UT System Regents Honor 2 UTEP Faculty as Outstanding Teachers
Last Updated on July 01, 2019 at 12:00 AM
Originally published July 01, 2019
By Christina Rodriguez
UTEP Communications
The University of Texas System Board of Regents announced July 1 that two UTEP faculty members will receive the group's Outstanding Teaching Award for their extraordinary performance and innovative instruction in the classroom.
The recipients of this year’s Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award (ROTA) are Martine Ceberio, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, and Denise Lujan, director of developmental math.
“I’m so pleased that the UT System Board of Regents has once again honored members of the UTEP faculty with this highly competitive and prestigious award,” UTEP President Diana Natalicio said. “This recognition of Dr. Ceberio and Ms. Lujan is a testament to both the high-quality educational opportunities available to UTEP students across disciplines, and the extraordinary work of UTEP’s highly committed faculty. We are extremely proud of these two UTEP faculty members whose dedication to teaching inspires students to achieve their highest aspirations.”
The ROTA is one of the nation’s largest awards programs that recognizes teachers in higher education. It was established in 2008 to recognize faculty from the UT System’s eight academic and six health institutions who deliver the highest quality of instruction in the field, classroom, laboratory and online. Since its inception, the Board of Regents has presented more than $20 million to over 700 UT educators. Including Lujan and Ceberio, 72 UTEP faculty members have received this award.
Nominees undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations of a candidate's teaching performance such as classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.
“I am incredibly pleased at this external validation of what we have long known about two of our strongest teachers at UTEP,” said John Wiebe, Ph.D., UTEP’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Dr. Ceberio and Ms. Lujan represent the best of our access and excellence mission, as both work tirelessly and use innovative approaches to make a top-notch education accessible to those who are motivated to pursue it.” The Board of Regents will present the 2019 awards to 27 faculty members from all UT academic and health institutions during the group’s Aug. 14 meeting in Austin. Each recipient will receive a certificate, a medallion and $25,000 in appreciation of their impact on students and their institutions.
“This awards program is an investment in both faculty and students, because when it comes to student success – and subsequently real-world success – recruiting and retaining great faculty is the key,” UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken said. “I’m grateful to the Board of Regents for its continued commitment to great teaching, and I’m thankful that these exceptional educators are serving our students and Texas.”
