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Piper Professor Teaching Award


Purpose of Award

The Piper Professor Award was established by the San Antonio–based Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation in 1958 to annually recognize outstanding college professors across Texas. Selection is made on the basis of nominations; each two and four-year college and university in the state may submit only one nominee annually.

The Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation honor 10 professors per academic year for their dedication to the teaching profession and for their outstanding academic, scientific and scholarly achievement. Each Piper Professor receives a certificate of merit, a gold pin and a $5,000 honorarium.

More information is available on the Texas Comptroller website.


Eligibility

All full-time instructors (tenured, tenure-track, or fixed-term-track) are eligible for consideration. Former nominees may be re-nominated at both the college and the university level.

Each college may only submit one nominee to be considered at the university level. In determining the recipients, the Piper Professor Award Selection Committee will consider internal UTSA selection procedures. Therefore, wide departmental and college participation is recommended in the selection of candidates.

UTSA may only nominate one faculty member to the Piper Foundation for consideration each year.


Timeline & Nomination Process

September: Call for nominations

October 6th: Deadline for college's to submit nomination packets

Each college should identify one nominee and submit the materials listed below in a single pdf to facultyawards@utsa.edu. Nomination packets should consist of:

  1. Completed nomination form
  2. Current semester’s course syllabi
  3. Nominee’s shortened CV highlighting information not already featured in the application form
  4. The names of five people willing to submit letters of recommendation if the applicant is selected as UTSA’s nominee.
    (We encourage all nominees to identify and contact their five references and inform them of the possible need for letters and the timeline. However, there is no need to submit letters with the initial application. Letters may be from members of the administration, the nominee’s colleagues, and/or from current or former students.)

October
October 6th – Nominations due to Faculty Success (submit to facultyawards@utsa.edu)
UTSA awards committee meets to select UTSA nominee
UTSA nominee is informed of nomination by end of October

November
November 17th - UTSA nominee’s full packet is due.

May
Piper Foundation announces winners.

College Maximum Number of Nominees
CEID 2
ACOB 1
COEHD 1
COLFA 1
COS 1
HCaP 1
University College 1
Honors College 1

Past Recipients

  • Langston Clark, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy | 2023
  • Diane Abdo, M. Jur., M.A. | Professor of Instruction, The Writing Program | 2022
  • Mary McNaughton-Cassill, Ph.D. | Professor of Psychology | 2017
  • Aaron Cassill, Ph.D. | Professor of Biology | 2013
  • John Miller Morris, Ph.D. | Professor of Geography | 2012
  • Felix D. Almaraz, Jr., Ph.D, | Professor of History | 2003
  • Judith Gorman Gardner, M.S. | Lecturer III and Coordinator of Composition | 2001
  • David Michael Senseman, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Life Sciences | 1997
  • Richard Lee Utecht, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Marketing | 1994
  • Richard A. Gambitta, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Political Science | 1990
  • M. Neal Guentzel, Ph.D. | Professor of Life Sciences | 1986
  • Marian L. Martinello, Ed.D. | Associate Professor, Division of Education | 1982