AUSTIN, Texas—The importance of teaching in higher education will be recognized at The University of Texas at Austin on Oct. 6 when outstanding members of the faculty are presented awards during “The University at 121: An Anniversary Observance” ceremony in Rainey Hall.
Professor Charles Ramírez Berg will receive the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award that recognizes a senior faculty member for a distinguished career in teaching at the undergraduate level. It is given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to teaching excellence. Berg is a distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film, College of Communication.
The President’s Associates Teaching Excellence Award recognizes excellence in undergraduate teaching. Recipients for 2004 are: Professor C. Joshua Holahan, Department of Psychology; Associate Professor Arturo De Lozanne, Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology in the College of Natural Sciences; Assistant Professor Mark A. Lawrence, Department of History; and Associate Professor Marjorie C. Woods, Department of English. This award was established in 1980 to recognize excellence in undergraduate teaching at The University of Texas at Austin. Awards are based upon nominations received from deans and department chairs in the colleges of Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences. Award recipients are approved by the executive vice president and provost.
Also during the ceremony, new members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers for 2004 will be formally recognized. They include: Toyin Falola, the Frances Higginbothom Nalle Centennial Professor in History, Department of History; Jerry Junkin, the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Centennial Professor in Music, Director of Bands and head of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles, School of Music; Brian P. Levack, the John E. Green Regents Professor in History, Department of History; Associate Professor Elizabeth M. Richmond-Garza, Department of English, director of the Program in Comparative Literature; Lawrence W. Speck, the W. L. Moody Jr. Centennial Professor in Architecture, School of Architecture; and Professor Mary A. Steinhardt, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.
The Academy of Distinguished Teachers, one of the first organizations of its kind in the nation, was established in 1995 to recognize and enhance teaching, particularly at the undergraduate level. Members are chosen on the basis of their outstanding teaching, their personal commitment to students and the learning process, and their ability to inspire and motivate in the classroom. Members of the Academy are bestowed the title of Distinguished Teaching Professor.
For more information contact: Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847.
