UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers inducts three new members

AUSTIN—Three remarkable educators will be inducted into The University of Texas System Academy of Distinguished Teachers on Tuesday, April 19.

Created to recognize exceptional educators at UT’s eight academic institutions, the Academy serves as a System-level advocacy group dedicated to enhancing teaching, fostering innovation in the classroom, and promoting interdisciplinary perspectives on education.

“Teachers are of the noblest profession and the Academy honors the best of the best, not only for their teaching excellence but also for their impact and advancements across the UT System,” UT System Chancellor William H. McRaven said. “But this is an honor that has strings attached. From now on, these exceptional educators will be asked to collaborate with their follow Academy members to promote educational excellence and innovation throughout UT System institutions.”

“While each member is a proven outstanding educator, he/she has also demonstrated innovation, interest, action, commitment and leadership toward student learning and excellent teaching beyond their own classes,” John Sibert, associate professor of chemistry at UT Dallas and president of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers said. “Membership in the Academy is a call to action with a mandate, enthusiastically embraced by each member, to significantly impact the undergraduate learning experience Systemwide.”

Members must be previous recipients of the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award and this year’s inductees have expertise that range from mathematics to psychology. 

The 2016 inductees to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers are:

• Kevin Schug is the Shimadzu Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry at UT Arlington. Since joining UTA in 2005, his research has been focused on the theory and application of separation science and mass spectrometry for solving a variety of analytical and physical chemistry problems.
• Barbara Shipman is an associate professor and distinguished teaching professor in the Department of Mathematics at UT Arlington. Shipman enjoys rethinking foundational concepts and definitions in new and insightful ways and presenting inspiring, thought-provoking workshops and colloquia to mathematical and general audiences.
• Robert Duke is the Marlene and Morton Meyerson Centennial Professor and Head of Music and Human Learning at UT Austin. Duke has taught at UT Austin for 31 years and his research on human learning and behavior spans multiple disciplines, including motor skill learning, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience.

For more information, visit the Academy of Distinguished Teachers website.

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and an enrollment of more than 217,000, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates almost two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $16.9 billion (FY 2016) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates – and more than 70,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.