Don Winget Receives Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award

August 22, 2013

The Board of Regents of The University of Texas System has chosen Dr. Don Winget from The University of Texas at Austin to receive a 2013 Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award, its highest teaching honor. The award was presented August 21 in a ceremony at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on the UT Austin campus.

Winget is the Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor in Astronomy at the university, and a University Distinguished Teaching Professor. He has also received teaching accolades from the College of Natural Sciences, the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors, and the university’s Dad’s Association.

The Regents’ awards program honors outstanding performance in the classroom and dedication to innovation in undergraduate instruction.

“Undergraduate teaching is critical to the mission of our university,” said Steven Leslie, executive vice president and provost of UT Austin. “During their years on campus, students are inspired to learn, think critically and solve society’s issues. These outstanding faculty members are shaping our next generation of leaders and problem-solvers. This recognition from the Board of Regents is well-deserved.”

Established in 2008, the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards program recognizes educators who deliver the highest quality of undergraduate instruction through demonstrated excellence in teaching and sustained excellence in all aspects of instruction. Faculty members undergo a series of rigorous evaluations by students, peer faculty members and external reviewers. The review panels consider a range of activities and criteria in their evaluations including classroom expertise, curricula quality, innovative course development and student learning outcomes.