About the Academy

The Academy of Distinguished Teachers is emblematic of the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching. The purposes of the Academy are to honor and reward excellence in teaching, provide leadership in improving the quality and depth of the undergraduate experience, foster research on effective college teaching and learning and advise the institution on teaching policies and practices.

Members of the Academy

• Advise the President and Provost on matters related to the university’s instructional mission
• Serve as a resource and an inspiration for teachers and promote a sense of community among teachers
• Serve as mentors to other faculty

Eligibility:

• Full-time faculty appointment
• Exceptional record of teaching excellence
• Scholarly or creative impact at the national level (e.g., disciplinary research as evidenced by tenure, educational research, innovative educational materials such as textbooks, performance or creative works.)
• Applicants for the Academy of Distinguished Teachers should have a strong commitment to teaching and mentoring. UT Austin’s mission of academic excellence in teaching is only made possible by continued dedication to inclusive learning environments. In pursuance of this mission, the Academy is especially interested in candidates who have demonstrated efforts to engage and include audiences in higher education through teaching, mentorship and public service.

Award Amount

Following appointment to the Academy of Distinguished Teachers, each faculty member will receive a one-time stipend of $25,000.

Number of Nominations

School of Architecture: 1	College of Liberal Arts: 6
McCombs School of Business: 3	College of Natural Sciences: 6
Moody College of Communication: 2	School of Nursing: 1
College of Education: 2	College of Pharmacy: 1
Cockrell School of Engineering: 3	LBJ School of Public Affairs: 1
College of Fine Arts: 2	School of Social Work: 1
School of Information: 1	Jackson School of Geosciences: 1
School of Law: 1	Dell Medical School: 1

Nomination Process

Schools or colleges solicit abbreviated applications (items 1-4) by Thursday, October 30, 2025. Following the initial review by the selection committee, selected nominees and their schools/colleges will submit the remaining items (items 5-8).

Schools/Colleges forward their nominations to Academic Affairs via email to Brie Wilson (bridget.wilson@austin.utexas.edu). Please include “ADT Nomination” in the subject heading.

Round 1 Nomination Packets include:

The nomination packet descriptions for both the first round and second round of screening should include not only the contents of each packet but also the order in which the materials should be assembled.

• Cover sheet. (One page)
  • The cover sheet lists the nominee’s name, department and contact information for the candidate and contact information for the person in the college designated to submit the files for the college.
  • The cover page will also include a statement from the dean (or dean’s designate) that briefly describes the School/College process that was used to identify the nominee(s) and confirms that the nominee meets all the eligibility criteria. (A full nomination letter from the Dean will be requested for candidates who advance to the second round of review.) Schools/Colleges should not rank candidates. While the deans are not constrained to any formal procedures to identify nominees, they should consult with department chairs and faculty and with student council and/or other representative student groups in their college as part of the process. In addition, we strongly recommended that the school or college consult with current members of the Academy.
• Nominee’s statements. (No more than four pages total)
  • Teaching statement: This can include teaching philosophy, the effect their teaching has had on student success, contributions to teaching at the department, University or national level, and how the nominee has mentored other faculty.
  • Explanation of how the nominee has responded to and incorporated student feedback (e.g., CIS scores and student comments) and expert and peer evaluations into their teaching.
  • Describe what the nominee has done to extend the societal impact in teaching, scholarly activities and mentorship.
• Abbreviated CV highlighting teaching contributions and scholarship/creative impact at the national level (see Eligibility Criteria). (No more than three pages)
• Table of courses taught in the last five years, including overall course and instructor CIS scores.

Round 2 (finalists) Nomination Packets include:

• A maximum of four letters, two from former students and two from peers. The letters should have been written within the past 3 years. (No more than two pages/letter)
• Assessments of teaching effectiveness: peer or expert reviews.
• eCIS student comments from courses taught in the last five years. Do not include handwritten course comments. (Please note that issues related to COVID during Spring 2020 through Spring 2022 will be considered in the evaluation process.)
• Statement by Department, Dean, or College Awards Committee. This statement should comment on and assess items 1–3, rather than be a generic letter of support. While membership in the Academy recognizes teaching excellence and contributions to education, the letter chair’s letter should also provide the context of this excellence by noting the nominee’s scholarly contributions. The group/person most knowledgeable about the nominee’s contributions to teaching should prepare the statement. (No more than two pages)

Deadlines and selection process:

• Initial nomination packets will be due on October 30, 2025. This is the same deadline as university-wide teaching awards, which will facilitate college selection committees by re-incorporating the ADT nominations into the teaching awards process.
• Finalists should be notified by the last class day of the fall semester (Dec. 8, 2025). The Academy president will notify finalists and their respective deans and will notify nominees who were not selected to move to the second round of review.
• The second round of packets will be due January 31, 2026.