A&M-Commerce Invests in Employees with New Professional Development Series
Amid post-pandemic trends in the workplace that focus on improving employee job satisfaction, a new professional development series at Texas A&M University-Commerce promises to empower employees and foster rewarding work experiences.

Dubbed “Investing in US,” the series of for-credit courses will be offered to faculty and staff in eight-week terms at no cost in Fall 2023. Employees are not required to use vacation or compensatory time to attend classes, which will be presented during work days.
Dr. Carrie Klypchak, senior executive director of academic investment at A&M-Commerce, said the initiative aims to invest in employees' professional growth and fulfillment.
“The A&M-Commerce community is blessed with amazing faculty and staff who are continually committed to our students' and colleagues' success,” Klypchak said. “We want to energize their efforts with a positive and joyful development program that supports a progressive workplace for everyone.”

Designing Your Life
More than 80 employees signed up for the series opener, “Designing U: Leadership I,” which soft-launched in Spring 2023 as a seven-week course.
Dean Yvonne Villanueva-Russell and her team in the College of Innovation and Design spearheaded the effort, utilizing the popular “Designing Your Life” principles developed by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans at Stanford University.

The coursework guided students through a process of self-discovery to identify their core values and explore their sources of motivation. Students learned brainstorming and model testing tools to increase creativity and collaboration, engage in career goal setting, and analyze leadership methods related to their career trajectories.
The university's unique approach to helping employees upskill has been well received. Participants praised the course’s flexibility, relevance and positive impact on their work.
“We all have opportunities to lead each day,” said Ancy Thomas Westbrooks, an administrative assistant for the Department of Mathematics. “You don't need to be a manager or executive; you can lead wherever you are, regardless of your role.”
View a photo gallery of the Designing U: Leadership I course.
Future Course Offerings
Moving forward, the series will be facilitated through the university's Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs and will include a variety of topics and themes.
“We anticipate offering a wide range of course topics when the series officially launches in fall,” Klypchak said. “And, by popular demand, we're excited to offer additional in-depth courses on design thinking and leadership.”

Klypchak said most courses will be offered face-to-face once weekly, with occasional courses available fully online. Employees may participate in one class from the available topics each semester.
Registration for Fall 2023 will open this summer. Courses include:
- Designing US I and Designing US: Administrators and Directors
Principles of design thinking for personal and professional growth - Leading US
Leading from where you are - Fostering a Culture of Belonging and US
Online ACUE-designed course supporting inclusive university work environments
University employees who are ready to unleash their potential and thrive in their professional journeys may contact [email protected] to learn more about the Investing in US professional development series at A&M-Commerce.
More Design
View All Design
Student Winners Featured in Creative Quarterly Magazine
Creative Quarterly is an international journal focusing on promoting the work of the creative community. The quarterly journal represents c...

Record Number of Visual Communications Student Work Featured in Graphis New Talent Annual
28 projects from 16 A&M-Commerce Visual Communications (VisCom) students are featured in the 2018 Graphis New Talent Annual. An international publisher of books on commun...

VisCom Seniors Impress at Dallas ADDY Awards
On March 8th, the 56th Annual ADDY Awards were held at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, TX. Three VisCom students were awarded with gold medals: Karin...
More Education
View All Education
5 Ways to Support Your Mental Health at A&M-Commerce
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. With physical health often taking center stage, it's a crucial reminder of the hidden struggles many fac...

A&M-Commerce Graduate is “The Voice of Hunt County”
Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Carissa Carter has been singing for as long as she can remember. Her talent and determination were on f...

Texas A&M University-Commerce Addresses Concerns About ChatGPT in Ag Classroom
Several recent news articles have addressed allegations that seniors in an agriculture class at Texas A&M University-Commerce received a failing grade and were temporari...
More Faculty & Staff
View All Faculty & Staff
TAMUC Faculty Win Grant Award for Digital Privacy Lab on Campus
A collective featuring two Texas A&M University-Commerce faculty members is the recipient of a monetary award that will be used to establ...

A&M-Commerce to Host Rural Mental Health Forum in Greenville
The Counseling Center and the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas A&M University-Commerce are partnering to host a free rural mental health forum at Fletche...

Human Trafficking Courses Bring Awareness, Volunteer Opportunities to A&M-Commerce Students
Students at Texas A&M University-Commerce are gaining awareness of human trafficking thanks to the university’s newly developed undergraduate and graduate cours...
More Giving Back
View All Giving Back
A&M-Commerce to Host Rural Mental Health Forum in Greenville
The Counseling Center and the Department of Health and Human Performance at Texas A&M University-Commerce are partnering to host a free rural mental health forum at Fletche...

TAMUC First-Year Leadership Class Raises Money for Local Animal Shelter
Students in the First-Year Leadership Class (FLC) at Texas A&M University-Commerce put in many hours of hard work planning and executing a fundraising campaign to benefit t...

Ernest Hawkins’ Daughter Makes Planned Gift
Texas A&M University-Commerce is more than a beloved alma mater to Kathy Hawkins Campbell. It is her childhood home and the site of her fath...
More Lion Community
View All Lion Community
5 Ways to Support Your Mental Health at A&M-Commerce
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. With physical health often taking center stage, it's a crucial reminder of the hidden struggles many fac...

A&M-Commerce Invites Mental Health Professionals to Attend Dallas Symposium
The Counseling Center at Texas A&M University-Commerce will host a Transforming Mental Health Symposium on Friday, May 19, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the university's Dallas si...

A&M-Commerce to Hold Spring 2023 Commencement on May 12 and 13
A&M-Commerce will hold Spring 2023 commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 12 and Saturday, May 13. Candidates include 515 master’...
More Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
View All Provost and VP for Academic Affairs
TAMUC Announces New Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Texas A&M University-Commerce has selected Tammi Vacha-Haase, Ph.D., as the university's new provost and vice president for academic a...