College of Innovation and Design Resources: Investing in Us
Investing in Us offers a professional development and personal growth program at no cost to East Texas A&M University faculty and staff through a series of credit-bearing, academic classes. The program promotes a supportive environment for employees seeking to learn, grow, and thrive in their careers. Investing in Us seeks to invest the university's significant and relevant academic knowledge and experiences into its faculty and staff, which will best position them to build on their strengths, talents, and skills and invest them back into serving students at East Texas A&M University.
One Hour Classes
May Mini 2026
ENG 697A – Grant Development and Administration for Us
- Meets: 5/11/2026 through 5/28/2026
- M, T, W, R, F, 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
- Instructors: Lucy Pickering and Brent Donham
- For staff and faculty, alongside doctoral students.
- Must have completed bachelor's degree.
- Synchronous Zoom class; sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend at the scheduled times.
This course explains the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of submitting grants to funding agencies and foundations. We will cover how to identify appropriate grants to apply for, how to write the “story” of your research, budget development, and the submission process. We will also introduce the post-award process that follows your successful grant application.
Summer 2026
US 397 – Stress Prevention and Management for Us
- Meets: 6/01/2026 through 7/23/2026
- Instructor: Rachel Aumann
- For staff and faculty.
- Asynchronous web-based class.
This online asynchronous course on stress management and prevention goes beyond the usual focus on time management and breathing techniques to explore the root causes of our stress. We will examine what stress is, where it comes from, and how we can regain a sense of control. Because stress is largely influenced by perception, this course emphasizes practical ways to shift thinking patterns and build distress tolerance in addition to exploring ways to enhance our overall well-being. Highly experiential in nature, the course will guide you in trying at least one new strategy each week, helping you to develop a personalized and sustainable toolkit for managing stress.
US 597 – Engaging Student Readers & Us
- Meets: 6/01/2026 through 7/23/2026
- Tuesdays, 3:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Instructor: Carol Revelle
- For faculty and teaching staff.
- Must have completed bachelor's degree.
- Synchronous Zoom class.
Reading for class is an integral part of a high-quality college education, yet increasingly students resist completing their reading assignments. This course will provide research on this national issue, describe both the reading demands and the academic gap for today’s college students, and provide models of literacy strategies to improve engagement and comprehension of various content area reading tasks.
Three Hour Graduate Classes: Summer 2026
Summer 2026: Graduate
ETEC 528.01W – Digital Storytelling
- Meets: 6/01/2026 through 7/02/2026
- Instructor: Christopher Bigenho
- For staff and faculty.
- Must have completed bachelor's degree.
- Asynchronous web-based class.
This course will explore the power of capturing and sharing a personal narrative through various approaches using different forms of technology. Students will have the opportunity to learn various techniques for capturing and telling stories, a brief understanding of storytelling, and a chance to create and share autobiographical, interview biographical and global stories shared through different media.
OLT 553.01W – Organizational Leadership
- Meets: 7/06/2026 through 8/06/2026
- Instructor: Tony Lee
- For staff and faculty.
- Must have completed bachelor's degree.
- Asynchronous web-based class.
This course includes topics related to the role of leadership in employee development and organizational changes. Included are major theories and principles of organizational leadership and skills to identify, measure, and evaluate leadership effectiveness.
Faculty and Staff: Receive an Investing in Us Leader Designation
Complete at least four one-hour Investing in Us classes at East Texas A&M University, serve as a model for continuous development and growth, and receive an Investing in Us Leader Designation with your name displayed on our website for all of our campus community to see!
Investing in Us Leaders
- Michele Anderson
- Lisa Avrit
- Rafael Bakhtavoryan
- Vipa Bernhardt
- Misty Boyd
- Kasey Britton
- Kara Campbell
- Mylynka Cardona
- Elvis Dang
- Emily Davis
- Lauren Devitt
- Nicole Farris
- Chris Gage
- Ramona Gilley
- Catherine Giles
- Jada Graff
- Morgan Hargrove
- Sandy Hayes
- Ashlie Hight
- Gavin Johnson
- Carla Jones
- Sierra Jones
- Cecilia Jubera
- Leah Kanaman
- Brad Klypchak
- Carrie Klypchak
- Dana Kruger
- Ashanka Kumari
- Kelin Loe
- Amanda Lowe
- Britnie Moka
- Virginia Monk
- Rose Moreno
- Lindsay Morgan
- Denise Neill
- Adam Northam
- Sarah Northam
- Justin Norman
- Alice Norwood
- Jamie Pfennig
- Julia Persky
- Syed Asif Raza
- Mo Reeves
- Carol Revelle
- Jaime Rodriguez
- Belinda Rudinger
- Mark Rudin
- Judy Sackfield
- Joi Saville
- Deborah Scaggs
- Kristen Segar
- Katelyn Severance
- Christie Sifuentes
- Laura Slay
- Katrina Starr
- Rebecca Steward
- Tracy Stewart
- Hannah Stotts
- Ancy Thomas
- Erin Thornton
- Tammi Vacha-Haase
- Renee Wallace
- Karen Walker
- Pamela Webster
- Amanda Willows
- Andrea Williams
- Rebecca Worley
- Christina Yoakum
Alumni Recognition
Special recognition is offered to the first three alumni and community members who completed at least four classes during the first two years of the Investing in Us program. Congratulations!
Spring 2025 Special Recognition: Investing in Us Alumni and Community Leaders
- Teresa Bussell
- Linda King
- Elizabeth Rudin
Course Archives
Contact Us
- Investing in Us
- [email protected]