Howdy,
It never fails to amaze me how quickly we seem to find ourselves at the end of the calendar year. While many may view the rapid passing of time as a detriment, I see it as a testament to our department’s nonstop scholarship, growth and productivity. Some say time flies when you’re having fun, which is true. In the case of RWFM, time flies when you’re part of a passionate team engaged in meaningful and impactful work. You will find a small sampling of these efforts through the stories included in this newsletter.
We recently wrapped up our annual departmental retreat held at Camp Allen in Navasota. Because our team members are located across the state, this face-to-face gathering enables us to facilitate meaningful connections and hold in-depth discussions as we continue to refine and strengthen the department’s strategic plan focused on teaching, research and extension.
A few highlighted outcomes of these faculty conversations include:
Ensuring a diversity of field-based experiences for all students is paramount. For this reason, we are developing further course options in addition to our two-week field course (i.e., Summer Camp) held at Bamberger Ranch and our Australia and New Zealand study abroad program. These additional travel-based, experiential courses will provide students with valuable insight and experiences thanks to our network of natural resource professionals from across the state and beyond. At RWFM, we believe not all classrooms have four walls.
We’re also refining our virtual course offerings to better serve students enrolled in our distance-based graduate and certificate programs. We see these flexible courses as a way to expand and potentially connect to the needs of students across the Texas A&M University System.
Speaking of technology, we’re also focused on remaining ahead of the curve when it comes to thoughtful integration of artificial intelligence, AI, in the classroom. While these new and emerging technologies will never replace boots-on-the-ground experiences and critical thinking, our goal is to show students how they can responsibly utilize AI as another tool in their land stewardship toolkit. Our intention is to incorporate this effort into a broader strategy integrating “Writing Across the Curriculum” in all courses. Stay tuned for more updates.
Finally, as we enter 2024, we’re excited to implement a strategic recruitment and retention plan led by Windy Lala, program specialist IV. A proud Aggie, Windy is one of our newest team members and has dedicated her career to student success across the Texas A&M University System.
While there are many more exciting initiatives to talk about, I’ll sign off for now. Thank you for your continued support, excitement and passion in the re-imagining of RWFM!
We wish you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season.
