APRIL 22, 2020 — Roadrunner Nation has celebrated the fantastic achievements of UTSA faculty and staff during the 2020 University Excellence Awards ceremony, livestreamed Tuesday. The program featured university leadership—President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson and Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar Mendez—announcing the winners.
All categories of the University Excellence Awards were evaluated through their respective nomination review committees: President’s Teaching Awards selection committees coordinated through the provost’s office, Distinguished Diversity Awards committee coordinated through the inclusive excellence office and the University Excellence Staff Awards committees coordinated by Staff Senate. The University Excellence Awards Program is overseen and managed through a committee with representatives from areas throughout the university.
If you missed the livestream—the first of a UTSA virtual awards event, which peaked at one point at 672 viewers—you can watch the recorded stream.
Awards statuettes and Years of Service certificates and pins will be available for employees when campus reopens.
Here are the 2020 winners in each category:
RICHARD S. HOWE DISTINGUISHED UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING: Gina Amatangelo (Public Administration; College for Health, Community and Policy), Sue Ann Pemberton-Haugh (Architecture; College of Architecture, Construction and Planning)
TEACHING EXCELLENCE: Thad Bartlett (Anthropology, College of Liberal and Fine Arts), Leslie Neely (Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development), Jessica Nowlin (Philosophy and Classics, College of Liberal and Fine Arts)
CORE CURRICULUM TEACHING: Luca Pozzi (Anthropology, College of Liberal and Fine Arts), David Matiella (Architecture; College of Architecture, Construction and Planning)
EXCELLENCE IN UNIVERSITY SERVICE: Eugene John (Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering), Hector Aguilar (Chemistry, College of Sciences)
ADVANCING GLOBALIZATION: M. Kathryn Brown (Anthropology, College of Liberal and Fine Arts)
INNOVATION & IMPACT: Development of a common curriculum for HIS 1053 Civil War to Present (Jodi Peterson, Kirsten Gardner, Jennifer Dilley, David Hansen, Gregg Michel [all History, College of Liberal and Fine Arts])
EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Catherine Nolan-Ferrell (History, College of Liberal and Fine Arts), Mel Webb (Center for Civic Engagement and Honors College)
RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENT: Xiaodu Wang (Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering), Chiung-Yu Hung (Biology, College of Sciences), Catherine Clinton (History, College of Liberal and Fine Arts), Marcus Hamilton (Anthropology, College of Liberal and Fine Arts)
FACULTY/STAFF INDIVIDUAL: Courtney Balderas-Jacob (Dreamers Resource Center, Inclusion and Engagement Center)
FACULTY/STAFF GROUP: Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (Lisa Carrington Firmin, Michael Logan, William Lansdon)
STUDENT INDIVIDUAL: Maritza Hernandez (Bilingual-Bicultural Education, College of Education and Human Development)
STUDENT GROUP: Musicians of Business
RICHARD S. HOWE SERVICE TO UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES: Rosa Gonzalez (College of Education and Human Development)
LEADERSHIP: Kristee Phelps (Human Resources)
RISING STAR: Lina Trejo (Purchasing Department)
EXTRA MILE: Nicholas Hernandez (Admissions)
TEAM SPIRIT: Resilience and Retention Team, Advising Center (Brandy Barksdale, Michele Tencza)
ORDER OF THE ROADRUNNER: John Shaffer (The Graduate School)
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Students are invited to get to know the University Career Center. Attendees will learn about the University Career Center, its resources and upcoming events. This presentation will be facilitated by University Career Center team members and will highlight ways in which students may access the office's services.
Virtual EventIf you are living on or near the UTSA Main Campus, Honors College staff will be set up outside the GSR Building from 2-4 pm handing out Goody Bags while supplies lasts. Goody Bag quantities are limited. Not in the San Antonio area? Unfortunately we will be unable to ship a goody bag to you but will be sure to have goodies for you when you return to San Antonio.
Outside GSR Building, Main CampusThe Graduate School is excited to welcome back our graduate students with a virtual game of pictionary.
Virtual EventMeet the new UTSA Wellbeing Promotions and Education Team! Your wellbeing is an essential component of your success. Learn about upcoming wellbeing initiatives, programs, and services that you have at your disposal to improve your wellbeing!
Virtual EventThe Meet and Greet event will include Deans from our ten academic colleges, as well as your elected Student Government representatives. Join us to learn more about the programs and services offered on campus, ask questions, and give input. We especially encourage our Transfer and First-Gen community to join us for this fun event, to learn more about UTSA and connect with our Academic administration!
Virtual EventAre you in or interested in Recovery? Do you want to be a part of a community where you can be supported and support others? Come find out Who's in Recovery and learn more.
Virtual EventIt’s time to grab your microphone and practice your best dance moves and get ready to participate in Roadrunner Productions’s Virtual Lip Sync Battle! Organizations and individuals will submit an application with a video link from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reel, or IGTV video that follow certain guidelines to be premiered at our event. All submissions will be reviewed, and once approved, will be shown at the event. Roadrunner Productions and fellow UTSA students will vote on superlatives to be awarded to each participating team!
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
