Neuroscientist Receives 2016 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award
The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award is the Board of Regents’ highest honor.
Michael Drew, an assistant professor of neuroscience, was one of 11 University of Texas at Austin faculty members chosen to receive prestigious 2016 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards from The University of Texas System Board of Regents.
Each honoree is to receive $25,000 and recognition at a ceremony in Austin on August 24 at the JW Marriott.
The Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award is the Board of Regents’ highest honor and is offered annually in recognition of faculty members at The University of Texas System’s nine academic and six health institutions.
Established in 2008, 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.
Drew, the only 2016 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award recipient from the College of Natural Sciences, has been a faculty member in the Department of Neuroscience since 2010.
“I am extremely proud of our faculty members recognized by the regents for their commitment to excellence in teaching,” said Judith Langlois, executive vice president and provost at UT Austin. “Our faculty challenge, inspire and motivate their students on a daily basis. These faculty members deserve recognition for their dedication to educating the leaders of tomorrow.”
To be considered for the award, 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 of a candidate’s teaching performance, including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
“UT educators provide invaluable mentorship and deliver high-quality instruction and innovation while enhancing the minds of the nation’s next leaders. Their deep commitment to outstanding education ensures student success across the System,” Chairman Paul L. Foster said. “The Board of Regents is honored to recognize our dedicated faculty members through the ROTA program.”
A full list of the past Regents’ award recipients in the College can be found here, and a full list of 2016 award recipients on campus can be found here.
