Charter members of the recently instituted Academy of Master Teachers gather at a reception Oct. 1. (Click to see larger image.)
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In a continued effort to honor, reward and recognize faculty excellence, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has launched the Academy of Master Teachers.

UT Health Science Center President Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., announced the creation of the new organization and acknowledged its charter members during a reception held on campus Oct. 1.

Academy members to serve as role models for faculty
The Academy is a professional society organized to encourage the scholarship of teaching and an ongoing institutional recognition of and commitment to teaching and learning excellence. Academy members encourage faculty who are dedicated to scholarly teaching and to educational scholarship. They also serve as professional role models and mentors for faculty, residents, fellows and students.

“It’s great to see a university value its teaching faculty,” said Don Willman, D.D.S., a professor of periodontics and one of the academy’s charter inductees.

Academy will recognize and reward exceptional teaching faculty
In a coordinated effort with the Health Science Center’s Academic Center for Excellence in Teaching (ACET), the Academy has three goals:

• To facilitate faculty members’ ongoing professional development and practice in the scholarship of teaching
  
• To encourage career interest, excellence, commitment and scholarship in teaching through professional development activities for students, residents and fellows
  
• To contribute to the scholarship of teaching by conducting research in health professions education

“The academy will recognize and reward faculty members at the Health Science Center,” said John Littlefield, Ph.D., director of the Academic Center for Excellence in Teaching. “Faculty who exhibit teaching excellence, scholarly teaching practices and/or extraordinary scholarship in teaching and education will be invited to join the academy.”

All are members of elite UT System academy
Charter members have all previously won various campuswide awards or are members of The University of Texas System Academy of Health Science Education. The 80 charter members of the Academy of Master Teachers will begin recruiting new members in October.

For more information about the Academy and admission criteria, visit the Academic Center for Excellence in Teaching Web site or call Dr. Littlefield at (210) 567-2283.