposal to add new positions to address locksmithing and access control and work order oversight has been approved by campus leadership. New university positions have been requested through Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness, and will be posted as soon as they are available. Implementation is expected to be no later than Sept. 1, 2024.
  • April 12: There is now increased visibility on long-term maintenance plans, and improvements on existing facilities are complete. Once the new facilities services agreement language is drafted, the progress on addressing immediate needs through SSC will be resolved. Completion is expected by Sept. 1. Additionally, the proposal to add new positions to address locksmithing and access control, and work order oversight is routing for approval by campus leadership.
  • March 8: Galveston’s long-term maintenance plans and planned improvements to existing facilities (deferred maintenance plan) was included as part of The Texas A&M University System’s agreement. Galveston has been engaged through this agreement for the last three years, updating the plan by removing projects completed during the year and adding newly deferred tasks. Moving forward, Galveston leadership will receive an annual brief on the state of the deferred maintenance plan so those critical costs can be incorporated into the broader annual budget discussion. These annual briefs have already begun with the inaugural brief to the executive team during the Feb. 12 meeting. Differing from the main campus, Galveston’s work order system is managed by a third-party vendor. Status and visibility of campus work orders have been difficult throughout the term of the current contract. The approved language for the new Brazos County agreement (which includes Galveston) requires both parties to have “full access to the system for transparency and collaboration.” Further, the campus has preliminary plans to enhance work order oversight through the creation of new positions that will have responsibilities in locksmithing, access control and other facilities-related tasks. More details on these positions are included in the Centralization of Technology Services updates of this implementation status report.

Do not decentralize the business staff. Ensure each department has at least one administrative staff person to support the additional duties not already supported by centralized staff. Work justification for any additional positions through the EVP and Provost, Texas A&M HROE and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) offices.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in coordination with Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO), department heads and Texas A&M VP and CFO
• Deadline: Sept. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: One FTE has been hired to support these duties. Pending budget analysis, additional position(s) may be justified. Full implementation is on track to meet the deadline.
  • May 10: Complete. The Galveston campus is exploring options to provide the needed administrative support via “logistics interns” (either undergraduate or graduate students on an hourly basis) or identifying shared support due to budgetary constraints that prohibit the addition of 7 FTEs. Discussion is in progress for implementation by the deadline.
  • March 8: Budget impact and needs are being assessed by each department, and evaluations for each decision are in progress.

Review and make recommendations to improve purchasing and contracting support in Galveston.

• Lead: Texas A&M VP and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
• Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. Discussions held at the April 25 meeting were positive and constructive in gaining a better understanding of the Galveston campus contracting and procurement needs as well as the enhancements that have occurred within, and the services offered by, the Texas A&M Contracts and Procurement Office. It was agreed to have this information shared more broadly across Galveston campus business administrators. As such, Procurement and Contracts staff will be joining an existing business training session currently scheduled for June 3, 2024, to share service information as well as receive feedback. Going forward, Procurement and Contracts staff will join in the regularly scheduled Financial Management Operations training and informational sessions offered to Texas A&M and Texas A&M at Galveston business administrators.
  • April 12: A meeting is scheduled for April 25 in Galveston to include the Texas A&M CFO, the Texas A&M Business Services Unit, the Galveston Associate Vice President for Finance and Compliance Officer, and other interested Galveston colleagues to discuss and formulate recommendations for improved support.
  • March 8: Purchasing and contracting support in Galveston is under review. The Division of Finance and Business Services’ Continuous Service Improvement Governance Group, the Texas A&M Business Services Unit and Associate Vice President for Finance and Compliance Officer will meet to formulate recommendations for improved support.

Conduct market analysis for Galveston staff salaries and make recommendations on adjustments to compensation levels; implement as resources become available.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in cooperation with Texas A&M HROE office
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: To date, HROE conducted a salary analysis of employees across Texas A&M University and developed a recommendation specific to Galveston full-time, benefits-eligible staff to raise the minimum rate for nonexempt staff that are eligible for overtime and are paid biweekly to $17.30 per hour, and exempt staff not eligible for overtime and paid monthly to $45,000 per year. This was vetted through the President’s Strategic Budget Council and became effective June 1. In addition, HROE’s classification/compensation team has targeted the following job families for compensation increases based on market assessments (specific to Galveston) and availability of funds: Maritime Academy, Scholastic Performance Specialists, Security/Police Officers, Technology Services and Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness.
  • May 10: Texas A&M Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness is finalizing plans to establish a minimum living wage for hourly employees and a minimum salary for exempt employees. They are also making progress on the unique challenge of hiring highly-specialized maritime personnel.
  • March 8: Preliminary study is underway through Texas A&M’s HROE division.

Return or add a Director of HROE position to Galveston under the VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Reassign or separate Central HROE Hub 5 duties.

• Lead: Texas A&M VP for HROE, in coordination with Texas A&M at Galveston VP and COO
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: The position description for the HR Manager role is under final review and anticipated to be posted by July 1.
  • May 10: Steps have been initiated to create an HR Manager position by detailing the position description, delegation of authority, span of control and alignment with HROE best practices in support of the Galveston VP and COO. Target date for posting the position is no later than June 1, 2024.
  • April 12: Discussions have continued with HROE leadership and the Galveston VP and COO. Most recent topics include the appropriate “level” of position to embed in Galveston based on function and reporting structure. Plans are trending toward recruiting an HR Manager-level position and working to perfect the reporting structure such that communication is optimized with the Galveston VP and COO and main campus HROE team.
  • March 8: Preliminary discussions have begun with HROE leadership and the VP and COO at Galveston. Dialogue includes the reflection on the relevance of the observations and assessment of HROE and payroll services rendered to the Galveston campus. Information is being gathered to help shape the conversation regarding the proposed change to reporting structure and impacts on efficiency and resulting additional costs.

Keep current structure in place for Technology Services. The Galveston Technology Services lead will work under the operational control of the VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Organizational descriptions/charts should reflect a dotted-line reporting relationship.

• Lead: Texas A&M VP for Technology Services in coordination with Texas A&M at Galveston VP and COO
• Deadline: April 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Complete. The same working model as the one in place for the college IT teams at the main campus was recommended and will be implemented at the Galveston campus.
  • May 10: Implementation was delayed slightly; however, this is expected to be complete by June 1, 2024.
  • April 12: Two meetings have already been held during the spring semester, and Technology Services leadership will meet again with the Galveston leadership team to ensure any questions or concerns are addressed. The Technology Services lead in Galveston will work under the operational control of the Galveston VP and COO which matches the reporting structure at the main campus. Organizational descriptions and charts now reflect a dotted-line reporting relationship as of April 1.
  • March 8: Technology Services leadership will meet with the Galveston leadership team again to ensure any questions or concerns they have are addressed. The initial meeting scheduled for mid-February was postponed due to unanticipated scheduling conflicts among required attendees but is set to be rescheduled for March. It will be recommended that the same working model be implemented for the Galveston teams that is now in place for the local teams at the main campus.

Move physical security controls and keys under the direct control of a Texas A&M at Galveston employee.

• Lead: Associate VP for Administration and Auxiliary Services
• Deadline: April 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: New university positions have been posted and it is anticipated these will be filled by Aug. 1, in line with the new start of the facilities services agreement. The new access control shop build out has been approved and work began June 17.
  • May 10: The proposal to add new positions to address locksmithing and access control, and work order oversight has been approved by campus leadership. New university positions have been requested through Human Resources and will be posted as soon as available. Implementation is expected to be no later than Sept. 1, 2024.
  • April 12: The proposal to move physical security controls for building access and keys under direct control of a university employee is routing for approval by campus leadership. After approval is obtained, implementation is expected upon the conclusion of the current facilities services agreement, estimated to be received by Sept. 1.
  • March 8: The campus followed Texas A&M System guidance when negotiating the current facilities services agreement and included the responsibility for locksmithing and access control in the current contract. Preliminary plans return these responsibilities to the university at the transition to the new Brazos County agreement (anticipated to occur on Sept. 1), creating two new positions and including the reclassification of one current position. Budget impact is still under review.

Host an IT forum in Galveston each semester to engage Galveston faculty and staff directly.

• Lead: Texas A&M VP for Technology Services in coordination with Texas A&M at Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• Deadline: First forum no later than May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete. The IT Forum was held on April 24, 2024.
  • April 12: The first quarterly meeting with the staff and faculty at Galveston is set for April 24.
  • March 8: The forum is being coordinated for April, prior to the first deadline of May 1.

The Texas A&M at Galveston Marketing and Communication lead will report directly to the Texas A&M at Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Remainder of the team remains centralized but operating under the operational direction of the VP and COO. Organizational structure and charts should reflect this change.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Texas A&M VP for HROE coordinate with Texas A&M VP and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (CMO)
• Status:
  • May 10: Complete.
  • April 12: The Galveston-based MarComm lead (and their respective team) now report directly to the Galveston VP and COO, and those changes are reflected in Workday.
  • March 8: In coordination with the VP and CMO, HROE has helped shape a business plan that aligns with the recent announcement to restructure the Division of Marketing and Communications through a phased approach. As part of the Quick-Look Assessment implementation for the main campus, all local MarComm teams will be re-established, staffed and resourced at/by the unit level, reporting directly to the leaders within those units during phases one and two, which includes the remote and branch campus teams. A central MarComm team will be redefined as part of phase three. The reporting structure updates for the Galveston-based MarComm team are on track to be completed by April 1.

There is no change required for the rebuild of University Libraries. The Chief Academic Officer in Galveston will set a periodic visit schedule for the Director of University Libraries to the Galveston campus.

• Lead: Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: First visit no later than May 1, 2024
• Status:
  • Complete
  • March 8: The first visit to the Galveston campus took place in February.

Conduct market salary analysis for academic advisors and build a plan to address equity concerns as resources become available.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) in coordination with Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO) and Texas A&M VP for HROE
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • Complete

Ensure all students have in-person access to academic advisors for all Galveston academic degrees, minors, and other programs.

• Lead: EVP and Provost, in coordination with Dean of Engineering, and Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: Aug. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • Complete

Offer a New Faculty Orientation program later in the Fall or in the Spring semester for new Texas A&M at Galveston faculty who participate in the Maritime Academy’s summer cruise.

• Lead: Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs in coordination with the Texas A&M at Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: Plan in place no later than May 1, 2024, so incoming Texas A&M at Galveston faculty can be notified
• Status:
  • June 21: The development of a New Faculty Orientation Program remains in progress.
  • May 10: The development of a New Faculty Orientation Program is still in development.

Conduct an equity analysis of faculty salaries at Texas A&M at Galveston and provide results to Galveston CAO.

• Lead: Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs with VP for HROE
• Deadline: Dec. 1, 2024
• Status:
  • June 21: Complete. The equity analysis of faculty salaries in Galveston has been completed. Leadership will continue to seek opportunities to rectify the disparities in salaries over the next five years.
  • May 10: The Senior Associate Provost chaired an adhoc faculty committee to study the faculty salary structure at the Galveston campus. Committee recommendations will be shared for review and consideration by Faculty Affairs to then be implemented through a phased, multi-year approach in coordination with the Galveston Chief Academic Officer.
  • April 12: The draft report prepared by Dr. Lench has been shared with the ad hoc committee and preliminary observations show that Galveston’s tenured and tenure-track faculty (TTF) salaries are lower than their counterparts at the main campus; the gap between TTF Galveston and main campus salaries increases with rank with the highest difference being for full professors; the difference in academic professional track (APT) Galveston and main campus faculty members are relatively low; and indicators of merit like Scholarly Research Index (Academic Analytics) do not appear to account for salary differences between Galveston and main campus faculty.
  • March 8: A small group has been identified to advise on the faculty salary concerns specific to the Galveston location. This includes two members of the Galveston faculty selected by the Dean: Michelle Mitchell representing Academic and Business Performance Analytics (ABPA) and Dr. Heather Lench representing the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs. We are currently scheduling an initial meeting. The questions addressed by the salary study will be informed by this group but will likely include: 1) salary comparisons to similar units in Tier 1 research institutions nationally, 2) analysis of internal compression issues and comparing compression issues to main campus, 3) comparison of salary to main campus at different faculty ranks and titles, and 4) analysis of each of these questions considering the local labor market within the Galveston location.

Develop plan for any required equity adjustments for Texas A&M at Galveston faculty as resources become available.

• Lead: Galveston VP and Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Galveston Chief Academic Officer (CAO)
• Deadline: May 1, 2025
• Status:
  • June 21: Complete. The equity analysis of faculty salaries in Galveston has been completed. Leadership will continue to seek opportunities to rectify the disparities in salaries over the next five years.
  • May 10: Awaiting recommendations from adhoc faculty committee chaired by the Senior Associate Provost.