Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award

Overview

The UT System’s vision as an “institution of the first class” includes a commitment to continuous improvement in the quality of the education its faculty provide to its students. The Board of Regents places the highest priority on teaching at System universities. The Regents encourage teaching excellence by recognizing faculty who deliver the highest quality of instruction through demonstrated excellence in teaching and a promising future of sustained excellence in all aspects of instruction.

In November 2008, the Board of Regents introduced the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards for the academic institutions, and the awards were later expanded to include UT System health institutions. The awards are a symbol of the importance placed on the provision of teaching and learning of the highest order. The awards are offered in recognition of those who serve our students in an exemplary manner and as an incentive for others who aspire to such service.

Nomination Criteria

The ROTA program recognizes exceptional educators who demonstrate a commitment to teaching excellence and innovation, enhancing the student learning experience. Indicators of excellence may include:

• Developing innovative, student-focused teaching methods.
• Actively engaging learners through effective strategies.
• Creating opportunities for experiential learning.
• Effectively integrating technology in teaching.
• Adapting methods to improve teaching outcomes.
• Demonstrating a commitment to ongoing teaching improvement.
• Leading and influencing colleagues in teaching excellence.  

Eligibility

• Open to tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure-track faculty.
• Includes educators at undergraduate, graduate and professional degree levels (e.g., J.D., M.D., M.Arch).
• Past ROTA recipients are ineligible to be renominated.

Please refer to this webpage for full UT System guidelines.

For more information, please email teachingawards@utexas.edu.

UT Austin Nomination Deadline

Friday, Apr. 10, 2026

Number of Nominations

Each college or school may submit up to two nominations: one tenured/tenure track nominee and one non-tenure-track nominee. Nominees may teach at the undergraduate or graduate level, including faculty supporting professional degree programs (i.e., J.D., M.D., M.Arch, etc.). UT Austin will select up to two nominations to be submitted to UT System for consideration.

Date of Presentation: During the November BOR Meeting.

Nomination materials

Each nominee’s submission, limited to 25 pages as a single PDF bearing the nominee’s surname and campus (e.g., Smith-UTARL.pdf), must include:

• Table of Contents: Hyperlinked to all sections (see below for mandatory and supplemental content).
• Personal Information: Name, title, department, institution, and contact details (on internal UT form and ROTA Nomination Form)

• ROTA Nomination Form

Mandatory (≤ 20 pages):

• Curriculum Vitae
• Teaching Philosophy
• Institutional Endorsement (placeholder page only; letter will be added if nomination is selected for UT System-level consideration)
• Dissemination Plan for teaching innovations
• Letters of support from department chair/director and/or dean, peers, and former students.

Supplemental (optional, ≤ 5 pages):

• Student evaluations (comments/numerical)
• Evidence of teaching impact and innovation
• Multimedia: Videos (3-5 minutes total), personal websites, LinkedIn profiles, etc.

All pages must be numbered, and headers in the Table of Contents must hyperlink to corresponding sections.