UNT has 1,400 outstanding faculty, which includes many distinguished scholars, researchers and artists who are widely known as experts in their fields and dedicated mentors.

This fall, the university celebrated Salute to Faculty Excellence Week, with UNT's highest awards to recognize the many accomplishments of UNT faculty. Events across campus showcased the dedication of faculty to teaching, research and service. The week was capped with a black-tie dinner at UNT's Apogee Stadium, where recipients of the distinguished UNT Foundation Awards were recognized and other faculty achievements were honored.

"Faculty are the linchpin to everything we do as a university," says President Neal Smatresk. "They are the reason UNT stands out as a caring community dedicated to supporting our students and their path to success."

Faculty awards and recognition

Showcasing faculty greatness is at the heart of Salute to Faculty Excellence Week, but it's also an opportunity for students to say thanks to teachers for their hard work. UNT's faculty members help students by challenging and supporting them.

This fall's week of celebrations and networking events included a Pechu Kucha presentation by UNT's Distinguished Teaching Professors and the Thank a Teacher program, which provides an online portal for students to send notes of appreciation to faculty who have made a difference in their lives. UNT also bestowed 30 awards and cash prizes on faculty for their accomplishments in teaching, research, leadership and service. The top three awards are supported by the UNT Foundation.

 

Eminent Faculty award

Richard Rogers, Regents Professor of psychology, earned the UNT Foundation's Eminent Faculty Award. The award recognizes a faculty member who has made outstanding and sustained contributions to scholarly-creative activity, teaching and service. Rogers has been recognized nationally for his major contributions in examining the intricacies of Miranda warnings and common pitfalls in Miranda reasoning. His research prompted the American Bar Association to call for clear and concise Miranda language for juveniles across the country. As one of the highest faculty achievers at UNT, the Eminent Faculty Award recipient serves as an inspiration for the entire UNT community.

 

Faculty Community engagement award

Stanley R. Ingman, a professor in the College of Public Affairs and Community Service, received the foundation's Faculty Community Engagement Award. The distinction is given to a faculty member who has the sensitivity to understand and work across organizational boundaries and the leadership to build bridges among community institutions. Ingman established the Texas Institute for Research and Education for Aging at UNT and at the UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. His work in the Denton and Dallas areas on community programs for public housing, building sustainable neighborhoods, after-school care and preschool immunization has received several national grants. Some of those projects have been the basis to develop sustainable neighborhoods and businesses in Mexico.

 

Faculty Leadership award

Mark Vosvick, associate professor of psychology, was honored with the UNT Foundation's Faculty Leadership Award. The award acknowledges a faculty member who makes a significant impact on the academic enterprise through innovative initiatives, leadership and service. His research examines quality of life, stress and coping in HIV-positive patients marginalized in society due to their sexual, gender or racial/ethnic minority status. Vosvick was instrumental in the UNT Libraries' acquisition of the archives of Resource Center Dallas. He has served as chair of the UNT Faculty Senate and is the director of UNT's Center for Psychosocial Health Research and director of the LGBT studies program at UNT.