UT Regents award 12 Professors for Outstanding Teaching

Austin, TX - The University of Texas System Board of Regents has announced 12 recipients of the 2025 Regents Outstanding Teaching Awards. The honorees - faculty from UT academic and health institutions - were selected for their extraordinary classroom presence and innovative teaching methods.

"The Board of Regents is proud to recognize these educators for their dedication to the core values of teaching excellence and student success. We are truly grateful for the role they play in preparing and inspiring the next generation of Texas leaders and innovators," said UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife.

The Board of Regents places the highest priority on teaching and introduced the Regents' Outstanding Teaching Awards in 2008 for UT System academic institutions. The program was later expanded to include UT System health institutions. The awards recognize faculty across the UT System who leverage excellence, innovation, creativity and dedication in order to deliver the highest quality of instruction to students. Each recipient receives a certificate, a medallion and a cash award in appreciation of their positive impact.

The 2025 Outstanding Teaching Awards winners are:

Academic Institution Recipients

• Jigarkumar Sureshbhai Patel, Associate Professor of Instruction, Mathematical Sciences, UT Dallas
• Carolina Valencia, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, UT El Paso
• James Francis Adams, Associate Professor, Department of Music, Stephen F. Austin State University
• Karen Magruder, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, UT Arlington
• Lela Vukovic, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UT El Paso
• Adam McGuire, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Counseling, UT Tyler
• Vernita Gordon, Professor, Department of Physics, UT Austin
• Mohsen Shahandashti, Professor and Associate Dean, Department of Civil Engineering, UT Arlington

Health Institution Recipients

• Margarita Vasquez, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
• Tulsi Patel, Associate Professor, Department of Periodontics and Dental Hygiene, UT Health Science Center at Houston
• Craig Sisson, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio
• Clifton Fuller, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center