Thirty-five faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin are among 73 inaugural recipients from throughout The University of Texas System who will share $2 million in Board of Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards.
The awards, which range from $15,000 to $30,000 depending on level of experience, are believed to be among the highest in the country for rewarding outstanding undergraduate faculty performance and innovation.
Winners in the contingent faculty category will be awarded $15,000 each, while those in the tenure-track category will receive $25,000 each. Tenured faculty awardees will receive $30,000 each.
“These awards demonstrate our commitment to maintaining excellence in our classrooms and send a clear message to our campus communities that we value exceptional performance and innovation,” said Regents’ Chairman James Huffines.
The awards program was established in August 2008 as the latest in a series of University of Texas System initiatives aimed at fostering innovative approaches to teaching, research and commercialization endeavors at all 15 University of Texas System institutions.
“Clearly, we have a mandate to provide an exceptional education for our students, but our universities also play a critical role in ensuring the economic vitality of Texas,” said Francisco Cigarroa, chancellor of the University of Texas System.
At the time, Regents authorized $15 million, $10 million of which was to be used for the teaching awards ($5 million at The University of Texas at Austin and $5 million at the eight other System institutions); and the remaining $5 million to create a research commercialization and technology transfer center at The University of Texas at Austin.
The teaching awards programs and the commercialization center will each distribute $1 million in awards over five years, beginning this year.
An entire list of award recipients is available online as well as a list highlighting UTAustin recipients.
