Faculty and Staff Resources

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AWARDS

The College of Fine Arts will recognize the outstanding work of its faculty and staff and the achievement of college alumni and external partners. Awards will be recognized at the College of Fine Arts Awards Reception with invitations to members of the college and supporters and stakeholders internal and external to UTRGV. Funding will come from college funding but there is an opportunity for College of Fine Arts supporters to name awards in their honor/memory through an endowed gift.

Additionally, the College of Fine Arts encourages award winners to compete for similar awards at the institution level. So, when applicable, the application process is similar at both the college and the institution levels. The awards are in two categories: excellence awards and achievement awards. 

EXCELLENCE AWARDS The following awards celebrate the work of faculty and staff in the College of Fine Arts. These awards require a nomination or self-nomination. Upon acceptance of the nomination, the nominee will submit an application packet described in this document. 

CFA Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes, encourages, and rewards outstanding faculty’s contributions to the development and delivery of effective teaching and learning experiences. $500 research/travel award 

CFA Excellence in Research/Scholarship/Creative Work Award recognizes, encourages, and rewards scholarly contributions to the body of knowledge in their field. $500 research/travel award 

CFA Faculty Emerging Scholar Award recognizes and rewards tenure-track faculty for their contributions and demonstrated excellence in research or creative works. $3,000 summer stipend 

CFA Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship recognizes, encourages, and rewards faculty contributions to advancing community engagement through research/creative works and experiential learning opportunities. $500 research/travel award 

CFA Distinguished Career Award recognizes and rewards a senior faculty (tenured or non-tenure track) who has set themselves apart in teaching, service, and contributions to the scholarly community over a 20+ year career at UTRGV and its legacy institutions. Particularly, contributions to student and/or faculty success are of high regard. $500 research/travel award 

CFA Staff Excellence Award recognizes and rewards staff for their contributions to the success of the College of Fine Arts. $500 stipend 

CFA Dean’s Partner Award recognizes an institution external to UTRGV that partners with the College of Fine Arts in supporting the mission of the college and promoting the success of the Arts. Presentation of plaque at Awards Event (travel expense funded).

The awards listed above will be decided by the College Leadership Council.

EXCELLENCE AWARDS celebrate the work of faculty and staff in the College of Fine Arts. These awards require a nomination or self-nomination. Upon acceptance of the nomination, the nominee will submit an application packet described in this document.

Timeline. The timeline for excellence awards is: 

 
Nomination and Evaluation Process

1. Faculty will be identified for consideration through a nomination process.
   
   
2. Nominations must be submitted by the deadline via the online form.
   1. All UTRGV faculty, staff, and administrators (full-and part-time) may make a nomination.
   2. Nominators should check with the nominees prior to putting their name forward to ensure they are willing and eligible to accept the nomination.
   3. If individuals are nominated for an award, they must recuse themselves from all aspects of that category’s review process.
      
      
3. Eligibility is reviewed and confirmed by CFA Dean’s Office.
   
   
4. CFA Dean’s Office will notify nominated faculty and staff and provide details for the next steps of the application process via email.
   
   
5. Nominees will submit their application packet to CFA Dean’s Office via email (cofa@utrgv.edu) by the deadline.
   
   
6. CFA Dean’s Office provides all application packets to the College Leadership Committee who conduct the evaluation process as outlined in this document.
   
   
7. All applicants will be invited to the College of Fine Arts Awards Reception where winners will be announced.

Eligibility Requirements 

1. All full-time UTRGV faculty and staff who, at the time of nomination, have completed at least two consecutive years of service at UTRGV (with the exception of the Emerging Scholar Award). Part-time faculty and staff and faculty with 50% or more workload dedicated to administration are not eligible for nomination.
2. Nominated faculty and staff should NOT have been a recipient of a CFA excellence award in the same category as current nomination within the last five years.
   
   
3. Nominated faculty should NOT have been a recipient of any CFA excellence award within the last three years.
   
   
4. In order to be eligible for the Distinguished Career Award, faculty nominees must have at least 20 years of full-time service to UTRGV and its legacy institutions.

Preparing the Application Packet

Each candidate should assemble a single PDF file that includes all items listed below. The candidate’s name and award category should be clearly identified in the file’s name (e.g., JaneVaquero_Teaching). Packets should be submitted via email to the CFA Dean’s Office at cofa@utrgv.edu no later than the identified deadline. All documents are expected to adhere to the page limits specified in these instructions. Candidates that do not follow the guidance outlined in the instructions below are subject to disqualification.

Application Packet Contents 

1. Cover Page (Max. length: One (1) page) containing the following information:
   1. Excellence award category
   2. Full name of candidate
   3. Current position of candidate (title, rank, department/school, and college)
   4. Number of years in current position as well as total number of years at UTRGV and legacy institutions
   5. UTRGV email address
   6. Phone number

2. Narrative of Achievements (Max. length: Two (2) pages). The narrative should summarize the candidate’s achievements and address the impacts of those achievements as they pertain to the area of the Excellence Award.

3. List of Recent Achievements/Activities The list of achievements should only include work done at UTRGV and span no longer than the past five years except in the case of applications for the Distinguished Career Award, in which case candidates should provide a summary of their achievements over the course of their career at UTRGV and its legacy institutions. A specific emphasis should be placed on sharing the achievements and activities within the award’s category. 

4. Letters of endorsement (Max. length per letter: One (1) page). Up to five (5) letters of endorsement may be included per packet. Letters may be written by any individual who can speak to the excellence award criteria. Letters from students who may be advised or evaluated by the faculty candidate are discouraged, however, those from former students/graduates are appropriate. The role/position of the letter’s author should be clearly identified either within the letter’s content or denoted by the candidate on behalf of the author.

CFA Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes, encourages, and rewards outstanding faculty’s contributions to the development and delivery of effective teaching and learning experiences. $1,000 travel award

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Applicant’s implementation of teaching methodologies that are appropriate to the discipline with noteworthy innovation in teaching, including use of new technology as available.
   
   
2. Applicant has demonstrated continuous improvement of course material and assessment tools to enhance student learning outcomes.
   
   
3. Applicant creates a positive learning environment and ensures academic rigor.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• Summaries of the candidate’s student evaluations and peer-reviews of their teaching are recommended.
  
  
• Applicants are highly encouraged to provide materials in their packet that address assessment of student learning outcomes.
   

CFA Excellence in Research/Scholarship/Creative Work Award recognizes, encourages, and rewards scholarly contributions to the body of knowledge in their field. $1,000 travel award

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

1. The applicant’s research/scholarly or creative work is/has been recognized for its impact locally, regionally, or nationally.
   
   
2. The applicant’s research/scholarly or creative work expanded the body of knowledge in the faculty member’s discipline.
   
   
3. The applicant’s research/scholarly or creative work has distinctly impacted the academic discipline.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• All supporting letters should address the significance and impact of the research/creative work in its theoretical, practical, and/or artistic aspects, as well as how it has advanced/contributed to the knowledge in the field/discipline.
  
  
• Supporting letters from peers outside of UTRGV are especially useful. 

NOTE: A copy of the research/creative work itself (e.g., book, journal article, artwork, etc.) will not be shared with the committee. 

CFA Faculty Emerging Scholar Award recognizes and rewards tenure-track faculty for their contributions and demonstrated excellence in research or creative works. $3,000 summer stipend. 

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

1. Applicant must currently be tenure-track (i.e., an assistant professor).
   
   
2. Applicant’s accomplishments reflect innovative research and scholarship.
   
   
3. Applicant’s scholarly contributions to the field are making a notable influence and attracting recognition.
   
   
4. Applicant’s pattern of scholarly work demonstrates great potential for impact in the discipline.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• All supporting letters should address the significance and impact of the research/creative work in its theoretical, practical, and/or artistic aspects as well as how it has advanced/contributed to the knowledge in the field/discipline.
  
  
• Supporting letters from peers outside of UTRGV are especially useful.

NOTE: A copy of the research/creative work itself (e.g., book, journal article, artwork, etc.) will not be shared with the committee.

CFA Excellence in Community Engaged Scholarship recognizes, encourages, and rewards faculty contributions to advancing community engagement through research/creative works and experiential learning opportunities. $1,000 travel award

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. The impact of the applicant’s contributions to community engaged scholarship have gained local, regional, and/or national recognition.
   
   
2. The applicant has demonstrated leadership through infusion of community engagement in research, creative works, or experiential learning opportunities.
   
   
3. Reciprocal community partnerships have flourished through the applicant’s engagement.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• The supporting materials should clearly articulate how the faculty member infuses community engagement in their research/creative works or through experiential learning opportunities.
  
  
• Letters of endorsement from community members who can attest to the impact of the activities are highly recommended.

CFA Distinguished Career Award recognizes and rewards a senior faculty member (tenured or non-tenure track) who has set themselves apart in teaching, service, and contributions to the scholarly community over a 20+ year career at UTRGV and its legacy institutions. Particularly, contributions to student and/or faculty success are of high regard. $1,000 travel award

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

1. Full-time service to UTRGV and legacy institutions exceeds 20 years.
   
   
2. Applicant has had significant impact on student/faculty success.
   
   
3. Applicant’s contributions have made a notable influence on the institution and attracted recognition for their work.
   
   
4. Applicant has demonstrated continuous excellence in numerous areas over the course of a career.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• The supporting materials should clearly articulate the impact the faculty member has had in multiple areas over the course of their time at UTRGV and its legacy institutions.
  
  
• It is highly recommended that applicants provide letters from former students, colleagues, or administrators, in addition to current peers/students, that can demonstrate the longevity of excellence.
  
  

NOTE: A copy of the research/creative work itself (e.g., book, journal article, artwork, etc.) will not be shared with the committee.

CFA Staff Excellence Award recognizes and rewards staff for their contributions to the success of the College of Fine Arts. $1,000 stipend

Criteria. Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

1. The applicant demonstrates leadership, commitment, and dedication to the college, university, community, and/or profession.
   
   
2. The applicant’s service significantly impacts the college, university, community, and/or profession.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.
  
  
• Applicants should encourage individuals writing supporting letters to clearly identify their professional status, vantage point, or area of expertise.
  
  
• All supporting materials, including letters of endorsement, should clearly articulate the impact or results of the candidate’s activities.
  
  
• It is highly recommended that applicants provide letters from current and former students, faculty, staff, or administrators, in addition to current peers/students.

CFA Dean’s Partner Award recognizes an institution external to UTRGV that partners with the College of Fine Arts in supporting the mission of the college and promoting the success of the Arts. Presentation of plaque at Awards Event (travel expense funded).

Criteria. Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

1. An individual, group, or institution that has partnered with the College of Fine Arts in support of the mission of the college and promoting the success of the Arts.
   
   
2. Partner should not be nominated if they have received the award in the last five years.

Helpful Tips. 

• The members of the Committee are likely to be from different disciplines than the candidate, meaning that clear and simple prose (rather than discipline-specific jargon) is helpful.

If you have any questions, please email cofa@utrgv.edu.

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS TRAVEL GRANTS support faculty who engage in travel for research and creative activity. $500-1,000 per award

 Criteria.                          

1. All full-time faculty, regardless of rank are eligible and encouraged to apply, but priority will be given to tenure-track faculty (i.e., an assistant professor).
   
   
2. Grant will support faculty travel for (but not limited to):
   1. Presenting, performing, or exhibiting at academic or professional conferences/meetings.
   2. Performing or exhibiting at national or international venues, with a priority given to peer-reviewed performances or exhibitions.
   3. Conducting research or creative activities that are site specific (i.e., fulfilling a commission or collecting data).
      
      
3. Before applying, faculty should first have expended the $800 departmental travel distribution.
   
   
4. Faculty may receive funding from multiple travel grants throughout the fiscal year.
   
   
5. Travel grants will be distributed by the Dean’s Office. Any unused funds from a travel grant cannot be used by applied to another travel opportunity. Faculty must submit additional travel grant requests for support for additional travel.

Timeline. The timeline for the Faculty Travel Grant is:

If you have any questions regarding the CFA Awards and Grants, please email cofa@utrgv.edu. 
 

College of Fine Arts Consortium for the Advancement of Research and Creative works (CFA-ARC) announces the 2024-2025 Collaborative Research Fellowship Call for Proposals. 

Duration of Fellowship: November 13, 2024 - March 6, 2025 
 
2024-2025 CFA-ARC Fellowship Overview: 
ARC Collaborative Research Fellowships will be awarded to applicants from the College of Fine Arts, the College of Education & P-16 Integration, the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship, the School of Social Work, and the Institute for Neuroscience. Four fellowships will be awarded to each college and school. Collaborative Research Fellows will be formally recognized for their achievement during the annual College of Fine Arts Awards Ceremony at the end of the 2025 spring semester.

 
CRITERIA AND INFORMATION 
 
 
If you have any questions, please email mark.ramirez@utrgv.edu

• CFA Strategic Plan 

• CFA Bylaws 

• CFA Policies and Procedures Manual

Guidelines for Annual Evaluation, Tenure/Promotion, Post-Tenure, and Workload Review

• School of Art and Design 
• School of Music 
• Department of Theatre
• Dance Department
• Creative Writing Department
  
  
• CFA Promotion Guidelines for Professional Track Faculty
  
• CFA Promotion to Full Professor Guidelines
  
• CFA Tenure-Track Guidelines 
  
  

CFA FACULTY SEARCH PROCESS

One of the most important service activities of faculty is serving on a faculty search committee to help the institution recruit colleagues into the university. The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to school directors/department chairs and faculty search committee members as they engage in this process.

Process. The search committee process is as follows:

1. Position Approval
2. Search Committee Formation
3. Job Posting
4. Recruitment
5. Candidate Review
6. Virtual Interviews
7. On-Campus Interviews
8. Survey
9. Search Committee Report
10. School Director/Department Chair Recommendation
11. Verbal Offer
12. Other Steps

Position Approval. Positions are approved by the Dean and come either from new positions that are granted to the college by the Office of the Provost or by vacant positions due to a faculty resignation.

New Positions. School director/department chairs work with their colleagues to identify faculty needs that are tied to a variety of factors, including enrollment growth and student interest in new programs. School director/department chairs collaborate with the dean to advocate for funding from the Office of the Provost for these new positions.

Vacant Positions. A faculty vacancy is an opportunity to examine student needs and to determine how best to use resources that are made available. Replacement in the same area as the vacated faculty member is not always the best option for schools/departments and the college. The school director/department chair should discuss a variety of possibilities with faculty and collaborate with the dean to determine the best use of these available resources. At the discretion of the dean, vacant positions may not be returned to a school/department if the need for that position in the school/ department has diminished and/or if a greater need exists elsewhere in the college.

A position that becomes vacant early in the fiscal year can be searched for if there is sufficient time to recruit a robust candidate pool. Otherwise, temporary faculty (part-time or full-time, one-year appointment instructors) may be hired to meet any instructional needs in the school/department until a search can be undertaken.

Search Committee Formation. Once a search has been approved, the school director/department chair will consult with the dean on potential search committee members and chair of the committee. A search committee should consist of an odd number of members. Five members, including the chair, is a typical number, but three members are acceptable in small departments. Search committee members should represent academic and research/creative activity areas similar to the position being sought, however, voices from outside this area to represent other interests in the school/department are also recommended.

The search committee chair will be appointed by the school director/department chair. The search committee chair is responsible for coordinating all search activities, collaborating with the school director/department chair in creating a schedule for the on-campus visit, and ensuring that all search committee guidelines are followed by all search committee members.[1] Finally, the search committee chair will collaborate with fellow search committee members in writing reports to the school director/department chair.

All search committee members must complete training prior to the beginning of a search process or as soon as training becomes available.

Job Posting. Using a template provided by the College Administrator, the school director/ department chair will draft a job posting in collaboration with the search committee. The draft posting is sent to the College Administrator. It is recommended that job postings remain “open until filled,” with a clearly communicated “date of review” so candidates know when to submit application materials.

Recommended application materials include:

• Curriculum Vitae
• List of 3 references.
• Letter of interest.
• Unofficial transcripts.
• Artefact(s) that demonstrate excellence in teaching and research/creative activity, such as statement of teaching philosophy, links to teaching or performance videos or digital portfolio or website.

If approved by the dean, the job posting will be posted in “standard” sites, including:

• UTRGV Careers website (https://careers.utrgv.edu/).
• Inside Higher Ed.
• Chronicle of Higher Education.

School directors/department chairs may request the College Administrator to post the job in discipline-specific venues. This request should include the URL to post, associated costs, and the expected audience, including estimated size. 

Recruitment. One of the most important jobs of the search committee is to actively recruit potential candidates to the position by contacting and sharing the job posting with members of their professional network. Additionally, search committees can recommend candidates for the search committee chair or the school director/department chair to contact.

Candidate Review. All members of the search committee can access candidate application files through the “PeopleAdmin” application found in “myUTRGV.” In the top right corner of the PeopleAdmin interface, search committee members will select “Search Committee Member” under the “User Group” drop down menu and then select the search. Each application should be thoroughly reviewed by every search committee member. If the position is listed as “open until filled,” applications that are submitted after virtual and/or on-campus interviews should still be reviewed by the search committee and given full consideration.

Within a week after the “review” date listed in the job posting, the search committee should meet to narrow the field. Depending upon the size and scope of the position and candidate pool, the search committee should determine which of the candidates they would like to interview. Typically, the field is narrowed to six to eight candidates for virtual interviews through Zoom. Regardless of the next step, the search committee chair should send a list of candidates to be interviewed to the school director/department chair who will provide feedback and confer with the dean for approval to the search committee to proceed.

In Academic Policy Memorandum (2025-001): Hiring Doctoral Graduates to Tenure Track, UTRGV colleges and schools are “not permitted to hire UTRGV doctoral graduates immediately following graduation” into tenure-track positions. Per this policy, UTRGV colleges and schools may hire doctoral graduates “after many years have passed since they graduated, and the graduate has shown considerable success in their fields.” Since the Master of Fine Arts is the primary terminal degree in art, creative writing, dance, and theatre, this policy will apply to MFA graduates from UTRGV. For an MFA alumnus to be considered for a tenure-track position, the school director/department chair must send a request to the dean confirming that the alumnus graduated at least three years prior to the hiring date and a narrative describing how the candidate has “shown considerable success in their field.”

Virtual Interviews. The search committee chair will lead the search committee in writing a slate of questions in advance of the virtual interviews. To ensure that all candidates are given equitable consideration, each candidate should be asked the same questions and follow-up questions should only be asked if a member of the committee perceives that a candidate did not ask a question that was asked. Typically, virtual interviews consist of 20-30 minutes of questions and answers and 5-10 minutes of questions from the candidates to members of the search committee with 5-15 minutes of transition between virtual interviews, if conducted on the same day. To maximize the time, each committee member is encouraged to ask at least one question, introducing themselves when they ask their question.

Although candidates may communicate personal situations, such as marital status, children, or living situation, search committee members must not ask any questions or make any comments regarding personal situations. Additionally, search committee members should avoid questions or comments associated with race, gender identity, or other diversity topics.

On-Campus Interviews. The college is only provided funding by the Office of the Provost for tenure-track searches; however, all searches for budgeted positions (i.e., tenure-track and three-year professional track) must include an on-campus interview. This funding is distributed by the college to schools/departments based on the number of searches (tenure-track and professional track), including additional funding from the college. On average, schools/departments should expect an average cost of $1,000 for each U.S. candidate requiring air travel. In most cases, funding from the college will have to be supplemented by departmental funding. The number of candidates invited for on-campus interviews is at the discretion of the school director/department chair based on available funding.

Depending upon the number of viable candidates, the search committee will make a recommendation to the school director/department chair who will consult with the dean on a list of candidates to be invited for campus interviews. A minimum of two candidates that must be brought to campus for an interview. The search committee should narrow the field to the most viable candidates for on-campus interviews.

The search committee chair will develop a draft schedule in consultation with all search committee members. Once approved by the school director/department chair, the search committee chair will work with departmental staff in arranging for the campus visit. Per Academic Policy Memorandum (2025-009): Faculty Candidates’ Campus Visits, “campus visits for faculty positions and their job talks be arranged primarily on the campus for which the college or school is hiring.” While “all faculty are expected to teach on both campuses and attend meetings on the campus where the meetings are scheduled. . .campus interviews should start and end” on the position’s primary campus, “including airport and hotel arrangements.” A visit to another teaching site where the successful candidate may teach can be visited if time allows, but it is not mandatory.

Below are some recommendations for on-campus interview activities in which candidates may engage in some or all:

• Interview with the search committee.
• Meals with two committee members.
• Interview with the school director/department chair.
• Interview with the dean.
• Interview with the area faculty.
• Meeting with students.
• Presentation of research and/or teaching philosophy.
• Teaching demonstration.
•  
• Tour of facilities/campus.
• Tour of area with real estate agent.

All candidates must engage in the same activities, including modality (i.e., if the dean can only meet with one of the candidates via Zoom, he should meet with all candidates via Zoom, if feasible). Special events, such as performances or gallery openings, should be avoided unless these same events occur during the campus visit of other candidates.

Survey. The Search Committee should create an anonymous survey for all students and faculty to provide their input for each candidate. Surveys should solicit qualitative responses and not ask respondents to rank or vote for candidates. The search committee should take survey data into account when preparing their report.

Search Committee Report. Upon completion of on-campus interviews, the search committee chair will facilitate the writing of a search committee report. The report, submitted to the school director/department chair, should include strengths and weaknesses of each candidate with the search committee chair soliciting the evaluation of all members of the committee. It should be a composite report where the evaluation of each committee member is synthesized, rather than the individual evaluation of each committee member. The search committee should not take a vote on a preferred candidate, nor should the report contain a ranking of candidates. The only exception is if a majority of the committee evaluate that a candidate is “unacceptable,” meaning a candidate does not meet the job requirements or has displayed significant concerns that could be detrimental to the school/department.

School Director/Department Chair Recommendation. Using the Search Committee Report, the school director/department chair will provide a recommendation for hire to the dean, including a rationale for the recommendation. If approved by the dean, the dean will give the school director/ department chair a salary range, start-up package, and other negotiables.

Verbal Offer. The school director/department chair will arrange for a phone call or Zoom meeting with the recommended candidate to verbally offer the position, and if applicable, negotiate compensation or other terms. Candidates are typically given up to one week to consider the offer. Upon acceptance, the school director/department chair will notify the dean and the college administrator to initiate the written offer.

If a candidate declines the offer, the school director/department chair will submit a recommendation for another acceptable candidate to the dean.

Other Steps. If the position is not filled with any of the candidates who participated in on-campus interviews, the school director/department chair should meet with the search committee to determine if other candidates in the pool should be invited to an on-campus interview. If so, the school director/department chair will make the recommendation to the dean for approval.

If no viable candidates remain, the school director/department chair may recommend to the dean that the search be failed. A failed search does not result in the loss of the position, and no inferior candidate should be hired because of this concern. If the instructional and/or research/creative need continues into the future, the school/department will be allowed to conduct a future search.

In the case of a failed search, a temporary instructor(s) may be hired to fill the instructional need and a new search can be scheduled in the future. Anyone participating in the search, including search committee members and administrators, should reflect on why the search was unsuccessful in hiring a candidate and apply “lessons learned” to future searches.

Regardless of whether the search is successful or not, the Search Committee chair must “disposition” every candidate in the PeopleAdmin application found on “myUTRGV.” In this system, the chair will choose the action taken for each candidate (e.g. interviewed not hired, not interviewed not hired, interviewed recommend for hire) and the reason for the action.

[1] The role of EEO is no longer a part of search committees. It is the responsibility of the search committee chair to ensure that no EEO violations occur during the search. If any concerns arise, the search committee should bring it to the attention of the school director/department chair immediately.

In order to meet UT system contact hour guidelines and SACSCOC instructional modality standards, we are creating a reporting mechanism for faculty to notify their school director/department chair of absences from course meeting times for research and creative activity travel or absences for personal reasons, including illness.

If a faculty member must be absent from campus for any reason (university business, research/creative activity, personal, or due to illness), the faculty member should complete a Leave Notification, which can be found on the faculty resources page of the College of Fine Arts website. In the request, faculty will list days that they will not be on campus, a description of the reason for the request, and an instructional plan for missed classes.  When possible, non-emergency requests should be made 30 days prior to the absence. Every effort should be made to minimize absences during the first and last two weeks of each semester.

Event Scheduling Process

This process applies to venues directly scheduled by UTRGV ARTS staff, namely:

• Performing Arts Complex (PAC) in Edinburg
  • Auditorium
  • Lobby
  • Rehearsal Halls
• Multipurpose Room in BLMSC in Brownsville
• Off-campus venues, including, but not limited to:
  • Harlingen Municipal Auditorium
  • TSC Performing Arts Center in Brownsville

Timeline. While some flexibility is necessary to meet needs throughout the college, deadlines should be adhered to as much as possible. 

Requests. Faculty who are requesting space after May can click on the applicable links:

2026-2027 Edinburg Rehearsal Hall Reservation Form – Fill out form – Fill out form 

2026-2027 UTRGV PAC Performance Hall Reservation Request Form – Fill out form

​Season Calendar 2026-2027.xlsx 

​Rehearsal Hall Schedule Fall 2026.xlsm​ 

These reservations are for official UTRGV events, not for outside organizations. There is a different process for rental of these spaces by outside organizations. To reserve a date on behalf of another organization, visit UTRGV Facility Rentals. Outside vendors are not allowed on campus by UT Systems without an approved contract. 

In accordance with HOP ADM 10-301 Facility Use, all Jointly Sponsored activities must be approved by the President's office. The use of University buildings or facilities by individuals who are not students, faculty, or staff; by groups that are not registered student, faculty, or staff organizations; or by associations or corporations for programs or activities must be jointly sponsored by UTRGV and shall be subject to approval, visit Joint Sponsored Events.

UTRGV ARTS staff will respond to requests submitted using the appropriate forms about two (2) to three (3) business days after you have submitted your request. Requests made over the phone, via email, text, in person, or by contacting staff directly will not be processed and confirmed until the requestor has submitted the appropriate request form.

When scheduling, please be aware that any cancellations involve a cost in time and money. Patrons who have redeemed tickets or the public who have purchased tickets need to be notified of cancellations, refunds must be made, ticketing costs will still be incurred, and cancellation of police/custodial services will need to be made. Unless there is an emergency, we ask that you provide at least three (3) weeks’ notice of your cancellation.

Due to the high demand for use of the performance spaces and the time and resources required to advertise public performances, cancellations less than three (3) business weeks at any of the performance spaces will result in:

• loss of the date(s) in the hall and
• no guarantee that the performance will be rescheduled.
   

XIV.b.  Complimentary Tickets

Complimentary tickets (Faculty, Student Majors, Student Minors, Performers/Exhibitors) are determined by departments/schools for use in building community, supplementing attendance and recognizing participation is handled differently by each department and school. These complimentary tickets are removed from ticket sales inventories. UTRGV ARTS will issue a Complimentary Ticket based on eligibility. Any unused Complimentary Tickets at a prescribed date will be returned to the sales inventory pool for purchase.

Procedures 

1. Travel coordinators will complete a travel request survey that will be directed to their respective School Director/Department Chair no later than 30 days before the beginning of the student travel. Any travel less than 30 days but no more than 7 days prior to the beginning of student travel must be approved by the Dean. Requests made less than 7 days prior to the beginning of student travel will not be granted, unless the short notice is due to travel associated with athletic tournaments or playoffs (in this instance, the Director of Athletic Bands should include these possible contingencies in their initial request). In this survey, faculty will communicate:
   
   
   1. Roster of all students, including their status as defined by the UTRGV College of Fine Arts Ensemble/Company/Performing Group Policy.
   2. Communication (letter or email) provided to students to give to their professors, if the trip is approved.
   3. Budget for the trip, including funds requested from centrally managed funds at department/school, college, or university levels. Faculty should note language related to funding of non-majors found in the UTRGV College of Fine Arts Ensemble/Company/Performing Group Policy.

2. Registration and Prior Approval: Each participant in student travel, as described above, must be registered with the Office of the Dean of Students at least two weeks prior to the trip, in accordance with procedures established by that office. The Dean of Students or his or her designee must approve all student travel prior to the date of travel in order for the trip to proceed. Students must complete these forms (Student Travel | UTRGV):
   
   
   1. Authorization for Student Travel Request Form.
   2. Release and Indemnification Agreement for each student attending.

The travel coordinator should keep these forms with them during the trip.

3. Students give their instructors the approved letter as soon as the excused absence has been approved but no less than seven days before the trip.
   
   
4. Prior to leaving, each group must receive a pre-trip orientation, which will include:
   1. Applicable rules of conduct as per UTRGV’s Student Conduct Code and the Student Travel Policy (Student Travel | UTRGV).
   2. Itinerary and contact information.
   3. Safety issues while traveling and while at the destination point.

Enforcing the Policy:

The College of Fine Arts faculty will honor officially excused student absences when all the procedures above have been followed. If the processes above are not followed, faculty are under no obligation to excuse students from attending class and may enforce any attendance policy they have stipulated for their courses.

We are excited to showcase our ensembles in music, theatre, and dance. The following student ensembles may be available, pending scheduling, to perform and appear at your event (to make a donation click on the ensemble):

• Vaquero Marching Band
• Vaquero Pep Band
• Vaquero Drumline
• UTRGV Jazz Ensemble
• UTRGV Chamber Ensembles: strings, winds, choir, and percussion
• Ballet Folklórico
• Ballet Español
• UTRGV Theatre

All donations received to host these ensembles will be used to support student scholarships. To complete a request, including indicating the ensemble and the number of students, please complete the request form below. For full consideration, requests should be made at least two weeks in advance.

Request Form: https://utrgv.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aUZUEBF6m8uQk9U

For assistance with identifying an individual musician to contract, please email information about your event to music@utrgv.edu.

Note: This process is only for requests from entities outside of UTRGV and is subject to approval by the department chair/school director.

• School of Art and Design 

• School of Music 

• Department of Theater

• Dance Department 

• Creative Writing Department