Faculty and university leadership convened Oct. 14 to celebrate and honor the 2015 inductees into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.
Established in 1995, the academy was one of the first organizations of its kind in the country, designed to recognize tenured faculty members who have made significant contributions to improving the quality of the student experience. Members advise the president and provost on matters related to the university’s academic mission.
“Tonight is an exciting evening because we get to honor these members of our faculty who have earned the respect of their peers, students and administrators for their outstanding teaching,” said Provost Judith Langlois. “Their dedication to our undergraduate students and the university’s goals of educating, inspiring and preparing graduates to be leaders is truly exceptional.”
Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment and Curriculum Services David Laude joined Provost Langlois (both pictured with the honorees, below) in recognizing this year’s inductees.
Each year new members are selected through a rigorous evaluation process and must be nominated by the dean of their respective school or college. Faculty members are then admitted to the academy based on recommendations from a faculty and student committee who review the nominations. Including this year’s class, the academy now has 128 members.
Richard Corsi, Cockrell School of Engineering, Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Richard Corsi joined the faculty in 1994 and teaches fluid mechanics, an introduction to environmental engineering and multiple courses on air quality. He is chair of the Department of Civil and Architectural and Environmental Engineering (CAEE), director of the CAEE Research Center and co-director of the Center for Sustainable Development.
Mechele Dickerson, School of Law
An Arthur L. Moller Chair in Bankruptcy Law and Practice professor of law, Mechele Dickerson teaches federal procedure, remedies, consumer debt, bankruptcy and economic justice. She joined the School of Law faculty in 2005.
John Markert, College of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics
John Mackert joined the faculty in 1990 and teaches courses on electricity and magnetism in the Department of Physics. In 2014, he won the College of Natural Science Teaching Excellence Award. He is the faculty director of the Freshman Research Initiative in physics.
