26 Faculty Members Honored for Teaching Excellence

Henry A. Dietz, 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award winner and University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Government [Photo: Marsha Miller/UTAustin] The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System has chosen 26 faculty members from the University of Texas at Austin to receive 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards, its highest teaching honor.

The awards program is one of the nation’s largest monetary teaching recognition programs in higher education, honoring outstanding performance in the classroom and dedication to innovation in undergraduate instruction.

A total of $1.6 million will be awarded to educators from all 15 UT System institutions during a ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on the UT Austin campus.

“We are deeply grateful to the regents for their ongoing commitment to honor our very best and most dedicated faculty. These awards recognize the immeasurable impact teachers have on our students, who will shape the future of our communities across Texas and the nation,” says UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa.

Established in 2008, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program recognizes educators who deliver the highest quality of undergraduate instruction through demonstrated excellence in teaching and sustained excellence in all aspects of instruction.

Faculty members undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty members and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.

“Undergraduate teaching is critical to the mission of our university,” says Steven Leslie, executive vice president and provost of UT Austin. “During their years on campus, students are inspired to learn, think critically and solve society’s issues. These outstanding faculty members are shaping our next generation of leaders and problem-solvers. This recognition from the Board of Regents is well-deserved.”

James Karboski, award recipient and clinical professor in the College of Pharmacy, has been chosen to speak at the Board of Regents meeting on Wednesday, where the winners will be officially announced.

“I’m very proud to be part of a university system that acknowledges the importance of teaching,” Karboski says. “Guiding my students through a new concept and seeing the look in their eyes as they grasp it is an incredible thing. I am truly honored to receive the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.”

The 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards recipients from UT Austin are:

• Matthew Thomas Balhoff, assistant professor in the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Centennial Fellowship #1 in Petroleum Engineering
• Jay L. Banner, director of the Environmental Science Institute and professor in the Jackson School of Geosciences
• Amit Bhasin, assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
• Steven R. Biegalski, director of the Nuclear Engineering Teaching Laboratory and associate professor of mechanical engineering
• Christopher P. Brown, Early Childhood Program area graduate adviser and program coordinator and associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Martin “Randy” Cox, director of individual events and senior lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies
• Kathryn Dawson, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance
• Arturo De Lozanne, University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology
• Cassandra Delgado-Reyes, assistant director and specialist of the Texas Interdisciplinary Plan in the College of Natural Sciences
• Henry A. Dietz, University Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Government
• Andrew K. Dunn, associate professor of biomedical engineering and the Roberta Woods Ray Centennial Fellow in Engineering
• Matt Fajkus, Fellow of the Center for Sustainable Development and assistant professor in the School of Architecture
• Toyin Falola, professor in the Department of History
• Andrea Flower, assistant professor in the Department of Special Education
• Kevin J. Folliard, Austin Industries Endowed Teaching Fellow and professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
• Don B. Graham, J. Frank Dobie Regents Professor of American and English Literature in the Department of English
• Simon M. Humphrey, assistant professor of inorganic chemistry
• James A. Karboski, clinical professor in the College of Pharmacy
• Allen MacDuffie, assistant professor in the Department of English
• Sonia Paban, associate professor in the Physics Department
• Elizabeth C. Pomeroy, co-director of the Institute for Grief, Loss and Family Survival and professor in the School of Social Work
• Catherine Riegle-Crumb, assistant professor of STEM education and faculty research associate in the Population Research Center, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• K. Sata Sathasivan, senior lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences
• Elizabeth Stepp, lecturer in the Department of Mathematics
• Peter Stone, professor in the Department of Computer Science
• Don E. Winget, Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor of Astronomy and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of Astronomy and the McDonald Observatory