UT Regents award 12 Professors for Outstanding Teaching

Austin, TX — The University of Texas System Board of Regents has announced 12 recipients of the 2025 Regents Outstanding Teaching Awards. The honorees – faculty from UT academic and health institutions – were selected for their extraordinary classroom presence and innovative teaching methods. 

“The Board of Regents is proud to recognize these educators for their dedication to the core values of teaching excellence and student success. We are truly grateful for the role they play in preparing and inspiring the next generation of Texas leaders and innovators,” said UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife.  

The Board of Regents places the highest priority on teaching and introduced the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards in 2008 for UT System academic institutions. The program was later expanded to include UT System health institutions.  The awards recognize faculty across the UT System who leverage excellence, innovation, creativity and dedication in order to deliver the highest quality of instruction to students. Each recipient receives a certificate, a medallion and a cash award in appreciation of their positive impact. 

The 2025 Outstanding Teaching Awards winners are: 

 Academic Institution Recipients 

  • Jigarkumar Sureshbhai Patel, Associate Professor of Instruction, Mathematical Sciences, UT Dallas 
  • Carolina Valencia, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, UT El Paso 
  • James Francis Adams, Associate Professor, Department of Music, Stephen F. Austin State University 
  • Karen Magruder, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, UT Arlington 
  • Lela Vukovic, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UT El Paso 
  • Adam McGuire, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Counseling, UT Tyler 
  • Vernita Gordon, Professor, Department of Physics, UT Austin 
  • Mohsen Shahandashti, Professor and Associate Dean, Department of Civil Engineering, UT Arlington 

Health Institution Recipients 

  • Margarita Vasquez, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio 
  • Shalizeh "Shelly" Patel, Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry and Prosthodontics, UT Health Science Center at Houston 
  • Craig Sisson, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio 
  • Clifton Fuller, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center 

About The University of Texas System

With 13 institutions that enroll more than 260,000 students overall, the UT System is the largest university system in Texas and one of the largest public university systems in the United States. UT institutions produced over 66,000 graduates last year and awarded more than one-third of the undergraduate degrees in Texas. They also educate more than one-half of the state’s health care professionals with a four-year degree or above and award 56% of the state's medical degrees annually. The combined efforts of UT-owned and -affiliated hospitals and clinics resulted in nearly 11.7 million outpatient visits and more than 2 million hospital days in the last year reported. UT’s $4.8 billion research enterprise is one of the nation’s most innovative, ranking No. 1 in Texas and No. 2 in the U.S. for total research expenditures and No. 3 in the U.S. for federal research expenditures. With an operating budget of $33.3 billion for fiscal year 2026, UT institutions collectively employ more than 160,000 faculty, health care professionals, support staff and students.

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