Faculty at The University of Texas at Austin are first class — constantly innovating new ways to reach students with course material that’s relevant and experiential, partnering with industry leaders, and pursuing research that makes an impact now and into the future.
Each Spring, The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost recognizes those who go above and beyond to stand out amongst their exemplary peers with several Faculty Teaching Awards.
William David Blunk Memorial Professorship
Congratulations to Dr. Jennifer Austin, Professor of Instruction and Undergraduate Mathematics Faculty Advisor from the Department of Mathematics in the College of Natural Sciences, for being honored with the 2025 William David Blunk Memorial Professorship. Austin chairs the Mathematics Undergraduate Studies Committee and the Mathematics College Readiness Committee and serves on various departmental, college and University committees focused on undergraduate education.
The William David Blunk Memorial Professorship recognizes a member of the faculty who has demonstrated an outstanding record both in undergraduate teaching, advising and general guidance given to students. Such mentorship should have occurred within the context of excellent scholarship and high standards of performance.
Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships
The Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships acknowledges professional-track faculty members primarily engaged in freshmen instruction. The award acknowledges innovative instructional approaches and impactful student engagement (mentorship and advising). Fellowship holders must be on campus during their appointments.
This year, four faculty members have been honored with Dads’ Association Centennial Teaching Fellowships. Congratulations to Dr. Greg Clark, Dr. Josh Beckham, Dr. Clifton Croomes and Dr. David Junker.
A Distinguished Lecturer, Research Educator and the FRI Outreach Director for the Freshman Research Initiative in the College of Natural Sciences, Clark has worked at UT Austin in a variety of roles for nearly 30 years. From teaching to research to lab experience, he has engaged students with understanding, accessible learning and expertise. His FRI biology stream, Discovering Signals, trains students to think like scientists by developing and using critical thinking skills to create new knowledge through research and effectively communicating their findings of the early molecular signaling steps by which a novel hormone-like signal, extracellular ATP, regulates plant growth and development.
Beckam is an Associate Professor of Practice from the Freshman Research Initiative in the College of Natural Sciences. He is head of the Virtual Cures (a.k.a. Virtual Drug Screening – VDS) stream of the Freshman Research Initiative, which runs both a freshman cohort and an upper-division cohort. Since 2019, Beckham has also served as the PI for the NSF-funded RCN-UBE grant (#1920270) that supports the BioMolViz community of educators seeking to improve molecular visualization in the classroom.
The Associate Director of Bands and Director of the Longhorn Band, Croomes is an artist and educator in the Butler School of Music in the College of Fine Arts. He has performed with ensembles throughout the United States, London, Paris, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy as well as serving as an international consultant throughout Japan. He has served as an adjudicator and clinician for marching and concert bands throughout the states of Texas and Louisiana.
Junker is a Professor of Instruction from the Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations in the Moody College of Communication. In addition to teaching writing courses for public relations majors and special topics courses in communication and culture, he is director of the Moody College Honors Program for the college and faculty adviser for both UT Austin’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Joe and Bettie Branson Ward Endowed Excellence Award
Granted once every three years, this award recognizes the belief that education involves positive change and is the aggregate of all processes by means of which a person, or groups of people, develop abilities, attitudes and other forms of behavior of positive value to the society in which they participate.
Congratulations to Dr. Allan Cole, Dean and Bert Kruger Smith Centennial Professor in Social Work from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work for being honored with this year’s Joe and Bettie Branson Ward Endowed Excellence Award. He also serves in leadership at Dell Medical School, as Deputy for Health Humanities and Technology, and as Courtesy Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Please join our office in celebrating the success of these faculty and their commitment to excellence in education. Their dedication to teaching and mentoring continues to inspire and shape the future of our students.