Faculty members from three colleges at The University of Texas at Austin have been named to the prestigious Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Executive Vice President and Provost Steven W. Leslie said the new members are James N. Loehlin, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts; Jayadev Misra, Department of Computer Science, College of Natural Sciences; David Crew, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts; and Jeffrey L. Hellmer, the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, College of Fine Arts.
Leslie said the faculty members were named to the academy based on recommendations from an ad hoc faculty/student committee that reviewed nominations of outstanding faculty members. The faculty members, he said, have earned the respect of peers, students and administrators for their outstanding teaching.
The academy induction ceremony and special dinner in honor of the new members will be in October.
Members of the academy will receive a permanent academic salary increase of $7,000 and will be designated as a Distinguished Teaching Professor. They will work with the Office of the Provost in providing institutional leadership and guidance for the distinctive undergraduate experience available in the research university environment. The academy members also are asked to serve as teaching mentors for new faculty when possible and to assist with other initiatives to enhance the teaching mission of the university.
Established in February 1995, the Academy of Distinguished Teachers was one of the first associations of its kind in the nation. New members of the academy are selected each year through a rigorous evaluation process. Deans of colleges and schools annually nominate faculty for membership, and a committee that includes members of the academy, students and other faculty review the nominations and recommend a slate of honorees to the provost, who makes the final selections. Honorees are awarded the title University Distinguished Teaching Professor and serve for the duration of their tenure at The University of Texas at Austin.
