The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System has recognized 72 faculty members from institutions within the system for outstanding teaching, including 34 faculty members from The University of Texas at Austin.
The educators from the 15 institutions will be honored as the 2011 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award winners during a ceremony on The University of Texas at Austin campus Wednesday, Aug. 24. They will share $1.8 million in awards.
The cash awards, which range from $15,000 to $30,000 and believed to be among the nation’s highest for higher education faculty are given to faculty members at UT System academic institutions who demonstrate extraordinary classroom performance and innovation at the undergraduate level. The event will mark the program’s third year.
“Today the Board of Regents considers it a true honor and privilege to recognize another class of great educators from across the University of Texas System with not only a ceremonial event but with much deserved financial rewards,” said Regents Chairman Gene Powell. “The Board is committed to continuing the process of seeking out, hiring and rewarding great teachers and the Board looks forward to holding these ceremonies for many years to come.”
“These faculty members embody the mission and spirit of The University of Texas at Austin. They inspire our students, open their eyes to new knowledge and opportunity, and train the leaders of tomorrow to think critically and deeply about the world around them. We are very proud of them,” said William Powers Jr., president of The University of Texas at Austin.
Award nominees must demonstrate a clear commitment to teaching and a sustained ability to deliver excellence to the undergraduate learning experience. Candidates’ teaching performance over three years was rigorously examined by campus and external judges.
Additionally, students, peer faculty and external reviewers considered a range of activities and criteria, including classroom expertise, quality of curriculum, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
“It is our system’s responsibility to provide an exceptional education to our students, and we believe this award program not only furthers that goal, but helps promote a culture of excellence that produces better teaching, better learning and, ultimately, better-prepared graduates to enter our work force,” said UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D.
A list of names and the institutions at which they teach is available online.
The recipients from The University of Texas at Austin:
- Betsy Berry, Ph.D., senior lecturer, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts
- Anthony L. Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education
- Ethan Burris, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Management, McCombs School of Business
- Courtney Timpson Byrd, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, College of Communication
- Charlotte M. Canning, Ph.D., professor and head of the Performance as Public Practice M.A./M.F.A./Ph.D. Programs, Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Fine Arts
- Richard L. Cleary, Ph.D., professor and the Page Southerland Page Fellow in Architecture, School of Architecture
- Richard H. Crawford, Ph.D., P.E., professor and the Temple Foundation Endowed Faculty Fellow No. 3, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
- John A. Daly, Ph.D., the Frank Liddell Professor of Communication, Texas Commerce Bancshares Professor of Management, University Distinguished Teaching Professor, College of Communication and the McCombs School of Business
- Yoav Di-Capua, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts
- Wendy Domjan, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Psychology and assistant director of Plan II Honor Program, Psychology Department, College of Liberal Arts
- Michael Downer, Ph.D., College of Natural Sciences Distinguished Professor and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences
- Robert C. Duvic, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Department of Finance, McCombs School of Business
- Michael D. Engelhardt, Ph.D., P.E., the Dewitt C. Greer Centennial Professor, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
- Gail Gemberling, Ph.D., Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Department of Information, Risk and Operations Management, McCombs School of Business
- Sam Gosling, Ph.D., professor, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
- Jeffrey Gross, Ph.D., assistant professor, Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Natural Sciences
- Charles J. Holahan, Ph.D., professor, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
- Brent L. Iverson, Ph.D., chairman, the W.J. and V.M. Raymer Professor and Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences
- Ann Collins Johns, Ph.D., senior lecturer, Department of Art and Art History, College of Fine Arts
- Prabhudev Konana, Ph.D., the William H. Seay Centennial Professor of Business and University Distinguished Teacher, Department of Information, Risk and Operations Management, McCombs School of Business
- Brian P. Levack, Ph.D., the John E. Green Regents Professor in History and Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts
- Calvin Lin, Ph.D., professor and director of Turing Scholars Program, Department of Computer Science, and coach of the Texas Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team
- James N. Loehlin, Ph.D., the Shakespeare at Winedale Regents Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts
- Carol H. MacKay, Ph.D., University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts
- Bill Minutaglio, M.S., clinical professor of journalism, College of Communication
- Michael D. Scott, M.S., senior lecturer, Department of Computer Science, College of Natural Sciences
- Christopher Shank, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Marine Science, College of Natural Sciences
- Marty Shankland, Ph.D., professor, Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, College of Natural Sciences
- George Shubeita, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences
- Dee Unglaub Silverthorn, Ph.D., senior lecturer, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences
- John F. Stanton, Ph.D., the Watt Centennial Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Natural Sciences
- Lori K. Holleran Steiker, Ph.D., associate professor, assistant dean for Undergraduate Programs, School of Social Work
- Mary A. Steinhardt, Ed.D., L.P.C., University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, College of Education
- Michael E. Webber, Ph.D., assistant professor, associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy, co-director of the Clean Energy Incubator, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering
The awards program established by the Board of Regents in August 2008 has recognized 217 educators spanning more than 100 disciplines. The awards are the latest in a series of UT System-sponsored activities aimed at fostering innovative approaches to teaching, research and commercialization endeavors at all 15 UT System institutions.
