The University of Texas System Board of Regents presented 10 faculty members from The University of Texas at El Paso with the Outstanding Teaching Award for excellence in the classroom during an Aug. 19 ceremony in Austin, Texas.
The Regents presented their Outstanding Teaching Award to a total of 79 recipients from UTEP and the system’s other academic and health institutions during the ceremony.
The UTEP honorees are David Carrejo, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics education; Bradley Cartwright, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of history; Sandor Dorgo, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology; Pei-Ling Hsu, Ph.D., assistant professor of science education; Helmut Knaust, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematical sciences; Oscar Macchioni, DMA, associate professor of piano; Homer Nazeran, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering; Sasha Pimentel, assistant professor of poetry; Raymond Rumpf, Ph.D., associate professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Elizabeth Walsh, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences. Each honoree will receive $25,000.
“All of us at UTEP are extremely proud of the 10 UTEP educators recognized by the UT System Board of Regents,” said University President Diana Natalicio. “The excellence of their work as teachers, mentors and scholars has contributed significantly to creating superb educational opportunities for our talented and hardworking students. We applaud these Outstanding Teaching Award recipients and thank them for their commitment to UTEP’s mission. We also thank the Board of Regents for supporting these generous awards to honor highly dedicated and successful teachers.”
Based on the dollar amount, the awards are among the largest prizes given in the nation for teaching excellence. This year’s total system awards come to almost $2 million.
Regents’ Chairman Paul Foster praised the educators for their role in preparing the next generation of leaders and was glad the UT System was able to make this kind of investment to reward outstanding faculty.
“The efforts of these faculty members significantly enhance the educational experiences of our students and the UT Board of Regents is pleased to have this opportunity to honor them,” Foster said.
The 10 awardees are the most UTEP faculty selected in one year by the Regents since 2012. This year’s recipients bring the total number of UTEP Outstanding Teaching Award winners to 58 since the first awards were presented in 2009.
Nominees go through a rigorous selection process that involves lengthy reviews at the department, college and University levels before they are submitted to the UT System. They are evaluated on factors such as classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes. Nominations come from peers, students and institutional leaders.
