Ten TAMIU Faculty Receive Texas A&M System Teaching Excellence Awards
A total of 10 Texas A&M International University faculty members were announced as winners of The Texas A&M University System’s 2010 presentation of the Teaching Excellence Awards, a voluntary, student-selected honors program this week.
TAMIU faculty winners are Dr. José Martínez Samos, assistant professor, Department of Language and Literature; Natalie Burkhalter, associate professor, Dr. F.M. Canseco School of Nursing; Jessica Zamarripa, adjunct instructor, Department of Teacher Preparation; Dr. Jennifer Coronado, assistant professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction; Dr. Ronald Anderson, associate professor, Department of Teacher Preparation; Patricia Proa, adjunct instructor; Department of Engineering, Mathematics and Physics; Dr. Jyotsna Mukherji, associate professor; Division of International Banking and Finance Studies; Dr. Deborah Blackwell, associate professor; Department of Social Sciences; Dr. Lynda Brown, assistant professor, Department of Language and Literature; and Dr. Jacklyn Jeffrey, associate professor, Department of Social Sciences.
TAMIU faculty winners formed part of a total of 161 outstanding faculty winners throughout the system, who were awarded a combined total of $526,000.
The recipients represent the top 20 percent of those who participated in the A&M System program. The top 5 percent are awarded $5,000 to $10,000. The next 15 percent receive $2,500 to $5,000. Awards are based on rankings from evaluations created and administered by students, with weighting for factors such as class size.
The Teaching Excellence Awards were initiated by Chancellor Michael D. McKinney in 2008 to honor and financially reward the system’s top teachers as selected by students. All faculty members who teach at least a 3-hour course are eligible.
“This program allows students to recognize the many outstanding teachers that we have across the A&M System,” said McKinney. “While we are proud to extend our financial appreciation to these faculty members, these awards are about giving credit to those who give their best each day for their students, and ultimately to the State of Texas.”
TAMIU President Dr. Ray Keck said the University is proud to receive news of its 10 faculty winners.
“It gives us a surge of pride to see so many of our faculty members honored among the most outstanding faculty in the System,” Dr. Keck said, “The awards are a testament to the fact that TAMIU provides quality education every day and that our students recognize this.”
To date, 593 faculty members in the A&M System have received $2 million in excellence awards funds since the program started in 2008.
The A&M System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $3.2 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a comprehensive health science center, the A&M System educates nearly 115,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. Externally funded research expenditures exceed $730 million and help drive the state’s economy.
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