The University of Texas System
Academy of Distinguished Teachers Newsletter
Issue 1
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Welcome to the Academy's First Newsletter
Most of us have encountered a great teacher at some point in our lives. Often, we met them when we were their students; in fact, for many of us it was because of a great teacher that we entered academic professions. But in those early encounters, great teaching may have felt like a supernatural talent — something akin to magic — rather than a set of skills, attitudes, and habits of mind that can be learned and adapted to our own practice.
While it is certainly true that teachers have natural gifts in communication or assignment design, those gifts are only fully cultivated by what Elizabeth Alsop has called "social teaching." As with scientific research, effective teaching practices are often shared and honed in communities, through mentoring, peer observation, resource sharing, and encouragement.
With this newsletter, we hope to highlight extraordinary teaching happening throughout The University of Texas System, and in particular from the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers. You will meet some of the newest faculty inducted into the Academy. You will also learn about opportunities to engage with some of the extraordinary teachers leading the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers Webinar Series, Building World-Ready Students.
But more than that, we hope you recognize something of yourself in the people you read about in these pages. We hope you realize that you are not alone, that you too have something great to offer to your students.
On behalf of the fellows of the UT Academy of Distinguished Teachers, we welcome you to the first of what we hope will be many conversations about how we may, together, serve the students of The University of Texas System with excellence.
| | A Brief History of the Academy | | |
The UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers was established in 2012 to recognize and connect faculty across The University of Texas System who demonstrate sustained excellence in teaching. At that time, it brought together a group of 12 founding fellows who shared a commitment to student learning and to elevating the role of teaching within higher education.
More than a decade later, it continues to serve as a space for conversation, collaboration, and leadership around excellent teaching across the UT System.
| | Each January, the Academy holds an induction ceremony, with welcome remarks from the UT System Chancellor. In 2025, a severe winter storm swept across Texas and forced the cancellation of the ceremony. This year, the Academy gathered in person on January 8, with Chancellor John M. Zerwas, MD, and Executive Vice Chancellor Archie Holmes joining celebration. The Chancellor personally congratulated each new fellow as the Academy formally inducted all eight members from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts. This newsletter features the 2024 inductees, with the 2025 inductees slated for the fall semester issue. | | |
Professor Gina Amatangelo
Distinguished Teaching Professor and Professor of Practice in Public Administration,
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Professor Amatangelo’s teaching centers on helping students engage thoughtfully with public issues and apply what they learn outside the classroom. She teaches courses in public policy research, public administration, managing public conflict, and civic leadership, emphasizing civil discourse, community engagement, and practical problem solving. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience as a facilitator and public policy practitioner, she designs learning experiences that prepare students for civic and professional life. She is past-chair of the Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where she supports teaching excellence across the institution.
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Professor Kerrie Anne Ambort-Clark
Distinguished Teaching Professor and Assistant Dean in the Soules College of Business,
Director for the Healthcare Leadership Distinction Program and Professor of Practice in the School of Medicine
The University of Texas at Tyler
Kerrie Anne is a distinguished educator recognized for her excellence and innovation in teaching, with a professional focus on strategic leadership in healthcare and business education. She has led the development of pioneering programs bridging the gap between clinical practice and business strategy; she continues to develop initiatives that integrate medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and business across the healthcare ecosystem. In addition to her programmatic work, she is deeply committed to mentoring, creating initiatives that support student growth and professional development across disciplines. Kerrie Anne is also an active leader in healthcare education, serving on national and regional advisory boards and advancing leadership in both academic and professional settings.
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Erika Bsumek
Professor and Ellen Clark Temple Chair in Women's History,
The University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Bsumek’s teaching is closely tied to the creation of educational tools and resources that support student learning. She developed ClioVis, a digital timeline and network mapping platform that allows students to build time-aligned visual maps for class and research projects. To date, the resource has been used by more than 36,000 students. Her teaching is informed by a career as a historian of the American West, Native American history, and environmental history, bringing disciplinary depth into the classroom alongside innovative pedagogy. She is also the lead scholar for the Radical Hope Syllabus Project, an open educational initiative that brings together teaching resources focused on how educators respond to crisis, uncertainty, and large-scale change, emphasizing care and adaptability in teaching and learning.
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Clint Peinhardt
Professor of Political Science,
Public Policy and Political Economy,
The University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Peinhardt brings global political and economic questions into the classroom in ways that are grounded in students’ own experiences. Trained as a political scientist, his work on international trade, and investment informs courses where students are encouraged to learn from one another as well as from the material. In one undergraduate course, that approach takes a concrete form when students rewrite the textbook, editing and updating Open International Political Economy as an open-access resource. Through this project, students come to see themselves as active contributors to knowledge, not just its consumers. Dr. Peinhardt is serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Austria in 2026.
| | | UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers Webinar Series: Building World-Ready Students | | |
Faculty, teaching assistants, and staff across the UT System are invited to a new webinar series titled Educating for Impact: Building World-Ready Students. Hosted by the UT System Academy of Distinguished Teachers in collaboration with the UT System Faculty Developers, the series explores the value of the core curriculum and its role in supporting student learning and adaptability.
The remaining sessions for this academic year will be held on the second Tuesday of March, and April from 1 to 2 p.m. Presenters include Academy fellows along with other faculty leaders from UT System institutions.
Productive Struggling, Critical Thinking, and AI
📅 Thursday, March 12
🕐 1 p.m.
Register here
In an era when instant answers are readily available, opportunities for productive struggle and critical thinking can be diminished. This session, led by Beth Fleener and Peggy Semingson from UT Arlington, examines productive struggle as a learning process that supports perseverance, resilience, and deeper learning. The discussion will address stages of cognitive development, the role of AI in learning, and teaching strategies that encourage critical thinking and long-term retention across disciplines.
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Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo Receives Presidential Award For STEM Mentoring
Dr. Teresa Feria Arroyo, professor and director of the School of Integrative Biological and Chemical Sciences at UT Rio Grande Valley, has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), one of the nation’s highest honors for STEM mentors.
Presented since 1995, the award recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding efforts to develop a diverse and well-prepared STEM workforce.
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Dr. Jorge López Named 2025 Osterhoff Chair at UACJ
The Douglas Osheroff Heritage Chair aims to promote scientific dissemination and academic collaboration, allowing internationally renowned researchers to connect with the Department of Physics and Mathematics at Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ).
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Dr. Catherine E. Ross Receives 2025
Marilyn Gaull Book Award
The Wordsworth-Coleridge Association has selected Educating the Romantic Poets: Life and Learning in the Anglo-Classical Academy, 1770–1850 by Catherine E. Ross as the 2025 recipient of the Marilyn Gaull Book Award.
The committee praised the study’s original approach and rigorous research, recognizing its significant contribution to Romantic studies and its reflection of the scholarly excellence championed by Marilyn Gaull.
| | | We hope you will share this newsletter with your colleagues! | | | | |
